A person I know well has an upcoming cout date in October. He and his attorney are hoping for a continuance. My question is, will a continuance be granted?
You should really use the actual date/time/location and construct an Electional/Event Chart for those.
Legal Horary Charts are best suited for other issues you see in the Electional/Event Chart but might not be very clear. (questions about witnesses, evidence etc).
For Horary we should use a "drill-down" procedure to make sure we don't overlook anything (it's a good practice).
Since we aren't doing this for money we can sort of ignore whether the chart is radical and fit to be judged and just jump straight to the strictures/warnings/considerations (which have nothing to do with a chart being radical).
We look at the Ascendant first. It isn't in an early degree, and it is not in a late degree and the Ascendant isn't Via Combusta.
If the Ascendant were in an early degree, that would tell us the question is a little premature. It doesn't prevent us from judging the chart, because we can see what will happen eventually, but if the Ascendant was also Via Combusta, that would tell us things might change unexpectedly so we need to be very careful.
If the Ascendant were in a late degree, then that tells us it's over, and the Querent is pleading with you out of sheer desperation and wants you tell them what they want to hear. That's when you look at the 7th House for Saturn, because if Saturn is there, and you don't tell them what they want to hear, they'll get nasty with you.
The Ascendant is good here.
I am asking the question for and about him so I would say he is the ascendant.
Generally for all conflicts and competitions or adversarial actions between any two parties the 1st/7th House are used. There are some exceptions. Bankruptcy, foreclosure and child custody issues are 1st/4th, and when an individual or team is the reigning Belt, Cup, Trophy, Champion or Title Holder, they are the 4th House (not the 7th).
When you ask on behalf of someone and they have no knowledge you're asking, they are often the 1st House. That's especially true of missing persons or absent parties etc.
Ruler of the ascendant is the moon in the 12th house. I know the 12th house is about secret things and hidden enemies but I don't know how that plays into this if it does.
Houses have a lot of meanings and still more meanings from derived Houses.
It is the House of Confinement. That would include banishment, exile, admittance to a mental facility, being in hospital, in hospice, as a POW during war (check John McCain's Chart) and as a prisoner. It is also the House of Sorrow, Separation and Fear.
I believe the 10th house represents the judge
The 9th House is laws, and the rule of law and legal issues and matters, but those are carried out, enforced or executed through the second house from the 9th House, ie the 10th House. So, yes, the 10th is the Judge/Court.
The Adversary, whether it's the Plaintiff, Defendant or State (in a criminal matter) is the 7th House (again for certain specific issues they would be the 1st House and the Querent the 4th House).
Before we get that far, we need to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Significators, which are Moon, Saturn and Jupiter.
The Moon is in Gemini, which is a neutral Sign for the Moon, but the Moon is Cadent and Peregrine. It is in the Term of Saturn and the Face of the Sun.
Since the Sun is Below Horizon, this is a Night Chart and the Triplicity Ruler of Air Signs at Night is Mercury. The Moon is in a Masculine Sign in a Feminie House Above Horizon in a Night Chart and being in its 3rd Quarter is moving toward a conjunction of the Sun so it is Decreasing in Light (Waning).
Overall, the Moon is weak and not in very good shape, and that is probably very descriptive of Querent.
Saturn rules the 7th House, plus the 8th and 9th Houses. That would be the support, finances, documents and evidence of either the prosecutor in a criminal case or the other party in a civil matter.
Saturn is Exalted in Libra, in his own Term and in the Face of the Moon.
Here's where we have a problem that demonstrates why Electional/Event Charts are superior to Horary in certain instances. Saturn is Combust, but the Sun is applying.
What if at the time of the hearing Saturn is Cazimi?
That would effectively make Saturn the most powerful Planet in the Chart and completely change the interpretation.
In fact, dr. farr and I are discussing that now on another thread about conjunctions in horaries because there is an oblivious misinterpretation or mistranslation by later Astrologers of early texts and concepts related to Combustion/Under Beams.
Jupiter is in Rulership in Pisces, Angular and Retrograde.
Moon is square to Jupiter and Uranus in the 10th house. Jupiter may give him the luck he needs to get it continued but Uranus usually upsets the apple cart so I don't know about this. Moon is square Mercury in the 4th but I don't see any other aspects between the moon and planets in the 4th house
Jupiter and Uranus in the 10th are both opposing the Sun and Mercury in the 4th. I am going to say that he will not get the continuance and that the judge will have some strong words for him and I also think he may end up going to jail which would be a probability with his record in relooking at the Moon in the 12th house.
Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.
Well, we don't use the Outers in Horary because they aren't necessary and the tend to cloud the issue when the other significators are ignored.
The solution here is simple, and I'll use both approaches to the Combust Saturn.
Also, here's where knowledge in the field of law helps.
Only the Judge can grant a continuance. It is not within the power of either party to do so.
No continuance will be granted.
The Moon (Querent) is in an applying square to Jupiter (Judge) without Reception. That is a clear "no."
Saturn Combust is descriptive of the other party, ie prosecutor or Plaintiff/Defendant.
They have no power, no say in the matter.
If we take dr. farr's approach using the Ankara Tradition, then we simply ignore Saturn and use the Sun, which is in a partile square with the Ascendant. Note that the Sun rules the Querent's 3rd House which would be the Motion for Continuance, the Memorandum in Support of the Motion for Continuance and any attached affidavits.
There's no Reception between the Ascendant and Sun, and the Sun has no Dignity in the Ascendant, indicating the Querent's Motion will be denied.
At 7° Libra Saturn is in the Term of Mercury who is in opposition by Mutual Application to Jupiter without any Reception. Remember, Mercury is the Night Triplicity Ruler of Air Signs where the Moon is located.
The Part of Fortune here is no help as it is in the Term of Jupiter, disposited by Saturn and the Sun is applying to Combust and it is currently Under Beams so overall it is weak and of little benefit to the Querent. The signification is take from Sun/Moon cast out from the Ascendant and you see the Sun square Ascendant.
In adversarial questions when the Moon is a primary significator, we don't use it as a co-significator. Also, when the Moon is a primary significator or Void of Course, we don't use it to assign secondary significators (if the Moon were not a primary significator then Mercury being the last Planet aspected by the Moon would be a secondary significator for the Querent and Jupiter being the next applying aspect of the Moon would be a secondary significator for the 7th House people).
I don't see the Querent being granted his motion here.
