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L ae ye LY]
A
(SS Ce res imHorary Astrology
and the
Judgment of Events
Barbara H. WattersCopyright 2012 by American Federations of Astrologers, Inc.
“All rights reserved.
ye reproduced or transcribed in any form orby any means electronic o
recording or by any information storage and retrieval eee eis
ithout
No part ofthis book may
ehor and publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied inc
rit
jeal, including photocopying
wwritten permission from the aut
al reviews and articles. Requests an
Inc, 6535 S. Rural Road, Tempe, AZ
85283.
ISBN-10: 0-86690-625-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-86690-625-8
Cover Design: Jack Cipolla
Published by:
American Federation of Astrologers, Inc.
6535 S, Rural Road
Tempe, AZ 85283
vwwwaastrologers.com
Printed in the United States of America
ii
d inquiries may be mailed to: American Federation of Astrologe
rs,Dedication
To my Students, whose
Diligence and Dedication made this book possible
Acknowledgments
Iam most grateful to the following people for their help in preparing this book:
Timothy Murphy, for his research into the Titanic disaster; Svetlana Godillo, for the data
used in chapter eight; Martha Taub, for her help; Barbara Kinsman, for her help; George
Surmick, who provided me with transcripts of many of the tapes made in the classes where
this work was developed; and all those who consented to allow the work done on their
personal problems to be used in this book.Contents
Part One
Chapter 1, What Horary Astrology Is
Chapter 2, How Horary Astrology Developed
Chapter 3, Strictures Against Judgment
Chapter 4, Signs and Rulers
Chapter 5, The Old Planets
Chapter 6, The New Planets
Chapter 7, The Houses
Chapter 8, Turning the Radical Chart
Chapter 9, Timing Events in the Horary Chart
Chapter 10, Placing Events in the Horary Chart
Chapter 11, The Aspects
Chapter 12, Further Considerations that Affect Judgment
Part Two
Chapter 13, Real Estate
Chapter 14, Employment
Chapter 15, Travel
Chapter 16, Multiple Questions
Chapter 17, Business, Finance, Investments
Chapter 18, Missing People
Chapter 19, Health,
Chapter 20, Legal Problems
Chapter 21, Poli
Chapter 22, War
OL
97
103
113
17
125
129
137
155
159Part One
ie a eae«of Events
zmtorary Astrology and the JudgeWhat Horary Astrology Is
Horary astrology is the art of answering questions by analyzing a chart drawn for the moment
the question is asked. The system of analysis is rigid. The rules are specific and casy to remem-
ber. The analysis is strictly confined to the limits set by the question.
Horary astrology is ancient, There seems little doubt that the traditions now associated with the
analysis of the natal chart grew out of it. Astrology was first used to predict the fate of kings and
nations. We now call this branch mundane.
Actually, mundane astrology has always used horary techniques with the focus of the questions
shifted from the individual to a celestial event over which no individual has any control. From
time immemorial the celestial events selected for mundane analysis have been lunations,
eclipses, ingress charts for the equinoxes and solstices, the conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn,
the appearance of comets, and the movement of certain fixed stars in relation to the zodiacal
point 0 Aries. While these mundane charts have always been cast for the occurrence of an un-
controllable celestial event, the purpose behind them was to answer questions that deeply con-
cemed all the people of the nation: “Will we win the war?” “Will the crops be good?” “Will our
herds increase?” “Will the barbarians attack us?” “Will the king live or die?”
