THE MAGIC OF HORARY ASTROLOGY BY CAROL SQUIRES

8/10/2019 THE MAGIC OF HORARY ASTROLOGY BY CAROL SQUIRES

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THE MAGIC OF HORARY ASTROLOGY BY CAROL SQUIRES

A beginners guide

This article was first published in the Winter 2003 issue of the Journal of theSeasons for Astrological Society of NZ.

Horary astrology is the art of answering those 'need to know' questions that surfaceat the most inconvenient of times - like three o'clock in the morning when you'vebeen laying awake for what seems like hours wrestling with a problem thatdesperately needs resolving.

By calculating a horoscope drawn up for the precise moment the question is askedor formed in your mind, your dilemma is put into perspective, assisting or suggestingpossible resolution. Abracadabra!

Herein lies the magic of horary astrology. If the question is a valid one then thechart reflects the validity of the question.

Conversely, if the question is one of those 'testing' ones or just mean silly then thechart will tell you so - ask a stupid question and you will get a stupid answer!And it works - like magic.

It is said that 'a moment in time has the qualities of that moment in time'. Horaryastrology operates on the premise that, for there to be an answer to your question,that question must be asked when the need to know is strong, the intention clear.When thought tunes in with the cosmic pattern of the moment. For the universe tohear you loud and clear, the question must be one that is dear to your heart andcommunicated clearly. A half-hearted, let's-see-if-this-stuff-works type question, isof no interest to the universe so you'll just get a half-hearted, let's-get-real-here,type of reply.

Inherent in both the terms horary and horoscope is the Greek horusmeaning 'thehour' - 'horology' the study of timepieces is also linked tohorus. Horary astrology isthe study of a moment in time in order to answer a question of great import to theperson asking the question (in horary speak the 'querent').

Horary astrology has been around since man first watched the sun, moon, planetsand stars in the heavens and became attuned to their daily, monthly, yearly cycles.It wasn't long before events on earth were correlated with celestial events; theplanetary patterns in the heavens provided a calendar for their day to day living -when to sow, reap and harvest, when to best prune, when to fish; woman's monthly


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cycle linked in with the natural rhythms of the lunar calendar and answered thequestions related to her fertility.

Horary astrology grew not so much from man's need to understand himself but hisneed to survive. Questions like 'will there be drought this year', 'when will we go towar', 'will the king live', are more likely to have been the questions of the day.These questions were answered by the study and knowledge of horary astrology.Today the questions likely to be asked are more mundane and personal: Will I getthe job? Is Fred the right man for the job? Where is my gold watch? Will my goldwatch be returned to me? Should I buy a new car or repair the current one? Will mydaughter benefit by going to a different school? When would be a beneficial timeto open my new business? Will my business be successful?

What I love about horary astrology are the rules and regulations that accompanyany reading of a horary chart. They provide a structure.

When reading a natal chart, a huge degree of latitude can be given to the likelymanifestation of say, a 90 angle or square aspect between two planets. Instead ofit's difficult and frustrating reputation we couch the term square in words like'obstacles to overcome' and 'challenges'. In horary astrology, the square is bad.That's it. It denies things.

In Horary astrology aspects, planets, houses are either good or bad, black or white.No grey.

Horary astrology comes with it's own particular language designed to strike fearand dread in the most hardy of souls. Words like afflicted, malignant, malefic,debilitated and sinister are scattered throughout the horary dictionaries and arealive and well in the lives of many hardy astrologers today. The good news is thatwe really can do without them; 'good' or 'bad' will suffice quite nicely for now.

I am assuming that you are either well acquainted with the calculations necessary tocast an accurate chart for the time, date and place the question is asked; oralternatively that you have a computer together with recommended astrologicalsoftware that will do all the hard work for you.

So you have a burning question to ask. You have made a note of that questiontogether with the time the question is asked, and you now have chart in hand, whatnext?

Wording the question


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This is as important as making a note of the exact time the question is asked. Itis very tempting to go beyond the question and read more into the chart. Have thenote of the exact wording of your question before you at all times and do not strayfrom that question. Remember our dialogue with the cosmos. The universe tuned intothe precise words asked, not all the 'oh but what I really meant to ask was ...' thatcame afterwards.

The chart reflects the question of the moment. If the question you really meant to askwas something else, then by all means ask it at a later date.

Having said that, I can also say that if you are confused at the time of asking thequestion, the chart will often reflect that. For instance Neptune rising in a horarychart alerts you to someone who could be either confused or hiding the real reasonfor the question. Or there might be a 'stricture against judgement' which tells youthe time is not right to be asking this question (more about that in a minute).

