What Are Planetary Hours And Planetary Days?

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Planetary hours and planetary days are an ancient methodology of choosing the best time to do magic or other activities based on what planet rules that time. It was developed within Hellenistic astrology but likely has roots in older Babylonian astrology. 

You use the planetary days and hours to conduct business, cast spells, and create talismans during auspicious times based on planetary rulerships. The planetary hours and days were used by ancient Hellenists as well as Babylonians to determine when certain events would occur. For example, if you wanted to know when Jupiter would be most favorable for making money, you could look at the planetary hour and day of Jupiter.

Many grimoires like the Hygromanteia include tables of planetary days and hours that can be useful for modern occultists and witches.

The Planetary Days

The planetary rulership of some of the days of the weeks is very clear. Monday is ruled by the moon, Saturday by Saturn, and Sunday by the sun. Planetary days and hours are based on the classical planets, which includes the sun and moon but not the outer planets like Uranus and Pluto.

Here are the traditional planetary rulers of the days:

Day	Planet	Meaning	Malefic or Benefic?
Sunday	The sun	Magically, the sun is a symbol of life and growth. It is also a symbol of our own personal power to grow spiritually. This is a day to set intentions.	Neutral / Benefic
Monday	The moon	Monday is a day of the divine feminine, the moon, emotions, and mystery. Work with the moon on Mondays to reflect on your life, your goals, and to honor feminine energies. Work on projects that require attention to detail.	Neutral
Tuesday	Mars	Astrologically, Mars represents principles such as strength and aggression. It is associated with the element of fire, which can be seen in its red color. In mythology, Mars was the god of war.	Malefic
Wednesday	Mercury	In modern astrology, Mercury represents the mind and the intellect. In the ancient world, it was associated with Hermes/Mercury, the messenger of the gods who could travel between worlds as well as communicate with humans on a mental level.	Neutral
Thursday	Jupiter	The planet Jupiter, and thus the day of Thursday, represents astrological and magical principles such as joviality, joy, good fortune, happiness, luck, prosperity, success.	BeneficFridayVenusThe planet Venus represents astrological and magical concepts like the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, sensuality, harmony, peace and prosperity.	Benefic
Saturday	Saturn	Saturn, the most malefic of the planets, represents astrological concepts such as the Devil, sin, death, the old man, old age, sickness, disease, hardship, misfortune, and karma.	Malefic

 While the planets are traditionally classified as malefic, benefic, or neutral, each planetary day can have positive and negative influences depends on planetary hours and the type of magic being cast. The following is a list of planetary hours and their effects on spells.

How To Calculate Planetary Hours

Calculating which of the traditional planets rules an hour of the day is simple.

From Wikipedia:

As each day is divided into 24 hours, the first hour of a day is ruled by the planet three places down in the Chaldean order from the planet ruling the first hour of the preceding day; i.e. a day with its first hour ruled by the Sun (“Sunday”) is followed by a day with its first hour ruled by the Moon (“Monday”), followed by Mars (“Tuesday”), Mercury (“Wednesday”), Jupiter (“Thursday”), Venus (“Friday”) and Saturn (“Saturday”), again followed by Sunday, yielding the familiar naming of the days of the week.

Calculating the favorable times to do something can become complicated, however. Luckily, magicians and witches before us left tables that we could easily reference! 

The Magical Treatise Of Solomon or Hygromanteia by Ioannis Marathakis has the tables from multiple fragments of this old grimoire. The most fully preserved tables come from the Gennadianus manuscript. The tables below will mostly come from the Gennadianus except where it had missing information, which will be filled in from the Monacensis or Harleianus manuscripts.

Sunday Planetary Hours

First Hour	Sun	Giving a speech
Second Hour	Venus	Gaining the love of a lord
Third Hour	Mercury	For addressing lords
Fourth Hour	Moon	For an encounter with a lord
Fifth Hour	Saturn	For preventing an encounter with a lord
Sixth Hour	Jupiter	For appearing before a lord
Seventh Hour	Mars	Do nothing
Eighth Hour	Sun	For anything regarding lords
Ninth Hour	Venus	For anything regarding love
Tenth Hour	Mercury	For writing a petition
Eleventh Hour	Moon	For making a speech
Twelfth Hour	Saturn	Do nothing
Thirteenth Hour	Jupiter	For helping friends
Fourteenth Hour	Mars	For preventing a speech
Fifteenth Hour	Sun	For sending dreams to a king
Sixteenth Hour	Venus	For sending dreams to a lady
Seventeenth Hour	Mercury	Do nothing
Eighteenth Hour	Moon	Work
Nineteenth Hour	Saturn	Do nothing
Twentieth Hour	Jupiter	Magic or talismans for the love of lords
Twenty First Hour	Mars	For binding and restraining others
Twenty Second Hour	Sun	For appearing before a king
Twenty Third Hour	Venus	For appearing before a lady
Twenty Fourth Hour	Mercury	Rest, do nothing

