Horary Astrology

This kind of astrology is engaged in meta-prediction of the time of certain events that might occur according to the diagnosis and forecast of a horoscope chart (solar, lunar, or any other). Horary astrology is very useful and can give you clear answers to questions in such fields where other astrological methods may fail.

Marion March and Joan McEvers, the authors of a well-known textbook, rightly note that “the simplest and most direct paths bring the best results.” The sources of knowledge in the field of horary astrology for Marion March and Joan McEvers, by their own admission, were the works of such authors as Robert de Luis, Geraldine Davis, William Lilly.

The Ideological Framework for the Horary Charts Approach 

Horary astrology explores the point of time when a question arises. This kind of astrology answers any question of a person and uses the point of time when an astrologer hears the question and understands what the person is talking about for this purpose.

This branch of astrology is the most successful when used for specific and well-defined issues. If a question is vague, thoughtless or incorrectly formulated, it cannot be answered correctly. If the question is insincere, or it is asked for fun, then it is better not to answer. But if the question is genuine and arises from a real need to learn and understand something, the chart always reflects the question and provides an answer.

Interpreting a horary chart is not difficult, but it takes time to learn some rules that differ from the rules of modern natal astrology. We use psychological, humanistic and, sometimes, philosophical and even spiritual approaches in classical astrology. When calculating something like Part of Fortune, we know that free will plays a major role and that a person has the choice to use the motives symbolized by the position of the planets either constructively or destructively. It is different in horary astrology. Elective and horary ones are very stereotyped, just like mundane astrology. Black is black and white is white, and there are no shades of gray. The classic “destructive” planets (Mars, Saturn, Pluto) are negative omens, and the “beneficent” planets (Venus, Sun, and Jupiter) are positive ones in this astrology. Mercury, Uranus, Moon, and Neptune can be negative or positive depending on the topic of the issue, as well as their aspects.

The main rule of horary astrology (there are a lot of them) is to be sure that the question is shaped in your mind and you note the exact time of its occurrence or, if you are an astrologer-consultant, the exact time when you understand what your client is asking. If you reflect on a situation for hours or days, it may not be wise to ask a question since it is impossible to say what planet ruled the hour when you first stumbled upon the idea. This doesn’t mean that simply because you have a problem with specifying the planetary hour, you cannot ask the question; just try to mark the exact point in time when the complete or precisely formulated question first took shape in your mind.

Don’t ask questions because you have nothing to do, just for fun. The chart will not give the correct answer in this case.

Rules Applicable to All Horary Charts

1. When asking a question, the client needs to remember that it should be easy to answer. The easiest ones are those questions you can answer with “yes” or “no”. For example, “Will I go to Israel?” The issues requiring a choice are more difficult, like  “Should I buy a Ford or Renault?” You can answer several questions formulated at the same time in a composite question, for example: “Should my daughter go to St. George’s School? Will her grades improve? Will she be able to use a school bus?” Questions related to various topics – multiple questions – also can be answered in a horary chart: “Will I find my lost ring? Is this a good time to travel to Europe?” When answering questions, it is important to know that what is being asked should be doable. Some people ask questions that cannot be answered. Once, one couple was interested in how soon some property would be sold. There was no connection in the house system between the houses of the seller (1st house), property (4th house) and a buyer (7th house). The Moon didn’t form even the last aspect with any of the rulers of these houses, so it was said that it wouldn’t look promising in the near future. These people explained that the property had not been put up for sale yet, and they were not even sure if they wanted to sell it. When the astrologer wondered why they asked the question, they explained that if the astrologer said that it would be for sale soon, they would put up a “for sale” sign. The correct question should be: “Should we put up a house for sale?” Then the astrologer could consider the aspect between 1 and 4 houses for an answer. It is very important for a question to be reasoned and clearly formulated so that an astrologer could understand what the client wants to know and the question can be answered. Here are some examples of horary questions that cannot be answered: “Will I ever get married?”, “When will the war end?”, “When will my father die?”
2. If a question was asked by phone when you were not at home, use the time and coordinates of the place where you were when you read and understood the question. The same applies to letters received by regular mail. But you can apply a different rule: if you, as an astrologer, receive a question by e-mail and see that the chart is not radical (Saturn in the 7th house), compose the chart in the place where the question was asked and take into account when the letter appeared in your box.
3. Make sure that you as an astrologer clearly understand what an asker wants to know. Ask clarifying questions. Very often, it’s hard for clients to figure out what interests them. For example, they may ask the question: “Will a new job suit me?” (6th house), but in fact, they are interested in whether their personal income will increase in connection with the transition to a new job (2nd house).
4. The main thing is to correctly refer an issue to the house it relates to and to correctly define the ascendant ruler. If there is an error, you will not receive the right answer.
5. Before you judge a chart of a client’s horary question, you should write down a diagram of its analysis: describe your approach, think it through carefully and decide where you will look for an answer – write down houses that correspond to the subjects of the question. This is important to do before you see the chart in order to avoid distortion while searching for an answer. A person asks a question, and a logical answer comes to mind, but the chart says exactly the opposite. It is sometimes difficult to maintain objectivity. We often see only what we want to see rather than what it is for real. A pre-compiled scheme will not let you get confused. You will get more accurate results, and it will be easier for you to maintain objectivity if you have the whole process you plan to use for finding an answer on paper. For example, if a client asks “Should I leave my job?”, remember that their work is described by the ruler of the 6th house, and since resignation essentially means staying at home, you must also take into account the 4th house. When having such a plan in front of you, you are unlikely to lose your way.
6. You must answer a question as formulated by a client. For example: “Should I stay in San Francisco and work on my relationship?” The answer is: “No.” This means that you should not stay there, and the relationship is also not worth it. But if the question was formulated as “Should I leave San Francisco and break off my relationship?”, the astrological reasoning would still remain the same, but the answer would be different: “No, don’t leave, don’t break off the relationship.”
7. Remember that common sense will quite often dictate an answer that does not appear on a chart, and this presents a dilemma for a horary astrologer. You need to believe in your art. Sometimes an answer may not make any sense to you, but it may make sense to the questioner.
8. When you answer a question, do not say anything else. The planets involved in certain houses are the only planets related to the question and answer. You can ruin what you have done if you don’t hold firmly to this rule.
9. Rising last degrees often indicate that the answer has already been resolved or that the issue is controversial. But still you can answer such horary questions.
10. We use only applying aspects in this kind of astrology (except those that are less than one degree). Are planets getting closer if they move retrogradely? Theoretically no, but in horary charts, they work as if they were converging. If a planet governing any part of the question is retrograde, this sometimes delays the result. This is true for an intercepted planet. If a planet leaves a sign before an aspect is formed, this may indicate the absence of an aspect, as the strange rules of such astrology say. But in the case of the Moon, this doesn’t work. For example, if the Moon is 10 degrees, Aries forms a trine with Mercury at 29 degrees of Leo, although in reality Mercury will move to Virgo before the Moon reaches 29 degrees of Aries, consider this aspect. If the Moon is void of course, it makes no major aspects to other planets.
11. A person who asks a question is always represented by the 1st house in astrology. The person can say “we” instead of “I”. “Should we buy the house we have seen today?” Whoever asks a question in plural or singular, he, she or they will be represented by the 1st house. You need to look at the ruler of the first house and its position in the sign and the house in order to understand the one who asks the question.

