“The Seven Ages of man”… and woman, of course

Just like the Zodiac signs, your current age is said to have its ruling planet. And this is actually very helpful — the knowing of what planetary period you’re currently in brings a good degree of clarity and a purpose too!

Just like the signs of the Zodiac, your current age is said to have its ruling planet. And this is actually very helpful — the knowing of what planetary period you’re currently in brings a good degree of clarity and a purpose too!

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

William Shakespeare, As You Like It

Mr Shakespeare wrote this amazingly humorous verse that is somewhat close to the actual planetary periods of human life, but not exactly, he missed the Sun! We will refer to it here purely for the entertainment purposes.

The interesting fact is that the number seven can be equally applied to the notion of time in the context of the universe just as well as for individual human life.

Back to the seven planetary spheres

A couple stories ago we have looked at the notion of planetary spheres in the context of planetary hours. We also pondered on the numerological meaning of the number seven as a symbol of the integration between the creative force, aka Spirit, presented by the number three and inanimate matter presented by the number four.

The seven planetary spheres is a universal concept, and as many principles of the macrocosm the planetary spheres can be also found in the human microcosm, meaning life of each individual human that starts from the moment of birth. The idea that your life is but a reflection of the celestial order has been with us since ancient times. “As above so below,” has been said and written so many times!

The alchemical transformation and the Emerald Tablet

The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus is said to have laid the foundations of the alchemical discipline, it is perhaps the most ancient alchemical document that have survived.

It ascends from the earth to the heaven
It descends from the heaven, newborn on the earth

These two lines describe an endless cycle of perfection of each human soul through the succession of its incarnations on the Earth.

With each journey the soul is supposedly becomes more mature, wiser and more advanced — that’s from the cosmic perspective, of course.

In the vicinity of the Earth, each ascending and descending journey goes through the seven planetary spheres. Each descend, or incarnation, first travels through the sphere of Saturn, then Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury and the Moon — before the eventual “touch down” on the material plane of the planet Earth.

Each ascending journey starts with a travel through the closest sphere of the Moon, followed by the other spheres in a reverse order.

The seven planetary spheres is the communicational and transmutational mechanism through which the principles from “above” reflect themselves into the material world “below”. The sequence of the planetary spheres is also the foundation for time keeping.

Planetary periods in human life

Unfoldment of a human life follows the reverse order of planetary spheres as illustrated above: it begins on earth with the sphere of the Moon and gradually works its way back up culminating in the sphere of Saturn:

1. Moon ➝ 2. Mercury ➝ 3. Venus ➝ 4. Sun ➝ 5. Mars ➝ 6. Jupiter ➝ 7. Saturn

The classical order of planetary spheres starts with Saturn:

1. Saturn ➝ 2. Jupiter ➝ 3. Mars ➝ 4. Sun ➝ 5. Venus ➝ 6. Mercury ➝ 7. Moon

The two opposing orders of planetary spheres perfectly illustrate the dialectic of the incarnation and ascension processes that every human goes through.

Once somebody is born on the Earth, their life timer is immediately engaged. The life in itself is a reflection of a process of an individual flourishing and ascension. The process of self-development with the goal to be better, to do better than ever before.

Period	Years	Planet	Duration
1	0 – 4	the Moon	4 years
2	4 – 10	Mercury	6 years
3	10 – 18	Venus	8 years
4	18 – 37	the Sun	19 years
5	37 – 52	Mars	15 years
6	52 – 64	Jupiter	12 years
7	64 – …	Saturn

Early life — the Moon years, 0 – 4

At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.

The period of infancy. Watery and sensitive. Motherly influence shaping the future person. Formation of human psyche as a receptacle that takes impressions from the outside world and digests them. Tactile exploration of the immediate surroundings. Learning to move, feeling the world.

Discovery — Mercury years, 4 – 10

Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school.

Learning through communication and interaction with others. Exploring the closest neighbourhood, making friends. Beginning of the systematic process of learning, the school years.

Beauty and love — Venus years, 10 – 18

And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow.

Period of organic blossoming. Puberty and emergence of sexuality. “The gods are always 16” as the epitome to the idea of the spring that lasts forever. The first passion and the first broken heart. Dreams and ideals. Going wild, being at the top of the world. Romeo and Juliet.

Creation and procreation — the Sun years, 18 – 37

Independence, expansion into the world, leaving own mark, making kids and establishing a household. Making mistakes, getting bruised. Becoming a professional, forming own identity. Establishing yourself as a functional entity. Building a career. Expanding your presence.

Conquest — Mars years, 37 – 52

Emboldened by the experiences and know-how accumulated during the previous period, it’s certainly a time to expand your territory. Mars period can make one climb up a career ladder, establish oneself in the world, claim own piece of turf, become an entrepreneur. Direction and action, awakening the inner predator.

Influencing others — Jupiter years, 52 – 64

Good soldiers make good generals. Gained position of influence, respect, opinion leader. Moderator and resolver of conflicts, conductor and orchestrator. It’s a position earned through the years of applied knowledge and professional expertise.

The duration of the period of Jupiter certainly makes sense since 12 is the number of Jupiter — the number of years it takes Jupiter to visit all 12 signs of the Zodiac.

Years of wisdom — Saturn years, 64 and later

Time for reflection and wisdom. Know-how turned knowledge and deep observation. Summarising experiences, hard earned real-life philosophy. Stability based on knowing who you are not, and therefore who you are. Peace.

Each period brings something to focus on

The ideas above are not very likely to have any significance for those of us who are younger than 18. But at other ages there is an emerging question of what am I supposed to do right now, what is the meaning of current time period? Why have my values and desires recently changed? Perhaps another period has begun.

The wheel of planetary periods can be one of ways to explain this. And to get an idea on what to focus next to be in sync with time.