The methods used to find answers to these questions were essentially horary methods. They
were merely transferred to a larger frame of reference. If an individual asks, “Will my fatherAjMorary Astrology and the Judgment of Events
recover from hisilness?”the focus ofthe analysis centers around the same factors as when hea
retaking, Wil the king regain hishealth?” The fc thatthe invdual ass the question on “The only w
aeeviy aloud, while the concem oft nation may be unconscious and unspoken has nthingty ‘pankrupte
sear ne case The astrologer uses the same significaors and the same gi rary conventions wae
to vereither question, in fat, succes in answering the question wil largely depend upon foe ee
casting in the most objective and impersonal manner possible. An honest question will elicit an cond ques
Fest answer froma chart that is correctly cast, whether or not we like the answer perspect
Anal there’ the rub, The downfall of most horary and mundane work is wishfol thinking, When ‘The sec
ava asks, "Will my new business venture succeed?” the psychologieal impetus behind the setofe
‘question isan intense desire that it should ‘sueceed and fear that it won't. In subtle ways, the cli- ae -
tint communicates these emotions to the astrologer, who may then bbe reluctant to convey that cos
there are indications the client will go bankrupt. The astrologer may begin to look for ways to he
soften the blow, which means searching the chart for ways out of impending bankruptey, The ate
‘tense concentration applied to the search for a way out results in changing the question in the the
astrologer’s mind, while being unaware that this has happened. oe
this
“The question was “Will my business venture succeed?” to which the answer was aclear “No” i
‘The question in the astrologer’s mind becomes, “How can this man avoid bankruptcy?” Since 7
the client desperately wants @ favorable answer, and the astrologer has subtly changed the 4
meaning ofthe question (quite unconsciously and with the best intentions), neither will notice 1
that the answer applies toa hypothetical question which was never asked. During this process,
the factors pertinent to the real question, which should have been kept rigidly in the foreground
of consciousness, slide into the background where they ean be comfortably ignored-until the
‘man goes bankrupt, of course.
If, instead of going to an astrologer, the client had gone to a bookkeeper, and the bookkeeper
had told him that he could get out of debt by assuming that two and two equal five, the client
‘would think the bookkeeper had lost his mind. When the astrologer or the client changes the fo-
cus of the question, both of them, inspired by wishful thinking, they have subconsctously a¢-
cepted the proposition that two and two make five. The result of this well-meaning deceit brings
to light another precept of horary astrology: a dishonest question yields a dishonest answer.
That is, a false answer.
Tie bis mote mle of horary astrology is: State the question as clearly and explicitly as pos
Be ee zi the exact time of asking. Keep this always before you. And never
ee 1 ion by a single word, The horary chart applies only to the question asked atthat
Itwill yield no answer whatever to a question that was not asked. And it will yield no
information er i
infomation on collateral matters that have nothing to do with the case, even though these mat-
ay be of equal concer at the same time.What Horary Astrology Is/5
The only way around this is to ask another question, such as, “Is there anything I can do to avoid
bankruptey or prevent it?” A follow-up question like this makes the tacit assumption that bank-
ruptcy will result from allowing things to continue as they are, By acting to change the status quo,
events may be channeled into another course that is more favorable to the querent. Since the see-
ond question will always be asked ata later time, it will yield a different chart, whi
perspective, But it must be a different question, however closely related to the first one.
The second inviolate rule of horary astrology is: Never ask the same question twice in the same
set of circumstances hoping to get a different answer. The chart cast for the first time the ques-
tion is asked produces the only valid answer. All attempts to change this by making multiple
charts for different times result only in confusion and dishonesty.
In horary astrology there are four conditions called “strictures against judgment.” If a chart is
cast for a time when anyone of these conditions prevails, it cannot be read. This often inspires
the client or student to ask the same question again at a later time or on a different day, hoping
for better luck. One of the strangest things about horary astrology is that no matter how often
this question is asked, the result will a chart with a stricture against judgment or one which, for
some other reason, will not yield an answer. This is a clear warning against the practice of re-
peatedly asking the same question, and it comes from within the horary discipline itself, Just as
disobeying the laws of arithmetic will never balance the bankrupt’s books, so disobeying the
laws of horary astrology will never produce a useful answer to any question.
