Defining and Asking the Question
A good horary question is clear, answerable, and can only be asked once. In
order to avoid the consequences of asking the same question twice, it is possible to
limit a question to a particular time interval. Thus, one may encourage the querent to
prefer the wording, “Will I get married within two years (or another time interval)?”
to “Will I everget married?”Taking the time and noting the place of a horary question are important. The
clock time taken for a horary question is when the querent finds it almost impossible
to not know the answer any longer. This is called the moment. Deciding which loca-
tion to use if the querent and the astrologer are separated by distance varies depending
on the educational lineage of the astrologer. Schools deriving primarily from classical
methods favor using the astrologer’s location, while schools deriving from Ivy Gold-
stein-Jacobson prefer the querent’s location.Describing the Circumstances Surrounding the Question
By the medieval period, astrologers had begun to notice certain general chart
configurations that portended specific answers. These came to be called the “consider-
ations against judgment.” While it seems that every astrologer had a somewhat differ-
ent list, the concept is simple: if one of the considerations is present, there is a prob-
lem related to the asking of the question. This is where the astrologer decides whether
the question can and should be answered.In the twentieth century, it became common to use the considerations as a rea-
son notto answer the question, but no evidence exists showing this being done consis-
tently before the modern era. In most cases, the considerations themselves become
part of the delineation of the answer.
The main considerations are:The placement of Saturn: If in the first house, the querent may be lying
or misleading. In the seventh, the astrologer may not be properly
placed to answer this question unless it is of a seventh house nature, in
which case Saturn simply becomes part of that delineation. (For exam-
ple, if the question concerns marriage, and Saturn is in the seventh
house, then it may become a significator of the quesited or tell some-
thing about the potential marriage partner. Since seventh-house ques-
tions include marriage, buying and selling, and theft, it is very common
for this consideration to not apply. It is then not considered to be a
warning concerning the astrologer. Also, if Saturn is dignified, these
house placements may not qualify as true considerations, because then
Saturn is not considered so malefic.) In the tenth house, the querent
may damage the reputation of the horary astrologer.Ascendant or Moon in the Via Combusta(the zone from 15° Libra to
15° Scorpio: This is considered to be a malefic section of the zodiac. As
there have been other degree spans mentioned by the ancientHorary Astrology
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