Horary Astrology: Method, Questions, and Kairos

Introduction

"Horary" is derived from the Greek root "hora"¹ meaning "hour". The horary practitioner uses the exact moment when the question is asked, or the moment when he thinks he has understood it, to cast a chart, which is considered as the natal chart of the question and referred to as the horary chart.

Horary astrology most probably originates in Mesopotamia, as suggested by the documents which have come down to us, the most ancient of which date back to the beginnings of the Christian era and contain numerous references to and quotations from much older manuscripts.

Genethliac astrology and horary astrology share the same fundamental principles, but they have very distinct characteristics.

The first one is that horary astrology does not require the Querent's date and time of birth, which is probably one of the reasons why it was so popular. Indeed, in the old days, only pharaohs and the powerful enjoyed the prerogative of having their birth carefully recorded.

The other difference lies in the fact that genethliac astrology considers all the elements of the chart as a whole, with the Sun as the most important one, whereas horary astrology focuses only on the planets representing the Querent and the Quesited (the object of the question) and gives the Moon the key role.

Furthermore, in the natal chart, aspects among planets are assessed as if they were fixed on a photograph taken at the moment of birth, whereas in the horary chart, the motion of the relevant planets is of crucial significance.

Over the course of centuries, horary practitioners made modifications corresponding to the evolution of the society in which they lived and to the progresses of science. Our time is no exception. Some 20th century astrologers include trans-Saturnian planets, i.e. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, and their modern rulership, and some others use different house systems and orbs, thus opening an expert quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns.

We shall certainly not participate in it because several eminent astrologers, whom we hold in high regard, such as Marc Edmund Jones², Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson³, or Anthony Louis⁴, to cite only a few, work with the modern method and get excellent results.

Our method

As far as we are concerned, we have decided to stick to the foundations inherited from the Tradition. Indeed, we thought that, if we decided to use a calash and that, instead of hitching horses to it, we tethered a car engine to the carriage shaft, there would be little chance that we will reach our destination.

The method used here is directly drawn from the book Christian Astrology by William Lilly⁵, a leading 17th century English astrologer and physician. The only principles we left aside are what the Ancients would refer to as "Strictures", such as the incompatibility between the hour ruler and the Ascendant ruler, the position of the Ascendant between 27° and 3° of any sign, some specific positions of the Moon, Saturn in the 7th house, etc. Strictures were believed to be warnings that the chart is not safe to read.

After having considered the arguments pro and con put forward by widely respected practitioners, we have reached the conclusion that it is not indispensable to take these strictures into account in our beginning 21st century.

Indeed, they were invented by Guido Bonatti⁶, a man who rubbed shoulders with members of the Italian nobility and leaders, and who was the target of many jealous people. He noticed that some clients would consult him with the intention to ridicule him and to this aim, would ask nonsensical questions. Therefore, Bonatti devised his system of strictures in order to screen out evil-minded people. The story does not tell whether he was happy with his invention. The fact remains that in the ledgers in which William Lilly kept his clients' charts, there are several cases with strictures, a clear indication that they were not always taken into account.

Owing to data processing constraints, we had to standardize the orbs of aspects, but we kept them close to those which Lilly recommended.

We left aside parallels of declination and antiscia ⁷ because there is no consensus on their influence among contemporary astrologers. We also neglected sects and the degrees' quality (hayz, dark, empty, etc.) since their nuances do not change the nature of the answer. The rest of our method is identical to Lilly's.

The nature of the questions

In actual one-to-one consultation, it is possible to ask all kinds of questions, including very complex ones where the Querent faces several alternatives. Thus, Marc Edmund Jones describes the method used in order to answer a manager who must choose among five employees the one he should promote.

The possibilities of a computer-generated horary consultation are necessarily more limited, even though the results obtained are strikingly accurate. The programme we have developed accepts questions about marriage, romance, career, and finances.

We kindly draw your attention upon the fact that questions having no direct link with you, or questions addressing trivial or absurd subjects, will receive meaningless answers. For reasons of ethics, we do not deal with matters of health or death.

Kairos or the right moment

The Ancients teach us that the horary chart will provide an accurate answer only if

• the Querent is sincere and focused on what preoccupies him
• he is driven by an irrepressible need to consult the oracle
• the matter of the question is personally related to him
• the question is clearly and precisely worded

In a nutshell, the right moment is the moment when you feel overwhelmed by your concern to the extent that you cannot think of anything else. To phrase your question, use simple and unequivocal words in order to get an equally unequivocal answer. It is preferable to put it in writing because this will help you clarify your own thoughts. Be as specific as possible. We have indeed noticed in many instances that a question may hide another one.

For example, "Does she love me?" may mean "Shall we have a love affair?", or "Will she divorce?". In some other cases, the Querent's mind is a bit muddled and the question is not structured enough. This could be likened to the situation where a person picks tarot cards while thinking of several different things at the same time instead of focusing on what really worries him.

Once the question is fully formed in your mind, you have reached the Kairos, and therefore, you can consult the oracle. If this occurs when you have no access to the Internet, write down the exact time, and keep it for when you have the possibility to visit our website.

The Horary Oracle's answer is given in a clear and detailed form. It describes the situation prevailing at the moment you asked the question and also tells you how to handle the available planetary energies in order to serve your purpose.

To the best of our knowledge, as we publish these lines, we are the only website in the Francophone and Anglophone worlds which offers computer-generated Horary Reports.

If you use the Horary Oracle correctly, you will rapidly find out that it is a formidable empowering tool which enables you to make wise decisions and to cope with the turbulence that we all experience in life. This is our firm belief, which has been forged by numerous years of real life practice and by free readings done on a leading international forum on the Internet.