This is probably one reason why horary astrology began to fall into disrepute toward the end of
the nineteenth century. Its rigid rules, its strictures against judgment, its dogmatic Yes-No an-
swers, all smacked of fortune-telling and fatalism. Beginning with Alan Leo and the Theoso-
phists, the ancient pragmatic basis of astrology slowly shifted to something very like a religious
psychological basis. The nineteenth century belief in progress and the optimism that resulted
from what appeared to be man’s scientific mastery over Nature made even astrologers fee! that
they were masters of their fates and captains of their souls. In the myths of the time, virtue al-
‘ways triumphed, every Cinderella married a prince, every seventh son became a millionaire, ev-
eryone could succeed if he worked hard enough, and the poor who are always with us had only
themselves to blame. It was not merely socially unacceptable to question any of these myths, it
was downright blasphemous.
The temper of the times was one of sanctimonious arrogance. Like everyone else, astrologers
are educated in their times, molded by the laws and customs of their society, and brought up to
believe in the prevailing social philosophy. Unfortunately, the whole concept of astrology in all
its branches is antipathetic to scientific materialism, to the Victorian notion that Man is some-
how immune to natural laws, and that the Universe is a vast machine that Man can manipulate
for his own advantage. Astrology cannot accept this basic philosophy for a very simple reason:
if it does, it cannot function, it will not work, When a body of knowledge cannot be made toG/Horary Astrology and the Judgment of Events
work within the frame of the prevailing social philosophy, it falls into disrepute 1 is classified
by the leamed, who are those who function best in the frame ofthe social philosophy, asa “su
™ All respectable intellectuals ignore it all religions condemn it, The few hardy spirits
perstition. il
{iho continue to practice it are regarded with suspicion and treated with mockery.
Thisis what happened to astrology in the nineteenth century. Interest init could be revived only
if the basic social philosophy changed, or if some person, like Alan Leo, deliberately and con-
sciously restated the principles of astrology in such a way as to minimize the contradictions be-
tween the two systems. For astrology to survive and function in the age of scientific arrogance
ry 0 find some part ofthe ancient knowledge that agreed with some aspect ofthe
prevailing materialistic social philosophy. Alan Leo found this common meeting ground inthe
it was nec
concept offee will. Natal astrology was the branch where free will could be constantly empha-
sized without doing too much violence to the basic astrological law: “As above, so below.”
By constant emphasis upon free will, Alan Leo’s followers gradually built up a system of natal
astrology which implied that, regardless of your natal chart, you were free to choose to do and
be anything you wanted, provided that you responded to the “higher vibrations.” The horoscope
came to be regarded as a psychological mirror in which the inner nature of the man was re-
flected. “Bad” aspects gradually became “difficult,” then “challenging.” Malefics gradually be-
came “disciplinary influences.” What mattered was not the aspects and the planets themselves,
but how they were used.
There is much to be said for this viewpoint of the natal chart. Most of us today practice this type
of natal astrology. It works fairly well in a society where education is universal and many differ-
cent kinds of opportunity are open to each person. It would fail to work in a slave society, in an
absolute tyranny, or in a society in the grip of a terrible disaster. It may work to save your life if
you can get an operation in time. But it will not work to save your life if an atomic bomb falls
suddenly on your city. In other words, the modern concept of the natal chart that you are free to
develop every position and aspect of your horoscope constructively; or that you can choose the
way you will go, can be maintained only by people who live in a relatively free society.
ry or mundane astrology, it be-
tructively, but
When this view of the natal chart is transferred to either hor:
comes wishful thinking. An individual may learn to use Mars square Saturn cot
no amount of free choice or desire will transform this into a good aspect in a horary chart. Any-
one who tries to do so will get a false answer. If you get enough false answers, you stop asking
il in disrepute among us.
