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The ABSA Basic Twelve
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"As Below, So Above"
to no. 11
Aleister Crowley
to no. 9
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 of this [form of astrology], which I have been, and am, convinced is of a most excellent use.” -- William Lilly
“Horary astrology teaches us that the universe responds to our inquiries, and through careful interpretation, we 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 uncertainty.” -- 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." -- Evangaline 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 in this practice of noting the exact time to ask a question.
How does it work?
How is this done? Despite the seemingly simple execution (many horary questions can be accurately answered “yes” or “no” simply by comparing the querent’s (person asking the question) ruling planet with the planet that rules what is asked about [the quesited]. 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 is bad (like a 90° square (“bad”) or 180° opposition (“also bad”), one might forecast a negative outcome.
Other things the astrologer, of whatever specialty, must take cognizance of 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 the significators; which of the twelve houses of the Zodiacal chart they occupy; and so on. In other words, even after the question is answered, a horary chart has a great deal more to say.
The Pre-eminent Moon
One factor of enormous importance in horary is the condition of the Moon. The Moon, as it traverses the chart in roughly two-and-a-half days, times future events by the angular aspects its makes (see the two paragraphs above). If the first aspect is good, then things should start off well. the context for this beginning will be described by house and sign positions of the two planets (remember that, for convenience horary practitioners sometimes refer to all bodies in the chart as “planets,” even though of course the Sun is a star and the Moon is a satellite). If the last aspect the Moon makes is good, the matter should yield a favorable outcome. However, bad aspects at the first and the last can foretell an unfavorable start and/or finish to the matter.
And there's more...
Just as with the best natal astrological interpretations, there is so much more revealed as one dives into the seemingly bottomless realm of astrological symbolism. ABSAprime's mentor, Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson, wrote a very amusing piece titled, if my memory of her comment serves, “What ELSE does it say about me?” This, Dr. Philly Jo said, 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. It’s a great way to get people out of the psychic encumbrances they’ve surrounded themselves with. ABSAprime actually presented at convention a scholarly paper proposing the horary interpretation session as an episode of communicative counseling. We hope to be able to take this up in a future discussion.
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 ABSAprime uses in describing herself and the other five entities who comprise her self. According to Seth’s teachings, we are all composites of several so-called separate entities, usually separated by considerable distances in time and space; what she did was take what she was most competent at (horary astrology) and use it as a lens to ask for something to describe a world that, prior to that, literally did not exist for her.
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.
Below, for your convenience as we explore the insights of horary astrology, I have reproduced two tables from Simplified Horary Astrology by Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson; according to Dr. Philly Jo, this is the best of the available books on horary (that’s her belief: mine is that Horary Astrology and the Judgment of Events, by the late 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 better written—sorry, PJR! 🤭). Kidding aside, both these books are totally worth exploring.
References were made on this page to astrological houses and signs. The tables below represent what Ms. Goldstein-Jacobson 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).)
For example, 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 vibe, and is ruled by the planet Jupiter. But Jupiter, of course, doesn’t have to be in the ninth house. Wherever it is in the chart, its presence partakes of the energies of that house that it’s in.
Back to that imaginary question: suppose the Ascendant (first house, ruling you, the asker of the question [querent]) is in Sagittarius. That makes your ruler Jupiter. Let’s also suppose that your question (like, can I pay for college?) concerns your financial situation (2nd house) and the sign on the second house cusp is Capricorn (ruled by Saturn).
To determine the outcome, easiest (though not necessarily best) would be to look at the aspect (angular relationship) between Jupiter (the querent [you]) and Saturn (the quesited [your finances]). If it’s a, say, favorable trine (120 degrees), you could forecast a promising outcome (subject of course to confirming details--for instance, having Saturn rule your money house is likely to make you feel the effect of his heavy hand on your resources).
Contrarily, the key aspect might be a stressful square (90 degrees), denoting a less desirable outcome. Likewise (and not to get too much into detail!), you could also seek assistance, as denoted by the rulers of other houses not directly involved in the question. Are there favorable aspects to your ruler Jupiter from the ruler of the 7th house? It might show that your spouse or the courts (both are 7th house persons) might be working on your behalf.
As a “photo” in time, the horary chart literally encompasses the totality of the universe (though, admittedly, that's a bias born of our geocentric pretensions!) at the moment it is of most concern to you. While we don’t expect ABSApundit.com to, on our own, make you into a skilled horary astrologer (Philly Jo says there’s folks way better at that than either or us, and I completely agree), remember that the underlying goals of ABSApundit.com are to introduce exciting viewpoints to you and send you forth to find out…for yourselves. But that's up to you: check out our special ABSAgram, "Futz around and find out!"
The ABSA Basic 12 Domains
[Start at top (binaural Beats) and proceed clockwise.]
"As Below, So Above"
[Graphics by Descript's Overlord and Microsoft's Powerpoint. Background videos by Wix.com].
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