What does Hora mean in a chart?
In this method, a hora is one of the two 15-degree halves of a zodiac sign, linked to either the Sun or the Moon.
STEP 1
Split each sign in half
Every sign is 30 degrees wide. The first hora runs from 0° up to, but not including, 15°. The second begins at 15° and ends before 30°. Exactly 15° belongs to the second half; at 30°, the next sign begins. There are 24 halves across twelve signs.
STEP 2
Identify odd and even signs
Count Aries (Mesha) as number one. The odd signs are Aries, Gemini (Mithuna), Leo (Simha), Libra (Tula), Sagittarius (Dhanus) and Aquarius (Kumbha). The even signs are Taurus (Vrishabha), Cancer (Kataka), Virgo (Kanya), Scorpio (Vrischika), Capricorn (Makara) and Pisces (Meena).
STEP 3
Apply the Sun and Moon order
In an odd sign, the first half is the Sun's, or Solar, hora and the second is the Moon's, or Lunar, hora. In an even sign the order reverses: Moon first, then Sun. Check both the sign's number and the degree before choosing.
STEP 4
Check two examples
A planet at 20° Leo is in an odd sign and its second half, so it falls in the Moon's hora. A planet at 10° Taurus is in the first half of an even sign, also the Moon's hora. Choose another sign and degree, then identify its solar or lunar hora.
This guide covers half-sign divisions. Planetary-hour calculations are a separate topic.