Monday Planetary Hours

First Hour	Moon	Magic or talismans for buying and selling
Second Hour	Saturn	For sickness
Third Hour	Jupiter	Opening a workshop
Fourth Hour	Mars	For restraining a workshop
Fifth Hour	Sun	Magic or talismans for selling
Sixth Hour	Venus	For dealings
Seventh Hour	Mercury	For travel and journeys
Eighth Hour	Moon	For buying
Ninth Hour	Saturn	For binding and restraining
Tenth Hour	Jupiter	Setting up a business
Eleventh Hour	Mars	For preventing luck
Twelfth Hour	Sun	Setting up a business
Thirteenth Hour	Venus	Rest
Fourteenth Hour	Mercury	For earning a living
Fifteenth Hour	Moon	Work on your affairs
Sixteenth Hour	Saturn	Do nothing
Seventeenth Hour	Jupiter	Write and speak on your own behalf
Eighteenth Hour	Mars	Binding, restraining, hindering
Nineteenth Hour	Sun	Start any plan
Twentieth Hour	Venus	Rest
Twenty First Hour	Mercury	Move and stir affairs
Twenty Second Hour	Moon	Reckon your plan
Twenty Third Hour	Saturn	Do nothing
Twenty Fourth Hour	Jupiter	Open your workshop

Tuesday Planetary Hours

First Hour	Mars	Magic and talismans for war victory
Second Hour	Sun	For taking loot
Third Hour	Venus	For displaying military skills
Fourth Hour	Mercury	For going to war
Fifth Hour	Moon	For going and returning or nocturnal battles
Sixth Hour	Saturn	Be careful, avoid war
Seventh Hour	Jupiter	For appearing before enemies or giving thanks
Eighth Hour	Mars	Ask for aid
Ninth Hour	Sun	For conquering a whole castle and taking loot
Tenth Hour	Venus	For doing mighty deeds
Eleventh Hour	Mercury	For making excuses
Twelfth Hour	Moon	Despoiling slain enemies
Thirteenth Hour	Saturn	Be careful
Fourteenth Hour	Jupiter	For discrediting someone
Fifteenth Hour	Mars	Asking aid for your salvation
Sixteenth Hour	Sun	Useless
Seventeenth Hour	Venus	For rising in honor
Eighteenth Hour	Mercury	For escaping or concealing
Nineteenth Hour	Moon	For winning over an opponent
Twentieth Hour	Saturn	For marching against enemies
Twenty First Hour	Jupiter	For keeping concealed
Twenty Second Hour	Mars	Pray to God
Twenty Third Hour	Sun	For appearing at war
Twenty Fourth Hour	Venus	Enviable hour

Wednesday Planetary Hours

First Hour	Mercury	Magic or talismans for invisibility and education
Second Hour	Moon	For resting and cheering
Third Hour	Saturn	Useless hour
Fourth Hour	Jupiter	For practicing alchemy
Fifth Hour	Mars	For revealing secret things
Sixth Hour	Sun	For killing someone and taking their treasure
Seventh Hour	Venus	For dominating a woman
Eighth Hour	Mercury	Magic or talismans regarding the decision of a tribunal
Ninth Hour	Moon	For cohabiting with a woman
Tenth Hour	Saturn	Be careful
Eleventh Hour	Jupiter	Begin whatever you want
Twelfth Hour	Mars	Do nothing
Thirteenth Hour	Sun	Begin praising someone
Fourteenth Hour	Venus	Begin praying
Fifteenth Hour	Mercury	Magic and talismans concerning dreams
Sixteenth Hour	Moon	For casting binding spells
Seventeenth Hour	Saturn	Useless hour
Eighteenth Hour	Jupiter	For harming someone
Nineteenth Hour	Mars	Useful for everything and making retribution
Twentieth Hour	Sun	Useful for everything
Twenty First Hour	Venus	For sending dreams
Twenty Second Hour	Mercury	For teaching
Twenty Third Hour	Moon	Hour for success
Twenty Fourth Hour	Saturn	Useless hour

