Planetary charity has origins in Indian astrology and serves to mitigate the potentially negative effects of weak or poorly placed planets in the natal chart.^1,2 Different aspects of our daily lives are governed by particular classical planets. Thus, intentionally donating material goods, time, or money relevant to a particular planet serves to improve life areas governed by it. Planetary charity may also sometimes (but not always) also facilitate use of talismans that directly harness raw planetary forces (e.g., in Picatrix, Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy…).

Each classical planet embodies a specific archetypal force with a distinct range of thematic attributes and meanings.^{3, 4, 5} You may think of them as ordering principles within the human psyche. A non-exhaustive list is shown in Table 1.

Identifying Planets Suitable for Charity
Identifying candidate planets suitable for western charity requires a natal chart. To create your natal chart you will need the date, time, and city of your birth. There are many reputable websites where you may obtain a free natal chart online (see Resources). Choose the tropical zodiac and whole sign houses. Planets suitable for charity are typically not in domicile or exalted, and are retrograde or combust in the natal chart. After obtaining your natal chart, follow along to identify planets exhibiting the following essential and accidental debilities.

Essential Debilities
Although planets that are not in domicile or exalted are potential candidates for planetary charity, those in detriment or fall are especially strong candidates (see Resources). A planet in detriment lacks agency, is not well-suited to its environment, and expresses itself in an unconventional or awkward manner. A planet in fall completely lacks agency, is ill-suited to its environment, and severely struggles to express itself. Traditionally, both are indicative of a weak or negatively manifesting planetary force.^6,7

Accidental Debilities
Although many accidental debilities exist, planets that are retrograde and/or combust are especially strong candidates for planetary charity.

Apparent retrograde (backwards) motion is an optical illusion caused by planets orbiting the Sun at different velocities. It is analogous to when a vehicle you are passing on the freeway appears to move backwards for a few moments. Traditionally, retrograde motion is indicative of a weak or negatively manifesting planetary force.⁸

Regarding combustion, in Medieval and Renaissance astrology planets within 8° 30' – 17' of the Sun are considered combust.^9,10 A combust planet is in a weakened state because its force is burned up by the Sun. Originally, planets within 1° of the Sun were considered in the heart (dignified), but the range was later revised to 17'.^11,12

How Planetary Charity Works
Key factors that make planetary charity work are: intentionally honoring the planet, making a donation relevant to the planet, donating at a time auspicious to the planet, and giving graciously without expecting anything in return. Each factor is discussed point-by-point below.

Intentionally Honoring the Planet
Effective magic is performed with intention, and planetary charity is no exception. Prior to your charitable act, boldly declare (either out loud or mentally) that it is your will to honor said planet via charity. State your intent as literally and as plainly as possible. Avoid use of idiomatic and colloquial language. For instance, if it is your will to perform planetary charity to Mars, a sufficient statement of intent is: It is my will to honor Mars through planetary charity.

Making a Relevant Donation
Relevant donations bear sympathetic correspondence with the planet of interest and may vary across paradigms. In western planetary charity, donations may be based off significations discussed in Valens' Anthologies, Lilly's Christian Astrology, Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Crowley's 777, and more. As long as your donation falls under the relevant planetary domain and is internally consistent with whatever system you are using, it should not negatively impact your magical work.

Before donating to a particular charity, ensure it is reputable (see Resources). A few example charitable donations suitable for each classical planet are as follows.

The Moon

• Donate items such as baby formula, diapers, or clothing to a women's shelter or organization that helps single mothers.
• Volunteer at a beach cleanup or organization that helps our oceans. If you live in the desert, helping distribute bottled water to those in need during the summer is another option.
• Make a monetary donation to the aforementioned or other Moon-related organizations (e.g., marine sanctuaries, clean water nonprofits…), so long as the value is in a multiple of nine.

Mercury

• Donate items such as pencils, notebooks, or calculators to needy schoolchildren or an organization that helps struggling small businesses. Donating books to a public library is another option.
• Volunteer as a teacher or tutor to share your knowledge and skills with your local community.
• Make a monetary donation to the aforementioned or other Mercury-related organizations (e.g., public schools, clean air nonprofits…), so long as the value is in a multiple of eight.

