Astrologicalmind

The magic of astrology explored

Tag: Horary

  • Horary on the fly:  where is Elio the cat?

    Where is Elio, the cat?
    Oct 24, 2025 ay 8:00:44 Melbourne, Australia

    Sometimes I get a request for a horary that needs to be done now. This was one such request. My daughter called me from her home in Los Angeles, in a bit of a panic. She was about to leave for the airport to catch a flight to New Orleans, but she could not find Elio, the kitten she had recently rescued. He was nowhere to be found and she was worried that he may have slipped out. She needed to know whether he was still in her apartment or had gotten out.

    I immediately set the chart and did a very quick judgement. The time was 8:01 am on Oct 24, 2025, in Melbourne Australia. My daughters significator is Jupiter on the 8th cusp shows her anxiety and worry about the situation. Jupiter trines the Moon on the 12th cusp, she is thinking the worst. That Moon indicated the radicality of the chart as it was on the degree of her natal Sun/Jupiter/Pluto conjunct.

    Seeing that Elio was signified by the 6th house and its ruler Venus in Libra in the 10th house, I quickly surmised that Elio was still in the apartment, somewhere comfortable (a bed of some sort). I noted the IC in mutable sign of Pisces, its ruler Jupiter and the Moon also in water signs; I told her that Elio was most likely near a source of water, inside something. She has 2 closets that have a wall adjacent to the bathroom. I advised her that Elio was probably there, potentially on a higher shelf because Venus is in an Air sign, elevated in the chart. She thanked me and went off as she was in a hurry to catch her flight.

    Oooops!

    I went to finish my breakfast, returning to my office an half an hour later. The above chart was still on my computer. Some of you may have already noticed the mistake I made. I realised (to my horror) that in my hurry to set the chart I had not noticed that it was still set for Fortune on the ASC, rather than the quadrant house system I normally use, Regiomontanus. The actual chart should have been:

    Where is Elio, the cat?
    Oct 24, 2025 ay 8:00:44 Melbourne, Australia
    Regiomontanus Houses

    The querent is still signified by Jupiter, here in the 9th… she was in a bit of a panic, because she needed to get to the airport. Her mind was on where she was going. Elio the cat is signified by Mars, in Scorpio, conjunct Moon very close to the ASC, but hidden in the 12th house. Mars applies to trine Jupiter, showing Elio and querent coming together.

    The Moon can also be taken as a significator for missing/wandering animals; and here its first aspect will be to the ASC after it changes signs. While it will trine Neptune just before, this is not a prohibition as Neptune is an outer planet that does not signify anything/one.

    Aquarius is now on the cusp of the IC, ruled by Saturn in Pisces, in the 5th house, still suggest that he is inside something and close to a water source. This is supported by both Moon and Mars watery Scorpio. But now I wasn’t so sure that he would be elevated (as Venus in the 10th in Libra had suggested). Even though Aquarius on the IC could describe an elevated place, all the other testimony showed that he probably is closer to the ground.

    I quickly called my daughter back to let her know my mistake. She was waiting to board her plane and informed me that she found Elio minutes after our first conversation. She had gone directly to the closet that was adjacent the bathroom and found him sleeping inside a box on the bottom shelf; so not on the ground but just above. He was well hidden (as Mars in the 12th house would be).

    So there you have it. The mysterious ways of horary strikes again.

  • The Radical Question

    One of the most important and mysterious aspects of horary is the asking of the question. While it may be true that almost any question can be asked, some question make for better horary. Without a clear, concise and honest question, the resulting chart will be vague and confusing. The symbolism inherent in the horary will reflect the state of the querent relative to the matter in question. Any vagueness or dishonesty in the question (be it conscious or not) will be evident in the resulting horary.

    We often hear of the need for a horary chart to be radical, but in fact it is the question that needs to be radical. The term ‘radical’ means rooted. A radical question is one that is firmly rooted to the client’s core. The more understanding on why they are seeking clarification on the issue, the more thought and reflection on the matter by the client; the more radical the question and resulting chart will be.

    William Lilly stated that one should contemplate the question for a good 24 hours before asking the astrologer. There is much to be said for taking as much time as is needed to get the question right. Think of it as a gestation period!

    Our responsibility as astrologers, is to ensure that not only we understand the question fully, but that our client is also clear. Context is everything. In order to gather the relevant background to the question, we may need to probe them for details that they may not recognise as important or want to share. The original question often transforms, ending up looking very different to what it started off being.

    Not all questions will appear to or need to have a deep ‘soul’ connection. Some questions are more mundane, for example a lost object question. Though seemingly simple and clear, this question would still need clarification. When was the object last seen? Where? What are the circumstances that led to it going missing?  What is the layout of the house and/or locality where the thing has been lost. With this understanding we can interpret the symbolism in the chart to fit the circumstance of the loss. Remember that if it is important enough for a client to ask about, then that lost object may have a far deeper importance to them than it appears on the surface.

    The chart will reveal whether it is worthy to be read by its symbolic description of the players in the drama behind the questions. This is why it is crucial to understand all the facts surrounding the question. Sometimes the very thing that could be described as a “consideration before judgement” is what describes perfectly the circumstances surrounding the question. I have often found that in these circumstances the question may not be easily answered, but the chart still reveals something to the querent about the matter. Every horary chart has a function, but it is not always to provide an answer.

