Giordano Bruno's Images of the Planets
Michael Freedman S.G. 1991.

MOON

First: A horned woman riding a dolphin, holding a chameleon in the right hand and a lily in the left.

Second: A hooded country man, fishing with a hook with his right hand, and supporting himself on a three-pronged spear, which he holds tightly with his left hand.

Third: A woman adorned with many pearls; clad in dazzling white garments; with a crystal vase on her right hand and a cat on her left.

Fourth: A woman upon a hydra with three necks from each of which spring seven heads. She holds out her empty hands before her.

Fifth: A boy with a silver crown and sceptre, mounted on a chariot drawn by two she-goats.

Sixth: A woman with a single horn, with serpents twined around her arms ands legs, riding a panther.

Seventh: A hunter, clothed in linen, driving a dog along a wooded ridge; and waking someone up.


MERCURY

First: A most beautiful youth holding a sceptre around which two serpents entwine, with their heads facing in opposite directions.

Second: A bearded, handsome youth, crowned with olive, holding a sceptre in his hand, and before whom flames ascend.

Third: One having a winged helmet and ankles, carrying a rod in his left hand and a dart in his right.

Fourth: A man with a chest-length beard, wearing a toga, who is followed by a girl with a charming face and an attractive body, but with a serpent's tail.

Fifth: Someone digging a field, having in his right hand a spear and a reed in his left; and in front of him a calf feeding on green grass.

Sixth: A man in the garb of a merchant; and a foreigner with his eyes raised towards the sun and his hands outstretched.

Seventh: A boy riding a ram, grasping a horn in his left hand; and his right hand holding a parrot.


VENUS

First: A girl crowned with myrtle, naked and with ankle-length hair. A white puppy gambols in front of her.

Second: An attractive boy carrying a basket of various kinds of flowers, who is followed by a man who looks like a gardener.

Third: A naked woman in a crematorium, who seems to have been grafted with the head of a dove and the feet of an eagle. She is followed by a youth, while a man flees before her.

Fourth: A woman riding a bull, combing her hair with the right hand and holding a mirror in the left; beside whom is a grown man with a green bird in his hand.

Fifth: A boy holding a silver chain; and beside him a naked girl, crowned with Bacchic laurel, who is dancing.

Sixth: A boy with wings of gold, who has shining hair, and whose feathers are tinged with a thousand colours, brandishing a flaming javelin.

Seventh: A youth and a girl wrestling, both naked, struggling, while someone is binding each to the other with the golden chain he has in his hand.


SUN

First: A beautiful, crowned woman, in a golden chariot, drawn by four horses ascending.

Second: A very beautiful naked youth wearing on his head a crown woven from many flowers. He fondly embraces a peacock.

Third: A youth wearing a diadem from whose head rays of lightning shoot forth. He bears a quiver and a bow.

Fourth: A woman embracing and kissing a boy who wears green ankle-length garments. He has red hair and a handsome face and carries a mirror.

Fifth: A maiden holding a bronze shield in her left hand and hurling a dart with her right, while seated on a crocodile.

Sixth: A man riding a racing lion, which breathes steaming clouds from its nostrils. There is a rooster in his right hand.

Seventh: A man in the robes of a pontiff, before whom stand two men with bared heads, wearing red and yellow garments. A golden dog lies at his feet.


MARS

First: An armed man riding a lion and wearing a leather helmet. A vulture is tearing at the helmet with his beak.

Second: An armed man, bearing sword and lance; on whose helmet is something like a chimera out of whose mouth spout sparks and flames.

Third: A man throwing sulphurous flames with his right hand, who has hold of a panther by the nape of its neck with his left hand. He is riding the panther against its will.

Fourth: Someone with a face burning like the sun, holding in the right hand a tightly bound torch and, in the left hand, a human head dripping blood.

Fifth: A man, tawny in complexion, wearing red clothing; wielding a heavy iron sceptre, riding a wolf.

Sixth: One ravishes a beautiful virgin in an ivory chariot drawn by two dog-faced apes, before men who turn themselves away from the sight.

Seventh: A leopard and a tiger fighting each other. Two helmeted warriors with drawn swords take it in turns to drive them apart.


JUPITER

First: A dignified man in a chariot drawn by dragons. In the head of the dragon on the right, there is thrust an arrow.

Second: A man seated on an armchair, drawn by four winged youths. Beneath it are leafy branches of the beech.