To judge a horary chart, you need to be reasonably well equipped with a toolkit ofkeywords for the signs, planets, houses, aspects. If you don't have a good list ofkeywords, then a good place to start might beThe Horary Textbook by JohnFrawley.

Leave a generous amount of space in your toolkit - for the more horary charts youdo, the more you will learn about said signs, planets, houses and aspects. Yourunderstanding of these little building blocks of astrology will grow, and thisknowledge will be transferred to the reading of the natal chart.

Natal astrology is a natural progression from horary astrology. Take a hypotheticalquestion, 'Will we go to war?' In the [hypothetical] chart cast for the moment thequestion is asked, the planet Mars is rising, conjunct the ascendant. The nature ofMars is that of the warrior and a more war-like indicator would be hard to find.The answer to the question is Yes.

Now transfer that knowledge to the chart of a person with Mars rising conjunct theascendant. When judging the character or personality of an individual you are infact asking the question 'How will this person present, what is his personality?' WithMars rising, you can be pretty certain that the person, while not necessarily goingthrough life declaring war, will nevertheless show a combative personality, certainlysomeone who is highly motivated and always on the go. Of course with natalastrology, the sign on the ascendant and the sign Mars is in adds more informationto the way in which the person will express this warrior spirit - in a water signthrough the emotions; in an earth sign through practical needs; air through ideasand fire through spirit.


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In horary astrology, the signs do not play such an important part; it is the planets,houses and aspects that beg our attention.

But I digress ...Let's return to the rules and regulations of horary astrology. These are referred toas 'Considerations Before Judgement'.Considerations before JudgementIf the ascendant is between 0 and 3 it is too soon to answer the question, thequestion is premature.

At the other end of the sign, if the ascendant is between 27 and 2959 then it istoo late to ask the question; without your knowing it has already been answered orthe decision made.

The Moon is Void of course (it makes no aspects to other planets before leaving thesign it is in). The Moon is 'not going anywhere' so the question has no future.

The Moon is in the Via Combusta (that area of the zodiac between 15 Libra and15 Scorpio the ancients referred to as the 'fiery road').Saturn is in the 7th House.

A beginners guide - part 2 : void-of-course moonThis article was first published in the Spring 2003 issue of the Journal of theSeasons for Astrological Society of NZ.

The Moon is considered Void-of-Course when it makes no applying aspects to anyother planets in the chart before leaving the sign it is in. Primarily the aspectsconsidered are the Ptolemaic aspects: conjunction (0), sextile (60), square (90 ),trine (120), opposition (180). I also add quincunx (150) to the list as experiencehas shown that the quincunx works well.

To get a feel for when the moon reaches that point where it becomes void-of-course, follow the course of the moon in chart #1 cast for 6:00 am, on 19th May2003 in Auckland. The Moon is in the 8th House of the chart in the 4th degree ofthe sign of Capricorn (336). Two other planets in the chart are close to thatdegree, Uranus in the 3rd degree of Pisces (240) and Venus in the 3rd degree ofTaurus (247). As the Moon has passed those degrees it is considered to beseparating or departing from them. This shows the conditions immediatelypreceding the question asked.

From this point forward as the Moon continues its travels through the sign ofCapricorn, it makes a square (90) aspect to the Part of Fortune in the House


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(512), quincunxes (150) Jupiter in the 3rd House (10E58), then trines (120) aretrograde Mercury in the 12th House (1113). The Moon then trines the Sun(2723) following soon after by a quincunx to Saturn at 2800. All these aspectsare termed 'applying' or approaching aspects.

Once the Moon passes the quincunx aspect to Saturn it makes no more aspects inthe two degrees before it leaves the sign of Capricorn. It is during this period thatthe Moon is considered void-of-course.

In a horary chart, a void-of-course moon is one of those 'considerations beforejudgement' which precludes the reading of the chart in question. The Moon isrelated very much to the timing of the chart, showing past conditions (separating ordeparting aspects to other planets) and future conditions (applying aspects). Thesign it is in signifies the current territory - once it gets to the boundary of that sign it'moves into new territory' so to speak. The conditions will change. Therefore, it canbe judged that following the current pathway will lead nowhere, something needsto change.

Just over seven hours previously, a question was asked by a lady who wanted toknow Should I invest in another house for a quick profit?

If ever the question to a horary chart yells No! very loud and very clear it is thischart.

A horary chart reflects the mood of the moment (primarily the Moon) as well asdescribing not only the nature of the question but the person asking the question(the 'querent').

