Okay people, it’s time you learn about this thing I do called horary astrology.
It’s crazy to me that there are so many people into astrology these days that have never heard of horary! So I’ve made it my mission to try and change this situation, starting right now.
What is horary
Most of you are probably familiar with using the astrology of your birth to get information about your life. Technically this kind of astrology is called “natal astrology” (from the Latin natus meaning “birth”) – it’s actually just one application of astrology among many, one branch of the astrology tree.
Traditionally, there are four main branches of astrology:
Mundane astrology
Natal astrology
Electional astrology
Horary astrology
Mundane astrology focuses on world events and politics. Natal astrology focuses on the births (or “nativities”) of individual human beings. Electional astrology focuses on choosing opportune times for beginning ventures. And horary astrology, the lowest of the branches, is concerned with answering questions.
That’s right, answering questions. Almost any question, in fact – so long as it’s asked in earnest. And that makes horary astrology a particularly powerful tool.
Here’s how it works in a nutshell:
Ask me a question – almost any question will do (with a few exceptions)
As soon as I understand your question I’ll cast a chart, showing the position of the planets and signs at that exact time and place
By examining the chart and identifying the planets relevant to your inquiry, I can make a judgment about that configuration and give you an answer to your question.
It’s this practise of casting the chart for the exact moment the astrologer understands the question – right here and right now – that gives horary its name. Hora is the Latin word for “hour,” but by extension it also means “the current moment,” in the same way that people used to say “What is the hour?” when they meant “What is the time?”
In many ways, horary astrology is similar to well-known divination or “fortune telling” practises like tarot or the I Ching. On its surface it’s a very similar transaction: the client comes to the diviner seeking answers, and the diviner interprets a seemingly random set of symbols, to arrive at the answer they need. The difference is the set of symbols each practise employs – tarot uses cards, but astrology uses the planets.
Horary is useful
Historically, horary was an extremely popular form of astrology. In fact, in Europe during the Renaissance period, horary astrology was more popular than natal. Now this is partly due to the fact that many people back then didn’t know their birth time. But it’s also because horary astrology is just so darn useful. And the reason that horary is useful because it’s so specific.
Firstly there’s the issue of scope. In natal astrology, we are dealing with a vast subject – the entire life of a human being. The chart of a human being encompasses a great many things, and can be interpreted in many different ways by different astrologers. Put simply, there’s a lot of info jammed into the natal chart, and a great many potential interpretations. And that means there’s a limit to how specific a natal astrologer can be, when a client has a particular inquiry to discuss.
By comparison, horary is much more focused. The horary chart’s entire purpose, its scope, its very raison d'être, is much more confined than a natal chart. While the natal chart contains within it the entire life of a human being, with all of that vast potential, the horary chart contains just one thing: the answer to a question. For this reason, the volume of data within the chart, and the number of potential interpretations, is always going to be far fewer in horary than it is in natal astrology.
Secondly there’s the issue of technique. One thing that natal astrology is not short of is predictive techniques; you can profect the chart, direct the chart and bisect the chart, you can look at progressions and ingresses and transgressions, and goodness knows what else. So when a client comes to you wanting to know if and when something or other is going to happen, it can sometimes be hard to know which techniques to whip out of the toolbox – or what to do when the techniques are all telling you different things!
In horary the astrologer has a much greater deal of certainty about how to read the chart than in natal astrology. Horary uses a strict set of traditional rules, passed down from antiquity to the present. There is a right way and a wrong way to read a horary chart, and there are specific techniques to be used for specific questions. In other words, there are less options for the astrologer, which makes the task considerably easier.
So not only is there much less data to deal with in horary, but there’s also a much clearer pathway to answering a specific inquiry. And with that clarity, we can answer questions with a level of precision that is simply not possible in a natal reading.
Examples of horary’s usefulness
Let’s run through some examples of situations where horary can be more useful than natal, starting with a very popular topic...
Example one: Relationship inquiry
Say you have a crush on someone you work with and you want to ask them out, but you’re not sure how they feel about you and you’re a bit scared of rejection, so you come to me, the astrologer, for some advice.
