Should I quit school for this year?

Trying to exercise my(low)horary skills with something that really worries me right now.

First,let me try to explain how the Education system works here in Portugal.I don’t know if it’s the same all around the world but,just in case:here in Portugal,when you reach the age of15,you have to chose a are to continue your studies in.There are lots of area,and they all include Philosophy,English,Portuguese,Maths ,PE and two other subjects which are specific of the are you chose(ie,if you chose the Languages area,you have History,if you chose the arts area,study History of Art,etc).When the time came for me to make a decision,I already knew that I would really like to be a Psychologhist but I didn’t know which area I needed to chose in order to become one.I love History and anything which involves writing,so I was inclined to chose the Languages area,which has to do with journalism,philopshy and anything which involves History.So,I went to the school’s Pshychologist,who told me I needed to go to the Scientific area(related to health care,computers and engineering)if I wanted to be a pshychologist because Pshychology requires certain knowledgments of Biology.That’s what I did:I choosed the Scientific area and I’m currently studying Chimestry&Physichs,Biology&Geology.

Here’s the problem:I don’t need to study Chimestry&Physichs in order to become a pshychologist.So,I decided to cancel that subject.My mom agreed with the decision.But,yesterday,the school called me and my mom to have a reunion with a teacher,who tried to convince me to continue studying Chimestry&Physichs.Now,here’s the real problem:during that conversation,I discovered that,to become a Psychologhist,I could have also choosed the Languages area!Basicly,the school’s Pshychologist gave me wrong advice,and I’m serisouly considering switching areas.

The thing is,switching areas would be something like quitting school for this year.The school year is almost finished,I can’t simply switch areas now;I would have to go home and return school next September.Also,it would imply major money loss for my parents,as they’ve already purchased my school books for this year and there’s no way I could have the money back.They told me they’re alright with it,and they’re being very supportive,but I would feel extremely guilty for doing that.I’m telling you,this whole idea of quitting school for this year terrifies me:I don’t want to sound full of myself but I’ve been a good student so far,I’m not comfortable with the idea of losing a year of my life.So,I asked the question:should I switch areas?

I tried to be as clear as I could,but I had a hard time trying to explain all this;if you need more information,just ask.I will try to upload the chart but I’m not sure if it’ll work,so the question was asked March28,at5h10PM,in Tires,Portugal.

The rising is early(4º54’Virgo-I only found out about all this yesterday so it makes sense),but not too early to judge.So,I’m signified by Mercury,which is in very bad shape(in detriment and opposing the Ascendant),whoich means my head is a mess right now.I’m not sure about this but I understand the9th house is associated with organized learning,so I will assign the quesited to the9th.The ruler of the9th isMars,which is at23º20’Aquarius and in the6th.Taurus is intercepted in the9th,and I have to say I don’t feel very comfortable having a intercepted sign in the house of the quesited..There’s absolutely no aspect between Mercury and Mars,which answers my answer with a’No’.But...my significator sextiles the intercepted ruler of the9th..and I have no idea about what this means…

Now,the Moon.It is at12º02’Leo and in the12th.The next aspect of the Moon is a square to Venus.I have the feeling this shows opposition coming from that teacher I was talking about.She has a very important position in my school(the dignified Venus might show a woman of power).When I mentioned the subject,I could tell she didn’t like the idea of me switching areas.So far,I’ve had a regular school path, I’m started zig-zaging,it’s obvious my teachers are not very happy with all this mess.As if this wasn’t enough,the Moon is also moving to conjunct Saturn,the greater malefic,which happens to be in very bad shape too!Also,I noticed the Midheaven is at the fate degree.being the midheaven related to career,I guess this could mean I still don’t have a clear idea about my career path and a lot of thing can change.

My overall opinion:I would really like to make the change(my significator sextile the intercepted ruler of the9th),but there will be opposition coming from powerful people who will make me second-guess myself again,and again,and again…

Anyway,I’m just a beginner with all this.I would really like to know the opinion of more experienced people!

Thanks in advance!
Take care
Lissa

OK,I forgot to attach the chart LOL .

Here it is.

