For most people concern about selecting an auspicious date to conduct specific activities, getting a convenient date is usually good enough.
But for some activities, especially for those with feng shui OCD, that is simply not good enough.
An auspicious hour has to be chosen as well so that nothing is left to chance.
The Tong Shu, or Chinese Almanac, can be referenced for such purposes.
Before we go on, it’s important to keep in mind that the Chinese hour is not the same as the western hour.
There are 12 hours (時辰) a day during the times of ancient China. And each Chinese hour makes up 2 western hours.
So while we are pretty used to 24 hours a day in modern times, do note that there are only 12 hours in a day when it comes to Chinese metaphysics.
60 days
There are 60 types of days. And each day will consists of a heavenly stem pillar which follows the sexagenary cycle.
Each day will in turn, consist of two hour stars.
Do not confuse these hour stars with those of flying stars or ganzhi of the Hsia calendar. While the latter is often used together with the tong shu when doing date selection, the variables are totally different when it comes to time selection.
Each of the 60 types of days have a fixed cycle of hourly stars. And each hour consist of 2 hour stars
This means that whether a specific type of day arrives in March, June or December, the hourly star make up of that day remains exactly the same… in the same sequence.
You will need to refer to the tong shu to see these days and what stars they consist of.
15 hour stars
There are a total of 15 hourly stars made up ob both auspicious and inauspicious stars.
While each hour will contain two hour stars, these two stars can be:
- Both positive
- Both negative
- One positive and one negative
The 15 stars can generally be categorized generally into auspicious and inauspicious. Here they are.
Auspicious hour stars
Tian Guan (天官)
This is something like a nobleman star that calls on the luck of attracting and meeting helpful people of higher status.
It translates to Heaven’s Officer and is especially good for government related activities.
Jin Gui (金匱)
This is a good hour to hold business activities for generating wealth.
Tian Yi (天乙)
Another star associated with helpful people offering assistance.
Xi Shen (喜神)
Translated to happy deity, this denotes a good hour to hold celebratory events like birthday parties, marriages, and gatherings.
Yu Tang (玉堂)
The lucky hour of the jade hall is primed for financial dealings.
So it is a good hour to sign business contracts, acquire assets that generate cash flow, or commence a business.
Ri He (日合)
A star of effective communications suitable for holding seminars, talks, or events with speakers on stage.
Ri Ma (日馬)
The day horse hour symbolizes an auspicious hour, especially for traveling.
It would be a pleasant journey, peaceful flight, and smooth sailing.
Fu Xing (福星)
The good fortune star, like jin gui and yu tang, is a good star for wealth accumulation and career progression activities.
Inauspicious stars
Ri Po (日破)
This star effectively neutralizes any positive energy present in the day.
So this hour should be avoided for any activities which you are specifically looking for a positive outcome.
Yuan Wu (元武)
Unlucky hour that can bring about loss and robbery.
Should definitely stay away from this time when dealing with things concerning money.
Xun Kong (旬空)
A star that represents void, emptiness or missing.
It would be marriage suicide to hold wedding ceremonies in this 2-hour window.
Bai Hu (白虎)
The hour of the white tiger is related to physical injury and health problems.
Not a good time period to go on adventures or undergo surgery.
Zhu Que (朱雀)
This is the hour of the phoenix.
While the phoenix is generally an auspicious celestial creature, this is an hour of conflict, especially with legal issues.
The adverse effects are somewhat similar to the green star 3 in flying star feng shui.
Gou Chen (勾陳)
A star of deception.
Avoid for all matters of importance unless you don’t mind being cheated.
Ri Xing (日刑)
An hour that can attract negative gossip and even being lied to.
Choosing a good hour
It should go without saying that if hour selection is your cup of tea as date selection is not enough to give you peace of mind, you should select hours containing auspicious stars only.
Sometimes this might not be possible.
Maybe the hours with good stars are really not ideal timings to do certain activities, maybe the hour you want has both good and bad stars, maybe there is no way you can change the date for an important event.
When this is the case, then you need to look into the specifics of what a particular bad hour star represents.
For example, if it refers to an hour that is unfavorable for business activities but you are just holding a tea party among friends, then it is still alright to go ahead with your plans.
To close this, take note that in advanced date and time selection, the clashes of stems and branches (which include zodiacs) will be looked into by an experienced practitioner.
But on a basic level, if you can find a hour that only contains favorable stars, then you have to all clear to move forward.