Each planet corresponds to the role of a questioner in horary astrology

• The Sun, the ruler of the 1st house, indicates that the person asking that question acts as a father, boss, head, hero, king, president, leader.
• The Moon is the role of a mother (a man can also play this role if he performs the function of caring for someone).
• Mercury – the role of a messenger, guide, journalist, businessman, researcher, student, seller.
• Venus – the role of beauty (handsome man), seductive muse, peacemaker, lover, social worker.
• Mars – the role of a warrior, fighter, conqueror, bully, lover, professional.
• Jupiter is the role of a nobleman, famous person, patron, philanthropist, priest, philosopher, teacher, lawyer, capitalist.
• Saturn – the role of an old man, grumbler, scarecrow, cheapskate, thinker, sage, politician.
• Uranus – the role of a weirdo, master, jester, freedom lover, rebel, inventor, engineer, scientist, aviator, astrologer.
• Neptune – the role of a prophet, dreamer, drunkard, psychologist, cinematographer.
• Pluto – the role of a magician, healer, devil, witch, criminal authority, security guard.

Zodiac Signs

The position of the ruler of the 1st house in the sign describes character traits of the role of questioners, their belonging to a certain social layer.

Aries corresponds to the qualities of a conqueror, nomad, amazon, berserker, pioneer.

Taurus represents the clan of peasants, traditionalists, bankers, epicureans.

Gemini is a kind of intellectual, scientist.

Cancer represents the family of dreamers, romantics, confessors, helpers.

Leo is a kind of bosses, who are great, gorgeous, famous, know-it-alls.

Virgo is a clan of practitioners, office workers, pragmatists.

Libra is elegant, associated with art, artists, diplomats, enchantresses, hesitant judges.

Scorpio is a powerful and terrible, related to outcasts, healers, magicians.

Sagittarius is a kind of mentor, preacher, ideologist, “great guru”, missionary, bigot, and one of Olympians.

Capricorn belongs to ascetics, businessmen, conservatives who are faithful and conscientious.

Aquarius belongs to sages, dreamers, exalted humanists, reformers, individualists.

Pisces represents the clan of clairvoyants, muses, storytellers, enlightened saviors, victims.

Houses 

The position of the ruler of the 1st house describes the sphere of life in which it fulfills its role at the moment. House cusp is a point of transition, which also should be considered.

The 1st house indicates that a person is on the verge of something in society, in a “shop window”.

The 2nd house – in the world of finance, in a treasury.

The 3rd house – in a library, in household chores, at a fair or school.

The 4th house – at home, in the world of fantasies, in kindergarten, in childhood.

The 5th house – in the spotlight, at play, on stage, in public.

The 6th house – at work, in a hospital, workshop, fitness club.

The 7th house – in bridal chambers, at a celebration, in an alliance with someone, in worries about another significant person.

The 8th house – in a dungeon, cemetery, danger zone, the world of shadows, risk zone, hell, underground.

The 9th house – in a cockpit, on a trip abroad, at a university, in a travel agency, in the Holy Land, in distant lands.

The 10th house – in a tower, pantheon, the real world, at work.

The 11th house – at a party, in a meeting, in a company, in the world of sisters and brothers.

The 12th house – in solitude, unconsciousness, isolation, other worlds, on the Roof of the World.