  • Where is Pukka?

    Where is the cat?
    This is a horary question that has almost become cliché. Why do these loveable creatures seem to get into so much trouble? Maybe it is our love and dedication to them that is the real problem. In any case it is wonderful when a chart can alleviate the stress and worry of an owner.

    November 4 2007 at 16:48 AEDT Melbourne Australia

    BACKGROUND

    The querent showed up at my house very distressed; she was making the rounds of all the neighbours looking for her cat, Pukka, who she thought may have hidden in someone’s garden after an incident 2 days prior. Pukka had followed her to the milkbar (in Australia this is a small corner store) and as the cat followed her across the street she appeared to have been hit by a car. Pukka ran under a parked car, but when the querent went looking for her, she had she was not there and she didn’t respond when she called to her.

    SIGNIFICATORS

    The Querent is signified by the Aries ASC and its ruler Mars. Mars is in fall in the 4th house trining and receiving the Sun in the 8th. The querent was thinking the worse; her significator was in the house of the grave and trine a planet in the 8th house of death, anxiety and anguish of mind. She strongly feared for Pukka’s safety. Luckily Mars is receiving the Sun by trine, indicating that the querent will get some benefic and joyful light on the matter.  The Sun rules the 5th (of children and pleasure) and she spoke of Pukka as being her baby.

    Pukka the cat is signified by Lord 6 Mercury and the Moon. Mercury has dignity by term and has accidental strength being angular and free from the Sun’s beams. He is also helped by his sextile aspect to Jupiter. Mercury is also favoured by his conjunction to the lucky fixed star Spica; a fortunate omen!

    As Mercury has only just gone direct, he was moving very slowly, under 30 minutes. A fitting description of a cat having just been injured and hiding away somewhere, probably sleeping and not being very active. As Mercury is now starting to pick up speed, we have yet more positive testimony that Pukka’s fate is improving, not getting worse.

    The fact that  neither Mercury nor the Moon are applying to, or making an aspect to either Lord 8, Venus or the turned Lord 8 (the 8th from the 6th being the radical 1st) Mars, as well as the mutual reception between Venus in Virgo and Mercury in Libra show us that Pukka is still alive.

    The Moon is on the cusp of the 6th, indicating Pukka is very close by, possibly somewhere behind her house. The Moon’s last aspect was to Saturn 2 degrees before indicates the incident with the car; which had occurred 2 days before. Saturn rules the turned 6th house, so this fits in well with the cat being hurt. The Moon’s next aspect is to Mars Lord ASC in 3 degrees, suggesting the cat will be back in 3 days.  And she was!

    WHERE WAS PUKKA?

    As to where Pukka was hiding, the testimony in this chart suggests that she was inside or under something, close to a dry and even ground, (L 4 Moon in Virgo, Mercury in Libra); maybe a garden shed (Moon with Saturn) that was old and abandoned. There was such a shed just behind the querent’s apartment block. The elderly woman who owned the property would not let the querent go into or near the shed as she feared it was unsafe and might collapse. It was an old wooden shed, grown over and totally abandoned; a perfect place in which a cat could hide and recuperate.

    The important thing is that Pukka returned in three days as evidenced by the chart, she seemed to be fine though rather hungry. She was probably a bit shaken and sore by the encounter with the car and so hid away to sleep and heal.

  • The Wrong Chart

    Every astrologer has done this at some point in their career; given a really good reading to someone and then realized that the chart was wrong! It happened to me just the other day and I could of course blame Mercury for being combust and having turned retrograde (on my Uranus none the less), but maybe I should just admit that I was just careless. Now it wasn’t the birth data that I got wrong, but the consultation chart.

    I have been using consultation charts for a long time now. I always set the chart for the time that the appointment is made. I have found that coupled with: solar return, profections, progressions and naturally the birth chart itself, the consultation chart is a mine-full of information.

    So last week I set the consultation chart for a regular client; I knew about the issues and situation she had been dealing with in recent times.  Looking at the consultation chart I could see many connections between it and my client’s natal and solar return charts; including its IC and her solar return ASC being on the same degree and its ASC being my clients profected ASC for the year. I expect to see these types of connection between consultation charts and my client’s charts; this confirms the validity of the consultation chart to me.

    Wrong Chart

    July 24 2012 at 11:47 am AEST Melbourne, Australia

    In blissful ignorance I continued analyzing the chart. Scorpio was rising; its ruler Mars was in the 12th house in Libra, between Saturn and the Moon. Mars was in a separating trine with Jupiter, sextile with Mercury and moving towards a trine with Venus. Both Venus and Jupiter were in Gemini and the 8th house. In fact Mars was in a partile trine to the cusp of the 8th.

    I knew that my client’s mother had died some 18 month earlier and that there were issues with her brothers relating to the inheritance, her assets and property. Mars being with Saturn Lord 3 (her brothers) and the Moon Lord 10 (her mother) and the emphasis on the 8th house, particularly as Jupiter was by profection, Lord of the year and exactly transiting  her natal IC, I concluded that the whole situation surrounding her brothers and her mother’s estate was foremost on her mind and that she was finding it difficult; having problems taking action or making a stand on the issue  as her significator, Mars was in detriment in the 12th house.

