Question timing

[wintersprite1]

With all the wonderful Retro planets and now the Moon Via Combusta, I noticed there are many fewer Horary questions being asked. Recently I spoke with an Astrologer friend that recommended not checking a question thru Horary.... because of the Retrogrades. I have heard another suggest, wait until the Moon passes the VOC period to ask. Um, doesn't that negate the very principles of Horary? I know I have been guilty of not "allowing" a question to form.... and not very successfully, when I know the planets are not playing nicely with each other. When the question eventually forms... I do let the chips fall where they may, reminding myself that I alone will not control "destiny" because I chose to forget I asked at a certain time.

So I guess I am just wondering, with the current lull.... how many of us are trying to cheat "destiny".

TK

[lillyjgc]

Wintersprite1,
I don't think it's so much about not asking a horary question at a time you are unlikely to get the answer you seek- its more about getting a clear answer,one way or the other. When the moon is void its hard to predict *what will happen* which is the main point of asking a horary question.When its in the via combusta, again, some matters will be hidden from view...
With the retrogrades, a negative answer is not always gained when significators are retro.It depends on the question.
Recently, pluto has gone retro-but pluto isnt used in traditional horary astrology. Mercury is,and with Saturn in Mercury's sign, there can be useful receptions.
I dont think its a case of *trying to cheat destiny* so much as knowing what to ask and when to ask it. When significating planets are out of dignity, it is an indication that the question has not formed enough to elicit a clear answer.
hope that helps to explain...
cheers, lillyjgc

[Summery Joy]

Wintersrpite1,

I see the point, but won't that be kinda like cheating? I understand it when one is one is doing electional astrology, but horary? What about the sacred time and place when the question first genuinely comes to you?

Rx planets are not always that bad, you know. Sometimes they uncover things that are otherwise unknown.

I say don't worry about it. Be honest with horary.

[archergirl]

Heh. And here is the sticky wicket for people who pay attention to the stars!

I am very guilty of 'timing' my horary questions, to get the right moon, to get the right ascendant, etc.

In other words, if the Moon is in Scorpio, I put off questions until I know she has moved into Sagittarius. She is peregrine, but at least not in fall there.

Is this cheating? I don't think so. In all of the horary questions I have 'timed', I *still* will get an answer I don't like, if the answer to that question is something I wouldn't like anyway. I don't think it's coincidental; something else will 'go wrong' with the chart; the significators are cadent, or just passed an aspect, or the Moon won't be in the right degree to make the chart 'work'. Horary doesn't lie, and no matter how much we blind and fallible humans try, we still can't manipulate the wider picture very well.:p

Lilly, after all, had a much more intimate knowledge of the passing of the planets, as he didn't have the luxury of computer-generated charts. He had to do every one by hand, and so he would have been keenly aware of the Moon's placement, etc, especially since he probably did charts back-to-back, and simply adjusted the degrees of the Ascendant and Moon to accord with the chart. He still agreed to do charts back-to-back, knowing full well what the answers might be, but he looked at each chart on an individual basis.

AG:)

[Summery Joy]

This is actually good, AG, because we can actually use your "timed" charts to check, if you don't mind of course.

How often are the answers you get to your horaries correct when you have timed the question?

[LionKing]

Hi everyone! I was sort of took that in consideration when I looked at the Moon Friday night and the game between the Lakers and Celtics. It looked good for a Lakers win until I saw that the Moon is Via Combustion, and seeing that it wasn't going to make the 23 degree Spica. I believe that horary astrology is still usful, it just makes it more challenging and that is what I like. V/r LionKing:sunny:

[Summery Joy]

What if the Rx planets or debilitated Moon can give the answer you actually want? Sometimes that happens, you know :)

I dunno. If it works for you guys, then go ahead and do it. After all, horary works in different ways and everyone may still arrive at the same answer.

[barbh]

I have to admit that I am guilty of trying to 'avoid the voids', since I'm always uber aware of them. However, when a question reaches it's peak...you know, one of those questions when it really hits you in the face and you know its the absolute perfect time to ask it...there's no trying to time it, it simply is when it is. I know we strive for that with all horaries, but its not always the case unfortunately. It's the ones where you know you want to know, and it feels right, but it's just not quite as strong as some of the other ones are. Those are the ones that get me thinking a little too much.
:)
barbh

[Blandy]

to me it kind of is like cheating, I've often wondered about this as well, and I try to not be so aware of the moon signs phases or VOC for more accurate results. Horary is just like any form of divination, Tarot readers don't use decks that are marked to increase the chances of getting the answer they want or getting any answer at all. I doubt avoiding VOCs or unfavorable placements for the moon will give you an accurate answer, you can't just decide when you're going to ask something.

[archergirl]

Hi Blandy,

Perhaps you missed this:

In all of the horary questions I have 'timed', I *still* will get an answer I don't like, if the answer to that question is something I wouldn't like anyway. I don't think it's coincidental; something else will 'go wrong' with the chart; the significators are cadent, or just passed an aspect, or the Moon won't be in the right degree to make the chart 'work'. Horary doesn't lie, and no matter how much we blind and fallible humans try, we still can't manipulate the wider picture very well

No indeed, you can't get a different answer from what the stars would tell you anyway. If it was actually 'cheating', as you say, then you *would* be able to get a different answer...but something else in the chart, whether it be a late ascendant (often a sign of 'tinkering', anyway) or no aspects or whatever, will sort of block whatever the querent is trying to get around.:p

AG:)