The ancient civilizations knew only seven metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, mercury, tin, and lead. They also knew seven celestial bodies: the Sun, Moon, and the five planets Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn which they thought all revolved round the Earth. This coincidence apparently suggested a relation between metals and the celestial bodies. Each celestial body was associated with one of the metals, so those symbols of these bodies also became the symbols of their respective metals. Thus, gold was denoted with the Sun’s symbol of a full circle which represents mathematical perfection, because, as the Sun was the dominant celestial body, gold had a similar ranking among metals. Gold was also associated with Sun by virtue of its bright yellow color.

Silver, which ranked second in perfection and so was associated with the Moon, was donated by a half circle resembling the crescent Moon. The association of silver with the Moon was reinforced by the metal’s appearance. Being the warrior’s metal, iron was associated with Mars, the planet of the god of war. The metal was therefore denoted with a shield and spear. The symbols of the remaining metals incorporated a cross to signify the connection between alchemy and religion. In addition to a cross, copper was denoted by a full circle because of its red color, which resembles gold more than the other metals. In this was the copper symbol came to resemble a hand mirror and was often called looking-glass of Venus.

As its name suggests, quicksilver moves quickly, so the metal was associated with Mercury, the planet of the messenger of the gods. This is also the origin of the modern term mercury. The quicksilver symbol also included a circle topped by the crescent of silver to denote the close similarity in color and brightness of the metals. The symbols of tin and lead bore a close resemblance because they were often considered to be only variants of the same metal or a debased form of silver. This was the reason for the symbols curved sections reminiscent of the crescent of the Moon. As lead was heavy and dull, it was the least valued of all metals and came under the influence of Saturn, which was the farthest from the Earth of all known plants.

Sun -Gold

The celestial body represented by Gold is the Sun. The metal was highly valued by the ancient Egyptians, Irish, Romans, Asians, Africans, and Central Americans. It was believed to represent perfection and purity. Gold was often used as offerings for the gods, for ceremonial purposes and for the beautification of the chieftains’ courts. Most of the cultures across the world have seen this metal as a symbol of wealth, prosperity, authority and charisma. It was supposed to aid in healing, protection, growth, and knowledge.

Moon – Silver

Silver is a real metal and is connected to the Moon. It is one of the most versatile metals, one of the 3 base metals in Alchemy. It is associated with philosophical traits of intuition, self-reflection, and inner wisdom. It is a feminine metal, a symbol of purity and is connected to the goddesses and spirits. Its energies include divination, healing, protection, emotion, love, wisdom, dreams, luck and wealth. It is symbolic of attributes such as vision, clarity, awareness, focus, persistence and subtle strength.

Mars -Iron

One of the most abundant elements in the universe, Iron is dominated by the planet Mars. The metal was widely used by the Asian, African and European civilizations. Iron symbolizes the male energy and is connected to physical power, aggression, growth, dependence, and protection. It promotes emotions such as lust, confidence, courage, strength, stamina, and resilience. It is considered to be the most ‘human’ metal and so, is distrusted by the ethereal entities and spirits.

Mercury – Mercury

Associated with the planet of the same name, Mercury is an unusual metal that exists in the liquid form at room temperature. It is a toxic metal and is associated with death, mystery, and transformation. It is connected with divination and scrying. Mercury is also related to travel and movement, be it of physical or spiritual nature. The metal was known to the ancient Romans, Greeks, Hindus, and Chinese. The alchemists considered it one of the three principal substances on Earth, along with salt and sulphur.

Jupiter – Tin

Tin is representative of Jupiter. It embodies wisdom, logic, education, maturity, and knowledge and is believed to be the metal of the sages and scholars. It is associated with mediation, balance and a philosophical view of life. This metal is also connected to prosperity and wealth. The popularity of tin is dated to the Bronze Age with civilizations around the world making extensive use of it.

Venus – Copper

Copper is ruled by the planet Venus. It is one of the oldest metals and copper metallurgy has flourished in different cultures, including the Middle Eastern, Asian, European, Central & South American and Native American. Copper embodies the nurturing aspect of women and their youthfulness. It is associated with the matters of love & lust and symbolizes characteristics like charisma, feminine beauty, artistic creativity, affection, caring, and balance. It is also considered a healing metal that teaches about living a fulfilling life.

Saturn – Lead

Governed by the planet Saturn, Lead has dark connections and is related to death and transformation. This toxic metal represents impurities, of the metals as well as the humans and its burning is metaphoric with cleansing and removal of imperfections. It was associated with divination spells. The lead was one of the earliest metals known to man and was widely used by the ancient Romans, Egyptians, Greek, and Chinese.