Book Review: 'Advanced Planetary Magic' by Jason Miller

When I first became familiar with Jason Miller's writings, one thing that impressed me was his methodology for working with the planetary forces. In 'The Sorcerer's Secrets' he included a few of the special seals revealed to him and artist friend Matthew Brownlee, and then I obtained the rest from him through the Strategic Sorcery course.

I always found the seals beautiful and rich, and I always felt a sense of power from them. And yet, thorough discussion of the seals and ways to use them was short in the course, and especially in the book. For years, Jason has dropped hints that he was working on a chapbook about his method of working with the planets, including further discussion on the seals.

So this week, when Jason announced that the chapbook was finished and up for sale, I was excited and threw my money at it like a total fanboy!

At 62 pages, 'Advanced Planetary Magic' is a short read. However, consistent with Jason's style in the Strategic Sorcery lessons, it is more information dense with little, if any, filler. The book assumes a certain level of knowledge about planetary magic in the Western esoteric traditions, and in the introduction, Jason covers the points that one is assumed to already know. Then, Jason sets out the three main aspects of his system of planetary magic the book has been written about, summarized as:

• The use of the Greek vowels in planetary magic.
• The seven planetary seals revealed to him and Matthew Brownlee.
• 49 interplanetary calls made to combine forces and provide more nuanced results.

With these three things in mind, along with the claims he made in his announcement, I read through the book. One big complaint I saw in reviews of 'The Sorcerer's Secrets' was about spelling, grammar, and editing errors. With 'Advanced Planetary Magic', so far there seem to be a lot fewer of these mistakes. For being self-published, the book has a feel that is well put-together, and I like that.

Rather than go through each chapter and detail good and bad points, I'm going to analyze the book in comparison to the list of what's covered that was given in the release announcement.

"How the Greek Vowels act as seed syllables of the planets, and four possible arrangements for working with them."

At first I didn't see how there were four arrangements, but then I realized there were two methods of arrangement presented, along with a descending and ascending order for each, thus making four arrangements. One of my favorite things about his exploration of the vowels was the way he presents different arrangements for different purposes, for example using one arrangement for magical results, another one for mystical purposes, etc.

"A full explanation of the seven Strategic Planetary Seals that have been introduced in my books and courses."

On this, Jason delivers. In chapter 3 he fleshes out the details of the seals, including his interpretation of the form of each seal, a review of that planet's powers, and even a breakdown of how each one can be used across such categories as "Financial", "Love", Wrath", and more. This portion shone, and really helps give depth to the seals.

"Methods for empowering and healing the body with planetary force."

Initially, I felt the book was just a tad lighter on this than I expected, but since then I've changed my mind about that. With each planetary seal description, he includes a section on dedicated to health matters in the categories exploring that force's versatility. Further on, after the 7 seals, he gives an example of how to apply the seals to various bodily afflictions.

"Methods of optimizing planetary influences at any given time."

Jason goes into the planetary hours and days, and talks about that in relation to combining planetary influences in one's workings. In chapter 3, though, he also reveals his version of the now-classic "Calling of the Sevenths" ritual from the Greek Magical Papyri. Previously, this was only revealed in the Strategic Sorcery course, so I have previously gotten much use out of it and can vouch for its effectiveness in making the most out of the planets at any given time.

(EDIT 06/22/2013)
With that said, I do wish Jason would have also included the "Abramelin" way of timing with the planets. That is, if the planet is above the horizon, it is that planetary day; if the planet is directly overhead, it is that planetary hour.

"The 49 Interplanetary Calls – short invocations and spells that fully explore the planetary combinations to achieve more nuanced and powerful results."

These are fascinating, and in my opinion they make up their own grimoire of independent spells. In addition, they are an excellent example of the nuanced, yet easy-to-use approach to planetary magic embodied in this book. To say I'm looking forward to trying these babies out is an understatement!

"Audio files of me reading the 49 calls."

I thought these were done well. Jason's voice was clear, he enunciated the calls well, and the recordings contained no static or interference that I could discern.

This book and the recordings were worth the price, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in exploring planetary magic. Jason has put out another gem that is understandable and easy to follow, more substance, and less filler!

NOTE: This review is of the book itself, the content and writing. I will be posting further reviews of the tech given in the book as I do them.