PLANETARY HOURS

I wanted to discuss something a little different from the planetary aspects that I usually write about in this blog.

I want to talk about the ancient system of the planetary hours in which one of the seven traditional planets (those visible to the naked eye) is given rulership not only over each day but also over parts of each day. It is thought to have roots ancient Babylonian astrology and is certainly the origin of the seven-day week and the names of the days as used in English and other languages.

The traditional planets in astrology are: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, sun, Venus, Mercury and Moon and the planets take over rulership of the hours always in the above sequence which is known as the “Chaldean Order”, the planets are listed from the slowest to the fastest moving as they appear in the night sky.

The first hour after sunrise of each day begins with the planetary hour relative to that day of the week, obviously the time of sunrise differs in each part of the world:

Monday is ruled by the Moon

Tuesday is ruled by Mars

Wednesday is ruled by Mercury

Thursday is ruled by Jupiter

Friday is ruled by Venus

Saturday is ruled by Saturn

Sunday is ruled by the Sun

Here is a quick guide to the possible meanings of the various planetary hours:

Sun – a good time for doing things that make you look good or improve your career, like asking for a raise, sending out a resume, having an interview, doing something to improve your health and getting things out in the open in general. On the contrary it’s not a good time for secrets!

Moon – a good time to start changes in routine and habits or to do some domestic activity. An excellent time to listen to our intuition and deal with emotions.

Mercury – great for logical and rational thinking as well as communications of all kinds, including writing and signing papers. It’s also a good time for trickery of all kinds….not recommended since you could also meet this in its projected form!

Venus – a good time for parties and self-indulgence when you’re looking your best. Great for pampering oneself and buying luxury items. Good for mediating disputes as well as doing calm, de-stressing activities and it’s also a good time for investments…and lottery wins!

Mars – high energy in the air, great for getting things done but also a time when disputes and arguments can get out of hand. Also great for exercise, channelling that energy into a physical outlet.

Jupiter – a great time to be successful and to start projects. Careful about indulgence and excesses. Good luck in general and great time to start off on a long journey.

Saturn – great for organizing things and completing boring tasks. Time for serious conversations or hard work, don’t overdo yourself though since exhaustion could also be part of the picture. Also a good time to spend alone in contemplation.

Ok, so now that I’ve got you all hooked on planetary times I guess you’ll be asking yourselves how to calculate them. This could get really complicated, especially since you have to take into account your location too – unless of course you do what I did quite a while ago – you download a free Planetary Times app for your smart phone!

There are several models available, I use “Planetary Times” for Android and it’s useful since a small icon of the planetary hour in course appears on the lock screen of the phone so I always know which planetary time it is in any given moment, it also has the optional feature that vocally alerts you when the hour changes but when you’re around other people they may look at you a bit weirdly if they hear a voice booming out of your handbag or pocket saying “Mars time, Venus time etc”  so I soon turned that crap off!

I’m posting this during a Jupiter hour….hoping that it appeals to as many of you as possible!