Hermetic Macrocosm–Microcosm Correspondence
Hermetic Macrocosm–Microcosm Correspondence is a Hermetic — macrocosm-microcosm correspondence body system as transmitted through the lineage Hermetic writings present a cosmos ordered through intellect, nature, and celestial powers, with the human treated as a participant in that order. Later astrological and magical manuals organise planetary and zodiacal correspondences into body analogies; this system separates those later tables from the broader Hermetic cosmological theme.. This page lists every point in the system with sourced placements and links to cross-tradition correspondences curated for The Body Spiritual.
Open in interactive explorerPrimary sources
- Corpus Hermeticum (transl. Brian P. Copenhaver, Cambridge UP 1992) — Treatises I (Poimandres) and XI present the cosmological order, mind, and human as a microcosmic participant; see Treatises I.8–26 and XI.
- Picatrix (Ghayat al-Hakim) (transl. Dan Attrell and David Porreca, De Gruyter 2019) — Books I–II organise celestial influences through planets, signs, and images; see Book I, chs. 1–5.
- Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Esotericism and the Academy (Cambridge UP 2012) — Historical study of Western esotericism and its cosmological correspondences; see chapters on Renaissance Hermeticism.
Known lineage variants
- The Corpus Hermeticum supplies cosmological and anthropological themes but does not provide one universally fixed seven-planet, twelve-sign anatomical chart; the ladder and shell rendering therefore combine Hermetic texts with later astrological correspondence practice.
- Planet-to-body and sign-to-body assignments vary between Greek, Arabic, Renaissance, and modern tables. The front-view coordinates, shell scales, and sign placements are editorial projections rather than textual or anatomical claims.
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- ♄ Saturn — bones and boundary
- ♃ Jupiter — growth and governance
- ♂ Mars — heat and force
- ☉ Sun — heart and radiance
- ♀ Venus — harmony and generation
- ☿ Mercury — mind and exchange
- ☽ Moon — change and embodiment
- Aries — head and initiative — Zodiac sign correspondence (fire)
- Taurus — neck and voice — Zodiac sign correspondence (earth)
- Gemini — arms and exchange — Zodiac sign correspondence (air)
- Cancer — chest and nurture — Zodiac sign correspondence (water)
- Leo — heart and sovereignty — Zodiac sign correspondence (fire)
- Virgo — belly and ordering — Zodiac sign correspondence (earth)
- Libra — kidneys and balance — Zodiac sign correspondence (air)
- Scorpio — pelvis and transformation — Zodiac sign correspondence (water)
- Sagittarius — thighs and seeking — Zodiac sign correspondence (fire)
- Capricorn — knees and structure — Zodiac sign correspondence (earth)
- Aquarius — calves and circulation — Zodiac sign correspondence (air)
- Pisces — feet and return — Zodiac sign correspondence (water)
Frequently asked
What is ♄ Saturn?
♄ Saturn is a planetary correspondence in the Hermetic cosmological vocabulary, used here as a symbolic rung between celestial order and embodied attention. Its front-view position is an editorial projection of the planet-to-body analogy, not an anatomical organ claim.
What is ♃ Jupiter?
♃ Jupiter is a planetary correspondence in the Hermetic cosmological vocabulary, used here as a symbolic rung between celestial order and embodied attention. Its front-view position is an editorial projection of the planet-to-body analogy, not an anatomical organ claim.
What is ♂ Mars?
♂ Mars is a planetary correspondence in the Hermetic cosmological vocabulary, used here as a symbolic rung between celestial order and embodied attention. Its front-view position is an editorial projection of the planet-to-body analogy, not an anatomical organ claim.
What is ☉ Sun?
☉ Sun is a planetary correspondence in the Hermetic cosmological vocabulary, used here as a symbolic rung between celestial order and embodied attention. Its front-view position is an editorial projection of the planet-to-body analogy, not an anatomical organ claim.
What is ♀ Venus?
♀ Venus is a planetary correspondence in the Hermetic cosmological vocabulary, used here as a symbolic rung between celestial order and embodied attention. Its front-view position is an editorial projection of the planet-to-body analogy, not an anatomical organ claim.
What is ☿ Mercury?
☿ Mercury is a planetary correspondence in the Hermetic cosmological vocabulary, used here as a symbolic rung between celestial order and embodied attention. Its front-view position is an editorial projection of the planet-to-body analogy, not an anatomical organ claim.
What is ☽ Moon?
☽ Moon is a planetary correspondence in the Hermetic cosmological vocabulary, used here as a symbolic rung between celestial order and embodied attention. Its front-view position is an editorial projection of the planet-to-body analogy, not an anatomical organ claim.
What is Aries — head and initiative?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Taurus — neck and voice?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Gemini — arms and exchange?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Cancer — chest and nurture?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Leo — heart and sovereignty?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Virgo — belly and ordering?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Libra — kidneys and balance?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Scorpio — pelvis and transformation?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Sagittarius — thighs and seeking?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Capricorn — knees and structure?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Aquarius — calves and circulation?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.
What is Pisces — feet and return?
The sign-to-body association belongs to later astrological correspondence tables, not a body map stated in the Corpus Hermeticum itself. This point therefore shows the editorial “as above, so below” ladder while preserving the sign’s traditional body-region mnemonic as a symbolic correspondence.