Venus

• Donate items such as gourmet sweets, champagne, or flowers to a crafting guild, community theatre, or organization that supports the arts.
• Volunteer at a neighborhood cleanup, community garden, or organization that helps local parks.
• Make a monetary donation to the aforementioned or other Venus-related organizations (e.g., botanic gardens, nature preserves…), so long as the value is in a multiple of seven.

The Sun

• Donate items such as vitamins, whole grain snacks, or motivational wall art to a men's leadership program or organization that helps single fathers.
• Volunteer at a youth mentorship program, charity run, or organization that facilitates leadership training and coaching.
• Make a monetary donation to the aforementioned or other Sun-related organizations (e.g., public health outreach, heart disease research…), so long as the value is in a multiple of six.

Mars

• Donate items such as instant coffee, beef jerky, or pain relief cream to a public safety station or organization that helps deployed military. In many paradigms Mars rules over blood, so donating blood is another option.
• Volunteer at a neighborhood watch, natural disaster relief nonprofit, or organization that helps disabled veterans.
• Make a monetary donation to the aforementioned or other Mars-related organizations (e.g., first responder foundations, youth martial arts programs…), so long as the value is in a multiple of five.

Jupiter

• Donate items such as lucky charms, religious items, or sacred texts to a ministry or organization that helps social welfare. In many paradigms Jupiter rules over postsecondary education, so donating to a college or university is another option.
• Volunteer at a religious outreach event (such as Pagan Pride), voter registration drive, or organization that helps your fellow alumni.
• Make a monetary donation to the aforementioned or other Jupiter-related organizations (e.g., political institutions, legal funds…), so long as the value is in a multiple of four.

Saturn

• Donate items such as socks, underwear, or blankets to a homeless shelter or organization that helps needy senior citizens.
• Volunteer at a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or retirement center.
• Make a monetary donation to the aforementioned or other Saturn-related organizations (e.g., hospice foundations, funeral assistance funds…), so long as the value is in a multiple of three.

Donating at an Auspicious Time
Auspicious times fall within the day and/or hour of the relevant planet.¹³ Planetary days are named after the classical planet ruling the first hour of the day-night cycle, which begins at sunrise and ends at sunrise the next day. The planets ruling subsequent hours follow the so-called Chaldean order, which is: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. Day hours begin at local sunrise, and night hours begin at local sunset. Note that planetary hours are unequal or seasonal hours whose length is determined by the duration of local daylight.

If you dislike performing planetary hour calculations by hand, reputable planetary hour calculators are available online (see Resources). When using online calculators always double-check to ensure local sunrise, local sunset, and time zone data is correct.

Not Expecting Anything in Return
Charity is selfless and has no strings attached. After performing planetary charity, document your efforts in your magical diary and then do your best to forget it. Your life will gradually improve in areas governed by specific planets—document these results in your diary.

Example Planetary Charity to Mars
Planetary charity may be as simple as reading aloud an Orphic Hymn before making an online donation, or as elaborate as a series of full-fledged rituals performed before embarking on a volunteer activity. Below is a simple planetary charity to Mars that I regularly perform on Tuesdays shortly after sunrise. Feel free to modify it to your liking or use it as a general template for your own western planetary charity.

Materials

• Smartphone
• Means of payment (e.g., debit card)
• Frankincense (as per the Orphic Hymn)
• Incense burner
• Matches

Preparation
Pull up two Internet browser tabs on your smartphone beforehand: the Orphic (or Homeric) Hymn to Mars, and the online donation page for the charity of interest.

Statement of Intent
"It is my will to honor Mars through planetary charity."

Procedure

1. On a Tuesday shortly after sunrise, light your frankincense.
2. Take a few deep breaths and center yourself.
3. Face the burning incense. Read aloud the Orphic (or Homeric) Hymn to Mars, straight from your smartphone.
4. Say: Mars, Ma’adim, the Red One, I greet you! To honor you through planetary charity, I am donating $25 to [Blood Center Name] for five consecutive Tuesdays—this Tuesday and the following four Tuesdays.
5. Flip over to the donation page and make your donation. After your donation is complete, say, All hail Mars! one more time.
6. That's it! You may either let the incense burn out naturally or manually extinguish it (such as by smothering it with sand or covering it with a fireproof lid) if you are in a hurry. Never leave burning incense unattended!
7. On the following four Tuesdays, repeat the above. Grab your phone, light your incense, read aloud the Orphic (or Homeric) Hymn, and make another $25 donation. Modify the verbiage in #4 as needed to reflect subsequent donations.

