Horary astrology is the art of interrogations, as the ancients put it. You are asking a specific question at a particular time about someone or something that concerns you.
It is wise to mull over the question in your head and formulate it carefully before asking it. You must identify just what it is you genuinely want to know.
Horary astrology is the consultation of an astrological chart made for the moment a particular question is asked. The questioner must formulate the question honestly, sincerely, and precisely to obtain an answer. The pattern of the heavens reflected on Earth in the form of the chart shows the truth.
If you are asking the question of an astrologer over the phone or via email or in person, they will note the time that they receive and understand the question. This will be the time for which the chart is set. If you are doing the astrology yourself, the chart is set for when you precisely formulated the question, e.g., wrote it down or expressed it aloud.
The Importance Of Time
Time is the essence of astrology, whether it’s the birth time in a natal chart or the birth time of a question in a horary chart. Unlike modern scientists, astrologers view time not simply as an empty place marker for a particular event but qualitatively as an integral part of the event or question concerned.
The quality of the time at which the question is asked varies –
with the seasons,
whether it is night or day,
with the position of the Sun and the Moon in the sky
with the places that the planets hold in relation to the Sun or Moon or in relation to other planets; and
with the positions of the stars and constellations
The ecliptic is the path of the Sun around the Earth, and most of the planets, including the Moon, don’t deviate from it that much. However, some deviations are possible, and when they occur, we describe the planet as out-of-bounds.
Being in this state means that the planet may “behave” in a less controlled manner, or its effects may be experienced as a bit over the top or exaggerated.
Astrologers recognize the path of the ecliptic as being at twenty-three degrees and twenty-seven minutes of declination. It can be thought of as the Sun’s highway through the heavens. If a planet deviates either north or south beyond this degree, then it is out of bounds.
Astrology operates on the principle that no two moments in time are the same. Therefore, you can only ask the same question once.
To ask variations of the same question multiple times within a short period means that you are trying for a different answer. You are being disrespectful to the art of astrology and the answer the heavens first gave you.
Once the chart is cast, you cannot change anything about the question. You will never have that exact moment in time again, so think carefully before asking.
Photo by Denes Kozma
The Ripeness Of The Question
Horary astrology is not a parlor game. It is a genuine desire to establish an answer to a question that is somehow significant to the questioner.
We tap into the vast intelligence in the natural world when engaging in astrology, whether as a practitioner or as a questioner.
The real questions in our lives are heartfelt and often spiritually inspired because it would benefit us to know the answer.
You can ask questions about yourself, e.g., will I get the job, what is my state of health, when will I get my tax refund. You can also ask questions about the people in your life, e.g., is my spouse having an affair, is my lawyer giving me good advice, what would be a good career choice for my son, is my business partner cheating me.
Other questions may be on the whereabouts of an object you’ve lost or life decisions.
Should I buy this house, should I emigrate to Australia, is the car or bike or boat I am thinking of buying in good condition, will I make money from this investment. You might ask whether your dog or your cousin will recover from an illness, whether the rumor you have heard is true, or what caused the car accident your brother was involved in.
Countless questions can be answered through horary astrology. You can even ask about events or situations affecting your country or world events. Which candidate in the presidential race will win, will there be a declaration of war with a foreign nation, when will a hostage be released, or is it safe to travel to another country right now.
You may mull over a particular question for a long time before it finally crystallizes into the here and now, and your words and actions give it shape. This is why you need to decide when you are finally ready to hear the answer and to express precisely in words what it is you need to know.
If you want to learn more, a great book on this topic is Olivia Barclay’s, Horary Astrology Rediscovered, available on Amazon. I have learned a lot from this book and highly recommend it.
The Casting Of The Chart
The beginning of the chart is called the Ascendant. The chart is divided into twelve sections called houses. The houses will indicate where the answer to the question may be found or the nature of the question. So, for instance, the first house always signifies the questioner.
If there are any planets in the first house, these will be significant because they may show the questioner’s state of mind or health when the question was formulated. The planet that rules the first house is assigned as the significator for the questioner together with the Moon. If the Moon is the ruler of the first house, the significator is just the Moon.
The first house, generally speaking, rules the questioner. The planet that rules the questioner may be in any one of the twelve houses and is often not in the first house. The next house the astrologer looks at will be the one that relates to the subject matter of the question.
If the question is about the questioner’s home, country, father, or ancestors, then the fourth house is considered. If it is about a business partner or spouse, then the seventh house comes into play. If it is about the questioner’s boss or career, then the tenth house is relevant. If the question is about a child, hobby, or other creative endeavors, it is necessary to consider the fifth house.
The second house is about the money, resources, and self-esteem of the questioner. Questions about the government would pull in the tenth house, and taxes would involve the eleventh. The twelfth house is about confinement, imprisonment, secret enemies, hospitals, and large institutions.
By knowing which house or houses are relevant to the question, the astrologer knows which part of the chart to focus on relative to the first house of the questioner. They will look to see if there are any planets within or right on the cusp of the relevant house and how they interact with the significators of the questioner.
In relationship questions involving a man and a woman, the significator of the partner will be the ruler of the seventh house and, if the partner is a man, the Sun. The Sun signifies the man’s masculine sexual energy. If the partner is a woman, then the significator will be the ruler of the seventh house and Venus, which represents her feminine, sexual energy.
Generally speaking, Mars and the Sun represent the masculine and Venus and the Moon, the feminine. Saturn can indicate an older person, Mercury a younger one. Jupiter could indicate a benefactor. It all depends on the nature of the question and the chart and requires a detailed understanding of horary astrology.
Unlike natal astrology, not all of the twelve houses are relevant to the question in horary astrology.
It is not recommended to consider other houses unless there is some compelling indication in the chart that this is necessary. Horary is simple, straightforward, and direct and is only concerned with the thing asked about.
Take Away
Horary astrology can be a helpful tool when one feels stuck in life or uncertain about which choice is best. It can make you conscious of factors you hadn’t considered or guide your approach to a particular problem or situation. It has been valued for millennia by kings and ordinary people and is still relevant today.
Author, Ame Vanorio, likes to joke that she is 1/2 pagan and 1/2 Catholic due to her Native (Cree) and Italian heritage. She is an environmental educator and licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Ame writes about honoring nature and animal spirit guides. She also does our social media pages.