The Chaldean Order of Planets and Newton

The Ptolomaic or geocentric model was derived from observation of the apparent
mean motion of the planets and relating speed to distance; the slowest being
considered logically to be the most furthest away. From this order of Saturn,
Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury and Moon we have inherited the ordering of
our days of the week. The figure of this order placed around a circle with each
planet connected by the septagram is of course well known, follow the lines of
the septagram and you get the order of the days of the week. A quaint little
trick, of interest to historians and quack occultists perhaps but hardly of any
significance to todays scientific astronomer. There are a couple of other
little tricks however that may be more intriguing.

For example the alchemists and astrologers associated the seven ancient
planets with the seven metals Lead (Saturn); Tin (Jupiter); Iron (Mars); Gold
(Sun), Copper (Venus); Mercury (Mercury) and Silver (Moon).

If we put the planets in the order of the atomic weights of the metals they
rule, thus:

Mars - iron (55.847)
Venus - copper (63.546)
Moon - silver (107.868)
Jupiter - tin (118.69)
Sun - gold (196.9665)
Mercury - mercury (200.59)
Saturn - lead (207.2)

And arrange them in this order around a circle and united by a seven pointed
star, you will find that the seven pointed star runs from planet to planet in
the Chaldean order; and also of course, that every alternate planet is in the
order of the days of the week.

There is also an interesting relationship between the Chaldean order, the tree
of life and the planetary hexagram. The Chaldean order imposed on the tree
provides both a geocentric and heliocentric model. We have from
malkuth as Earth the geocentric model, moon, mercury, venus, sun, mars,
jupiter, saturn, sphere of fixed stars and the primal cause; but we also have
the heliocentric model with Sun [tifareth] at the center, with the inferior
planets below between the Sun [tifareth] and the Earth [Malkuth] and the
superior planets above.

If we take the planetary hexagram [top point of upward pointing triangle is
attributed to Saturn, Bottom Right to Venus, Bottom Left to Mercury; bottom
point of downward triangle is attributed to the moon, Upper Right point to
jupiter, Upper Left Point to Mars and the Sun is in the centre] and then
number each wing and the centre according to its attribution on the kabbalistic
tree of life (Saturn- binah - 3, Jupiter - Chesed - 4, Mars - Gevurah - 5, Sun
- Tifareth - 6, Venus - Netzach - 7, Mercury - Hod - 8, Moon - Yesod - 9; these
planetary numbers are also those of the magic squares of the planets, such as
can be found in Agrippa's 'Occult Philosophy' for example), then we find that
the sum of the numbers in each opposite wing adds up to 12, and total all
together 36. The Sun in the centre is 6, the square root of the planetary
bodies numbered in sequence according to their apparent mean motion, from which
the ancients modeled planetary distance. In other words, it contains within
itself Newton's formula for the force of gravity.

Knowing that Newton was very interested in alchemy and hermetic philosophy, is
it too much to suppose that the allegorical 'tree' under which he found his
inspiration was in fact the kabbalistic tree of life, and the 'apple' the
planetary hexagram? And could it also be that some of the occult [ie, hidden or
communicable only to those who shared the same symbolic language] secrets were
technological and scientific, and if so would there be anything worthwhile in a
scientist of today examining the 'occult' texts such as those of the alchemists
for their technological secrets? After all, alone and with meagre resources
they claimed not only to transmute existing elements but to create new ones,
and to create 'fields of force' by dissolving salts of their new metalic
elements in what may have been heavy water [water which they describe as being
distilled literally thousands of times over a number of months and even
years!].

Kwaw