    Sure enough that first thing out of my clients mouth when she arrived was about her trip back home and the dilemma she was having feeling caught between her brothers; whichever way she went would alienate one or the other, yet she felt that both were looking to her to resolve the situation. In  fact  she really didn’t want to deal or even think about the whole issue, but knew that she could not continue to ignore it.

    The situation like all family disputes is complex and her brothers relationship is intense (Pluto is in the 3rd house). The appointment went very well as we explored many options related to her ability to figure out which approach to take. When she left I felt that it had been a very insightful and productive session, and then I looked at the consultation chart; it was not only the wrong date, but also the wrong time!

    How could I do this? Yet the chart “worked” in guiding us to the core of her issue, through which she found a possible course of action for her to follow. This was to take a more “spiritual” approach which is suggested in the chart by the partile sextile between the Moon (ruler of the 9th) and the Sun in its own sign in the 10th.

    Correct Chart

    July 25 2012 at 10:00 am AEST Melbourne, Australia

    Going back and setting the chart for the correct date & time, I could not see the situation nearly as clearly, though it could probably be extrapolated.  There are few connections between this “correct” chart and my client’s natal and/or solar return charts. Had I looked at this chart I would not  have been drawn to conclude that she was dealing with her family’s inheritance issues. However Mercury’s aspect to Jupiter and the 9th house cusp, as well as his conjunction to the Sun does point to my client’s conclusion of taking a more spiritual approach to her situation.

    I am left with a sense of awe at the mystery of astrology! How can such specific information be drawn from a seemingly random chart?  There is obviously some force at work which is beyond our control and that “knows” best.

  • Easy Horary “Will I benefit from being involved in this project?”

    I love horaries that are quick and easy to judge!

    July 2, 2012 at 20:22 AEST, Melbourne, Australia

    Background

    The querent is a young woman trying to establish herself as a stylist in a competitive field. Initially she asked me whether she; should be involved in a project she had committed to? After a bit of probing we came to understand that what she really wanted to know was whether there was any benefit for her in being involved. So the question became “Will I benefit from being involved in this project?”

    The project was a fashion runway show for some young emerging designers and included the shooting of a promotional video. There was no money involved, though it promised to be a creative and possibly good networking opportunity. As her focus of interest is photo and props styling, she was made responsible for all props. She was now having second thoughts about the project as she had a lot of paid work on and felt that it was going to take up far more time than she first had anticipated. She also had a sense that the woman in charge of the project had subtly manipulated her into getting involved and was very vague as to the time commitment it would involve.

    Simple Judgement

    The chart has Aquarius rising giving Saturn exalted in Libra as significator of the querent. Saturn is being sextiled by the Moon in Sagittarius who could also be taken as a significator for the querent. The project, being a creative project that falls into the category of entertainment, I gave to the 5th house and therefore was signified by Mercury in Leo in the 6th house. Mercury is disposited by the Sun in Cancer in the 5th house, which I took as the “Boss” of the project, the woman who was putting the project together and had asked my client to be involved.

    Both Mercury and the Sun are in the signs of Saturn’s detriment. The answer was clear. She would not benefit from this project, in fact it was likely to be to her detriment.  Mercury in the 6th implies that she will be worked like a slave and the Sun’s position in Cancer shows us how the Boss could manipulate the Moon, our querent to do whatever it wanted.

    The promise that this would be a good opportunity to network and make contacts, was not going to happen as Mercury, the project was already separating from Jupiter, the ruler of the 11th house who signified these contacts. However, Saturn being in a partile sextile with the Moon on the cusp of the 11th house indicates that the querent is already making contacts.  A fact that the querent conceded.

  • “Where are my glasses?” Beware of Saturn in the 7th house.

    Barbara Waters wrote in 1973 “Horary Astrology and the Judgement of Events” (page 14):  “Saturn in the 7th house, the astrologer’s judgement is clouded…the reason for his blindness hardly matters because his judgement is clouded and cannot be objective.”

    This chart has  Saturn in the 7th house and I, the astrologer got it wrong.  I even jokingly told the querent after giving my erroneous judgement that: “since Saturn is in the 7th house I am probably wrong”.  On that point I was right. Looking back at the chart the answer seems obvious, however at the time “my judgement was clouded”.

    “Where are my glasses?” (21 Jan 2012, 12:52 PM, Melbourne Australia)

    The querent had a trade table at an astrological conference. While setting up she had misplaced her glasses which were a new pair of designer prescription glasses. I was speaking with the querent, a friend and fellow astrologer, joking around as one does at a conference surrounded by colleagues and associates. When she told me of her lost glasses I offered to find them with a horary.

    Only having the querent’s computer at hand I set the chart, but when I first saw it, I was shocked to find a chart filled with a million aspect lines and various asteroids and other points. To me the chart looked a confusing mess and I said: “I can’t see anything!”… I asked to change the settings and finally “saw” a chart as I am use to; clean and simple with few lines.

    She, the querent is signified by the ASC and its ruler Mars in Virgo (working at a marketing table at a conference), the glasses are signified by the  2nd house ruler, Venus in Pisces, exalted (being designer glasses), but this placement also indicated that they are not in a totally foreign place, but rather a place where they are being “honoured”. There were a number of indications that the glasses would be found: the Moon in Capricorn is making a trine to Jupiter a planet in the first house, both luminaries are above the horizon.

