In our rush to become competent astrologers, many of us fall prey to the book-buying fever in the hopes of finding that one book that will explain it all so that we can understand and begin our practice as quickly as possible. At least that is how it was for this writer. I have a bookcase full of such hopes, all gathering dust, and I’m forced to admit the book with the magic words simply doesn’t exist.

Modern astrology books pile on technique upon technique, and it is trite but true that technique is important. However, what do we do with all that technique? Robert Hand once observed that there is so much information available in a chart that, if it was all used, it would render the chart useless. Put another way, where and how does the student begin to sort through the maze of information and produce a sensible judgment?

Traditionally the first form of astrology the student learned was horary, the art of answering questions with a chart cast for the moment of the question. Horary is looked at as something of an antique if not an outright embarrassment to modern psychological astrologers. Alan Leo called it, "The curse of the science and the ruination of the astrologer!" Then he wrote a book on the subject. A.J. Pearce, aka Zadkiel III, a contemporary of Leo, wrote all of 82 words on the subject in his five-volume Text-Book of Astrology. Among those words were these: "As applied to questions it (horary astrology) is not really worth serious consideration …" He then goes on to stipulate that it might work if the querent is seriously troubled and the natal chart and primary directed chart were used with the horary. In other swords, the horary chart is simply a transit chart.

This was not always the case. Horary was often the only astrology available when people might not have known their birthday much less the time (Think this is over the top? Jazz great Louis Armstrong went to his grave thinking he was born on July 4, 1900. It wasn’t until after his death that a birth certificate was found and it gave the date of August 4, 1901). Horary was used not only to answer questions concerning runaway goats, lost objects, and quests for true love. It was used to determine the quality of the remainder of the querent’s life, and how much time that would be. It was used to answer political questions, questions of inheritance, career and almost any subject that one can think of. Christian Astrology even contains the charming inquiry as to whether the Archbishop of Canterbury would be hanged or beheaded.

Horary was learned first on the simple grounds that it is easier to unravel the answer to a question than it is to unravel the mysteries of a human life. The essence of Mercury is the same regardless of whether he is in a natal, mundane, or horary chart. It is easier to unravel a human life than it is to unravel the fate of nations therefore mundane astrology was taught after natal astrology was mastered.

The master of horary astrology and author of the first English language astrology text was William Lilly (1602-1681). His text, Christian Astrology is a three-volume work first published in 1647. Lilly must have had a busy practice as his diaries indicate he read some 2000 charts per year. His most famous prediction was that of the great London fire of 1666. He called it fourteen years before the event. He was even hauled before a commission of judges to explain the prediction, as it was so accurate that he was suspected of setting the fire. Christian Astrology is of enormous value to students and historians alike since it contains so many worked examples. Most ancient texts give instructions without examples. It is believed they are little more than simple outlines for students to follow with a Master. Christian Astrology contains over a hundred clear examples of horary, elections, mundane and natal astrology.

The one we are going to analyze is probably his most famous horary. It gives an excellent example of clear astrological thinking. There is no "intuition," just the application of principles that he was taught and did teach.



Our story begins when Mr. Lilly orders some fish and Portuguese onions to be delivered to his home in Hersham. The warehouseman arrived at Lilly's house without the food explaining that the warehouse had been robbed and Lilly's Fish and onions stolen. The famous astrologer then did what any of us would have done; he cast a chart in an effort to determine the fate of his dinner. He asked the question, "Where are my fish?"

In horary astrology, the querent, in this case Lilly, is shown by the ascendant, its ruler, and the Moon. Lilly is looking for a thief, and a thief is shown by a peregrine planet, one lacking any essential dignity, in an angle. It is a weak planet. The seventh house is the house of thieves (It also represents spouses. You are free to make of that what you will). In this chart Jupiter is in the 7^th house and peregrine in Scorpio. We have our thief. The Lord of the 2nd house represents the fish and so does the part of fortune. Lord 2 is Mercury in Pisces and the part of fortune is in Cancer. Notice all the water.

