A Second Look at Horary

By Anastasia Anderson

A Second Look at Horary

Anastasia Anderson

On the night of Feb. 18, my friend texted me to ask if she had left her coat at my house two days prior. I checked my cameras — she had worn it out when she left. I told her as much and added, “Knowing where the moon is right now, you’ll find it soon.” The day before was the Lunar New Year, a new Moon and annular eclipse at 28°Aq, so I knew the Moon would be in Pisces. I cast a horary chart so I could tell her the location of her coat.

Mercury is lord of the 1st house, or L1, and it’s conjunct Venus, lord of the 2nd, or L2, and the Moon in Pisces in the 7th house. Though both Mercury and the Moon lack essential dignity, they both have some accidental dignity. Venus, which rules clothing, is essentially and accidentally dignified and conjunct the North Node.

In horary, angularity indicates either a quick recovery or that the item is near the owner. Water signs generally mean north and near water — perhaps a kitchen, bathroom, garden or pond. Pisces specifically is northwest, and the Descendant angle is typically west, but unsure of where she was standing in her house at the moment she texted me, I relied on knowing the layout of her house, and I stuck with north. Mutable signs on the angles indicate covered places, such as eaves, closets and anything that is considered a “room within a room.” A humane sign, such as Virgo, on the Ascendant indicates places frequented by people.

Looking at the aspects, the Moon most recently separated from its conjunction with Mercury by 1°50’, also by parallel by 0°44’, suggesting that she lost the coat by frequent, everyday use. Lilly says if the Moon or L2 is within 30° of L1, then the item is at home or near the querent. Also, if L2 is in the same sign as L1, the item is in a place where the querent spends quite a bit of time.

The Moon is in a separating trine from Jupiter, its dispositer, by 4°38’, suggesting recovery. And it’s aspecting Fortuna by a 2°57’ quincunx, if you’ll take it. In a Mercury day and during a Venus hour, I had enough confirmation that my friend would recover her coat.

To the north

At the time, I read all this to mean that the coat was close to her, likely in her home to the north and near a bathroom. I’ve been in her house before, and I know she has a bathroom to the north of the foyer with a coat closet beside it. I was sure that’s where it was. I told her she should find it within 24 hours, and if she didn’t, I suspected her husband may have moved it (7th house), delaying its recovery by a day at most.

A day goes by, and it hasn’t turned up. Two days, still no coat. At this point I wonder if the chart was even radical. Technically she didn’t ask me to cast the horary, she just said she couldn’t find her coat. I give my Martian Ascendant and luminaries a slap on the wrist for being impatient and promise myself I won’t do it again.

Mercury went retrograde on Feb. 25 at 22°, and on Feb. 27, I visited her and said she should check the closet again. She swore it wasn’t in there, and I didn’t want to overstep by digging around for it myself, so we both lost hope in finding the coat until Mercury went direct.

A discovery and a lesson

But on March 5, she found the coat in the closet! We had a good laugh about how she lost a coat in a coat closet, even after I told her that’s where it was. But I was left with the question, why hadn’t I seen how long it would take her to find it? I returned to the chart to learn from my mistake.

I saw that Jupiter, ruler of the 7th house (thus L1, L2, and lord of the Moon), was retrograde and likely delayed the recovery. Because the astrologer is signified by the 7th, and the 5° rule puts L7 in the 11th house of friends, I realized I could see myself helping her find the coat. Surely I should have just dug through her closet.

Curiously, Jupiter is also L4. Is it a stretch to say that’s further indication that she would find it at home? Not that we needed more confirmation. Its retrogradation shows that I urged her to check again, and Mercury’s retrogradation (L1) means she did end up taking another look. Double-bodied signs can mean having to do something twice. She ended up searching again and finding it on the day that Mercury returned to 18°Pi. We don’t know the exact time, but the noon chart has only three minutes separating.

A 7th-house Moon and L2 can sometimes mean the item has been stolen, or taken by another, which I had understood to mean her husband had misplaced it. He swears he didn’t touch it, but we aren’t sure we believe him. When the Moon or L2 aspects an “infortune,” Lilly says it has fallen into the possession of a dishonest person, especially if the infortune aspects the Ascendant. The South Node is opposite Venus (L2) and conjunct the Ascendant. So you tell me, did her husband hide her coat?

Anastasia Anderson is an astrologer, tarot reader, Chaldean numerologist and naturopathic healer. She serves as NCGR’s national chapters director, NORWAC committee leader, podcast co-host, and vice president and treasurer of its Puget Sound-Seattle chapter. Visit her website at www.ElahehDivinationAndHealing.Square.Site.