questions. For this reason horary astrology is
Remember that few people really want to know the truth. They are content to be told that what
they already believe is true,How Horary Astrology Developed
Horary astrology and its related field, mundane, did not develop in free societies. They devel-
oped in societies where the majority of people were slaves and where all people, even kings and
high pricsts, were constantly aware of human bondage to Nature. Surrounded by desert, Egypt
was a narrow green ribbon wholly dependent upon the annual Nile flood. Mesopotamia was a
barren plain cut by two rivers that tended to dry up in the summer; water was, therefore, hoarded
in reservoirs and rationed to the fields through an elaborate system of irrigation ditches. Trade
was as precarious as agriculture, for it meant that people had to travel thousands of miles
through hostile country, across deserts and mountains; or, like the Greeks and Phoenicians, take
to the dangerous sea in frail ships. Who knew, when setting out, if he would ever return?
Throughout its long history, Egypt suffered few invasions because the deserts on either side
were too formidable for prim ss. But the Mesopotamian cities on the open
plain were constantly harried by fierce nomadic tribes, jealous of their wealth. Like the Indians
of the American West, bands of Bedouins would suddenly swoop down on lonely outposts, kill-
ing or enslaving everyone. Then who could say, when he went out in the moming to tend his
flocks or his fields, that night would see him safely back inside the city walls?
Human existence was precarious. Every bowl of food, every drop of water, every shekel eamed
in trade, every day of life was snatched in peril from an unfriendly world. Each man lived in the
constant awareness that his existence depended upon the sufferance of jealous gods, Atany mo-con understand divine tolerance might suddenly cease, and ig
ms see a Neg ol Ut held the power of ie and eat, pon ho caer woe
Never fr 3 re eral everyone was im Homage cas ee
seo aecapsowspowsrftheeteral wr AMUN a na nec eE
Novhing was mote eal Ha7 MTT Fate, People lived from day to day with one consuming ge- Sue neeeie
that capricious powers 1895 Twenty-four hours. ¥ think it probable that the whole devel.
sire: to get the Best oF a ee ion of the human brain has been a response tothe human ne See
mentor human cuter andi t vs
ome ve free from the bondage of Fate alarming a horar
sire tobe free ; 4 circumstances o
sus wot: Zeus atnets ee, His word for reodom was auarkia which mean abslug ora valid re
Acschy! vera what one wished and to command anything ‘one wanted,” In English we call this ae Gath solves al
panera det eas a an tiene
jocracy, ‘within this w
society, and other people have no influence on their lives and ‘world about
People who believe that Nature,
power over them should stay
ivrkia, This branch of our att, the only one
nothing to offer them.
‘away from horary astrology. They are like Zeus, secure i thei
that still consciously struggles to outwit Fate, has
the existence of an extemal world.” So does horary astrology tt
istorians and sociologists, the existence of a social world, And, fal
a as te expe and commen ese tet ase he xe ft
Fronts we knox our family ens, and associates. Every valid horary question wit neem
aioe rd elationship between the querent and one or more ofthese outer worlds, which ate ab
Jpete to him and which he doesnot absolutly contol If sucha relationship exists, the chart
+r Leoveal whether itis favorable or unfavorable, If there is no valid relationship (although the
uerent may thnk there is), stricture against judgment will appear inthe chart which meansit
cannot yield an answer.
Einstein said, “Physies assumes
Ifthe querent asks about an external situation so vast and powerful in relation to himnsef that
nothing he does can affect it or change it, the answer will be false or ambiguous. For example,
there will be no reliable answer to a question about when a war will be over, because, in relation
to the war, the querent is powerless. Nothing he does can circumvent the destiny of the war. But
if someone wants to know when their son will return from the war, a straight answer will be,
siven because the relationship between a parent and their child is both viable and limited,
Ifthe querent asks about an inner problem unrelated to anything in the external world, there will
not be an answer either. For instance, there will not be an answer to the question: “Will ever be.
cured of my neurosis?” This is because neurosis is an emotional maladjustment within some-
one’s own psyche, and the “war” is within that person, While the neurosis may be projected.How Horary Astrology Developed/9
upon the external world, it has no real existence apart from the querent. But if someone asks
whether or not their spouse will ever be cured of a neurosis, a valid answer can be found, be-
cause there is a valid, limited relationship with another person about whom the querent is deeply
concerned.
