Free tool
Today's Moon mansion and planetary hours, after Agrippa
Which of the 28 lunar mansions is the Moon in right now, and which planet rules this hour? Pick your city and read the answer from Agrippa's own tables (1533), quoted from our translation.
Go deeper: Agrippa's Observations of the Heavens
The whole chapter on the 28 mansions and on planetary hours, in four layers: Agrippa's words, plain words, terms and a historical note. With a printable wheel of the 28 mansions and a table of planetary hours. PDF, 70 pages.
How it works
The 28 mansions
Agrippa, following Abraham ibn Ezra, divides the zodiac circle into 28 equal parts of 12° 51′ 26″, counted from the first degree of Aries, seven mansions to each quarter. The Moon goes around the circle in about 27 days, so she spends roughly one day in each mansion. Each mansion has a name taken from its stars and a line in Agrippa's table that tells what the old astrologers thought it favoured or spoiled.
Planetary hours
Agrippa describes how most astrologers split the time from sunrise to sunset into twelve equal parts, and the time from sunset to the next sunrise into twelve more. Day hours are therefore long in summer and short in winter: in Riga a day hour lasts about 34 minutes in December and about 90 in June. The hours go to the planets in the Chaldean order (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon), and the first hour of each day belongs to the planet of that day. He also mentions a stricter method of the magicians, fifteen degrees of the ecliptic rising per hour; this tool uses the common method.
How we calculate
The Moon's position is worked out in your browser with Jean Meeus's lunar theory and checked against NASA's JPL Horizons ephemeris on eight dates: the difference stays below 0.002°, far less than a mansion's width of 12.86°. Sunrise and sunset are calculated for the city you choose and are accurate to about a minute. Nothing about your position is sent anywhere. If you sign up for e-mails, we keep only the city you choose.
Agrippa's table of the 28 mansions
From Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Book II, chapter 33 (Cologne, 1533), in the BlusaBooks translation. The old spelling of the names is kept.
| No. | Name | What it is | Effect, as Agrippa gives it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alnath | the horns of Aries | for journeys and for discord |
| 2 | Allothaim or Albochan | the belly of Aries | for the finding of treasures and the retaining of captives |
| 3 | Achaomazon or Athoray | the rainy one, or the Pleiades | for sailors, huntsmen and alchemical works |
| 4 | Aldebaran or Aldelamen | the eye or head of Taurus | for the destruction of buildings, fountains, wells and gold mines, for the driving away of creeping things, for the begetting of discord |
| 5 | Alchatay or Albachay | return from a journey, the instruction of scholars, the confirming of buildings, health and goodwill | |
| 6 | Alhanna or Alchaya | the little star of great light | for hunting, the besieging of towns and the revenge of princes; it destroyeth harvests and hindereth physicians |
| 7 | Aldimiach or Alarzach | the arm of Gemini | for gain and friendship, for lovers; it driveth away flies and destroyeth schools |
| 8 | Alnaza or Anatrachya | the misty or cloudy one | for love, friendship and fellowship of travellers; it driveth away mice and afflicteth captives |
| 9 | Archaam or Arcaph | the eye of the Lion | it hurteth harvests and travellers and soweth discord between men |
| 10 | Algelioche or Albgebh | the neck or forehead of the Lion | it strengtheneth buildings, and giveth love, goodwill and help against enemies |
| 11 | Azobra or Ardaf | the hair of the Lion's head | for journeys and gain by merchandise, for the redemption of captives |
| 12 | Alzarpha or Azarpha | the tail of the Lion | prosperity unto harvests and plantations, but hurtful unto seamen; good for bettering the state of servants and captives |
| 13 | Alhaire | the dogs, or the wings of Virgo | for goodwill, gain, journeys, harvests and the freeing of captives |
| 14 | Achureth or Arimet, also Azimeth or Alhumech | the Ear of Corn of Virgo | for the love of married folk, the healing of the sick, for sailors; but hurtful unto journeys by land |
| 15 | Agrapha or Algarpha | the covered one | for the drawing forth of treasures and the digging of wells; it causeth divorce, discord and the destruction of houses; it hindereth travellers |
| 16 | Azubene or Ahubene | the horns of Scorpio | it hindereth journeys, wedlock, harvests and merchandise; it availeth for the freeing of captives |
| 17 | Alchil | the crown of Scorpio | for the bettering of evil fortune, for making love durable, for strengthening buildings; it helpeth seamen |
| 18 | Alchas or Altob | the heart of Scorpio | for discord, sedition and conspiracy against princes; for revenge upon enemies; but it freeth captives and helpeth buildings |
| 19 | Allatha or Achala | the tail of Scorpio | for the besieging and taking of cities, the driving of men from their places, the destruction of seamen and the perdition of captives |
| 20 | Abnahaya | a beam | for the taming of wild beasts and the strengthening of prisons; it destroyeth the wealth of societies and compelleth a man to come unto a certain place |
| 21 | Abeda or Albeldach | a desert | for harvests, gain, buildings and travellers; and for the causing of divorce |
| 22 | Sadahacha or Zodeboluch | a shepherd | it promoteth the flight of servants and captives, that they may escape; it availeth for the healing of the sick |
| 23 | Sabadola or Zobrach | the swallowing one | for divorce, the liberty of captives and the healing of the sick |
| 24 | Sadabath or Chadezoad | the star of fortune | for the goodwill of married folk and the victory of soldiers; it hurteth the business of officers and hindereth its execution |
| 25 | Sadalabra or Sadalachia | a butterfly, or a spreading forth | for besieging and revenge; it destroyeth enemies, causeth divorce, strengtheneth prisons and buildings, hasteneth messengers |
| 26 | Alpharg or Phtagal Mocaden | the first drawing | for the union and love of men, for the delivery of captives; it destroyeth prisons and buildings |
| 27 | Alcharya or Alhalgalmoad | the second drawing | it increaseth harvests, revenues and gain, healeth infirmities; but it hindereth buildings, prolongeth imprisonment, endangereth seamen |
| 28 | Albotham or Alchalcy | Pisces | it increaseth harvests and merchandise, maketh the way safe through dangerous places, giveth joy unto married folk; but it strengtheneth prisons and causeth the loss of treasures |
Questions
How do I find the current planetary hour?
Choose your city above. The tool finds today's sunrise and sunset, splits day and night into twelve parts each and names the planet that rules the part you are in. No sign-up needed.
What is a lunar mansion?
A lunar mansion is one of 28 parts of the zodiac circle through which the Moon passes in about 27 days, a little under a day in each. The idea is old: Indian nakshatras, Chinese xiu and Arabic manazil are the same sort of division. Agrippa gives the Latin tradition, which came to Europe mainly through the medieval Picatrix.
How long does the Moon stay in one mansion?
About one day. Each mansion spans 12° 51′ 26″, and the Moon moves roughly 13° a day, so the change comes a little earlier each day. The tool shows the exact time for your city.
Is a planetary hour a clock hour?
No. A planetary hour is one twelfth of the daylight, or of the night, so it is longer or shorter than 60 minutes depending on the season and the place. That is why the tool asks for your city.
Why do mansions start at Aries and not at the stars?
Agrippa counts equal parts from the spring point. Because that point has slid against the stars by almost a whole sign since antiquity, the star the mansion is named after is no longer inside it. We follow Agrippa's scheme as he wrote it.
Where does the text come from?
From our own translation of Agrippa's Book II (Cologne, 1533), chapters 33 and 34, published as Observations of the Heavens. Nothing is taken from other sources.