Third: One having the head of a ram, seated on a wheel, carrying a vase of balsam in his hand.

Fourth: A man having the head of a lion and the feet of an eagle, with the branch of an oak in his right hand. Two beautiful youths, clothed in white, bow before him.

Fifth: One seated on an eagle, robed in emerald vestments, wearing a hyacinth-coloured crown and holding a sceptre.

Sixth: A crowned man, wearing saffron garments, carrying an olive-wood staff in his right hand & riding a dragon.

Seventh: Someone crowned and raised up on high, with hands clasped together as though praying, wearing a dark blue robe sprinkled with golden stars.


SATURN

First: A man of elderly appearance seated on a dragon, having on his right hand an owl which is devouring a serpent.

Second: A man holding a sickle in his right hand; and a fish in his left. He is riding a camel.

Third: A man sad and sighing, holding up his palms to heaven. He is wearing dark clothes.

Fourth: A black man, with the feet of a camel, seated on a winged dragon; his right hand bearing a cypress branch.

Fifth: Someone clad in black raiment and black of visage, around whose right arm is twisted a basilisk's tail.

Sixth: A lame old man, supporting himself on a staff, seated on a throne in a chariot, drawn by a mule and an ass.

Seventh: A charioteer in a chariot, drawn by two stags. In one hand is a fish; in the other, he wields a curved sickle.


THE DRAGON'S HEAD [Ascending Lunar Node]

A king having on his right hand a dragon; on the head of the king are flames and the dragon's head is like the head of a hawk.



Supplementary Modern Images of the Outer Planets

The images of the outer planets set out here are not traditional, but were written by one who has achieved the Second of the Inner Grades of the Companions of the Sun, which is called the Chozer or Seer.


URANUS

First: A mature man gazing at the heavens with a glass. Two women, one in rags and one in costly raiment, stand before him, carrying glass vessels.

Second: A man, holding by the hands a woman and a child, stands on the edge of a ravine, spanned by a bridge, which is being shattered by a bolt of lightning.

Third: A group of merrymakers, wearing fantastic clothing, dancing in the street. Another group of people, bearing cudgels, are coming up behind them.

Fourth: A child running with a hoop and guiding it with a stick. Another spins a top, while a group of children stand around watching.

Fifth: A man and a woman, clad in rags, are fleeing from a volcano, which is erupting.

Sixth: A bearded man looks down from a cloud at a beautiful, naked woman lying on the earth. She has given birth to a girl-child, who holds the sun in her right hand and the moon in her left.

Seventh: A very old man, crowned and seated on a throne, holding his hand to his side, as though in pain. A young man in armour stands with his back turned, staring at a woman who holds a vessel aloft, from which light shines.


NEPTUNE

First: A naked woman, radiant with light, kneels beside a well and gazes into it. A woman-archer runs across the field beyond, with two hunting dogs running silently beside her.

Second: A child plays by the seashore, gathering shells. Another child is building a sand-castle at the water's edge.

Third: A madman stares out of a barred window. A crowd of ill-dressed people throw stones at him.

Fourth: A dog bays at an eclipse of the sun, beside a stream which runs between two hills, on each of which stands a tower.

Fifth: A beautiful, naked woman, seated in an armchair, gazing into a mirror. A young girl is playing with a small dragon at her feet; while an old woman stands behind her, looking to the left.

Sixth: Several people in a small boat, hauling in a net full of fish.

Seventh: An old man, sitting in an armchair, with a book in his hands. He has fallen asleep.


PLUTO

First: A negro, dressed in royal robes and wearing a golden crown, with an eagle resting on his right arm.

Second: Several country folk reaping a field of wheat with scythes. A tall, crowned woman walks before them, attended by maidens carrying baskets of flowers.

Third: An old man dying in his bed, around which stand weeping members of his family. A young man stands to one side, with his back turned, reading a scroll and smiling.

Fourth: A man seated at a desk, with a quill pen in his hand, signing a document. Two servants stand nearby by, one carrying a letter and the other holding a bag of money.

Fifth: A king and a queen lying together in a coffin, embracing one another.

Sixth: A battlefield, on which lie many corpses, which are being robbed by thieves.

Seventh: Two men are carrying a great treasure chest, from which coins and jewels are spilling, a third man walks behind them gathering them up.



© 1991 Society of Guardians.