Through countless centuries a living connection between the earth and heavens was taken for granted.

The metals were considered to have an inherent affinity with their parent planets, and represented a material expression of living cosmic energies. This article is extracted from Nick Kollerstrom's book The Metal-Planet Relationship, an extremely important work which, through scientific analysis and metaphysical reflection, ties the prosaic realm of rational science to the qualitative realm of essence and being. The book explores the natural correspondences that exist between the traditional planet metal associations and, more importantly, details how modern experiment only serves to vindicate the relationships.

Mars and Iron He who knows what iron is, knows the attributes of Mars. He who knows Mars, knows the qualities of iron. !aracelsus "ed storms rage across #ars. The soil of the $red planet% is high in iron, and its dust, swirling up into the atmosphere, causes giant storms that last for weeks. They blot out all its surface features, even the huge mountains. This can be quite a problem for craft trying to land there. &ne feels that these storms well express the #ars quality of anger. #ars has around fifteen percent of iron in its surface soil, thrice its average level here on 'arth. There must once have been lots of oxygen around, as all the iron is in the red, highly oxidised (ferric) form. #ars has two rocky little moons, and one of them is destined to crash in the future, doomed to disitegrate, being too close to its parent planet. *y meditating on these things one can experience the being of #ars. The archetype of #ars is fully expressed both in the red planet in the sky and in the metal iron under the ground. Thus, modern space discoveries have deepened our understanding of the primary +ermetic principle, as quoted above by !aracelsus. &f the seven metals, iron is the $earthy% one, having a stronger connection with the 'arth than do the others , for a start, it%s the only one that aligns with the 'arth%s magnetic field, in a compass. -t%s present in far larger quantities in the earth%s crust than the other $classical% metals. The others , lead, tin, gold, copper, mercury and silver , total no more than .../0, or one part in ten thousand of the 'arth%s crust. They are in a sense little more than $visitors to the 'arth% (the phrase is 1r 2teiner%s), although we use them so much nowadays that we forget their scarcity. -ron makes up about 30 of the crust, being the only one which has built itself solidly into the substance of the earth. "eddish looking soil means that iron is present, and, for the same reason, #ars is red. 2o the symbolism of -ron #ars is direct and obvious, with nothing subtle about it. #ars has always been associated with blood and war because of this symbolism. *ut, let%s not forget that that symbolism is also physiological fact4 the blood is red because of the iron in it5 The main ore of iron is pyrites, $fool%s gold.% +ave some of its marvellous cubic crystal structures on your mantelpiece5 The other common ore is haematite, which has a quite different bulbous structure, and a dark reddish hue. $+aem% means blood and $pyr% means fire blood and fire5 These are indeed the #ars attributes. &f the seven metals, iron is the one that burns. 6 falling star is burning iron. 6 meteorite burns brightly as it falls through the atmosphere. 7ireworks use the burning sparkle of iron filings. 2ome

