First of all I would like to thank Jupiterasc and SunConjunctUranus for this very useful information that provided us
and of course Tikana, Chrysalis and Rafaella, since without their participation on this thread we wouldn't have started this useful conversation.Till now i used to think that mercury becomes male if with male planets,female if with female....by taking the nature of whichever planet is (in order of preference) close to conjunction with it, close to aspect with it, or its dispositor.
So to sum up according to all the above ...and please correct me if i am wrong:
In this chart since we have a mercury that is:
A)regarding his male or female nature:
1a) oriental to the sun{ since the clockwise distance from him to the sun is shorter than the anticlockwise distance} or seeing differently as Jupiterasc enlightened us before...located in the eastern quadrant between the Ascendant and Midheaven where the Sun rises.
1b)Is occidental to the moon since if follows it
1c)So that makes him masculine {those who are oriental to the sun and occidental to the moon are said to be masculine..while those that are occidental to the sun and oriental to the moon feminine} (Astrologia Gallica Book 13, p:47)
B)regarding the Sect in Favor
As Jupiterasc said before... and keeping in mind that he's indeed oriental...so since this chart is nocturnal and Mercury is a
MORNING STAR, thus
diurnal and
he retains this attribute also in a nocturnal chart...then indeed
he's not of the sect in favor...such as Sun, Jupiter and Saturn ...because simply they are diurnals.
In order to be of the sect in favor in this particular chart
he should have been occidental to the sun and then along with Venus and Mars.,he could become benefic of the sect in favor and Moon’s co-sectarian ...and
then in such case he would also change his nature to a female one, by being occidental to the sun and oriental to the moon.
All in all mercury in this chart is located in a sign which is contradictory to its masculine nature and he's not of the sect in favor!...though these two things are different. And since
he's diurnal in a nocturnal chart and below the horizon is in his hayz... so a little more natural!
Yet Frawley states the following:"
A planet is in its hayz if it is in its halb and also in a sign of its own gender"(2005, 68)
and then he continues ...."Lilly and authors working from him without other reference state mistakenly that a nocturnal planet should be above the Earth by day and below it by night. Lilly (Christian Astrology p.113) is following the French astrologer Dariot, who gives the correct version, but in such a muddy fashion that it is easy to see how Lilly picked up the wrong end of the stick ....The correct version is clearly explained in Abu'l-Rayhan Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Al-Biruni, The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology, trans. R Ramsey Wright, Lmac, London, 1934; reprinted Ascella, Nottingham, n.d.; para. 496." (Frawley, 2005,p: 68)
So seeing in this chart mercury in its halb (diurnal planet below the Earth (in houses 1-6) in a night chart) but masculine (oriental to the sun and occidental to the moon) is indeed in his gender...thus in its hayz...
OR NOT?
Moreover I realize, as you already stated that these considerations have minimum application to horary charts...since sect in favor belongs to other methodologies(Hellenistic technique for the purposes of chart delineation) mostly used in natal interpretation.The latter is indeed also stated from Frawley in his book "is with reference only to natal charts, where the distinction between oriental and occidental is important" (2005, p:68).
However they are considered important as to judge the power that moon has to act...thus:"The Moon occidental is increasing in light, oriental is decreasing in light." Generally, the more light the Moon has - the closer it is to full- the stronger it is and so the more able it is to act. It is also stronger if it is increasing in light (moving from new to full Moon) than if it is decreasing in light (moving from full to new).
But at full it is weak so its optimum position is around separating trine to the Sun: there it has lots of light and is still increasing.
This point is important if the Moon is the planet whose aspect is showing the event in question.!(Frawley,2005, p:64-65)
***By definition, the word ‘sect’ implies a separation, or bisection, that forms a grouping of astrological similitudes. Sect introduces the concept of
astrological alliances (not unlike a ‘religious sect’) that establish unification within a specified division.
Essentially, sect divides planets, signs, and hemispheres into two main polarities: diurnal and nocturnal. By doing so, a clearer understanding of planetary affiliation arises, an insight applicable to any given chart. Primarily, sect is a qualitative factor that modifies the benefic or malefic implications of planets in any given chart.
By default, the
traditional planets are deemed diurnal if they are masculine, while the
nocturnal planets are considered feminine, respectively. Therefore, the
Sun, Jupiter and Saturn are of the diurnal (or day-time) sect, while the
Moon, Venus, and Mars belong to the nocturnal (or nighttime) sect.
Malleable Mercury
What about Mercury? Well,
the flexible, fleet-footed Messenger takes a semi-neutral stance on the topic of sect, since the
Messenger relies on the position of the Sun. In other words,
if poised before the Sun in a diurnal chart, he naturally remains part of the day-time sect, while a
dhering to the nocturnal sect if placed in a night-time chart....
Mercury’s position relative to the Sun determines its sect. If
Mercury rises ahead of the Sun, even in a night chart, it is diurnal. If it rises after the Sun, even in a day chart, it is nocturnal.
{https://saturnandthesun.com/2018/10/17/sect-in-astrology/}