    But the only thing I saw was that there was no aspect between, Venus and Mars or the Moon and Venus (or Mars). I also saw the peregrine Mercury was on the MC, and I concluded that someone had found them, picked them up and walked off with them.  Not a thief so much as an opportunist.

    I could not get beyond the fact that the Moon would first hit Pluto before he could complete his sextile to Venus; which I interpreted as a prohibition.  (This chart adds to my growing understanding that the outer planets do not function in the same manner as the seven classical planets do).

    The fact that the Moon was in a partile trine with Jupiter in the ASC and had just separated from a sextile with Saturn (after which it ingressed into a new sign) shows that the glasses were probably in the possession of someone in authority, as Jupiter rules the 9th (the conference was being held at a University) and Saturn rules the MC (also both Jupiter and Saturn tend to suggest a person with authority). The glasses were found at the front desk of the conference and the querent was reunited with them a couple days later.

    As for the astrologer, she learnt a valuable lesson; never try to read a chart without giving it due reverence.

  • Should I direct this film clip?

    As a rule, I normally do not think that “should” questions are able to be answered with horary, but every once in a while I get a chart that is just so clear, the answer so obvious that it defies this “rule”.

    The querent had recorded a song and wanted to get it released but was told that without a video clip this would never happen. He has been trying to get someone to “direct” the clip as he felt totally unqualified to do so himself, though he had lots of ideas about how he wanted it to look.

    This chart shows the significators of the querent highly dignified and fortified, while the significator of others (7th ruler, Mercury) or employees (6th ruler, Sun) are both in bad zodiacal condition and in weak positions, giving us the answer.

    The querent is signified by Lord of the ASC, Jupiter in Sagittarius is on the MC. Venus being on the ASC would also signify the querent. Both are dignified benefics and on the major angles clearly providing the answer; yes he should direct the clip. The Moon also in the 10th close to the MC and conjunct Jupiter, is about to sextile the Sun (Lord 6), and Venus sextile Mars ruler of the 2nd (the money) and 9th (the vision), on the 11th cusp. With the help of friends (11th house) and hiring others (Lord 6) the job will be done.

    The sextile of the Moon and Sun can be understood asbringing the vision to light, as the Moon is ruler of the 5th house which could signify the creative project, especially relevant as the Moon’s last aspect was a sextile to Neptune (conjunct the Sun) and universal significator of film.

    Mars being exalted the vision and the friends assisting will be of a good quality.

    It is also interesting that the Nodes are conjunct the ASC/DES axis, showing a fated quality to this question. Having tried to find someone to direct this clip for quite a long time with no success; signified by the Sun (Lord 6) in detriment on the 12th cusp opposite Saturn in detriment retrograde, being let down by others promising one thing and not coming through. These others could also be signified by Lord 7 Mercury in Pisces and with Uranus in the 12th, very unreliable. Neither Sun nor Mercury engenders any sense of reliability and trust.

    The querent did go on to direct the clip with the help of friends and others. The exalted state of both Venus (the querent) and Mars (the vision and friends) show us that the querent was not 100% comfortable doing this but he was capable. It was a successful project whichsaw his vision realised.

    In fact you can check out the final result here.

  • The Deeper Psychological Levels of Horary Astrology

    Traditional astrology is erroneously assumed by some to be void of any psychological component; this is especially the case with horary astrology. The preconception being that horary astrology simply answers the question asked of the astrologer, predicting the outcome of a client’s fate without any sensitivity to their particular situation or feelings. This idea is easily refuted by even a cursory reading of William Lilly’s “Christian Astrology”.

    William Lilly was a successful astrologer living in 17th century England and is widely acknowledged as being one of the greatest proponents of horary astrology to have lived. In the first book of his classic work: “Christian Astrology” he set down the basic principles and rules for astrological delineation. In his second book he puts these rules into practice, presenting his judgement on over 35 horary charts providing the reader with a gold mine of astrological nuggets. Here we can observe this great astrologer at work and are privy to the extent of depth and detail which he extracts from a horary chart.

    The astrological rules of horary can be likened to the musical scales, arpeggios and technical exercises endlessly practiced by musicians. These technical exercises maybe integral to a musician’s craft, yet they are not what we hear when a musician is performing. At the point of performance it is the musician’s soul that speaks; and so it should be with the astrologer. Reading some of William Lilly’s judgement can be likened to witnessing a virtuoso’s performance, the depth and beauty of his skill leaves one in awe. Bending the rules Lilly illustrates his ability to dig deeper, beyond the fate evidenced of the chart, into the possibilities that are open to the client if they chose to make use of them in order to take an active role in shaping their destiny.

    Horary is not only a means of “finding the cat” or getting a simple yes or no answer to your client’s queries. Horary is the tool that will most clearly guide your client to an understanding of their present situation and what possible path they can take. The issues troubling a client may be evident in their natal chart, but practical guidance is far more difficult to extract. This is when a horary chart can be of immense help.

    Recently I had a client who present with a problem that she wanted answers to. This is a client who has been in therapy for a long period of time, with a soul based psychologist, trying to understand herself and her response to life’s challenges. She and her husband have also been in counselling for many years.  She came to me as an astrologer and asked me point blank “Can you see in my chart if my husband will change so that it is worth my staying in the marriage?”

