Horary Astrology

hor-AIR-ee

Definition

Horary astrology is the branch in which a chart is cast for the exact moment a specific question is asked or received. The person asking — the querent — is shown by the 1st house and its ruling planet, and the thing asked about — the quesited — is shown by whichever house governs that topic. The first major applying aspect between those two rulers, the next aspect still forming, tells the outcome.

In Tradition

In traditional Western astrology, horary is counted as one of the principal branches. It rests on a single axiom: the chart drawn for the moment a question is born already holds the circumstances of the matter and how it will turn out.

In Practice

Astrologers cast horary charts to answer specific, well-formed questions. The astrologer finds the house that fits the question, identifies the planets that rule the relevant houses (the significators), and examines the aspects still forming between them. Derived houses let them locate matters belonging to any other party — the querent's partner, employer, or child. A void-of-course Moon, combustion (a planet hidden too close to the Sun), and retrograde motion all modify the judgment.

Historical Origin

Horary grew out of the Hellenistic branch of katarchic, or inceptional, astrology, though Brennan notes that references to it in the Hellenistic tradition are "noticeably rare." It was fully developed in the medieval Arabic tradition. Lilly's *Christian Astrology* (1647) is the foundational English-language horary text.

Etymology

Origin: Latin. Meaning: From horarius, "of the nature of the hour" — referring to the specific moment the question is asked.

Definition

In Tradition

In Practice

Historical Origin

Etymology

Further Reading