Hi Lissa,

Fantastic job with the chart reading; you don't give yourself enough credit for your knowledge. I'll just add a few points:

The chart has a Mercury day, Saturn hour, Mercury Ascendant. A radical chart. (It's always good to check this first. It means the question is a valid one.)

Since you are still in school, you might want to consider the 3rd house instead of the 9th for the significator of your class. The 3rd house rules the education system *up to university level*: the 9th then rules universities and all further education after that. The significator for the 3rd is Venus. You apply by sextile, and Venus exalts you. It's *in* the 9th house, which may indicate your concerns about university-level courses.

The Moon is in almost an exact square with Venus, in cadent houses. Venus again disposes the moon by exaltation. This might mean that expectations of the class switch are exaggerated somewhat. When you are desperate to get out of a physics class, this might be the case! The 12th shows your fear and worry about it.

I am thinking that the very early 4th/10th axis in mutable signs is saying that it is premature to make a 'final' decision (since the 4th rules 'the end of the matter' and the 10th generally rules 'ambitions'): things are still forming. The ruler of the 4th, the end of the matter, is Jupiter, very strong; the Moon applies by trine, Mercury (you) are in its sign. First the moon conjuncts Saturn, also in trine with Jupiter: a delay, but everything works out fine in the end.

Aside from this, I am wondering why you cannot finish out the year in the Chemistry/Physics classes, and then switch in the next academic year? Your academic year probably finishes near ours, which is in July. That's only three more months; not very long. I was in a similar position with calculus/trigonometry, once upon a time! I hated it, but stuck it out, and even passed the class [barely]!

My feeling about this chart is this:

Assuming we take Venus as the class, yes, you *can* make the switch and clearly *want* to make the switch; however, the Moon/Venus square suggests delays or difficulties (perhaps unforeseen as the Moon is in the 12th and next conjuncts Saturn). This might be a suggestion to put on the brakes and just finish out the year, as switching (Moon = action) might cause more problems than it's worth (square + Saturn).

If we took Mars as the class, the answer would come out, again, as a warning to 'hold tight', as the Moon applies by opposition but first conjuncts Saturn.

Hope this helps.
Best wishes,

AG

I'm back, with a very silly/basics question

Archergirl,

My question again, has nothing to do with Lissa's chart.
I thought, I'd ask here, because you discussed the moon venus aspect and the reception here. I understand, that the reception and the aspect discussed was in context to lissa's chart. My question is more 'general'.

AG, In a horary where we are looking for a yes or no answer; is it necessary that both the significators recieve each other equally. or is it okay if just one of the significators recieve the other.

Like over here, the moon in leo recieves venus in taurus by exaltation. but venus only recieves the moon by term. The reception is not equal.

If venus was the significator of the quesited, and if the aspect between them was more favourable like trine or sextile, is that interpreted as a positive/favourable outcome?

Also, i have difficulty reading the ptolemy's table. Perhaps, I could clear another question related to reception here.

According to the table, Venus's term in leo is 19 degree. The moon in Lissa's chart is at 12 degree leo. Is Venus recieving the moon by term?

Hi Ishk,

No question is too basic! I *still* have trouble with some of the 'basics', and sometimes the most obvious answers are the ones that elude me the most!

Reception is, as you have guessed, highly contextual. Where there is strong mutual reception there is an easy facilitation of whatever has been asked, especially if also applying by favourable aspect. However, this same principle also applies in 'negative' questions as well; the 'negative' answer will be made more powerful by the application/reception. Imagine two mortal enemies, fighting it out, with the same weapons and the same intent to kill one another!

Where the reception is more mixed, and one significator has more reception than the other (e.g exaltation vs. term only), the power is unevenly distributed. If this were to be in a relationship question, for example, the person held in exaltation by the other one (so Mercury in the exaltation of Venus) would be said to be 'put on a pedestal', which is an uncomfortable place to be, and not necessarily 'good for' the relationship. As Mercury is also in fall, this is especially the case; it means that the Mercury person cannot live up to those expectations! If the reception is equal, it is more likely that both parties are bringing equal amounts of idealism to the relationship, but again, it is very dependent upon the actual condition of each individual. It's not *necessary* for each significator to receive the other equally; rather, it is a simple description of the state of each person/thing, a description of their own individual power and the power held by the 'other' in the chart.