    Naturally this opened up a dialogue in order to discern exactly what the problem was. Pointing out that wanting another person to change was not a realistic way of dealing with problems in our life; she admitted her awareness of this and confessed that she had come to the end of her tetters and was at a point where she was quite prepared to leave the marriage. She also recognised that doing so would entail more than a break of her relationship with her husband; it would have far reaching effects, potentially destroy other relationships as well as see the shattering of a family.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to see the marriage dissolve, but felt so exhausted by the continually repeating problems that she doubted whether it was worth the effort to keep it together. After much discussion it turned out that she wanted to know whether the situation (her marriage) would change enough for it to be worthwhile for her to stick with it.

    A horary was drawn up for the moment the question was clear to me, as I am the astrologer, the channel through which the stars have the ability to speak as I am conversant in their language. Over the years I have become aware of a strange sensation in my gut the moment when a question becomes clear. A gut feeling so to speak that heralds “the moment of Astrology”[1]. If I adhere to that moment the resulting charts appear to sing louder and clearer than others.

     

    There are three important factors to consider in this chart; my client (the querent), her husband and the marriage. She would be signified by the ASC, the ASC ruler and the Moon, her husband by the 7th house and its ruler and the marriage by the 10th house and its ruler[2].

    My client is signified by the ASC ruler Saturn in Virgo, the sign of Mercury, significator of the marriage in this chart and situated appropriately in the 10th house of the marriage indicating her principle concern. Saturn is currently peregrine, meaning he has no innate power and little control, but is placed in a strong angular house and is with Venus a benefic planet that is applying to conjunct him. Venus being the universal significator of relatonship further emphasises my client’s concern about the state of her marriage.

    Saturn is in a partile sextile to a debilitated Mars conjunct the Moon, which he receives into his detriment; clearly describing to us my client’s anger at her husband and the situation she sees he has placed them in. Saturn is now at the beginning of his cycle (having recently conjunct the Sun) and so is increasing in light, he is also about to move into Libra the sign of his exaltation. Both are indications that my client’s significator will be gaining strength and in ability to act.

    Normally we would also give her the Moon as a secondary significator, but here the Moon is the ruler of the 7th house and so signifies her husband. The Moon is in Cancer and is on the 8th house cusp partile conjunct fallen Mars and the South Node. The Moon currently in his own sign indicates that he is at present principally concerned about himself and his money (Moon rules his turned 2nd house of money). The five degree rule puts the Moon in the radical 8th house of “anguish of mind”[3]. The combinations of these factors describe an essentially honest man who is at present, in a bad place and keeping bad company. Being signified by the Moon would also suggest a man who is easily influenced by others. There is little happiness here and a lot of anger.

    Being in the sign of Saturn’s detriment indicates that much of this anger is likely to be directed towards my client. Soon the Moon will be moving into Leo where he loses all power and control when he becomes peregrine. He is also losing light being in the last waning quarter of his cycle. This shows us that her husband is losing strength and heading towards a position of weakness.

    Moon is applying to perfect a sextile aspect with Saturn, but first will conjunct Mars and carrying his light towards Saturn who is receiving the Moon into the sign of his detriment. So though there is an aspect formed and perfecting between the two there is not much agreement. The presence of Mars in this configuration shows the anger that is shared by both parties. Seeing as all of these aspects are already to the degree, but not quite perfected shows that this is the situation between the two as it stands now and things will very soon be changing as all are at the end of the sign.

    Ultimately this question is about the marriage and whether the circumstances within it have the ability to change. Marriage as opposed to relationship is about a contract or agreement between two people. The ruler of the 10th house signifying the marriage[4] is Mercury in Libra. The marriage has recently under gone a shift described by Mercury’s recent ingress into Libra. Mercury is just under the Sun’s beams and will be following and getting closer to the Sun until it makes its superior conjunction at 12 Scorpio. We could interpret this as describing the marriage as becoming less visible or as having the truth of the marriage exposed. Mercury has recently had its inferior conjunction with the Sun (retrograde conjunction), and so is into the second half of its cycle.

    It is interesting to note that the beginning of the sydonic cycle of Mercury (the superior conjunction) was at 21 Cancer[5]; very close to the Moon’s position. The inferior conjunction, being like the “full Mercury” point, the opposition point of greatest awareness occurred at 27 Virgo. My client’s significator is currently sitting exactly on that degree. We could say that she has a far greater objective perception of the state of their marriage than does her husband who maybe trying to hang on to the past, the old status quo which existed at the beginning of the marriage. This symbolic picture is given further weight by the Moon’s conjunction to the South Node.

    When Mercury makes his superior conjunction with the Sun at 12 Scorpio heralding the beginning of a new cycle, Saturn will have moved into Libra, sign of his exaltation where he will stay till Oct 2012, (though he comes very close to his ingress into Scorpio in February 2012). Taking the symbolic time of the progressed Moon as equal to that of transiting Saturn, then the Moon will remain powerless in Leo till February 2012.

