Horary Astrology

 

Horary Astrology. The art of interpreting the relationship between cosmic phenomena resulting from the ordered motions of the celestial bodies, and a thought, situation or event. It deals successfully only with concrete, well-defined queries, and its validity is subject to question when the particular problem to be analyzed is hazy in the mind of the querent, or ill-defined in its presentation to the astrologer.

 

Since the Horary Figure centers around the person of the querent and his consciousness at the time of the query, a clear concept of the problem for which a solution is sought is essential if the heavens are faithfully to reflect the question and portray the outcome. If the query is correctly conceived the resultant Figure is presumed to provide the correct answer, showing the manner in which the subsequent motions of the planets will mold events to their eventual culmination. This does not infer that cosmic influences will suspend the operation of the law of cause and effect, or deny the exercise of free-will; but the heavenly bodies through their House and Sign positions and the qualities they assume in the Figure will indicate the precise factors that are involved.

 

Horary Astrology has its own canons, apart from those governing other branches of Astrology, but the rules peculiar to it are reasonably simple and easily comprehended. However, the more worldly knowledge the practitioner possesses the more deftly will he interpret the Scheme, and the greater number of details he will be able to extract from it.

 

According to Zadkiel (Commander R. J. Morrison, R.N.), editor of William Lilly's "Introduction to Astrology," a revised version of Lilly's "Christian Astrology Modestly Treated in Three Books" first published in 1647: "If a proposition of any nature" be made to any individual, about the result of which he is dubious, and therefore uncertain whether or not to accede to it, let him but note the hour and minute when it was first made and erect a Figure of the Heavens, as herein taught, and his doubts will be instantly resolved. He may thus learn infallibly whether the affair will succeed or not; and, consequently, whether it is prudent to accept the offer made. If he examine the Sign on the First House of the Figure, the planet therein, or the planet ruling the Sign, will exactly describe the party making the offer, both in person and character. Moreover, the descending Sign will describe his own person and character."

 

Approaching it from a modern viewpoint it would appear that since the solidity of the solar system is reasonably established in the Western mind, there can hardly remain any valid objections to the ancient Doctrine of Signatures, which Albertus Magnus, Trithemius, Agrippa, Paracelsus, Boehme and their followers proclaimed and extensively developed.

 

The twelfth part of the whole circle of 360° which the Ascendant precedes, is deemed to portray the querent, his physique, disposition and circumstances. If the analogy is extended to embrace the birth of a thought, a project or an event, the precise time thereof establishes the angle of incidence in Nature, and makes it possible to chart its activity, the anticipated results, and its ultimate disposition and object with relation to the person or thing that occasioned it.

 

Pursuing the analogy further, just as any heavenly body which has ascended to the horizon will keep on rising until it attains to the meridian, so, too, will any person, thought or event that has attained to maturity be similar in nature to the portion of the celestial sphere then culminating.

 

Therefore Horary Astrology assumes that the Ascendant symbolizes the forces that are emerging into being at a given time, and which will operate through the various divisions of the entire sphere to impart form to whatever is taking place at that point on the Earth. Since the disposition of events are the outward manifestation of thoughts generated in the mind, thoughts are an entity, and are conceived, gestated and delivered, no matter how difficult it may be to trace events from their inception through their subsequent evolution.

 

Since a man's thoughts are fashioned after himself, they must of necessity reflect that universe of which he is a part; and the concepts he creates, working with whatever materials are available within his environment, will be faithfully reflected in his being and disposition - a perfect mirror of celestial and human correspondence.

 

A few of the more notable characteristics of a valid Horary Figure are:

 

The Signature Rerum, or celestial pattern of the factors involved in any situation under scrutiny, its form, essence and totality, must be viewed in the abstract, free from obfuscating prejudices, emotional involvements and the confusion of surface events that would tend to prejudice the interpretation. One must be willing to read the answer without wishful thinking. These factors will be portrayed in the Scheme, yet they must be observed as things apart, except where they interfere with or complicate the issue.

