HORARY ASTROLOGY

The Radical Question

by Deborah Houlding QHP
All the Ancients that have wrote of questions, do give warning to the
Astrologer, that before he deliver judgment he well consider whether the
Figure is radical and capable of judgment — Christian Astrology (1647)
p.121
This article is extracted from issue 8 of The Traditional Astrologer
Magazine. Horary is featured in each issue, with sample charts and
instruction from leading experts.
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The ‘considerations before judgement’ are one of the most commonly
misunderstood and undervalued techniques of horary astrology. Today they
are often referred to as ‘strictures’, a term which has helped to foster the
belief that we are absolutely forbidden or incapable of judging a chart
whenever one of the considerations is present. As a result, some astrologers
discard a chart out-of-hand if they see any of the so-called ‘strictures
against judgement’, while others view the whole issue as so unnecessarily
restrictive that they ignore them altogether.
My own perspective towards the considerations has changed as my
experience has deepened. From an attitude of flippancy, I have developed a
sincere respect and sensitivity to their presence. They are not ‘rules’,
‘strictures’ or ‘censures’; they are merely words of caution and advice,
passed on to new students from experienced practitioners who have come
to recognise the value and vitality of their guidance.
Anyone who looks upon horary astrology as a precise art that will yield an
accurate answer to any question is labouring under a fallacy. The timing of
the question, and the nature of the question itself, is all important. We have
no sensible theories as to why horary works, other than the philosophy that
the universe is one, and that at rare and precious moments we are moved
spiritually to ask questions that are relevant to the moment. Being human,
we often try to get a little more than that, seeking answers to questions that
are merely drifting through our minds, or wanting to know about matters
which no longer have any psychic significance. The result is a bad horary

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— the symbolism is as weak as the question itself and the whole chart
paints a poor picture of the people and situations involved. The warning
frequently given in traditional works, is to ‘check that the chart be radical
and fit to be judged’, — a caution which is usually tendered with the
advice: not to judge ‘on trifling occasions, or light sudden emotions’ but
only on matters of ‘honest importance’.
The general principle to bear in mind is that the stronger someone feels
they need to know something, and the more they understand exactly what it
is they want to know, the clearer and more dynamic the chart will be. The
question does not have to be earth-shattering, it is more a question of
timing — it has to be of deep concern to the querent at the time the
question is asked. If someone is pulling questions from the back of their
mind, the issue is not the centre of focus in their life and the chart will be
correspondingly ‘hazy’. A common scenario is when someone discovers
that you have the ability to find lost objects and asks if you can locate a
gold bracelet they lost two years ago. The question no longer has any
emotional potency. My answer would be ‘no, but I might have been able to
have helped you two years ago, when you were really concerned about it’.
It’s telling that I have seldom found this consideration to be a problem with
client work — perhaps paying for a chart is some guarantee of its
significance — it usually crops up with friends and family members who
think that I can turn to the heavens to answer their problems at the drop of a
hat. The solution is to adopt a strict discipline with acquaintances and
refuse to answer questions unless they really are pressing on someone’s
mind.
A Radical Horary
I had lost my handbag containing my diary, cheque-books and credit cards.
I noticed it was missing when I was due to go out but because I was in a
hurry, and because I was sure it was in the house somewhere, I decided to
leave it and let it just ‘turn up’. A couple of days later I needed my diary so
I started to look for the bag and had a quick search through all the rooms in
the house. I couldn’t find it and considered drawing a horary. I got as far as
placing my hands on the computer keyboard when I stopped myself and
decided that I hadn’t given enough thought to the question. I realised that I
couldn’t really be bothered to have a thorough look for the bag and that no
horary would by-pass the need for a time-consuming search.
About a week passed before I got really desperate. I badly needed my
cheque book so I systematically went through every room in the house,
checking under and behind all items of furniture, emptying the cloakroom,
searching through wardrobes and drawers, and combing through my

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children’s things. Nothing was left unturned. I even checked the garden and
looked under the seats in the car. Extremely frustrated and feeling very
disappointed, I came to the conclusion that I must have lost the bag or had
it stolen while I was out. At that stage I drew up a horary to put my mind at
rest: — ‘Where is my bag and will I ever get it back?’
I had expected the chart to show that the bag was lost for good but instead
it revealed it to be in my home and very near to recovery. The bag is
signified by 2nd-ruler Venus, which is angular, showing it to be nearby.
The Moon is sextile the 2nd cusp and applying to the conjunction of Venus.
In addition my significator, Mercury, is applying to an almost exact sextile
of Venus by retrograde motion, showing a recovery that is sudden and
unexpected. Having such a clear chart arguing against my own conviction
that the bag was lost was quite disturbing. I had given up looking for it but
felt that to justify my profession I had to find it quick!
Mercury in the 5th house confirmed my suspicions that one of my young
daughters had taken the bag to play with. The last aspect of the Moon
shows this too, as it is separating from a square of the 5th-ruler, Saturn.
Venus in a fire sign shows somewhere off the ground or near a source of
heat. I kept thinking of the cloakroom which has masses of children’s
clothes and coats hanging up, and a central heating boiler at the back of the
room. I’d already examined the room once but Mercury was retrograde, so
this time I emptied it completely and checked every shelf and peg. I didn’t
find the bag but just as I was leaving I thought again about the fire sign and
returned to check the boiler. Right at the back, squashed between the wall
and the floor and almost impossible to reach, was my crumpled bag. The
time of the recovery was 9.05 pm, 15 minutes after the question. I felt more
surprised than an astrologer should admit to, and gratified by the
knowledge that I would not have found it were it not for the horary.
Had I asked the question when I first noticed the bag was missing, or a few
days later when I needed my diary, I doubt that I would have obtained such
a strong and unambiguous chart. At the time of the question I could think
of nothing else, my mind was focused and my whole psyche was centred
on the question that I asked.
© Deborah Houlding - 28 May 1997