A reader gave me permission to post her horary question and my response here. She asks, “My husband and I have struggled financially for so long and I was wondering if our financial circumstances would be improving in the near future. We count our blessings every day, but the stress over finances does take a toll.” Follow along as I look at this horary chart.
22 May 2011, 7:50 pm EDT, Arlington, MA USA
Where do we start?
Let’s start with the 2nd house and its ruler. The 1st house and its ruler, Mars*, represent “us,” the querent and her husband; “our money” is 2nd house and its ruler. We haven’t been asked to consider “her money” vs. “his money;” we’re looking at the couple as one entity, and thus at one set of finances.
What sign is on the 2nd house cusp, and what planet rules it?
Sagittarius is on the cusp. It is ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter signifies their finances.
How is Jupiter in this chart?
Not good. In late Aries in a day chart, Jupiter is peregrine. That is, it has no essential dignities nor debilities. Their finances are adrift, so to speak, with no essential strength nor guidance.
That said, Jupiter also trines the 2nd house cusp. Jupiter in its natural role as Greater Benefic does support the 2nd house to some extent, even though it is itself in mediocre condition.
So finances are mediocre now. Will they improve in the near future?
To answer this, we look at Jupiter to see if its status is changing soon. The news here isn’t good. Jupiter is about to leave Aries, where it is peregrine, and enter Taurus, where it is still peregrine. As far as essential dignity is concerned, it is trading one mediocre situation for another. No improvement here.
What about aspects to Jupiter? Jupiter appears to be unaspected, but in fact, Moon applies to sextile it with no intervening aspect prohibiting the sextile. This is encouraging. The Moon is a co-significator of the querents, so this upcoming aspect connects these querents (Moon) to money (Jupiter). However, the aspect is more than 16 degrees from perfecting – that’s more than half a sign the Moon has to transit. When the Moon has so far to go between aspects in one sign, it’s a little bit like a void of course Moon; the situation remains unchanged for a good long time. In The Horary Textbook, John Frawley says that “this often shows a period of stagnation before the querent finds the will to act.”
I wouldn’t make too much of this distant, applying Moon/Jupiter aspect – Jupiter is in mediocre shape, as I said – but maybe what little is coming will ease the stress.
Are there any other rays of hope in this chart?
Yes: the North Node is pretty close to the 2nd house cusp, and this gives some hope. The North Node tends to increase what it touches (just as the South Node tends to diminish what it touches). Finding the North Node here is an indication of eventual gain.
In conclusion…
In conclusion, I’d tell this querent that things may get ever so slightly better in the future, but it’s a long time coming, and the improvement shouldn’t be overstated.
* I’m using the traditional sign rulers, not the modern ones. Mars (not Pluto) rules Scorpio; Saturn rules Aquarius, and Jupiter rules Pisces.
Subscribe to feed
Dear Christine,
Glad you are come back with your posts, I enjoy reading them!
Cheers!
Goca! It’s lovely to hear from you. Thank you for your kind words!
I learn so much from reading your chart analyses! I’m curious what you would think of this: With the Moon being in a fixed sign and the ASC getting ready to change to a mutable sign and their finances not improving much, perhaps they need to let go of some of their current ways of living and be more flexible.
They could move to a smaller home, take in a boarder, or join one of those barter groups. They would get more out of the money they have and then not be as stressed. I wonder if part of their stress is coming from holding onto a lifestyle they can no longer afford.
Hi, Roseann! Thanks for your comment. It’s certainly possible – all that fixity could indicate entrenched financial habits getting in their way. Moon is fixed, ASC is fixed, and even Lord 1, Mars, is fixed. Stuck! But then what do you make of Lord 2, Jupiter, moving INTO a fixed sign?
You have an excellent point, Christine, with Jupiter moving into Taurus, they are not going to want to let go of their current spending habits. Maybe they will realize that changing their ways is necessary with only a possible mild improvement in their finances on the horizon.
Thank you for you insightful post!