Planetary Hours

Bob Makransky’s new book ably taps the rising vogue for traditional astrology, though eschewing the fatalism often assigned to so-called ‘magical’ ancient approaches. He describes Planetary Hours (PH) as the “astrology of luck” and a method of finding empowering life moments for the proper exercise of freewill – to be yourself and not an enslaved cog of convention. So, what is PH? “The Planetary Hours are an ancient astrological system for selecting favourable times to act (and avoiding unfavourable times), by assigning planetary rulers to the twenty-four hours of the day”, Makransky explains in this admirably lucid guide book. Having talked us through the system he then examines PH’s application in natal charts, electional astrology and magical spells before tackling the Firdaria system – which “divides a person’s life into periods…of time ruled in turn by each of the planets in Chaldean order”. The Firdaria chapter is made greatly more accessible by an examination of Theodore Roosevelt’s eventful life in relation to his chart, enabling the student to see how sometimes fiddly, abstruse rules are applied in practice. The second half of the book has an extended appendix comprising PH tables and an explanation of Generalised Planetary Hours (GPH), which we learn can also be used as a ”new form of natal horoscope”, minus zodiac signs. As an introduction, this book is highly accessible. The Astrological Journal