CONCERNING DIRECTIONS AND HORARY QUESTIONS
We have seen in the chapter on the judgment of a nativity that by the
consideration of the position of the planets and of the Sun and Moon in
the twelve houses, what the _general_ fortune of the native will be in
the whole course of his life; but the art of Direction measures out the
time into years, months, weeks and days and thus informs us when we may
expect in _particular_ what is _generally_ promised us in the nativity.
Directions are of two kinds, _primary_ and _secondary_, and are based
upon arithmetical calculations of the time of the events caused by the
aspects of the significators (that is, of the Sun or the Moon), with
the places of the planets. They are founded upon the familiarities of
the stars amongst each other in the zodiac (_after the nativity_), and
show, by calculations, the distance of the place of a significator at
the moment of the nativity from the place it must reach before it can
join the aspect, which distance is called _the Arc of Direction_. Some
astrologers consider what are called "_Mundane Directions_," which are
distances in the world measured by the semi-arc, and are wholly
independent of the zodiac. These were invented by Placidus, but as
Ptolemy does not treat of them they will not be considered here.
It must always be remembered that--in directions--the place of a
planet, at the time of the nativity, is called the planet itself,
although it may not be there when the significator arrives; thus, if we
wish to direct the Sun to the conjunction of Jupiter, we must do so to
the position which that planet occupied _at the moment_ of the
nativity. When the Arc of Direction is found the Sun's right ascension
must be added to it, and the Sun will be the right ascension (without
latitude) of that place in the zodiac at which, when the Sun arrives,
the direction will be completed. For every day of the Sun's approach to
this point a year must be added, and thus the time when the event is
likely to happen is pointed out: these primary directions, however,
cannot be depended upon to produce an event of great importance unless
the secondary directions agree; but where the nativity is weak the
primary direction alone is powerful enough to kill (especially if it
should be opposed to the Hyleg), and misfortune will always happen if
the positions of the planets, at the moment of birth, are unfortunate,
_without_ the coincidence of any secondary direction.
_Secondary Directions_ are those daily aspects to the luminaries which
happen after birth, every day of which is reckoned for a year, two
hours for a month, thirty minutes for a week, and four minutes for a
day.[13] Thus, whatever aspects take place in the _first day_ of the
native's life will develop their effects in the first year and those of
the second day in the second year, so that, should the native live
fifty years, his secondary direction for his fiftieth year will arise
from the aspects which took place on the fiftieth day after his birth.
The ancient astrologers--particularly the Egyptians--used to predict
the events of a nativity _wholly_ from these secondary directions,[14]
in which the Moon should be chiefly considered; for in those days on
which she comes to an evil aspect with the malefics, Saturn or Mars,
the years corresponding to those days will be peculiarly unfortunate
and dangerous to the native; and where, on the contrary, the Moon is
well-aspected to the benefics, the years corresponding to those days
will be very fortunate: a good direction gives prosperity in that
matter which the significator indicates; thus we direct the Sun to
signify the native's preferment or disgrace, his good or bad health,
and the favour or disesteem of great personages.
[13] These aspects can all be judged from the Ephemeris of
the year of birth.
[14] And these secondary directions being so much easier to
calculate, students are advised to follow the ancient methods
in this as in all else relating to this old-world study.
The direction of the Moon refers to the nature of the native's
journeys, whether prosperous or the reverse, his marriage, his wife,
his women friends and kinsfolk.
The direction of Saturn signifies the native's inheritance, buildings,
possessions, and also his fears, jealousies and mistrusts.
Jupiter is directed as regards glory, renown, riches, children and
religion.
Mars is directed for the native's law-suits, animosities and victories;
he also shows the estates of brethren.
Venus is directed for marriage, love and pleasure and all matters in
connection with women.
Mercury is directed for a knowledge of the amount of wit,
understanding, trade, industry, and journeys of the native; also for
distinction in scholarship and all intellectual pursuits.
The Horoscope or Ascendant is directed to signify the life, affections
and manners of the native.
The Mid-heaven's direction affects the position and career of the
native.
If the directions are to good aspects of benevolent planets, they
signify prosperity both of mind and body, cheerfulness and all manner
of earthly happiness; but if the horoscope should have directions to
the ill aspects of the malefics, Mars or Saturn, then evil is to be
expected of the nature given by the malevolent star. If directed to the
good aspects, such as the trine or sextile of these evil planets, the
misfortune is not so great, and even in some instances good may be
predicted. As, for example, the horoscope directed to the trine or
sextile of Mars gives preferment by arms; the same aspects towards
Saturn would indicate success in building or in mines, or some calling
connected with metals.
