Even the most eclectic practitioner of magick has at least heard about the planetary hours wherein the 12 hours of the day are assigned to a zodiac sign and planet (as are the 12 hours of night). The underlying belief is that spells performed during a planetary hour favorable to the goal of the spell receive a boost in power, are easier to cast, etc. according to the specifics of the tradition one is working in.
A major portion of A Time for Magick is a set of tables which reduces most of the calculations to simply looking up the time in a set of tables and modifying it to match your location. If you use -- or would like to use -- planetary hours in your workings, these tables are easily worth the price of the book just in the time and effort they will save. The rest of the book covers basic information about the planets, including rituals and mediations for each one. This is useful for beginners only.
While the chart listing which planet is associated with which planetary hour is simple, determining when a specific planetary hour occurs on a given day can require quite a bit of calculation as the length of day and night are different every calendar day. The calculations aren't complex, but they are tedious. Many people simply ignore planetary hours rather than go through the hassle of computing them every time they need to perform a spell or ritual. (I know that as a witch I am far less concerned with planetary hours than my friend the ceremonial magician.)
For the tables alone, this is one of the more practical and useful books I have come across.
~review by Lisa Mc Sherry
Author: Maria Kay Simms
Llewellyn Publications, 2001
pp. 240, $12.95
