Astrologers following Lilly’s methods are stricter than modern astrologers when it comes to aspects. We only use the Ptolemaic aspects – no minor aspects like semisextiles, quincunxes, or quindeciles (I can’t type that word without hearing Noel Tyl’s booming operatic voice giving it an Italianate flourish in my head). And, of course, we don’t consider [...]

Lady Gaga’s birthday is coming up on March 28th. But nobody seems able to get her birth time – at least, not until a 9:30am time showed up recently for her on Astrotheme.fr. Where did this time come from? Astrotheme didn’t publish a data source or even a Rodden rating. So I emailed them on [...]

Electional astrology is the art of astrologically selecting the right time to act. In his 1653 book Astrologia Restaurata (Astrology Restored), William Ramesey publishes a table of simple elections you can do based on the Moon’s upcoming aspects. I’ve transcribed it over here (updating spelling and capitalization). Here’s how to use it. Decide what it [...]

“Should I write blog posts that increase my traffic or that help change the way (a few) people think?” – Seth Godin The thing about being a phlegmatic type is that one literally does go with the flow. Something interesting about astrology occurs to me, and I think, “oh, that would make a good blog [...]

I can’t believe the explosion in astrological writing online. Here are just a few neat writers and articles I’ve spotted lately. Natasa Karalic Koprivica takes a scholarly approach in her blog at horaryastrology.info. Here’s her analysis of a question about money, where she applies the methods of Masha’Allah and also Sahl. (Fun fact: Sahl apparently [...]

Mercury in Pisces, traditionally speaking, is a muddle. Check a table of essential dignities and you’ll see that throughout Pisces, Mercury is both in its detriment and its fall. The planet’s nimble wit becomes bogged down by the rainstorm. But for several hours on Sunday, Mercury has a powerful ally to assist it. Mercury transits [...]

A client mentioned to me that she’d like to explore astrology. What one book – modern, traditional, cosmobiological, Mayan? – would you suggest as a sound introduction to the building blocks? Comment away… many thanks!

The querent, a woman, asked, “Will he and I have a child together?” Almost all you need to see is in this chart fragment. Mercury is Lord 1, Jupiter (the traditional ruler of Pisces) is Lord 7, both are in fertile Pisces, Mercury applies immediately to conjoin Jupiter. The fertile signs show they’re able to [...]

Well, why do you want to? “I didn’t like the answer the first chart gave me.” In that case, you probably wouldn’t gain much from casting a new horary. The arrangement of the planets isn’t random each time you cast a chart, like throwing dice would be. They show progress and development, but not an [...]

In January I posted my answer to a horary question from a pregnant woman asking, “Will my baby be born at the birth center and when?” I’ve heard back from her, and happily she and her new baby girl are both doing well – after a scary start. She gave me permission to post a [...]