Thursday Planetary Hours

First Hour	Jupiter	For healing men or animals
Second Hour	Mars	Useless hour
Third Hour	Sun	For appearing before a king
Fourth Hour	Venus	For appearing before a lady
Fifth Hour	Mercury	For learning of rhetoric
Sixth Hour	Moon	For changing residence
Seventh Hour	Saturn	Be careful
Eighth Hour	Jupiter	Good and blessed hour
Ninth Hour	Mars	For causing jealousy
Tenth Hour	Sun	Magic and talismans to benefit the body
Eleventh Hour	Venus	For healing women
Twelfth Hour	Mercury	For emigrating away
Thirteenth Hour	Moon	For success
Fourteenth Hour	Saturn	Useless hour
Fifteenth Hour	Jupiter	Hour for every kind of healing
Sixteenth Hour	Mars	For making a surgical incision
Seventeenth Hour	Sun	For healing a king
Eighteenth Hour	Venus	For healing a lady
Nineteenth Hour	Mercury	For not being afraid of robbers
Twentieth Hour	Moon	Joyous hour
Twenty First Hour	Saturn	Useless hour
Twenty Second Hour	Jupiter	Do whatever you want
Twenty Third Hour	Mars	For causing a hassle
Twenty Fourth Hour	Sun	Magic or talismans regarding tribunals or lords

Friday Planetary Hours

First Hour	Venus	For love
Second Hour	Mercury	For messages of matchmaking
Third Hour	Moon	Good for everything
Fourth Hour	Saturn	For causing obstacles of love
Fifth Hour	Jupiter	For gifts and pleasant conversations
Sixth Hour	Mars	For causing jealousy
Seventh Hour	Sun	Good hour, beneficial for love
Eighth Hour	Venus	For love
Ninth Hour	Mercury	For messages concerning engagements
Tenth Hour	Moon	Good hour for everything
Eleventh Hour	Saturn	Useless hour
Twelfth Hour	Jupiter	For making agreements
Thirteenth Hour	Mars	For causing hatred
Fourteenth Hour	Sun	For binding a couple with a spell
Fifteenth Hour	Venus	For binding someone with love spells
Sixteenth Hour	Mercury	For sending dreams of love
Seventeenth Hour	Moon	Good hour for everything
Eighteenth Hour	Saturn	For sending dreams of hatred
Nineteenth Hour	Jupiter	Magic and talismans towards any beneficial aim
Twentieth Hour	Mars	Do nothing
Twenty First Hour	Sun	Good hour
Twenty Second Hour	Venus	Hour for love
Twenty Third Hour	Mercury	Hour for alchemy
Twenty Fourth Hour	Moon	For binding and restraining love

Saturday Planetary Hours

First Hour	Saturn	Magic or talismans for harming your enemy or sending illness
Second Hour	Jupiter	For causing a shipwreck or harming someone
Third Hour	Mars	For setting up enchantments
Fourth Hour	Sun	For making lords fight one another
Fifth Hour	Venus	For causing hatred between a couple
Sixth Hour	Mercury	For finding treasure
Seventh Hour	Moon	For speaking with demons
Eighth Hour	Saturn	For performing basin divination
Ninth Hour	Jupiter	For performing skull divination
Tenth Hour	Mars	For causing peoples to plunge into the sea
Eleventh Hour	Sun	For making litigants mad at one another
Twelfth Hour	Venus	For causing fear and enmity
Thirteenth Hour	Mercury	Beneficial for discovering secrets
Fourteenth Hour	Moon	For seeing dead people
Fifteenth Hour	Saturn	For seeing visions by water divination
Sixteenth Hour	Jupiter	Useful for teaching
Seventeenth Hour	Mars	Very malign hour
Eighteenth Hour	Sun	Useless hour
Nineteenth Hour	Venus	For gaining money in dice
Twentieth Hour	Mercury	For restraining every good thing
Twenty First Hour	Moon	Hour without virtue
Twenty Second Hour	Saturn	For causing visions
Twenty Third Hour	Jupiter	Useful for profit
Twenty Fourth Hour	Mars	Hour for hassle and enmity

These are just the hours as they were used by the authors of the Hygromanteia’s fragments, and other uses can be assumed based on basic mixing of correspondences. By figuring out the correspondences of the days, planets, and numerology, you can come up with your own system of planetary hours.

With your own personalized tables of favorable times, you can plan out future events and do a basic analysis of events to make your magic stronger and manifest luck and abundance in your life.

A basic understanding of planetary hours and days can help you deep dive into more complex forms of magic or make your spells even more effective!