 

The time for which the Figure is cast is a subjective factor pertaining to the consciousness and character of the practitioner, in that it represents his own particular connection with the matter at issue. The element of time, his consciousness and the circumstances of his life are thus inseparable.

 

Whether the watch from which is taken the time for casting the Figure be slow or fast, if the practitioner is unaware of it the Figure will be as correct for him as it would have been had the actual time been known and used. In other words the correct perception of time reposes in his own consciousness.

 

A Figure cast for a trivial or confused issue or query will be unrevealing, since the significance one is able to extract from an Horary Figure is limited to the precise quality of consciousness brought to bear upon it.

 

The more vital the issue the greater the extent to which the Figure will conform to it; and this conformity is frequently evidenced by the correspondence of one or more of its salient configurations with equally important features visible in the querent's Nativity. These conformities are often so striking as conclusively to portray the marvellous mosaic of the universe.

 

It frequently happens that a Figure is cast too soon, for an event that is dependent upon one or more indeterminate factors that have not sufficiently matured; or too late, for an issue which the querent can no longer swerve the course of events to avert. In either case the fact will be shown in the Figure, and the rules applicable to either situation constrain the practitioner to defer or withhold judgment.

 

A valid Horary Figure indicates the querent's birthmarks, and bodily deformities. This phase of Astrology is useful to prove whether the propounded question is radical, whether or not it con- forms with the querent's Nativity in one or more important features, and perhaps to prove to skeptics the validity. of astrological analysis and prognosis.

 

Even though divination by Horary Astrology is largely practised with surprising results by many who are too ignorant or too superficially-inclined to probe the arcana of the science of Nativities, incessant recourse to Horary Art is not recommended, for undue reliance upon it weakens one's true judgment and impairs his power of will and independence of character.

 

On the other hand, occasions will arise when it can be of great assistance, when formulating judgment with regard to a policy to be pursued when the Nativity is not available. It is used in ascertaining the whereabouts of a missing person; the probability of recovering stolen goods; by what manner of thief they were stolen, the direction in which he went, and his disposal thereof; whether a certain rumor be true or false; whether a case will be prosecuted in court, and its ultimate disposition; whether one ought to accept a proposition made to him and the outcome thereof; whether a contemplated marriage is advisable, and how it may be expected to result; whether one should accept proffered employment, sell or mortgage a piece of property, and so on. Apart from these considerations the study of Horary Astrology, when pursued for the mental training it affords, will prove of value to the student by way of maturing his judgment and sharpening his intuition, and may at some time stand him in excellent service.

 

-FREDERIC VAN NORSTRAND-

 

Horary Astrology is thus an application of Astrology predicated on a sympathy that exists between cosmic influences and the human mind, by reason of which people think of and propound questions of serious import at a time when the aspects bear a definite relation to the nature, origin and termination of the matter involved. It has been said to anticipate the emergence of objective thoughts into the physical world. Certain planetary Significators are taken as representative of the querent, the person making the inquiry. Other planets, acting as Promittors, promise assistance or detriment to the concern about which the inquiry is made. The specific natures of the planets are little utilized, the bodies which aspect the Significator regarded as either friendly or the reverse. A Promittor may be angular, succedant or cadent, combust, disposed of, frustrated, applying to, separating from, or in mutual disposition with other planets, and all these considerations are taken into account. There is no purely mathematical measure of time as in Genethlialogy, but days, weeks, months, and years are determined from a consideration of the Signs and Houses involved, whether they be fixed, common or cardinal, and whether angular, succedant, or cadent. The Houses generally retain the same significance as in Nativities. There arc many works dealings with this recognized department of Astrology, among the best of which is that by William Lilly. It is presumed that if the mind is clear regarding the question, the Ascendant will not be in the first or last degrees of a Sign.