Using natal astrology, I could perhaps use a few predictive techniques to see if this is a fortunate time in your life for love and romance. So if I see the progressed Moon conjunct natal Venus, and the profected Ascendant reaching natal Venus, I might tell you “This looks like a good year for you in terms of love and romance, so I say take a chance and ask them out, you might get lucky!”
While this is encouraging, it’s not especially helpful – all we have is a general theme (relationships) and a vibe (good stuff). We don’t know where or with whom the good fortune in romance will manifest; we don’t know if the office crush likes you or not, and we still don’t know whether asking them out will end in a lifelong romance or a devastating rejection. So ultimately, for this particular inquiry, natal astrology will still leave you in the dark.
But if we use horary astrology, you can just ask me straight up, “Will this person go on a date with me?” And I can get you an answer, yes or no, by looking at the ruler of the 7th house of the horary chart, and how it is configured with the Moon and the Lord of the 1st house.
Example two: Moving inquiry
Say you’ve been living in your current home for a while, but an opportunity to move into a new home emerges. You’re unsure whether the change will be positive or negative, so you come to me, the astrologer, for some advice.
If I use natal astrology to help you with this quandary, I could look at your chart and see whether there are any indications of a move this year. So if I looked and saw that you were soon to enter a 4th house profection year, or your progressed Moon is entering your 4th house, I might advise you “It looks like issues around where you live are going to be a focal theme for this year.”
Now that’s kind of helpful I suppose; it suggests that a relocation might be on the cards for you this year. But it’s really hard to say – the 4th house signifies a great many things besides your home, including family, parents, ancestors, land, and even buried treasure! There’s no way for me to know for sure whether you will actually move this year, or whether some other 4th house topics become more prominent.
And even if I do decide for some reason that the natal chart is indicating a move, I’d still be unsure whether moving to the particular house you had in mind is the way to go, or whether the natal chart is pointing to a different location, one you haven’t even considered yet.
But if we use horary astrology, we can be much more focused – by the very act of asking the question “Is it better for me to stay where I am or to move into this new house?” we’ve narrowed down the range of possible symbolic interpretations considerably. Instead of wondering what the ruler of the 4th signifies, we know with absolute certainty that it signifies the specific house you are asking about. And with that certainty in mind, we can analyse the 4th house and its ruler to see if the home is in a good state of repair, if it’s worth the asking price, that kind of thing.
Example three: Career inquiry
Say you’re happy with your current job, but a new job opportunity opens up at work and you’re wondering whether to go for it or not.
Using natal astrology, I can look at your chart and see whether there are any indications of a change of fortune in relation to career. Perhaps Jupiter is about to transit your 10th house, or perhaps your progressed Venus will conjoin your MC this year. If I see indications like that I can tell you “It looks like you will have some good fortune in relation to career this year.”
Again this is somewhat helpful, suggesting that taking the new job might be a good move. But again, we really don’t know for sure what the natal chart is showing us – perhaps the good fortune indicated in the natal chart concerns the current job, the one you already have? By switching jobs you might be making a mistake!
With a horary question, the chart is confined to the particular job inquired about - “Is it better for me to take this job or stay with my current job?” Just like the moving inquiry above, by reducing the range of possible interpretations of the astrology, we can give much more concrete and specific advice.
Learn more about horary
I hope this article has piqued your interest in horary! If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating and highly useful branch of traditional astrology, there’s a number of great resources online for you to check out
Skyscript.co.uk» has heaps of information about traditional horary astrology, articles, interviews with horary astrologers, and so much more. A real treasure trove!
Blogs and websites of practising traditional astrologers are another great source of information on this ancient art. In particular I’d recommend checking out sites like Ryhan Butler’s Medieval Astrology Guide», Dr J. Lee Lehman’s personal website», the blog» of my pal Nate Craddock, and my horary teacher Christopher Warnock’s website Renaissance Astrology».
There are a number of great books out there about horary astrology – two of my favourites are Dr. J. Lee Lehman’s essential work, The Martial Art of Horary Astrology, and the no-nonsense Horary Textbook by John Frawley.
And of course, you can also keep an eye out for articles about horary on this very website! I plan to write up a bunch more example charts and articles about the philosophy and practise of horary astrology, so watch this space.