    It was at this point that my client revealed to me some further information about the issues affecting the marriage. The issues principally revolved around money and her husband’s business dealings which were constantly getting them into problems that threatened the family’s financial security, though he has a very strong capacity of generating income. It turned out that the authorities were investigating him and that there was a very strong possibility that he would be barred from running a company or having financial control of a business for a period of two years. One of the proposed solutions would be for her to take financial control of the business. She would have the power and for the first time in their married life she would be at the forefront of their financial affairs.

    The Part of Fortune is in Libra, ruled by Venus who is applying to conjunct Saturn in just over 1 and half degrees. Venus also rules the 11th house which could be seen as the 2nd from the 10th in other words the house of the marriage’s money. This makes sense as money which is so much part of the problem and therefore this question. Venus is intimately connected to both Saturn and the Moon, significators of my client and her husband as well as being in mutual reception with Mercury significator of the marriage.

    The 11th house can also reveal to us the hopes and wishes of the querent. Ruled by Venus the planet of conciliation and with the presence of the Sun in Libra on its cusp shines a light on the truth that she is dearly hoping that the situation will change enough for her to reconcile the marriage and save her family as well as her sanity. Despite the presence of Mars, the aspect between the Moon and Saturn is a sextile indicating that there is possibility for cooperation despite the conflict.

    This horary chart was able to show my client the increase in power that she had already been feeling but was loathed to fully trust. Seeing her husband’s coming worsening state confirmed that he was reaching the bottom of a cycle and powers beyond him would have to take control. The timing indicated in this chart fit in with the circumstances revealed to me only halfway through the session. My client left with a renewed sense of focus and confidence, satisfied that the possible outcome to their current predicament would allow changes in the marriage which could benefit all.

    References:

    William Lilly “Christian Astrology (Book 1 and 2): An Introduction to Astrology. The Resolution of All Manner of Question” written in 1647

    Deborah Houlding “The Houses: Temples of the Sky” The Wessex Astrologer 2006

    Geoffrey Cornelius “The Moment of Astrology” The Wessex Astrologer 2003

     

    [1]See “The Moment of Astrology; Origins in Divination” by Geoffrey Cornelius published in 2003 by Wessex Astrologers Ltd

    [2] Traditionally the ancients saw the 10th house as the house of marriage as this was associated with ones status in the world and the 7th house being the house of the marriage partner. In some circumstances we could use the 7th house as signifying the marriage, but in light of this question we needed to distinguish between her husband and the marriage, so the 10th house was a logical choice, especially as my client’s attitude to the situation was far more rational and concerned with the practical ramifications of a break up rather than being emotional driven.

    [3] William Lilly “Christian Astrology” Volume I, Chapter VII, page 54

    [4] See Deborah Houlding “The Houses, Temples of the Sky” page 85, published in 2006 by Wessex Astrologer Ltd.

    [5] There is some debate as to when the inner planets Mercury and Venus’s cycles begin. The superior conjunction occurs when the planets are on the other side of the Sun and in direct motion, while the inferior conjunction occurs when the planets are between the Sun and Earth and in retrograde motion. Dane Rudyard set the inferior conjunction as the beginning of the cycle and this has been widely accepted since. The evidence from traditional sources refutes this and from my perspective it seems illogical to have a cycle begin when the planet is going backwards. Deborah Houlding has an article appearing in the Jan/Feb 2010 Mountain Astrologer about this very issue.

  • Will My Man Win?

    I was recently asked to sit on a panel of astrologers to discuss and give our predictions on the upcoming US presidential election. Being billed as the “classical astrologer” as distinct from the mundane, modern, cosmobiological and Chinese astrologer, I decided that rather then sift through natal, ingress, eclipse and all other possible event charts I would simply ask a horary. I waited until both candidates had announced their running mates before setting out to ask my question.

    In horary the most important point is the asking of the question. The resulting chart reveals far more then a simple answer and is a good example of the “magic” of astrology.

    I  am very clear as to my biases both political and personal in this election.  I spent 10 years living in Hyde Park, Obama’s home turf in Chicago. I moved away at the age of 22, but my family  still live there and I visit regularly. When I set the question I was very clear that this was a contest question (therefore a 1st/7th house question) and that my team or in this case man would be signified by the 1st house.

    Obama, my man is Jupiter in the 2nd house, in his fall and retrograde. Looks bad, but Jupiter is actually station and in roughly eight hours going direct. His opponent McCain is Mercury who is peregrin in the 11th house. The prize would be the MC and its ruler appropriately the Sun.

    I wondered and pondered how to identify the VP running mates and finally decided they had to be “with” the significators of the presidential candidates. Jupiter is in partile trine to Saturn as well as being received by him. Saturn seemed a perfect significator for Biden, an older man who is a longtime Washington politician. Saturn is conjunct though  separating from the Sun, the Sun is the prize but as 10th house ruler  can also be seen as the seat of government. The trine aspect and reception between Jupiter (Obama) and Saturn (Biden) indicates that these two can work well together and Saturn especially helps and supports Jupiter.

    Finding the running mate of McCain was pretty easy. As Mercury closely conjuncts two planets Mars and Venus, we have a choice. Venus may seem the obvious choice as Governor Pallin is a woman, but Mars in Libra is so close a symbol of a “pit bull in lipstick” that she has described herself as, that I couldn’t go past it. Besides Mercury is in partile conjunction with Mars and separating with Venus. Mars in Libra is a pretty aggressive Mars, being in his detriment, and his exact square to Jupiter indicates the verbal (Libra is an air sign) attacks that Pallin had been directing at Obama.

