Harry Potter & The Invisible Planets

It's no secret that the Harry Potter novels are informed by spiritual tradition. In interviews,  J.K. Rowling has confirmed  that the series' death curse, "Avada Kedavra," was derived from an Aramaic spell, meaning "let the thing be destroyed," and which was used to cure illness. Many have noticed the overt Christian allegories woven into the final novel, as well as the many references to alchemical lore throughout the series. But I was surprised that not much seems to have been made of a convention that I found very alluring: that of The Deathly Hallows, the legendary wizarding tools which are said to make one the master of death. The Hallows come as a set of three, evoking a boatload of potential "trinity" imagery, and are signified with a glyph that looks like it leapt from a grimoire.

...or from the back of a dollar bill.

The titular artifacts play a key role in the climax of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows. For those with hazy memories, they are: The Elder Wand, which renders its master unbeatable in battle, The Resurrection Stone, which allows one to speak to the dead, and The Cloak of Invisibility, a garment that never wears nor tears, and which hides its user from vision completely. In their legend, they were won from Death himself by the Peverell brothers. The first two brothers choose prizes out of arrogance and come to gruesome fates. The third brother chooses more modestly, and lives a long and robust life because of it.  

In thinking back on the story, and on the concept of the trinity as relates to astrology, the model seems to fit a number of patterns. The first that sprang to mind was the non-classical celestial bodies, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. When applied to the tale of the Peverell brothers, some very negative qualities of Uranus and Neptune are exemplified, as well some rarely-heard positive notes for everybody's favorite dwarf planet. However, though I find the story to be decidedly colored by the outers, on a more mundane level of trinity, I think we can connect the Deathly Hallows to the relating planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars. In short, I think this presents a good metaphor for exploration of the possibility that these two sets of three wanderers can be seen as reflections of each other.

I am aware that my allocations are a bit off from the typical line of thinking, which has Uranus as a higher register of Mercury, Neptune as a higher Venus, and Pluto as a higher Mars. But, for one thing, the outer planets represent hard-to-define, broad concepts, and I think it makes too little of them to discount the possibility that other archetypes that might be seen in their influence. More than that though, it's just the way I saw the archetypes land in this particular configuration. .

The Elder Wand 

"So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother." 

The wand in this story could easily represent irresponsible misuse of either Uranian or Martial energy. Like Uranus, it speaks to the idea of powerful, iconoclastic personality, a pure Yang force which seeks to conquer. On a mundane level, the wand plays in Mars' world exclusively - its sole distinguishing function is the ability to win duels. 

Uranus' sudden Yang energy comes with a hefty dose of hermetic Air, and it's not uncommon for folks going through a Uranus transit to feel like they have a head full of hornets. It seems appropriate, then, that the wand follows some very strict, structured rules. (Air loves ground rules and absolute truths.) Basically, the wand will only work at full power for the wizard that it designates its master, and it only recognizes its master as a wizard who defeated its previous master. So if you just stole it, or otherwise acquired it by means other than victory in combat, it would do you no good. This ends up being an important plot point in the novel's endgame, as Voldemort came to possess the wand by plundering a grave.

Wands in this fictional universe are conduits for a wizard's inherent ability. It stands to reason that an ingenious wizard could make the most of a poorly-constructed wand, but what's even better is the creation of a device that can make even the most inept user capable of acts of genius. We call this technology, and it's another sphere of the world for which Uranus' influence is well-known. The invention of the gun meant that you needn't be a skilled archer to shoot someone, the invention of electricity eliminated dependency of candlelight, video killed the radio star, etc. It's much the same with the elder wand. Much like a lot of our real world technological advancements, this invention began as a weapon of war. And although, as I said, its distinction is in single combat, its power extends to any area its master chooses...late in the story, Harry (then its master) uses The Elder Wand to repair his broken original wand of holly and phoenix feather, even though broken wands are considered to be beyond repair by most experts in this world.

Its sort of built into the DNA of this story that Uranus and Mars converge into the wands of Harry Potter's world, as it's rare that combat takes place with anything but a wand. I know there's an enchanted sword here and there, some magical monsters unleashed, maybe even a punch thrown here and there...but the main weapon in this story is the wand, which is the same tool they use for every single other magical thing that they do. We don't light up a room with a brandished katana or clean our bodies with assault rifles.

Well, sometimes.

A note on manhood: Uranus, again, is noted as being pure, primal Yang. This is relevant here for a few reasons: firstly, it's been noted that in the Elder Wand's known history, only wizards have been its master, never a witch. Secondly, and obviously, the wand is pretty much a phallic tool. Lastly...well, I have noticed in reviewing aspects between the outer planets and the personal planets that a lot of gay men seem to have a tight aspect between Uranus and either their Venus, Mars, or one of the lights. So, in our story as well as in life, the ones obsessed with pure Yang are often the ones who have that proclivity hard-wired into their charts. After all, the most notably and longest-holding wielder of the Elder Wand was Albus Dumbledore, who was famously outed by J.K. Rowling in an interview following the conclusion of Book 7. 

