The doctrine: temporal hours, not civil hours
A planetary hour is a temporal hour. It is not fixed at 60 minutes. Day and night are each divided into twelve parts; the parts expand and contract with the living sky.
The two measures
- ✦Day hours: sunrise → sunset, divided by 12.
- ✦Night hours: sunset → next sunrise, divided by 12.
Worked example (Kyiv, 2025-12-28)
Sunrise ≈ 07:55, Sunset ≈ 15:51 (local time). Daylight is about 7:56:10.
- Day hour ≈ 7:56:10 ÷ 12 ≈ 00:39:40
- Night length ≈ 24:00:00 − 7:56:10 = 16:03:50
- Night hour ≈ 16:03:50 ÷ 12 ≈ 01:20:19
The planetary order (Chaldean)
The sequence repeats without apology: Saturn → Jupiter → Mars → Sun → Venus → Mercury → Moon.
The first daylight hour after sunrise begins with the day ruler (the planet of the weekday), and the sequence continues hour by hour through day and night.
Day ruler vs hour ruler
- ✦Day ruler sets the opening of the cycle (Hour 1 after sunrise).
- ✦Hour ruler governs the specific window you act within.
Practitioner’s cautions (common errors)
- ✦Using fixed 60-minute blocks (this destroys the method).
- ✦Resetting the cycle at midnight instead of sunrise.
- ✦Timezone/DST confusion when comparing sources.
Operative use (what this is for)
Planetary hours are the timing skeleton. They do not replace judgment; they structure it.
- Hours tool: see the current ruler and exact boundaries.
- Election: search for windows where multiple testimonies converge (hour ruler, Moon condition, aspects, dignities).
- Search: filter repeating patterns across days and locations.
Open tools: Hours · Election · Search
Further reading (traditional frame)
This timing system is a standard part of the medieval/renaissance astrological craft and its operative descendants. The astronomy is simple; the use is subtle.