    The question is who gets to the prize first? There are no applying aspects or reception between the Sun and Jupiter. Nor will Jupiter make any aspect to the MC. Mercury on the other hand will be sextiling the MC in just under 2 degrees and will also oppose the Suns antiscia degree of 14 Aries 16. These are both somewhat weak testimony, but they are stronger then the nonexistent testimony indicating an Obama win.

    I reluctantly had to conclude that the election will be close, but that McCain will win. I will happily forgo my reputation as an astrologer and be wrong. But there is more to this chart, consider the Moon.

    The Revealing Moon

    The Moon in horary charts is very important. She is a secondary significator for the querent, in certain questions she can be a universal significator for “the people”, as well as plotting for us the course of events. Here as a significator for the querent, that is me, she shows my bias towards Obama.  Moon(I) “love” Jupiter (Obama), I am in his sign, he receives me and has power over me. All true!

    As the people this Moon shows their powerlessness through its peregrin state. The Moon also rules the 9th house of foreigners and as an American living abroad I can state that most non Americans see Obama as a shining hope for the future. Moon in Sagittarius ever optimistic but maybe not so realistic….just wait until it moves into Capricorn, that will be a reality check.

    So what does this Moon reveal to us about the course of events?  From a traditional perspective when a Moon is Void of Course, meaning it will not make any Ptolemaic aspects to any planet before changing signs, it is said that nothing will come of the question or that nothing will change. In this chart the Moon at 20 Sagittarius is classically VOC, but there are mitigating factors at play here. Moon is in partile trine with Uranus, she then applies to square Neptune and finally will conjunct Pluto before her ingress into Capricorn where she will fall into her detriment.

    It is difficult to predict using the outer planets because unlike the other planets, they do not rule any particular part of the chart. What we can say is that there is likely to be an unexpected and shocking event (Uranus) trine, followed by a period of confusion (Neptune) and finally some show of power (Pluto).

    Shortly after asking this question the massive financial crash and fallout from the sub prime fiasco exploded. With Venus, the planet associated with money on the antiscia of Uranus this could be the event that this trine foretold?  As more is revealed confusion and uncertainty is gripping Americans and the world (Neptune square). There is a feeling that the truth is not being fully told or that the “expert” actually have no idea how this will play out.

    So have we seen Pluto yet?  Remember that Pluto is associated with hidden treasures and very LARGE sums of money; a “bailout” of some $700 billion perhaps? Pluto is also associated with power. Will the Moon, as significator of the people, joining Pluto mean power to the people? Or will the power that be, reinforce their grip? I leave it to you to ponder that one.

    The revealing magic of astrology forever amazes!

  • Horary: “Will Harry Potter die?”

    This horary analysis was published in the June 2007 FAA journal

    Who says that astrology has to be serious? If astrology is real, if it truly reflects life and the world we live in, then surely it would reflect our humour, fiction and the make believe stories we tell.

    Unless you have been in a coma for the last six or so years, you would be aware of the Harry Potter phenomenon. If you live with any children or young adults you would surely have the date July 21 2007 marked in your calendar, as this is the day that the last installment of the Harry Potter series will be out.

    In my household it has cause great excitement as have all the previous Harry Potter launches. There is much discussion about what this last installment will contain and the previous six Harry Potter books are being reread in search for clues as to what will happen. I do not believe we are unusual in our madness. Global warming, wars, elections make way for the really important stuff: Harry Potter and his fight against the Dark Lord.

    There has been a lot of speculation about the final showdown between young Harry Potter and the dark Lord Voldemort. That Harry will defeat him seems almost a given, after all, good always triumph over evil, but will he survive the encounter? Should he survive? What would he do with himself afterwards? Fade into the sunset? Worse of all, get a job at the ministry of magic?

    Rereading the first six books was not an option for me so I decided to ask a horary question to put my mind at rest and my predictions out there for all to ponder. We only have till July 21, 2007 to wait for confirmation as to the accuracy my judgment of this horary.

    will Harry Potter die?

    They say that horary questions can only be asked if we seriously need to know the answer. Frivolous questions are not allowed, but this I would argue, is far from a frivolous question. I’m sure that there are millions of Harry Potter fans spending sleepless night wondering and worrying about Harry’s fate.

    The question was asked on Feb 5, 2007 in Melbourne Australia at 3:17 pm, giving us a 29 Taurus 50 ASC. The planetary hour is Moon making it compatible with the Taurus rising chart. The late degree of the ASC could be a problem; it indicates that it is too late to ask. Harry Potter’s fate it has already been set in stone (or at least on paper) by JK Rowlings. There’s nothing we can do to change the outcome, from that perspective it is too late, but this doesn’t prohibit us finding the answer to our question in this chart.

    As he is a stranger to me the querent, Harry is 7th house. Scorpio on the cusp makes his significator Mars, exalted in Capricorn, a very apt description of our young hero especially as he is placed in the 8th house of death showing us that death is on his mind. He is disposited by Saturn in detriment and retrograde in his turned 9th. His growing sense of the responsibility he has been fated to carry would weigh heavily on him.