Again here, we have an unlikely overlay with Mars, as the god of war is also the god of homosexuality in several cultures. Most notable is Ogun, from the Voudoun/Santeria tradition, who is considered to be a patron saint/protector figure to gay men. While I have not read up on any homosexual influence in the Greek Ares' mythos, he was the God of Dance as well as the war god. I'm not meaning to imply that dance is exclusively for gay men, but it's certainly an activity/discipline that carries some importance in gay culture.   

More senseless violence...

Both Uranus and Mars are severing agents - Uranus draws a clear, bold line between truth and falsehoods. Mars cuts off contact from potentially harmful elements. Too much of their unchecked influence can create characters who are, respectively, isolated mad scientists or loner badasses. The Elder Wand does both!

  

The Resurrection Stone

“Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.”

Our second Hallow is The Resurrection Stone, and although it is supposed to bring back the dead, the truth is that it can only recall the shade of a deceased loved one – more solid than a ghost, but less than a living person. Cadmus Peverell, the second brother in the story, used it to recall the spirit of a girl he’d meant to marry before she suffered an untimely demise. But though he was able to speak with her, he could feel a veil separating the two of them, and he could tell that it was very difficult and painful for her to be called back into living death. Eventually, his grief led to his suicide.

Neptune signifies the great collective unconscious, an ocean of feeling which produces both fantasy and nightmare. Often, dream and nightmare twist around each other and blend together into a spiral of addiction. Neptune is as much pure Yin/feminine as Uranus is Yang/masculine, and many creation myths seem to begin with a union of these two polarized forces. (Though Neptune is named for a male sea god, it seems too broad an archetype for him, and seems ill-fitting with much of his mythos.) In the Tarot, Neptune is represented by XII, The Hanged Man, a figure who suffers for their depth of feeling. 

 

This certainly seems to match up well with the case of Cadmus Peverell, who went searching for a lost love (Venus) beyond the veil of human understanding (Neptune,) who became addicted (Neptune) to the powers contained in a precious jewel (Venus.)

While his older brother was driven to The Elder Wand by self-importance and ambition, Cadmus specifically chose his gift as a means to cause emotional damage – he wanted to shame Death, wanted to rub their victory in his face. There is something Venusian in his motivation too, being motivated by arrogant emotions which fall under a haughtier, less understanding piece of Venus’ dominion. In fact, while Neptune denotes a more nebulous, churning octave of feeling, Venus itself is keyed into the emotional spectrum in a way that is precise and easier to define, as its specific drive is pleasure or desire. So while the Venusian layer of feeling might be something akin to “I don’t like x,” or “X makes me feel good,” Neptune represents that same layer and all of the surrounding layers…the reasons for the feeling, the feelings in the background or subconscious, the emotional landscape…

It’s like going to the beach. Venus is one’s enjoyment of the hot sun, the sand beneath one’s toes, the refreshment of a good swim or a cold beer. Neptune is the ocean, the beach, and the entire experience of the trip.

 

Its primal Yin and watery nature turns hard, cold facts into soft, warm mush – in short, where Uranus cleaves truth from obscurity, Neptune clouds it further. It should come as no surprise then, that while The Elder Wand has a long list of prior masters, The Resurrection Stone was completely forgotten, resurfacing as an heirloom of the Gaunt family, who remained completely oblivious to its true magical properties. Whether converted by the Gaunt family or before it came into their possession, someone had disguised the Stone as a ring, which the family displayed as proof of their pureblood lineage. Jewels and decorative wear are inherently Venusian, as is the elitist desire to display higher social status through lineage. Albus Dumbledore further disguised The Stone when willing it to Harry Potter, hiding it in the center of a golden snitch with the vague instructions, “I open at the close.”

Both Neptune and Venus establish connections. Venus does so by drawing lines of desire from point A to B, while Neptune melts those lines and points, assimilating the resulting goo into its whole. The Resurrection Stone draws people in with its beauty and mystical allure, and then disintegrates them in both mind and body.

The Cloak of Invisibility

“And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.”

“…though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.”

The Cloak is our third and final Deathly Hallow, and is probably the most important to Harry Potter’s story, as it is the one that he’s been using since the first book. It was willed to him by his father, meaning that the cloak has been in their family for generations. It went unnoticed for so long because a) it can either look like one of two things: an unassuming cloak, or nothing at all, and b) there are many other invisibility cloaks in this world – but the invisibility charm either wears off or the fabric is somehow damaged. The real Cloak of Invisibility neither wears nor tears. 

 

This inherent ability to hide from the world in plain sight shows a combination of Mercurial cleverness applied to a Plutonic power, and is a reflection of Ignotus Peverell’s actions in the story. While his far too Yang brother wanted to carve his name into the world, and his far too Yin brother lost himself deep within his own heartache, the third brother represented a neutrality, a modest request that ensured that he’d be able to keep on living whenever Death came around again. The implication of continued travel is Mercurial, while the complete stealth is Plutonic.

Pluto is named for the Roman god of death and the underworld. It would seem, then, that his influence extends a bit on all of the Hallows, especially as treasures, secret knowledge, and ultimate power all fall under his dominion. And because, y’know, Death is a central character in this scenario. Unlike the first two brothers, for whom Death created tools on the spot, Death did not create a tool for the third brother…he removed his very own Cloak of Invisibility, which seems a clear reference to The Helmet of Invisibility once possessed by Pluto/Hades.

