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to no. 11
Aleister Crowley
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Firesign Theater
[10] Horary Astrology
ABSAdomain no.: 10
[Primary] Knowledge Type: Esoteric
Role in ABSAprime's Worldview: Very High
ABSAlink(s): TBA [through ABSAdomain interaction]
Degree of Difficulty: Somewhat difficult
"For myself, I never had a greater opinion of a natural science than I have for this [form of astrology], which I have been, and am, convinced is of a most excellent use." -- William Lilly (main architect of horary astrology)
"Horary astrology teaches us that the universe responds to our inquiries, and through careful interpretation, can gain wisdom and clarity on many of life's challenges." -- Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson
"The beauty of horary astrology lies in its ability to offer insight into the immediate concerns of the querent, providing clarity in times of undertainty." -- Barbara Watters
"Horary astrology serves as a valuable tool for answering urgent questions by interpreting the astrological chart created at the time the question is posed." -- Evangeline Adams
Horary astrology is a branch of astrology that answers specific questions by studying the positions and aspects of celestial bodies at the moment a question is formulated. The term "horary" comes from the Latin "hora," meaning "hour," reflecting the importance of the exact time in this practice.
How does it work?
How is this done? Simplicity itself: if you want to know the answer to a question, usually phrased “What will happen if I do this?”, you pose that as a question (like, “Should I make this purchase?” Then you cast a chart as if your question is being “born” at that time and place, and the relationship of the planets and luminaries to each other will give you an answer.
[A side note about “rulers”: each astrological sign is said to be ruled by one, or in some cases, two planets (or luminaries, like the Sun and Moon). The rulerships are as follows: Sun rules Leo; Moon rules Cancer; Mercury both Gemini and Virgo; Venus both Taurus and Libra; Mars both Aries and Scorpio; Jupiter both Sagittarius and Pisces; Saturn both Capricorn and Aquarius; Uranus rules Aquarius; Neptune rules Pisces; Pluto rules Scorpio.]
If the angular aspect between them is good (like a 120° trine [“very good”], 60° sextile [“pretty good”], or 0° conjunction [“good or bad,” depending on what other bodies are involved), the astrologer might forecast a favorable end to the situation. If that critical aspect between the asker of the question and the outcome is bad (like a 90° square [“bad”] or 180° opposition [“also bad”]), one might forecast a negative outcome. And, of course, there are numerous other modifying factors to be explored.
Other things the astrologer, of whatever specialty, must consider are details that further describe context (though the basic judgment always depends on the aspect between the querent’s planet and the quesited’s), including the zodiacal sign of significators; which of twelve houses of the chart they occupy; and so on. In other words, even after the question is answered, horary has a great deal more to say. “Horary” means literally “of the hour,” so dig in to find how much about your “hour” is relevant to the client’s query.
Pre-eminent Lunar Factor
The factor of most importance in horary is the condition of the Moon. The Moon traverses the chart (clockwise, or deosil [“sunwise”] if that’s your thing!) in roughly two-and-a-half days. In that role, it times future events by the angular aspects (only the applying, or not-yet-exact its makes [see above]). If the first aspect is good, then things likely will start off well; the details of this beginning will be revealed by house and sign positions of the two planets (for convenience horary practitioners often refer to all bodies in the chart as “planets,” though the Sun is a star and the Moon is a satellite). If the last Moon aspect is good, the matter should end favorably. Bad aspects at the first and last can augur an unfavorable start and/or finish.
And we have More
As with the best natal astrology, there is so much more revealed as one dives into the seemingly bottomless realm of astrological symbolism. My mentor, Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson, wrote an amusing piece titled, if memory serves, “What ELSE does it say about me?” This recognizes that inevitable moment when the (often neophyte) querent realizes that there’s so much more in the world than they suspected and some of it is shown on that astrological chart you generated based on their question. It’s a great way to get people out of the encumbrances they’ve surrounded themselves with.
I presented at an academic convention work promoting horary interpretation sessions as episodes of counseling expertise (we take this up later) and you should have seen the reactions when conventioneers realize I was not talking about “accepted” theory, but something suspiciously…esoteric. But the truth remains: you can get deeper, faster, and safer “into” your client’s mindset if they think it’s just “harmless” astrology.
An Intriguing Experiment
By now you should have cottoned onto the basic idea inspiring ABSApundit: we deal in linkages. Although we’ve separated things into twelve ABSAdomains, what we are really turns us on is activities that link these together. As an example, check out the delineation of the horary chart (ABSAdomain10) on the Seth page (ABSAdomain03).