In using the horary technique, always bear these distinetions in mind. Refrain from asking about
things that are none of your busin
There is one more limitation of horary astrology that must never be forgotten. No matter how
alarming a horary chart may be, it never reveals the death of the querent nor anything about the
circumstances of his death, Horary charts frequently reveal the death of other people who have
or had valid relationships with the querent, but never the querent s death, The reason is obvious:
death solves all problems, ends all conflicts, and puts a stop to all viable, limited relations with
the external world of material affairs for that individual. Questions can only apply to relations
within this world and its special, limited circumstances. Death moves us into another, unknown
world about which horary astrology has nothing whatever to say.Strictures Against Judgment
s occur in a chart set up to answer a question, we say that the
If any of the following condition
chart is not radical and it cannot be judged.
1. Void-of-course Moon. The Moon is void of course when it makes no major aspect to another
planet before it leaves the sign itis in. The major aspects are: conjunction, trine, square, sextile,
opposition, quincunx, parallel, and contraparallel. Some people include the semisextile,
semisquare, and sesquiquadrate, but I have not found them effective in preventing the dead-end
result that comes from a void-of-course Moon condition.
Example: I am writing this on February 24, 1972. The Moon is in Cancer. At 9:01 p.m. EST it
makes a square aspect to Uranus in Libra. From that moment until February 25, at 7:17 p.m.
EST, when it enters Leo, it makes no aspect (o another planet. Therefore, any chart cast to an-
swer a question from 9:01 p.m. on the 24th to 7:17 p.m. on the 25th will find this stricture
against judgment present. According to the rules of horary astrology, such a chart will not be
radical and cannot be read.
The reason for this stricture is that, in horary astrology, the Moon rules fienction, When it makes
no aspect to another planet until after it eaves the sign itis in, nothing functions in the situation
that gave rise to the question. Therefore, until circumstances change, which they will do when
the Moon moves into the next sign, the situation is not viable. The question has no future aspa rent, It may also be b
savas die ear tacepi Homey Defend beer
¢ ‘or eircumstances Surrounding the job he asked about may change
For instance, pPe
chat often means
rhe
really tha ibs
Sitoreouse Moone
pout a dade ste
garded the most dangerous in the zodiac, probably because two to three thousand years agoit
For several yeas [tried to ignore it when reading horary charts. I found that the effect ofthe
Moon in the Via Combusta was much like a conjunction of the Moon with Uranus. Events
took a sudden, unpredictable turn that contradicted the reading and was not advantageous to
the querent. Usually the event was connected with violence, a social or natural disaster, war,
‘or accidents. Sometimes it was the sudden death of a person on whom the outcome depended,
for the destruction of the property asked about, Needless to say, I went back to observing the
stricture
4. Less than 3 degrees or more than 27 degrees ofa sign rising. Inthe first case, the matter asked
bout is not ripe enough fo yield a solution to the question, or the question is premature, In the
second ease, the matter asked about has already been settled or is So close to a conclusion that
the question is relevant.
This th only sc
urceandminute ning
ton asked consider
inthe ray chan st
isan eltion it
To take advantage of
greater than 10 minut
cannot say you'll goa
‘Venus. Only a natal p
‘the planet making t
of a favorable outcom
asks, “Shall Thave my
hus is exactly rising
many serious afMicti
‘A neutral planet sin
fever as been aske
natal planet is signi
sal papers, and his n
Forced situation wh
probably be to his a
Ifthe querent’s natal
He i really troubled
some sort ofbind he
‘else in the hope the
natal Satum may be
suicide, of one who
afraid to go to a do
agent, or someone
‘When the natal Satu
the question asked,
asks about the wisde
well aspected, He sh
‘underlying situation
Never ask such a qu
business: itisnot pa
furs, study the nStrictures Against Judgment/13
This is the only stricture against judgment to which there is an exception, and itis this: ifthe de-
gree and minute rising is in exact conjunction with a natal planet in the querent’s chart, the ques-
tion asked is considered to be one of special importance. The natal planet which is exactly rising
in the horary chart is then incorporated into it and is taken as the horary ruler and everything clse
{ in relation to it, The result may be extremely illuminating, .
