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The Planetary Origins of Time: Astrology, Nature, and the Modern Clock
Article Author
When you look at a clock today, it seems purely mechanical: 24 hours, split evenly into minutes and seconds. But this rigid system is not based on the natural rhythm of the cosmos—it is rooted in financial and industrial needs. By contrast, the astrological way of measuring time was fluid, seasonal, and directly tied to planetary cycles.
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The Seven Planets and Our Days of the Week
The seven classical planets shaped the seven-day week we still follow:
- Sunday – Sun’s Day
- Monday – Moon’s Day (lundi, lunes)
- Tuesday – Mars’ Day (mardi, martes)
- Wednesday – Mercury’s Day (mercredi, miércoles)
- Thursday – Jupiter’s Day (jeudi, jueves)
- Friday – Venus’ Day (vendredi, viernes)
- Saturday – Saturn’s Day (Saturday, sábado)
Our week is literally a planetary cycle, passed down through languages and cultures.
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Planetary Hours: The Ancient Rhythm of Time
In astrology, each day is also divided into 24 planetary hours. The first hour belongs to the ruling planet of the day (e.g., the Moon on Monday), and the rest follow in the repeating cycle:
Saturn → Jupiter → Mars → Sun → Venus → Mercury → Moon → Saturn …
This cycle continues day and night. After 24 hours, the sequence ensures that the next day begins with a new planet—this is how the naming of weekdays was born.
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Natural Time vs. Mechanical Time
Here’s the crucial difference:
- Astrological/Natural Hours: The day and night were each divided into 12 parts. That means in summer, when days are longer, the daytime hours were longer too; in winter, the hours were shorter. Time “breathed” with the seasons. It reflected the living rhythm of nature and the movement of the heavens.
- Modern Mechanical Hours: Our current clock divides the day into 24 equal hours, regardless of season or sunlight. This uniformity was not designed for nature but for commerce, productivity, and financial systems. Equal hours made it easier to schedule work shifts, calculate wages, and standardize trade across regions.
In other words, the clock we use today is an invention of economics, not astrology. It ignores the seasonal expansion and contraction of light, severing us from the natural pulse of time.
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Planetary Minutes and Beyond
Some esoteric traditions extend planetary rulership even further, applying it to minutes and even seconds. This creates a fractal-like pattern of cosmic influence—every moment carrying the signature of a planet. While not practical for industrial society, it reflects the ancient belief that time itself is alive and infused with meaning.
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Conclusion
Our modern clock is a tool of efficiency, but it is also artificial—flattening the natural cycles of light and planets into uniform hours. The astrology clock, by contrast, tied time to the cosmos: days to planets, hours to cycles, and seasons to the breathing rhythm of light.
When we remember this, time stops being only a financial measure—and once again becomes a conversation between Earth, Sun, Moon, and stars.