It was lent to Perseus. You know, in that new shitty movie that was a remake of that old, shitty movie. 

Pluto is known as a planet of secrets and obsessions. It is concerned not with airs and trappings, but with essential essence – what a thing is deep down in its core. For this reason, a Pluto transit to a light or another personal planet can feel very painful at times, as there may be a lot of what Pluto would consider excess or distracting elements around your personality/love life/career, etc. But Pluto also has an association with regenerative forces, with research and digging deep into a subject, with letting go and moving towards one’s destiny. Pluto also is known as a “generational planet” (“generational dwarf planet,” now) as it changes signs very slowly, and seems to mark off generations of like-minded people. Due to its erratic orbit, Pluto changes from one sign to the next every 12 -31 years. 

"I'll swallow your soul!"

 

A lot of this describes Harry Potter’s interaction with the Cloak. It’s passed down from one generation to the next, and having a part of his family’s treasure made him feel closer to the parents he never knew, allowing him to move past his grief to a degree. He and his friends used it in subversive activities, whenever they needed to get a good look at the goings-on of Hogwarts’ seedy underbelly. They did all this by disappearing from sight, using an implement very similar to Pluto’s helm. However, its function in the story is Mercurial, as Harry and his friends only seem to use it to travel unnoticed, or to gather information. True, this naturally impairs a lot of what makes Mercury work – Mercury’s all about communication and cognition, and it’s hard to relay messages and stay hidden at the same time. But when combined with a dark planet, Mercury naturally goes dark to compensate. The mouth may be closed, but the eyes and ears work fine, and the mind is just as quick.

Mercury’s always been known as a planet of neutral gender/alignment, falling into neither Diurnal or Nocturnal sect. Because communication and thought are active faculties, one could see that as being Yang, male. But there’s a lot of subconscious thought happening beneath the surface, a lot that we communicate by body language or quality of voice that we may not even be aware of in our conscious mind. Thus, we have Yin wrapped inside of Yang. Pluto, meanwhile, is a planet of subtleties and extremes. It is a giant power wrapped inside of an unassuming package. (Pluto is often associated with nuclear power.) Yang wrapped within Yin.

It’s worth noting a couple of things at this point: a) the author of this piece has Mercury conjunct to his natal Pluto very tightly. Possible bias! And b) Given Mercury’s natural dualism, and given Pluto’s penchant for extremes, it’s both apt and interesting that other famous uses of this power set have turned out quite differently. H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man shows how dangerous and insane a person can become when they cannot turn this power off, and The One Ring from The Lord of The Rings (also an invisibility implement worn by a dark lord) corrupts minds more slowly, by the allure of power and obsession with potency.

Too much Pluto does NOT do a body good.

That said, things could have turned out more positively for the other two brothers in our tale. There are many tales in history about a man with an unbeatable weapon…King Arthur’s Excalibur comes to mind. Dumbledore himself was the master of The Elder Wand for many decades, but his motivation in using it was to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, and never the inflation of his own ego. Likewise, Harry Potter was able to use The Resurrection Stone to gain counsel and comfort from his dearly departed before going off to fight his final battle. Other famous heroes have sought out guidance from the dead, such as Odysseus (another Mercurial figure) in his journey to consult with Tiresias in Hades.

Point being, items of great power can drastically alter a person’s character. It’s much the same with transits of the outer planets. The difference between a favorable or unfavorable outcome to our story is in how we weather the effects of it power. They may be sending us an epiphany, or a wondrous and strange experience, or a boatload of hurt. Knowing how to avoid going overboard on these adjustments while not avoiding the necessary changes – that’s what takes personal heroism to navigate. 

***

Some notes:

There are a lot of other ways to approach the allocation of the Deathly Hallows in terms of astrology, and while I did not feel as moved by these patterns, I did want to briefly address them. 

- Sun/Moon/Mercury. The first three wanderers. The layout totally works here, too - Sun representing Yang and pride, Moon representing Yin emotional attachments, and Mercury as it is above. 

- The modes. To be honest, I couldn't get comfortable allocating here. The Wand as cardinal, Cloak as fixed, and Stone as mutable? The stone undergoes changes more than the other two, and can only address issues already past. The cloak, meanwhile, remains the same throughout the ages. The wand is cardinal because...it shoots spells? I guess. Like I said, not something I wanted to base an entire article around. 

- House types: See above on the modes, I feel the same way about the Angular-Succedent-Cadent set-up.

- Yet another option was to connect this trio of magical items to the concept of Triplicity, which seems like a really good idea on the surface...the wand could be the day-sect rulers and the stone could be the night time rulers, with the cloak representing the co-operating ruler. So first off, that's a lot of work! Secondly, it's a relatively new concept in my tool kit, and it seems like there's a good deal of diversity in the way that people approach Triplicity. (Morinus vs. Lilly vs. Dorotheus vs. Ptolmey...ack!) In short, I don't have a comfortable enough grip to dive into that.