Planetary Hours

A Necessary Distinction

Day Ruler vs Hour Ruler

In operative timing, confusion is expensive. The day ruler names the day; the hour ruler governs the moment.

The day ruler

Sunday=Sun, Monday=Moon, Tuesday=Mars, Wednesday=Mercury, Thursday=Jupiter, Friday=Venus, Saturday=Saturn.

This ruler determines which planet governs the first daylight hour after sunrise.

The hour ruler

The hour ruler is assigned by the Chaldean sequence, hour by hour. It is the ruler you actually work under.

How this fails in practice

  • Choosing a “good day” and ignoring that the acting hour is ruled by a planet contrary to the aim.
  • Resetting the sequence at midnight and shifting every ruler after that point.

Next: How to read the table