Why Horary Astrology? How Marking Time Illuminates the Answers All Around Us
Most of us are familiar with natal astrology. Sun sign horoscopes are published in newspapers and magazines, memes get created daily on social media, and astrologers offer consults all based on the time of your birth. But did you know, it wasn’t always the go-to? When you think about it, it makes sense. How many people even a thousand years ago knew the exact day and time of their birth? Even today some older folks may not have the time of their birth on their birth certificates. And in medieval and ancient times, this was even more true. Only royalty or other important persons would have their birth information recorded. And only they would be considered important enough to have their charts examined.
So how did regular people interact with astrology? Horary or electional astrology! I can look into electional astrology at a later date, but it is useful for picking auspicious dates and times to accomplish your goals. Astrologers would have been tasked with finding the most desirable time for their clients while working within the constraint of deadlines.
Horary astrology is when you approach an astrologer with a particular question and they agree to take it on. The date and time is recorded and the chart for that ‘meeting of the minds’ is cast. This chart is the one interpreted by the astrologer to answer the question proposed. It is useful because there is no need to have a birth day or time, no need to get the birth data from a potential other party, and is much more accessible to the regular person. I am just glad we have dispensed with the urine that would often to be sent to an astrologer along with the question from a ill patient. I suppose this is where I am more ‘modern’ in my approach!
There is something beautiful when we consider that the answer to our question is all around us and step one in that process is marking the time, or noting the hour (which is where the word ‘horary’ comes from). So I especially loved this meme created by one of my astrology colleagues, Adina. You can click here to find this post on Twitter. She was talking about astrology in general, but I think it works here too. When we pause to consider or mark the hour of our question, I think this is when time becomes ‘fashion’: a moment that we examine and appreciate. .
It used to be that astrologers would learn horary before branching out into other fields. Horary was considered foundational for understanding how planets interacted and for learning the rules of interpretation and delineation. However, with the revitalization of astrology in the 1960s, natal astrology became the more popular route. And while natal astrology is so important, I can’t help but feel that something has been lost by its dominance. I find horary astrology so helpful and useful for everyday life. I think my Taurus Mercury just loves something that provides answers!
Of course, as with any divination method, it comes with restraints. In order to cast a horary, the person posing the question must have some kind of personal stake in the outcome. And not in a general ‘butterfly effect’ way, but substantial and material. Therefore, an ordinary American cannot cast a horary to see who will win a presidential election. Even though a president does have an impact on their life, it is not personal enough to warrant a chart. However, could the campaign manager of a presidential candidate approach an astrologer with this question? Probably! A stranger cannot ask about a romantic relationship they know nothing about and have no ties to, but those involved may. I tend to think this is the universe’s way of keeping us in our own lane. It is very ‘eyes on your own paper’ energy.
As an example of horary’s usefulness, I have a couple of charts to illustrate how horary gets right to the point and may often be the answer you need. Are there timing techniques you can use to find out when is a good time for career or love or children? Absolutely. But in my opinion, horary can often provide an answer more quickly and with greater clarity.
EXAMPLE ONE: WILL WE GET BACK TOGETHER?
A client asked if they would get back together with their former partner. Could an astrologer check transits to a client’s natal chart and then compare the former partner’s chart with the client’s and then check transits and profections to see if they should get back together? Absolutely they could. But it is much simpler to cast a horary chart. Watch how quickly we get to the point in this example.
The client asked the question and so she is the Querent represented by the Ascendant, which is at seventeen degrees of Sagittarius. This means the Querent is ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is in the fourth house in Pisces. Which is initially a good thing, Jupiter in its own domicile and angular. But once I look again, I see Jupiter is making not a single aspect to any other planet. Ooof. Not exactly what you want to see when someone asks a question about love or rekindling a relationship. But sometimes you can still get some juice going through mutual reception or other means. But right off the bat I am thinking perhaps the Querent doesn’t really want to get back together, it is possible that although she is doing quite well for herself (domiciled Jupiter) she is lonely (Jupiter un-aspected).
So who is the former partner in this chart? Since they used to live together and share a life, I think the seventh house ruler applies. It is in Gemini, ruled by Mercury, in its own sign but retrograde. So already I am getting a picture. This former partner is also doing their own thing (domiciled Mercury). These two planets (Jupiter and Mercury) are in their own bubbles and not in mutual reception or exaltation or anything like it. So without even diving into any other houses, it is looking unlikely there will be a reunion. Typically for a love horary you would want to see some kind of soft aspect between Jupiter or Mercury or they might swap houses, showing a desire to come to together. But these planets are in their own sign and share no aspects at all.
The Moon is also the co-ruler of any question, yet here again there is nothing to suggest a reconciliation. The Moon is in Gemini conjunct Mercury. with little dignity and having no aspects to Jupiter. No testimony to a rekindling of love. To add to the arguments against a relationship, we have the ruler of the fifth house of pleasure, Mars, fallen and in the eighth house. Venus, the planet of love and harmony is in Cancer, but not aspecting any of the parties so her hands seem tied. Even though Mercury retrograde might seem helpful when thinking of an old flame coming back, you can’t rekindle a wick without some connection. The client is revisiting a former relationship during Mercury retrograde. But the chart says it is best left to the past, there is nothing left here for you.
The Querent agreed with this judgment. She acknowledged that she was feeling nostalgic, but that she knew she was better off without him. A week or so after this horary she heard about him gallivanting around town and that he had returned to his wandering ways. She was glad that she had not succumbed to loneliness and scheduled with me to look at a better time to attract romance into her life.
I think this example shows how horary can cut to the heart of a matter and allow the astrologer to see the issues and context easily. I am sure I could also examine synastry charts and transits and get close, but not as specific as this judgment and not nearly in the short amount of time it took to examine this chart and render my opinion.
