HORARY ASTROLOGY
As started in "The Bowl of Heaven," the Ancients, in their Horary Astrology, considered only the mundane position of the heavens at the time the individual sought an answer to his query. It can at once be seen that if two or more persons present their queries at exactly the same time, they would with this method get exactly the same diagnosis, irrespective of what their immediate need might be. Horary Astrology, as practiced by the author, considers also the position of the heavens in relation to the radical chart of the individual. With this method, which is explained below, each person would receive the information bearing on the particular problem involving his life at the moment.
For instance, and for the benefit of the beginner, take the exact time the question is asked and work out for this time the Ascendant, or first house, as well as the cusps of the other eleven houses; just as you would if drawing a natal chart. Instead, however, of placing in this chart the planets as they appear in the heavens at the moment the question is asked, the querent's radical planets should be placed in this chart. The Astrologer should now proceed to read the chart in the same manner as if it were the radix, for the chart as it now stands might be considered the horoscope for the birth of the idea, just as the natal chart is the horoscope for the birth of the individual. The description given for the twelve houses can be utilized either in ascertaining the effects of the planets in the life {317} of the individual or its effects on the horary question. Just as the position of Saturn in any of the twelve houses in the natal chart indicates the source from which we must expect discipline, restricted conditions and the most serious disappointments that the native will find it necessary to meet during his lifetime, so the position of Saturn in the horary figure shows the source of his present worry. For instance, if Saturn is found in the first house, or Ascendant, of the horary figure, the Astrologer must instruct his querent that he is facing depressed health conditions, that he is about to pass through a temporary cloud, and that he may meet with a disappointment of some kind.
If Saturn is in the second house, or house of money, it is safe to assume that the querent has come for enlightenment on some business involving finance, and he should be cautioned against taking any undue risks where money is involved.
Just as Saturn stands for limitation, sorrow, obstacles and delays, and even death of a project or person, Uranus indicates the unexpected, and the querent should be informed that he must not take too seriously any good or ill fortune which may be promised or threatened in any department of life designated by the position of Uranus in one of the twelve houses in which it may happen to fall.
Where Neptune, which stands for the psychic forces, is placed in the horary figure, it always indicates some form of intrigue or camouflage, as this planet is nearly always unfortunate in its influence on the material or mundane plane.
Where Jupiter, which is the "Greater Fortune" and {318} stands for harmony and prosperity, is placed in the horary figure, it always indicates from what source the querent is enjoying happiness or prosperity and from what source he can look for favorable conditions concerning the matters connected with the particular house in which Jupiter is found at the moment. This is a sufficient key to make it possible for the student or Astrologer to determine from what angle or department of life the influence of any planet will be felt. There is not adequate space here to give details regarding the nine planets and the twelve houses; the author plans to do this in another volume.
As an example of the manner in which the author utilizes this branch of Astrology, not only in her professional life but also at any and all times, the following may be noted: During her recent visit to London, when she and Alec Stewart, co-editor of Raphael's Astronomical Ephemeris and Editor of the monthly magazine "Star Lore," were guests at dinner of a well-known British financier, who is a client of Mr. Stewart's, the butler announced an urgent call on the telephone. Our host was informed that his brother was dangerously ill, and when he returned to the drawing-room and informed his guests of the purport of the message, the author turned to Mr. Stewart and said "You will find, if you draw a horary figure for this moment, that our host's Saturn will be in the third house" (brothers and sisters). This was done almost immediately, and true to form, Saturn "was" in the third house!
A much more significant example is that of the late Philip Payne, of the New York "Mirror," who lost his life with the ill-fated, "Old Glory," in her attempt to fly to Rome. He was for some years a client of the author, and, {319} at the time his chart was consulted as to whether this feat would meet with success, his Saturn, Uranus, and Mars were all about to rise, clearly indicating the long delays before starting off, the unexpected happenings, and the ultimate disaster which overtook him and his companions. It is further interesting to note that, on September 6, 1927, at 12.23 P. M., when "Old Glory" hopped off from Old Orchard, Saturn in the heavens was exactly on the Ascendant.
In strong contrast to this figure, at the time Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh hopped off from Mineola, L. I., on May 20, 1927, 6.51 A. M., true time, the Sun and Mercury had just risen, Venus was close to the Ascendant, and the "Greater Fortune," Jupiter and Uranus, the planet of the unexpected, were in the Midheaven. The charts drawn for the time of the flights of these men are not, however, horary figures. They are, rather, the natal charts of the ventures. Horary Astrology practically proves that there are no accidents in the Universe, and that everything happens according to law and order. In substantiating this belief, the author has found that when, because of the unavoidable delay, either on her part or that of the client, the appointment has been held over, it invariably develops that the horary figure, as drawn from the exact moment when consultation takes place, indicates the problem about which he is desirous of obtaining information; and, had there been no delay, the horary figure would not have indicated his problem or offered any assistance in its solution.
This branch of the science must not be used for asking questions out of mere curiosity or in a spirit of levity. {320} Whenever a horary figure seems meaningless, it is either because the question is not worth while or it was erected at a time when nothing very vital was pending, and in such cases the natal chart should be relied upon.
The question often arises as to whether the time when the querent first conceives an idea or the time when the question is put to the Astrologer is the correct time for erecting the horary figure. The author has found that where it is possible for the querent to place definitely the moment of the birth of the "idea," or the time when the proposition was presented to him, this would be the radical figure, which should be considered in combination with that drawn for the time when the question was propounded to the Astrologer. {321}