In this chart, I asked the question, “What is my Pentad like?” The Pentad is the name I use in describing myself and the other four (or five) entities who comprise that self. According to Seth’s teachings, a class of teachers known as "oversouls" (kind of like guardian angels who are said to intervene on our behalf) are composites of several so-called individual entities, often separated by considerable distance in time and space.
what I did was use that as a model to inquire about my Pentad, which is not to say I consider myself an oversoul--though, I guess, maybe I am. In the hierarchy of oversouls and their charges, maybe we are all oversouls. So I used what I was most competent at (horary astrology) and use it as a lens to ask for something to describe a world that, prior to that, for me, literally didn’t exist. In other words I took Seth's idea of a hierarchical organizational structure for oversouls and expanded it to use as a metaphor for my Pentad.
As recorded in the interpretation, the experiment was an smashing success, yielding precisely five entities: [1] Lucius the Roman legionnaire; [2] Iliza, the 15th century Russian wise woman; [3] the shadowy Nema (gender and race indeterminant, [apparently] from tens of thousands of years B.C.); [4] the redoubtable astrologer Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson; and [5] the furtive half-Moor teenager known only as Cinq (“the fifth”). Please click here for the Pentad's full descriptions.
At the end of this chapter are tables from Simplified Horary Astrology by Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson. In the opinion of ABSApundit staff, Ivy’s is the best available book on horary. In my opinion, Horary Astrology and the Judgment of Events, by renowned Washington DC astrologer Barbara Watters, is at least as authoritative as Goldstein-Jacobson’s book—though, granted, not as detailed—but from a purely literary standpoint much better written—sorry, Ivy! 🤭). Noodling aside, both these books are so, so valuable.
At chapter end are tables from Simplified Horary Astrology by Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson. ABSApundit staff consider Ivy’s to be best book on horary. IMHO, Horary Astrology and the Judgment of Events, by renowned Washington DC astrologer Barbara Watters, is as authoritative as Ivy’s book—though, granted, not as detailed—but from a literary standpoint better written—sorry, Ivy! 🤭). Noodling aside, both these books are so, so valuable.
References were made on this page to astrological houses and signs. The tables at chapter’s end represent what Ivy referred to as MATTERS of the houses, and PERSONS of the houses. In addition to the all-important facet of which bodies rule which signs, this literally determines the two focal points—querent and quesited—in any horary figure, and you can easily discern which rules which by noting in the header and side rows, first the house number and beneath that a zodiacal sign and planet[s].)
Let’s say you’re asking a question about publishing your work: that’s a 9th house matter, and that house partakes of the Sagittarius and its ruler Jupiter. But Jupiter, of course, doesn’t have to be in the ninth house. Wherever it is in the chart, its presence links to the energies of the house that it’s in: Jupiter expands and blesses everything its house rules.
Back to our question: suppose the Ascendant (first house, ruling you, asker of the question [querent]) is in Sagittarius, so your ruler’s Jupiter. Suppose your question (say, “Can I pay for college?”) concerns your finances (second house) and the sign on the second house cusp is Capricorn (ruled by Saturn).
As to the outcome, easiest (not necessarily best) is to study the aspect (angular relationship) between Jupiter (the querent [you]) and Saturn (the quesited [your finances]).
If that aspect is, say, a favorable trine (120 degrees), you might forecast a promising outcome (subject to confirming details—having Saturn rule your money house could make you feel the effect of his heavy hand on your resources). Saturn rules poverty but the diligent reader will search for avenues to ameliorate this.
Nice thing about horary? You can bet that there are always of suggestions for favorable outcomes, and their discovery is limited only by one’s creativity and energy. It was Ivy or Barbara (forget which), hearing that a chart, with strictures against judgment (see description of strictures here), is “unreadable,” replied, “No chart is unreadable; everything is there to be read.” That’s as cool a statement of ABSApunditry as I can imagine 😊
The horary chart is a snapshot of the whole universe (a bias born of geocentric presuppositions!) at a moment of great concern. ABSApundit.com will not make you into a skilled horary astrologer (there’s folks way better at that than any of us—at least until we get more members!). Our goals are to introduce exciting angles to you and send you forth to find out…for yourselves. But that's up to you: check our special ABSAgram, “Futz Around and Find Out!” Below we list matters and persons of the houses.
Matters of the Houses
Persons of the Houses
As Below, So Above
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