In this chart the Moon is in the last degree of Sagittarius and makes no more aspectsbefore it leaves that sign. This alone indicates that 'nothing will come of thequestion' and nothing will be gained by following the present course of action. Onthe strength of that we could leave the reading of the chart at that, and simply say'No'.

In her book The Only Way to Learn Horary and Electional AstrologyJoan McEvers,while noting this particular consideration, suggests that you may still answer thequestion as this often indicates there is nothing to worry about concerning thequestion.

However, the reading of such a chart can confirm the current conditions and explainwhy one should not proceed along the present line of action.


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What of the querent? A strong Arian character, this lady is described admirably byMars rising.

Sitting right on the ascendant from the 12th House, Neptune (ruling Pisces on the2nd House cusp, the querent's finances) indicates the reason behind the question. Itmay be noted that Neptune reached its station about to turn retrograde at thesame time Mars passed over it only three days previously. In John Frawley's RealAstrology he says that when a planet is stationary, about to turn retrograde, it is atits weakest and likens it to a person taking to his sickbed. So with Neptunedescribing the querent's current finances, this would suggest that they are weak,hence the desire for an investment returning a quick profit.

In horary astrology, the traditional rulers are considered to exert a strong influence:Mars the traditional ruler of both Aries and Scorpio, Jupiter the ruler of bothSagittarius and Pisces; Saturn the traditional ruler of both Capricorn and Aquarius.In this chart Jupiter is the traditional ruler of the 2nd House of finances. It is in Leo inthe 6th House, directly opposing Neptune and Mars. Jupiter/Neptune suggestsinflated dreams or an over-active imagination, the opposition working against thequerent. Being in cadent houses further weakens their positions. Jupiter opposingMars suggests also that the querent is being over-optimistic at this present time andthis does not work in her best interests.

Further, all three planets are square a retrograde Mercury in the 4th House (herpresent property). This suggests that her thinking is clouded (Neptune squareMercury), she is being impetuous (Mercury square Mars), and looking beyond hermeans (Mercury square Jupiter, ruler of 2nd House of finances). In any event,retrograde Mercury says that what seems like a good idea at the time, will nolonger be relevant once it turns direct!

Furthermore, Mercury is ruler of Gemini on the 5th House, the house of risk andspeculation. Saturn in the house is considered a malefic influence, again suggestingthat the current climate does not favour taking risks. Furthermore, Saturn rules the12th House, the house of self-undoing, as well as the traditional ruler of Aquarius onthe ascendant: she brings about her own self-undoing by taking risks at this time.

Interestingly, the Part of Fortune is in the 5th House which is considered a beneficinfluence. Although it is sextile (a favourable aspect) Mercury, in horary astrologyonly the conjunctions and oppositions to the Part of Fortune are considered. Fortunais in the sign of Cancer which in turn is disposited by the void-of-course Moon, so weare back where we started from: there may be the promise of some benefitsthrough speculation, but the time is not right yet, circumstances need to change.


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Finally, a look at the potential investment property. With the 4th House signifyingthe present property, the fourth house from the 4th signifies the second property.This brings us to the 7th House, with Leo on the cusp ruled by the Sun. The Sun islocated in the 4th House of the chart (the present home) conjunct the North Node.The Moon's north node usually bodes well, indicating that the querent would be wiseto retain her present property.

With the Sun in late degrees of the sign, and with its applying conjunction to thenorth node, this strongly suggests that future developments will see her 'moving intonew territory' so to speak (a planet moving from one sign into another). This couldhappen in a time frame of two to three (just over two degrees before the Sunconjuncts the nodes followed shortly after by its ingress into Gemini): 2-3 days, 2-3weeks, 2-3 months.

We'll be looking at the question of timing (always a tricky question) in a laterarticle. Suffice to say at this stage that with the Taurus Sun in the 4th in a Fixed sign,the angular 4th house points to the shorter time span (in this case days) while fixednature of Taurus slows that time frame somewhat, indicating months.

The outcome has been interesting. Just over two months later at the end of July2003, and in true Arian fashion, our querent decided to sell her present home andlook for another place more suited to her home-based business. On the 3rd August,she made an offer on such a place and this offer was accepted.

With this knowledge, it is interesting to go back to the Moon in the horary chart.After leaving Sagittarius, it moves into Capricorn, the sign of its detriment, notusually a good indication of satisfactory conditions. However, Capricorn is aprofessional and businesslike sign so it is appropriate that it was for these reasonsthat the querent subsequently sold her present home.

Before I am accused of reading more into the chart than what the original questionintended, I think I'd better stop right here!

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THE MAGIC OF HORARY ASTROLOGY BY CAROL SQUIRES