steel wool can be ignited, then plunge it into a 8ar of oxygen, when it will glow fiercely. Thereby one experiences the fiery energy of #ars. 9 &ne is reminded of :ulcan and 6res by such a demonstration, the two #ars archetypes of antiquity. &ne was married to 6phrodite the ;oddess of <ove while the other 8ust had an affair with her. :ulcan or +aephastos was the 2mith, who forged the armour and instruments of war. The fiercely glowing iron is removed from the furnace and then hammered into shape. +aephastos was lame, symboli=ing an affliction that could befall 2miths from arsenic poisoning. 6s copper and iron are bound together in the 'arth, with most copper ores bound up with iron, as copper and iron interact in the blood, copper helping the iron metabolism , so #ars and :enus were mutually attracted. &ne sees this in the principle of a dynamo, where an iron copperinteraction takes place to produce the throbbing pulse of electrical energy. >ithin the human body the fire energy of #ars is seen in the metabolic process. -ron has a key role in the combustion processes within the tissues of the body, whereby food is turned into energy. *lood becomes red as the iron containing molecule haemoglobin carries oxygen throughout the body. Thereby foodstuffs can be metabolised, as fuel for the organism. This same iron molecule then absorbs the product of combustion, carbon dioxide, so the blood becomes blue, and carries it back to the lungs. -n this breathing iron process, which never ceases while life is present, there is the restless energy of #ars, as the blood rhythmically alternates from red to blue, from oxygen carrying to carbon dioxide carrying, moving away from the lungs then back again. 6s it does this, the unique iron molecule haemoglobin continually changes its shape. -ron has the property of readily passing from one valency condition to the other, as connects iron with the rhythmic breathing process. &ne is 'anaemic' if one lacks iron in his blood? or, equally, it may refer to a lack of #ars attributes in the character4 strength, courage and will. >eleda make a $meteoric iron% remedy as is supposed to help with giving such strength to the will, for persons who feel a bit anaemic, or as if they cannot cope with life%s challenges. 6ccording to #ellie @yldert, $-f they Aanaemic peopleB eat nettles or spinach, their =est for life retuns,% these plants being high in iron. - suppose that !opeye is a modern #ars archetype, who gains his strength from eating a tin of spinach. 6s the 2mith forged iron, with his hammer and anvil, so the development of the blast furnace required control over fire processes. -ron has been closely involved with human history, as its strength gave men the power to dominate nature4 'The true -ron 6ge, led mainly by the peoples of the >est, arises as a creation of iron and steel. -ron is harnessed to purely material goals. The shackles by which man has enslaved nature are forged of iron' (C). 6s you press down the pedal on the gas, an iron apparatus controls combustion. The #ars metal iron unleashes masculine power. 7or the history of warfare, the development of hardened steel was pivotal, and is today today the element from which all weapons are made. 6n iron and coal girdle surrounds the 'arth, through >ales, 'ngland, ;ermany, 7rance, "ussia and 6merica. Today we live surrounded by iron and steel, and within this will find no cure for the rising tide of violence. >e might however note the mystery of iron. Des, iron has got a mystery. Eomparing the black hue of your wrought iron garden gate with the gleaming steel of the car bumper, can they really be the same elementF 6 few percent of carbon turns one into the other, as reminds us of -ron%s strong connection with the 'arth. Earbon the 'arth element makes all the difference to iron, giving to it the awful strength of steel.

Nickel Eobalt, nickel and manganese are metals with iron like properties. They are ferromagnetic, are used

in steel alloys and in fireworks, and have comparable physical properties. 1r "udolf +auschka regarded them as being 'the brothers of iron'. Nickel alloys are vital for the tough, high performance equipment in today%s planes, trains, cars and boats, eg the turbines of a power station. #ost nickel produced goes into steel alloy, where it adds corrosion resistance and strength. 7or example, Gapan has a fast, magnetically levitated train that =ooms around Tokyo, and it utilises this alloy in various key roles. Nickel has an ability to absorb kinetic energy in the event of a collision and this contributes to the safety of passengers. These are all fine, #artial qualities. The Ehrysler building, a historic landmark in New Dork city, was constructed in /HC. using nickel containing stainless steel, for its roof, spire and gargoyles, and today it is as good as new. -n 1evon, the 'den !ro8ect used a lightweight nickel steel tubular alloy to make its magnificent bio domes. -n 2pain, nickel containing stainless steel is being used for parabolic solar collectors, which are generating electricity at a lower cost than any photovoltaic system. #odern tidal power and wind power systems depend upon this alloy to survive the elements. 6ll nickel products are recycled after use including the kitchen sink. -t has an energetic new use in metal hydride batteries, which are quick to recharge and will deliver give high voltages4 they power everything from mobile phones to laptop computers, from digital cameras to cable free power tools. 'lectric cars with these batteries can travel a couple of hundred kilometres on a single charge. Nickel is found in certain iron meteorites. Things have come a long way since the $Nickels% or mountain spirits of mediaeval times gave to this element their name. http4IIskyscript.co.ukImetalJ.html