To take advantage of this exception you must have the querent’s correct natal chart, as no orbs
+ than 10 minutes of are can be allowed. Only the conjunction permits this exception, You
nnot say you'll go ahead and read the chart because the horary Ascendant is exactly trine your
Venus. Only a natal planet can be used; a midpoint will not validate the horary chart.
Ifthe planet making the conjunction is a benefic or the significator of the question, the chances
of a favorable outcome are increased. For instance, the querent who makes her living as a model
asks, “Shall I have my face lifted? I’m getting on and losing jobs because of it.” [her natal Ve-
nus is exactly rising in the horary chart, the answer would probably be yes unless there were
many serious afflictions from the horary malefics.
A neutral planet rising, or the natal Mars, usually means that the querent will have to do what-
ever has been asked about, because he will have no choice in the matter, especially if the rising
natal planet is a significator in the question. Suppose the client asks if he should sign certain le-
gal papers, and his natal Mercury, the significator of signing papers, is exactly rising. He is in a
forced situation where he has to sign, but unless the Mercury is seriously afflicted, it will
probably be to his advantage.
Ifthe querent’s natal Saturn is exactly rising, the question asked is not the one on the his mind.
He is really troubled about something that is a very grave matter, but he is afraid to ask. He is in
some sort of bind he cannot discuss, and he sees no way out, He asks a question about something
clse in the hope the answer will provide a solution to his unspoken problem, For instance, the
natal Saturn may be rising on an invalid horary Ascendant of a querent who is contemplating
suicide, of one who has committed a crime, of one who suspects he has a fatal disease but is
affaid to go to a doctor, or of one whose whole life is based on a li, like a bigamist, a secret
agent, or someone traveling on forged papers.
When the natal Saturn rises on the invalid Ascendant, even if well aspected and a significator of
the question asked, the querent should be warmed against doing what he asks about. Suppose he
asks about the wisdom of buying a certain house. Saturn is the significator of real estate, and itis
well aspected. He should be advised not to buy because he does not really want the house. Or the
underlying situation that troubles him is so grave he will never have any use for the house.
Never ask such a querent what he really fears. What the client refuses to talk about is not your
business: it is not part of the astrologer’ function to pry. [you must know the true state of af
fairs, study the natal chart. But do not reveal what you discover to anyone elseSigns and Rulers
Horary astrology is concerned with circumstances, usually of a limited and transitory nature.
Therefore, the signs of the zodiac, which describe innate temperament and character, are of less
importance than the houses, which describe what we do with our innate qualities, how we func~
tion in the accidental circumstances of our :lives, and our relations with others.
This is the opposite of natal astrology, where the signs are more important than the houses. Natal
astrology makes the assumption that character is fate, From this it follows that by changing our
character, we can change our fate, which in turn will change our reaction to circumstances and.
to other people. Natal astrology operates in a framework of cycles, which describe life as a pro-
cess of growth, change, and decay. These cycles are measured along the ecliptic, which is the
plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Natal astrology is a Sun-oriented system.
Horary astrology makes the assumption that circumstance is fate. It operates in a framework of
events which describe life asa series of incidents, a history, or drama, This series is measured by
the daily spin of the Farth on its axis. Horary time is not a cycle. Itis clock time, measured from
one sunrise to the next, and is a Moon-oriented system,
The horary chart is a picture of an event frozen in time. Any development of this event is inher-
ent in the moment of its initiation. If this were not the case, we could never predict the outcome
of anything.