The occasional differences in the life, tastes, health, marriage and
pecuniary affairs of twins, born within ten or twenty minutes of each
other, are accounted for by the fact that at the birth of the first
child the last degree of a sign may ascend with planets therein, or a
planet in the 2nd house at 5 p.m. may be in the 1st at 5.15 p.m. and
the early degrees of another sign may be exactly on the ascendant at
the birth of the second child.
A planet may reach the M.C., or any other of the four cardinal points
at, say, 10 p.m. and ten minutes later have passed off, when its powers
would have greatly diminished. Though the signs rise and set at the
rate of 15° per hour, in our latitude from 50° to 60° North, it often
happens that 30° will ascend in fifty-two minutes.
Horary questions are questions asked at a certain time when a person
feels anxious concerning any undertaking or impending event. A figure
or map of the heavens, like that erected for a nativity, is drawn out
for the minute in which the question is asked; and, if the astrologer
be skilful, and the querist sincere--that is, not putting the question
from frivolous motives--the answer will, in general, be true, for the
whole is the effect of that sympathy which pervades all nature and
which is the keynote of all divination under whatsoever form it is
practised.
In horary questions the sign ascending and its lord represent the
querent, and to these the Moon is added and must be considered with the
lord of the ascendant.
The house to which the thing belongs--about which enquiry is made--is
the significator of that person and thing, and every other house and
its lord are to be considered according to their respective
significations, so as to indicate the means and persons by which the
event, about which the enquiries are made, will be accelerated or
retarded.
The dates of events are regulated by the signs and angles. For example,
should the significator of the event be in a movable sign and an angle
the event will come to pass in the same number of days as there are
degrees between the significator's aspect and the star to which it is
directed if the aspect be by _application_; if by _separation_, the
thing will _not_ take place at all. In one of the succedent houses
movable signs give months, common signs years and fixed signs bring
about the event, after much delay, and when all hopes of it are past.
Significators in any of the cadent houses seldom do anything and,
should they bring about an event at all, they do so after much waiting
and with much trouble and vexation.
The matter of horary questions is very well treated in Lilly's _Grammar
of Astrology_, published in 1647, and, by way of explaining the manner
in which this branch of astrology is worked, we give a _fac-simile_ of
a map of a horary question to be found in this book, with (verbatim)
Lilly's method of dealing with that particular question.
_Judgment of the Figure given in Plate._--"Living in London, where
we have few or no small cattle as in the country, I cannot give example
of such creatures, but I once set the figure preceding concerning a
Dogge (which is in the nature of small beasts), which dogge was
missing. The question to me was what part of the city they should
search and if he should ever be recovered.
"The querent was signified by the sign ascending and the lord thereof,
for, in his person, he was Saturnine and vitiated (according to the
Dragon's Tail in the ascendant) in his nature, mind and
understanding--that is, he was deformed in body and of a covetous
disposition. The sign of the sixth house and his lord signifies the
dogge, for that sign stands for sheep, hogs and small cattle.
"The sign of Gemini is west, and by south the quarter of the heaven is
west; Mercury (the significator of the dogge) is in Libra, a western
sign, but southern quarter of heaven, tending towards the west; the
Moon is in Virgo, a south-west sign, and verging towards the western
angle. The strength of the testimonies being thus examined I found the
plurality to signify the west, and therefore I judged that the dogge
ought to be westward from the place where the owner lived, which was at
Temple Bar, wherefore I judged that the dogge was about Long Acre, or
the upper part of Drury Lane. In regard that Mercury (the significator
of the beast) was in a sign of the same triplicity as Gemini the
ascendant, which signifies London, and applied to a trine aspect of the
cusp of the sixth house, I judged that the dogge was not out of the
lines of communication, but was in the same quarter, of which I was
more confirmed by the trine of the Sun and Saturn. The sign in which
Mercury appeared was Libra--an airy sign; therefore I judged that the
dogge was in some chamber or upper room, and kept privately, or in
great secrecy, because the Moon was under the beams of the Sun; and
Mercury, the Moon and the Sun were in the eighth house: and because the
Sun on the Monday following would apply by trine to Saturn, the lord of
the ascendant, and the Moon to trine of Mars having exaltation in the
ascendant, I intimated to the owner of the beast that, in my opinion,
he should have his dogge again, or news of his dogge or small beast,
upon the Monday following, or near that time, which was true; for a
gentleman of the querent's acquaintance sent home the dogge the very
same day, about ten in the morning, who, by accident, coming to see a
friend in Long Acre, found the dogge chained up under a table, and,
knowing the dogge to be the querent's, sent him home as above said, to
my very great credit," and no doubt also to the great satisfaction of
"the dogge" himself.