    As well Saturn is co-ruler of his turned 2nd house of his resource and could represent those who support Harry including; fellow students and member of the DA (Dumbledore’s Army) and the Order of the Phoenix, who have all been devastated by the loss of their exalted leader, Albus Dumbledore at the end of book six. That Capricorn is intercepted may show us that there will be some unexpected allies who will appear.

    The last aspect Mars (Harry) made was a trine to the Moon at 14 degree 30 just after his sextile with Uranus at 13 degrees. He did encounter an explosive battle just before the funeral of his mentor Dumbledore and the bittersweet break up with Ginny in order to spare her the danger of being associated with him. Harry is becoming far more serious about his responsibilities (Mars in Capricorn).

    Death would be signified by either the radical or turned 8th house, so Jupiter or Mercury. There is no applying aspect from either to Mars (Harry). There is however an antiscia conjunction between mars & Jupiter. The turned Part of Death is at 0 Gemini and the turned Part of Danger & Violence is at 11 Gemini, so both are ruled by Mercury and again no aspect with Mars is forming. Mercury is in Pisces in detriment much weaker then Harry Potter Mars in Capricorn. The antiscia between Harry and the radical lord of death, Jupiter is not enough to indicate his death, though it may show us that he will come close to it and may even appear dead.

    So Harry will survive, but what about Lord Voldemort?

    Lord Voldemort is signified by the house of open enemies, the turned 7th house. He is Venus in Pisces exalted on the MC. Venus is applying to square Jupiter (Lord of 8th ruler) just after she encounters by conjunction explosive & erratic Uranus. She will then conjunct the North Node before the sextile with Mars (Harry) perfects at 22 Pisces. Jupiter in Sag (death) is stronger then Venus in Pisces (Lord Voldemort), which is also being received by Jupiter. Death receives the Dark Lord.

    The Parts of Death and Danger & Violence, tell us the same story. At 0 and 11 degrees of Sagittarius respectively, they are also ruled by Jupiter (ruler of death) which will square Venus in 5 degree 21 minutes. Could this be the 5 month and 11 days before his public demise, very close to the July 21 2007 date for the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”?

    Wanting to be thorough I looked for any relevant fixed stars. On Harry’s side I found that Mars was with Ascella (13 Cap 41) which according to Vivian Robson is “of the nature of Jupiter and Mercury and gives good fortune and happiness”. Conjunct the 7th house cusp I found Bungula (29 Scorpio 38) which has “the influence of Jupiter and Venus and gives beneficence, friends, refinement and place of honour.” Not bad for our hero!

    Looking at Lord Voldemort I found Skat (8 Pisces 55) with his significator Venus which “is of the nature of Saturn & Jupiter and with Venus gives psychic, occult interests, friends among opposite sex, favorable for gain.” The real gem came when I looked at the fixed star on his ASC; Alcyone (29 Taurus 59), this star is one of the Pleiades and “causes love, eminence, blindness and accidents to the face”. The influence of the Pleiades are “distinctly evil and when rising are said to cause blindness, injuries to the eyes & face, disgrace, wounds, stabs, exile, imprisonment, sickness, violent lust and military preferment.”

    My judgment is clear; Harry will struggle and may have a few setbacks (Mars in the 8th disposited by Saturn in detriment and retrograde), he may even appear to die, but will survive in the end with the help of friends known and unknown. As for Lord Voldemort, he will seem to triumph at first (Venus on the MC) but in the end he will be either blinded or disfigured before meeting his violent death possibly at the hands of one of Harry’s supporters.

    I judge that support for Harry will come at the eleventh hour from an unlikely or unexpected quarter and that there may be some ambiguity in the demise of the Evil Dark Lord. Being a powerful wizard well versed in the dark arts he may cheat or make a deal with death (Venus squares Jupiter with reception), but be slain in his final encounter with Harry (Venus sextiles Mars).

    As a postscript, it is likely to that Harry & Ginny will get back together after the final battle. After all Mars makes its sextile aspect with Venus at 22 Pisces, after Venus encounters Uranus & Jupiter. After Lord Voldemort is finally vanquished, Venus can go back to being Ginny to Harry’s Mars.

    Now for anyone out there still skeptical about the validity of this chart let me tell you a little story about the Pleiades. They were the seven daughters of Atlas & Pleione. Six are visible: Alcyone, Maia, Electra, Taygete, Celaeno and Sterope but their seventh missing or lost sister is said to be Merope who married a mortal and hid her face in shame at being the only one not married to a god. Any keen Harry Potter fan would recognize that Merope is the name of Lord Voldemort’s mother, who like her mythical counterpart shamed her family by marrying a mere muggle (a non-magical person); Tom Riddle.

    Herein lays the true mystery of astrology.

    Postscript

    Not one to usually toot my horn, I will now do so.

    For any of you that haven’t read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows here is a round down of the important points: in the final battle between Lord Voldemort and Harry, Harry does appear to die, but doesn’t, His friend Nevil becomes an unlikely hero and bad guy Snape ends up being the good guy after all. Oh! and Harry does end up with Ginny.

    So the blinding of Voldemort doesn’t happen, unless you count the more symbolic blindness of not seeing Harry’s true strengths… Don’t you just love astrology!