and I won some trifling wagers from him on this score; but though still vanquished, as Goldsmith says, he would still argue, and with as much obstinacy as if he had never been proved to be in the wrong I then began to appeal to his reason, and asked him, 'If the Moon could move a fluid of such gravity as water, why it might not more easily affect or influence the atmosphere, which was more light and elastic?' He denied that I could prove that it did affect the water, Surely, said I, the tides prove that; this too, he denied. He admitted that it was a strange coincidence of periods, but contended that they might have been as they are, had the Moon never existed. I had some inclination to make him affirm (which I easily could have done,) that day and night, and summer and winter might have been the same as they are, had the Sun never existed; but I was weary of his folly." Students will readily perceive that no one could be more positive and emphatic in his belief in Astrology than Mr. Wilson. Indeed had he not been a firm believer in that science he would never have compiled, written and published his "Dictionary of Astrology," which work evinces a degree of learning and research that is truly marvellous, and had he had an equally extensive practice in Astrology, he would have been a thorough believer in the "Part of Fortune "the "Twelve Houses" and the " Dragon's Head" and "Dragon's Tail," and the "Essential Dignities," etc. There are astrologers similar to myself, who may be classed as the "high potency astrologers, and who believe whatever occurs in the heavens, has a corresponding influence on the earth, and whatever positions the various heavenly bodies assume in the heavens, have a corsponding effect on the earth; and who believe in the principles of Astrology similar to the poet Thomas Niel who wrote the following lines, and which contain more truth than poetry. "I tell thee, "There is not a pulse beats in the human frame The above lines prove that Mr. Neil was what we might term a high potency" astrologer. The poet Dryden may be classed among the high potency astrologers, if we may judge by the following remarks, which he made to his wife, after he had calculated the horoscope of his son Charles. He told lady Dryden that the child was born in an evil hour, meaning an evil "planetary hour," which was one of the hours of Saturn or Mars, and as he said "the lord of the ascendant was afflicted with a hateful square both Saturn and Mars," and being born in the hour of one of those planets made that aspect more unfortunate or evil. of Also we may class the poet Goethe among the high potency Astrologers, if we may judge by what he states in his autobiography. He tells us: "My horoscope was propitious; the Sun was in the sign of the virgin and had culminated for the day. Jupiter and Venus looked on him with a friendly eye, and Mercury not adversely, while Saturn and Mars kept themselves indifferent. The Moon alone just full exerted the power of her reflection all the more, as she had just reached her "" 'planetary hour.” John Kepler, may also be classed among the high potency astrologers, where he says: A most unfailing experience of the excitement of sublunary natures by the conjunctions and aspects of the planets, has instructed and compelled my unwilling belief.' REMARKS ON THE PLANETARY HOURS. The planetary hour is not the ordinary sixty minutes of the clock time, but the period of Sunrise to Sunset, divided into twelve equal parts; each part being a "planetary hour" of that day. From Sunset to Sunrise is also divided into twelve equal parts, and each part is a "planetary hour" of that night. One of the main reasons why "planetary hours" have been so neglected by modern astrologers, is the difficulty in calculating those "hours," especially in the higher latitudes where the days are very long in the Summer months, (as in England, Scotland, Sweden and Norway,) and where the days are so short in the winter months. Also the difficulty in counting the planets in their proper order, from sunrise of that particular day to the hour and minute the astrologers wish to attend to any important business, or the time a person was born. I have succeeded in getting up a set of "Tables of Planetary Hours," that by inspecting and knowing the day of the week, month, and the day of the month, and the hour of day, one can easily find which planet rules that particular "Planetary Hour" and see when any planet's hour begins, and when it ends, and by these tables a person can choose "fortunate planetary hours" to transact any important business or commence a new undertaking; and can guard against beginning those undertakings in evil hours. Not only that, but the student can avoid making the mistakes which were very common, in counting the planets and the hours from sunrise or sunset, to the hour and minute he wishes to calculate them to. If the student turns to pages 14, 15, 16 and 17 of this volume, hẹ will find an explanation of the origin of the names of the days in the week, and of the order in which they run. On page 14 he will find a table illustrating why Sunday follows Saturday, and Monday follows Sunday, and so on of all the other days in the week. These days were arranged on the principle of the first hour after sunrise of that day, being dedicated to the planet which it is named after, or the planet which rules that day. We have no historical account of the time when the days were first arranged in the order we now have them. It even goes back long before any written record, or the building of the Pyramids of Egypt, and is even older than the Three Towers of Babylon. The order of the days and their arrangement into seven, or one quarter of a Moon, or the fourth of a month, so harmonizes with the laws of nature that it has penetrated into every nation that is even half civilized, and has been adopted by those nations in every quarter of the globe. Not only that, but they have been called by the names of the planets, and used by the people in all ages or at least as far back as we have any record. The Latin and the French languages up to the present div make use of the names of the planets, for all the names of the days of the week, except Sunday.