Banishing
No banishing is necessary. Remember to never leave burning incense unattended! Make sure the ashes are completely extinguished and cool to the touch before disposal.

Concluding Comments
When performing planetary charity it is best to initially focus on one planet at a time, especially when you are first starting out. As your life improves in areas governed by a particular planet and you gain confidence in performing planetary charity, feel free to expand your efforts! Also note that in some paradigms performing unneeded remediation may have negative repercussions—the western charity suggestions herein have all been cross-checked to minimize risk.

Regarding intent, it is better to not perform planetary charity at all rather than vowing to do so and then not following through. Many magicians I know have stories of vowing to honor a planet, failing to do so, and then experiencing unfortunate events shortly after the vow was broken. Feel free to perform simpler planetary charity activities as needed to err on the side of caution. For instance, if you have a hectic schedule it might not be realistic to confidently vow you will perform the example Mars planetary charity above for five consecutive Tuesdays. In that case, feel free to revise the verbiage so you are making one donation (that single Tuesday) instead of on five consecutive Tuesdays. That way, if you are on-call and many work emergencies occur on the next Tuesday, you are not at risk of breaking your vow.

Resources

Agrippa, Henry Cornelius. Three Books of Occult Philosophy, edited by Donald Tyson. Llewellyn Publications, 2004.
AstroSeek. "Planetary Hours of the Day: Astrology Online Calculator." https://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/planetary-hours-today-astrology-calculator.
AstroSeek. "Traditional Astrology: Free Natal Chart Calculator Online Software." http://horoscopes.astro-seek.com/traditional-astrology.
Brennan, Chris. "Table of Planetary Rulerships." https://theastrologypodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/essential-dignities-table-large.jpg, 2017.
Crowley, Aleister. 777 Revised. In 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley, edited by Israel Regardie. Samuel Weiser, 1999. Originally published in 1909 by The Walter Scott Publishing Co.
Federal Trade Commission. "Before Giving to a Charity." Consumer Advice. Accessed March 8, 2025. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/giving-charity.
Internal Revenue Service. "IRS: Beware of fake charities; check before donating." Last modified October 24, 2024. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-beware-of-fake-charities-check-before-donating.
Lilly, William. Christian Astrology. John Macock, 1659.
Valens, Vettius. Anthologies. Translated by Mark Riley. Accessed March 8, 2024. https://www.csus.edu/indiv/r/rileymt/Vettius%20Valens%20entire.pdf.
Homeric Hymns. Available at https://scaife.perseus.org/library/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0013/.
The Hymns of Orpheus. Translated by Thomas Taylor. 1792. Available at https://sacred-texts.com/cla/hoo/hoo00.htm.

References and Cited Works
¹Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra of Maharshi Parasara, ed. R. Santhanam (Ranjan Publications, 1984), 2: 82.15-16, 84.26-27.
²Beni Madhav Goswami and Laxmi Kant Vashisth, Lal Kitab (Red Book of Astrology) with Remedies (Sagar Publications, 2003), 158-165.
³Vettius Valens, Anthologies, trans. Mark Riley, 1–2, accessed March 8, 2024, https://www.csus.edu/indiv/r/rileymt/Vettius%20Valens%20entire.pdf.
⁴William Lilly, Christian Astrology (John Macock, 1659), 57–83.
⁵Henry Cornelius Agrippa, Three Books of Occult Philosophy, ed. Donald Tyson (Llewellyn Publications, 2004), 75-96, 268-280.
⁶Chris Brennan, "The Origins of the Concept of Detriment in Astrology," The Astrology Podcast, audio, 2:04:50, July 28, 2020, https://theastrologypodcast.com/2020/07/28/the-origins-of-the-concept-of-detriment-in-astrology.
⁷Valens, Anthologies, 61-62.
⁸Valens, Anthologies, 61-62, 82, 155.
⁹The Picatrix: Liber Rubeus Edition, trans. John Michael Greer and Christopher Warnock (Adocentyn Press, 2010-2011), 295.
¹⁰Lilly, Christian Astrology, 113-114.
¹¹Chris Brennan, Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune (Amor Fati Publications, 2017), 204-205.
¹²Lilly, Christian Astrology, 113-114.
¹³Lilly, Christian Astrology, 482-486.