Jupiter represents the aristocracy, and Lilly immediately dismissed the idea that an aristocrat would stoop to burgle a warehouse and steal fish. He noted instead the signs that housed Jupiter and Mercury. "I considered the signification of Jupiter in Scorpio, a moist sign, and the significator of my goods, viz., Mercury that he was in Pisces, a moist sign, and that the part of fortune was in Cancer a moist sign. Discretion together with Art assisted me to think he must be a man whose profession or calling was to live upon the water, that had my goods, and that they were in some moist place, or in some low rooms, because the part of fortune was in Cancer, and the Moon in Taurus an earthy sign." (Christian Astrology page 397).

Lilly believed he would hear of his goods because the Moon (Lilly himself), dispositor of the part of fortune (Lilly’s treasure), was applying to a sextile with Mercury (the fish). However, Mercury is not strong in the chart. In Pisces, Mercury is in both its detriment and fall. The only dignity Mercury has at 18 degrees Pisces is that he is in his own terms, a minor essential dignity. Also, in theft charts, if one or the other of the lights are in the first house, and have at least one essential dignity, the goods will be recovered. The Moon is in the sign of its exaltation, Taurus, a strong placement. Lilly would learn of the fish, but because Mercury is weak, he would not recover them whole. But how do we identify the thief?

Physical descriptions based on charts are commonplace in traditional astrology. Today the practice is considered outmoded and inaccurate, but that may be in part because few modern astrologers are taught how to do it. Jupiter and Mars are in the 7^th house. Mars is the ruler of the 7^th and Jupiter is the peregrine planet. Jupiter is in all the dignities of Mars in this chart. Lilly combined the physical attributes of Mars and Jupiter to determine a physical appearance of the thief.

Jupiter is described as follows in Christian Astrology: " ... upright, straight and tall, brown, ruddy and lovely complexion; ... hair soft and kind of an auburn brown …full and fleshy, much beard... " Mars is described as, " ... bodies strong, and their bones big, ... their complexion of a brown ruddy colour or flaxen, ...bold... fearless."

When we combine these we get picture of a large man with a ruddy complexion, possibly with a beard. Lilly describes his man as " ... a fisherman, of good stature, thick, full bodied, fair complexion, a red or yellowish hair."

I imagine Lilly gave preference to a fair complexion (flaxen) because Mars is very strong in this chart, rules the 7^th house and completely dominates Jupiter. Lilly could also have reasoned that auburn hair subjected to a good deal of sun would lighten and appear yellowish or reddish-yellow.

Lilly goes back to his chart. Mars, he notes, is leaving Scorpio, his own sign. Mars in Scorpio rules Jupiter, the thief. The symbolism is that Mars is leaving his house so the thief either has recently sold property or has simply changed residences.

Mr. Lilly discovered a man fitting this physical description perfectly. The suspect had recently moved, had a reputation as a thief, and lived near the Thames River near London, the location of the warehouse. Lilly took his charts and suspicions to the local Justice of the Peace and obtained a warrant. This is surely indicative of the high regard for Lilly and astrology at this time. I like to imagine watching the indignant Mr. Lilly waving his charts in front of the local authorities, and they in turn scurrying to produce the paperwork that will grant his request. Please, don’t try this at home.

Lilly waited a few days after obtaining the warrant, then with a constable found the fisherman as he described him. He searched the house in question and discovered his fish, stored in water. Some of the fish had already been eaten; fulfilling the promise of the chart indicated by a weak significator, that the goods would not be returned in usable condition. The fisherman confessed, and Lilly left the remainder of the fish with the fisherman and his wife.

Lilly sarcastically remarked, "The remainder of my fish I freely remitted, though the hireling Priest of Walton affirmed I had satisfaction for it, but he never hurt himself with a lie." Our Mr. Lilly was not fond of the clergy.

The lessons in this little tale are enormous. Lilly dismissed one possibility, that the thief was a nobleman, as violating common sense. He instead concentrated only on those issues that affected the question. He used physical descriptions, a practice fallen out of use today, but still of value. He was supremely confident of his abilities, and he allowed the chart to tell him where his goods were. The point is this: The astrology knows; the astrologer doesn't.

Christian Astrology contains numerous little gems like this one that are at once revealing and entertaining. It takes some effort to appreciate many of them. Lilly can be confusing and spelling was not yet standardized in the 17^th century. The effort repays itself a thousand fold, however, in entertainment as well as instruction.