Planetary Days and Hours

A magical day is measured starting at sunrise and ending at sunset. Each sunrise and sunset period is divided into twelve equal parts, resulting in a (roughly) 24-hour day. Depending on your location relative to the equator, the planetary hours you calculate in your area may be longer or shorter than conventional hours.

The first hour of the day is always that of the planet the day represents. The hours then repeat infinitely in the following order: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon.

The first, eighth, fifteen and twenty second hours are called power hours. These are the hours in which the seven-planet cycle repeats. Notice that the cycle resets after the twenty fourth hour with the power hour of the subsequent day.

The two hours after the final power hour – the twenty third and twenty fourth hours – are called the witching hours. (Conventional hours place the witching hours between midnight and 3 a.m., or 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.) These hours are favored by black magicians for casting baneful magic.

Use these tables to reference ideal days and hours when scheduling your spells. The finer you tune the time of the ritual, the more potent your magic will be.