* * As already stated in pages 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17, and illustrated in the Table of Planetary Hours on page 14, that the planet rules the day it is named after, and also rules the first hour after sunrise; that the seven planets have each a day of the week allotted to them, and that the order of the planets are reckoned from the planet Saturn inwards towards the Moon, and the first hour of the day after sunrise is ruled by the planet that the day is named after, therefore on Sunday the Sun rules the fir I think * Whenever I have lectured on the "Planetary Hours," some one of the audience has taken exception to the idea that certain names of the days of the week have been changed and named after some notable General, and will insist that they are named in honor of deities or pagan gods. I cannot bring to mind in which History of England I have seen the names of those pagan generals mentioned, and stated that the names of certain days of the week were called after them. it is Lingard in his His.ory of England mentioned "Twi" and stated that Tuesday was named after that General. Mrs. Anna Bowman in her book on Travels in Norway and Sweden gives the account of the church, and the two graves where Thorr and his wife Frea are buried. also "" "Wolden states that Thursday and Friday were named in honor of them. or man of the woods, has been named in a number of histories as being a noted General and afterwards became a deity or Saint after his death, and Wednesday was named in honor of him. Mr. Isaac Sharpless and Professor G. M. Phillips in their astronomy mention that Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are named after four English deities. Nothing could be more ridiculous than that, as the ancient Druids did not have any deities, or Pagan gods, like the Pagans on the northern part of Europe; they were great observers of the laws of nature, and of the heav enly bodies, especially the rising and setting of the Sun, Moon, and the various planets as can be proved by the ruins of Stonehenge, which still remain on Salisbury Plains, Wiltshire, England. No matter what names some of the days of the week are now called, one thing is certain, that in old or ancient languages, as the Latin, the names of the days of the week were all named after the planets, which rule these days, and they were afterwards changed in the modern European languages, such as the German, Italian, English, etc., all of which are corruptions of the ancient Latin. The following table No. 1, gives the names which the French use at the present day, for the names of the days of the week, and which they have used from time immemorial. The student will see that each day of the week is designated by the French names of the planets which rules that day, except Sunday; and in some way that has got changed, as Soleil is the French name for the Sun. The word Dimanche is supposed to be a corruption of the Latin "Dominica" or the Lord's day, the English still retain the name of Sunday or Sun's day, and the German's Sonntag, or Sunday, for the first day of the week. The French, during the Revolution, divided the months into three decades of ten days each, and gave the following Latin numerical terms for the names for the respective days of the Decade in the order as given in the 2d Table. But by Napoleon's command this new system was abolished, as it was found to be too artificial for general use, and at variance with planetary laws. The Gregorian Calender was resumed on Jan 1st, 1807. The names of the days of the week in the German language, is very similar to that in the English language. They are called Sonntag, Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Fritag, Samstag. Tag meaning day in German hour after sunrise, Venus rules the second hour, Mercury rules the third, the Moon rules the fourth, Saturn rules the fifth, Jupiter rules the sixth, Mars rules the seventh, the Sun rules the eighth, Venus rules the ninth, Mercury the tenth and the Moon the eleventh, as the student will see in the "Perpetual Tables of Planetary Hours, from Sunrise to 2 Hours after Sunset on page 255, and also in the following table. Sun governs the first hour after Sunrise on Sunday. The significance of the planetary hours, and the matters, or kinds of business they rule, and the manner in which they may be used to advantage are clearly explained by old astrologers. I here give their teaching not only because it is curious and interesting, but also because it is based on sound astrological rules and principles. The Influence of the Planetary Hours of the Sun, Moon and the Five Planets. THE HOUR OF . 614 In the Hour of Saturn take no voyage to Sea, neither take any long journey by land, for crosses will assuredly attend, and small success may be expected; take no medicine, for it will produce harm rather than good, and engage no servants, for they will prove idle, careless and worthless persons; Evil to put on new garments or cut your hair; but this hour is good to buy, or take leases of houses or lands; good to buy any kind of grain, or to dig in the earth, or plow; not good to borrow money in this hour or to lend it. It is an evil hour to fall sick in, for it threatens a long disease and liable to terminate in death. THE HOUR OF 2. 615 In the Hour of Jupiter, it is good to apply to ecclesiastical persons, or persons in office, and all great or wealthy men such as lawyers, judges, senators, etc., to obtain their favor. In this hour it is good to go out of the house, to commence a journey to have it end with success; good to sow all kind of seeds or to plant; not good to let blood; he that falls sick in this hour will soon recover; also good to lend or borrow money; not good to enter a ship; not good to buy cattle. This hour is good to propose marriage, or contract matrimony, etc. THE HOUR OF . 616 In the Hour of Mars begin no worthy action, or important undertaking, or great enterprise, for it is a very unfortunate hour, and therefore it is an hour to be avoided; it is ill to take or commence a journey, for you will be in danger of thieves; very ill to take a voyage to sea, and generally evil for all things, especially for surgical operations, etc. It is an evil hour; therefore to be shunned as much as possible. THE HOUR OF O. 617 The Hour of the Sun is not to be chosen, as it is generally unfortunate, unless in making application, or asking favors of wealthy or influential persons; not good to begin a building, or put on new garments; not good to enter a new house, or remove into a house, for discontent and brawling may then be expected to follow; this hour is good for a man to receive preferment in; not good to court the female sex as they will try to control you; do not pay, or lend money upon on any account; it is also a very critical hour to be taken ill, as the sickness is liable to be dangerous, and violent. THE HOUR OF . 618 In the Hour of Venus it is good to court women, or to begin a journey, but not a long voyage; good to enter upon any play, sport or pastime; not good to let blood; good to go out of a man's or friend's house with success; but not so good to return again to it; but good to enter your own home; good to take medicine; but if a man falls sick in the Hour of Venus, the disease proceeds from self-indulgence, or in temperance, or caused someway by females; this hour is generally good to undertake any business relating to what concerns women, or any delightful actions; not good to begin to make new garments, but singularly good to propose marriage, and contract Matrimony. Good for either men or women to have dealing with females. THE HOUR OF ☀. 619 The Hour of Mercury is very good to deal in merchandise, or buy or sell, or to write letters; to send messengers; to take medicine; to send children to school; to begin a journey; to lend or borrow money; to put forth or bind apprentices; to begin any building; but not good to contract marriage; or to buy houses or lands; or to re-enter your |