I am learning [slowly ] that there is no such thing as a simple 'yes' or 'no' answer. Charts can be read as such, but usually there is more to a chart, which you can judge by the condition of the significators, house placements, receptions, etc. Often there is a lot more to the story than the querent lets on. It's good to ask questions, if possible, about how the querent feels, their point of view, etc.

Ptolemy's table is a real pain at first, but becomes easier when you think of it like this.

Take Taurus. The Moon is exalted in Taurus, but reaches its zenith of exaltation at 3 degrees (don't know why; someone must! ). If you look at the terms for Taurus, you see something like:

Venus 8 Mercury 15 Jupiter 22 Saturn 26 Mars 30.

The way to remember this is through the key words: "up to". So, a planet will be in the terms of another planet, in that sign, "up to" the number listed by the planet.

So a planet will be in Venus' terms from 0 degrees Taurus, "up to" 8 degrees, even if it is 7 deg 59 arcminutes. At 8 degrees 0 arcminute Taurus, a planet will be in the terms of Mercury, "up to" 14 deg 59 arcminutes; at 15 deg 0 min it will be in the terms of Jupiter, and so on. So there is a range. Also note that the malefics, Mars and Saturn, *always* rule the final degrees of the terms, and that there is a pattern in the rulerships by face.

This seems pretty confusing at first, unless you just think about that number in the table as the very outer limit of those particular terms.

Hope that makes it clear... um....

Best wishes,
AG

deleted post.

AG,

Thank you for such a 'CLEAR' explanation. You made the ptolemy's table so 'simple' and 'easy to understand'.
EDIT: moon in venus term from 13 degree to 19 degree 0 arcminutes.

jagetoile, Thank you for the link.

Hi archergirl!

Thanks a lot for taking a look at the chart.I decided to wait a little bit before I replied because I wanted to see if someone else answered but no so here I am .

I have to say my mind is pretty made-up by now.I will probably switch areas,perhaps not this year but next September.You're right,the academic year finishes in late June so I don't have to wait that much longer.

There's another option for me.Certain subjects are common to both areas so I can just quit Maths and Chimestry&Physichs classes and keep up with all the others.I would like to continue with my Biology classes at least for the rest of the year because Psychology requires certain knowledgments about Biology,so I can learn the basis and continue to study it on my own next year.This way,I would have more time to focus on the other subjects and also next year,when(and if)I switch areas,I would also have more free time because I would have already finished those subjects(altough I'm not sure about this).

After squaring Venus,and then conjuncting Saturn,the Moon will trine Jupiter,and Jupiter is in great shape and also ruling the end of the matter,so I think that,no matter what I choose,it will turn out alright.

Just a question.I didn't understand what you said about the Mercury day,Saturn hour;could you please explain what that is,or please provide a link?

Thanks in advance!
Lissa

Hi Lissa,

I think you have made the right decision to wait until the end of the year. It's not long now, and I think your decision to continue with the 'shared' subjects is a sensible one. The chart was simply warning you to not be too hasty, I think; and you haven't been. It *will* all turn out fine in the end.

To your question:

One of the first of Lilly's Considerations is to check whether the Lord of the Hour is compatible with the Lord of the Ascendant, by triplicity or rulership or nature. It is entirely possible to read charts where the Lords don't match, but IMO it is much stronger testimony that the chart is 'valid' if they do match. It is like getting an extra 'green light' to read the chart; the stars agree that your question is answerable. So in your chart, not only was it a Mercury day and you had a Virgo ascendant, but it was a Saturn hour. Saturn and Virgo have the same nature: cold and dry.

There are several free online planetary hours calculators available. I often use the one here:
http://www.astroloji.com.tr/EN/planetaryhours.asp

To see whether the Lords are compatible, you can check here:
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/hourmatch.html

I am a huge fan of Lilly's 'Considerations', and cannot recommend enough that students of horary become very familiar with them. They help make the difference between good astrology and 'sloppy' astrology, IMO!

Best wishes,
AG