EXAMPLE TWO: WHERE IS MY LAPTOP?
As far as I am aware, horary is the only branch of astrology that is useful in locating lost or stolen objects. Horary can determine whether an object is lost or mislaid, stolen or missing, recoverable or not, its most likely location, and usually some indication of when it might be found. This is a very practical skill and one I have employed in many situations to success. In this example, a friend of mine lost their laptop when they went straight from working at a coffeeshop to meeting up with friends outside for a picnic and hang. They knew they had the laptop when they left the coffeeshop, but when they returned home, it was no longer in their bag. They asked me where it had gone.
First thing to notice is the late Ascendant at twenty-seven degrees of Taurus. This is a consideration before judgment as a late degree rising sign often means it is too late to do anything about the situation. So that wasn’t a hopeful beginning. The ruler of the first house is Venus located in Aries in detriment and combust in the twelfth house. Yikes. This does well describe the Querent, they had a big project on the laptop that had not been backed up before leaving the coffeeshop. Loss of the laptop would mean an expensive replacement and work lost. The laptop is signified by the ruler of the second house(client’s movable goods), which in this case is Mercury in the eleventh in fall. So far, no one is doing particularly well here. The laptop is probably not in good shape given the planet that represents it is in fall. The Querent is not in a good place to be able to find it. There may be a sliver of hope in the Moon, which co-rules the Querent and lost objects. She is in Cancer, in her own domicile close to the cusp of the fourth house.
When I look at a lost object horary I would like to see some nice soft aspects between the planets that signify the Querent and the lost object. In this case, Venus and Mercury. Well, these two planets cannot behold each other at all and share no mutual reception or other helpful relationship. I look to the Moon to perhaps help and notice a nice applying trine to Venus, but no support to Mercury (the laptop). This makes me think the client may not recover the laptop but is helped out in some other way.
Mars is in the second house and while not technically peregrine (has dignity by face) is not especially dignified. Since Mars also rules the seventh house of other people, this can often indicate a thief. Mars also rules Venus (the Querent) in this chart. So the ruler of the Querent is in the house of the Querent’s goods and is in an applying square to Mercury (the laptop). Seems to me like a recipe for someone (Mars) to walk away from the Querent (Venus) with the laptop (Mercury). I look to the Moon now to see where this might have happened and notice that it is close to the cusp of the fourth house. This often can mean the object is lost between two liminal spaces such as between couch cushions, sliding onto the floor, or between thresholds. The Moon here is in the third house, which often represents cars or other transportation. I ask my friend if they drove over to the park after the coffeeshop? They said they had used a ride sharing service. Ah. I told them the chart indicated the laptop had perhaps slid out of their bag while they were riding and either the driver or another passenger had discovered the laptop and had taken it.
The hope for recovery was low. The ruler of the second house and the second house itself was hindered. Mercury is in fall and the second house is afflicted by the presence of malefic Mars. There usually must be some kind of helpful aspect from the ruler of the second house or a planet within the second house that allows the goods to be found in one piece. There are no helpful aspects here.
There is little else to recommend recovery in this horary either. William Lilly in his book, Christian Astrology instructs us that when the Sun and Moon do not aspect each other or the Part of Fortune; or if the ruler of the seventh is not in conjunction with the ruler of the eighth; or if the ruler of the second does not behold the first house or the ruler; there is no restitution of goods. There is also no other fortunate planets to assist as Jupiter does not aspect any planet in this chart and Venus is exiled away in the twelfth house with no assistance given to the goods sought (Mercury). I think a quick peek at Bonatti’s Treatise 6 is also useful, he prefers to use the Ascendant ruler (Venus) and the Moon and see if they apply in harmonious fashion to the ruler of the second house (Mercury). Once again, recovery is denied as Venus and the Moon share no harmonious aspects to Mercury nor does Mercury lie in the second house or share a soft aspect to Mars (occupant of second house). Instead we have a bellicose relationship between the occupant of the second house and its ruler. These factors along with little to no hopeful signs in this chart, made me think recovery highly unlikely.
I told my friend that I did not believe that there was much chance of recovery and that they should consider replacement as soon as possible. They were stressed about it until their close cousin gave them a laptop they were no longer using. My friend had to make up the lost work, but was able to use that gifted laptop. I think that’s where the Moon-Venus trine came in to help. Venus was really in a pickle in that twelfth house, but the applying trine to the domiciled Moon in the third house of siblings/cousins really came through! To this day the laptop has not been found.
Both of these examples show how the correct application of horary astrology can provide answers on almost any subject. I have cast horaries for selling houses, making social media posts, substantiating rumors, creative writing prompts, finding where in the home a water leak was, locating lost kittens, screening clients for sex workers, and so many more. And I hope that reading this encourages you to think about a horary chart next time you have a question!
REFERENCES
Adına Hertzel allowed me to use her very funny meme of Tyra! Thank you Adina! You can find her on her website (book a consult!) or on Twitter or Instagram
My astrology teacher (including for horary) is Samuel F. Reynolds who you can find here. He shaped my understanding of horary and its history!
My classmates in my astrology class. Peer relationships in astrology are unmatched!
And my twitter mutuals who consult me for horaries and let me bounce ideas off them! You can find me on twitter here.
Bonatti, Guido. Bonatti on Horary: Treatise 6 of Guido Bonatti’s Book of Astronomy. Translated by Ben Dykes. Cazimi Press, 2010.
Lehman, Lee. The Martial Art of Horary Astrology. Whitford, 2002.
Lilly, William. Christian Astrology Vol 1 & II. Astrology Classics, 2004.
Louis, Anthony. Horary Astrology Plain and Simple. Llewellyn, 2002. When I feel like overcomplicating things, I read Anthony Louis and he straightens me out.