Horary Astrology
Answering questions with the chart of the moment, in the tradition of William Lilly.
Course names, family names and outlines are shown in English. Lessons use English when a published translation is unavailable; the lesson shows a notice when this happens.
This course begins at Level 3. Review the introductory course in this tradition before starting. Introductory course: Persian, Arabic & Medieval Astrology
Start learningWhat’s available now
Level 3Units: 6
Level 3 · Unit 1
Lilly and the horary tradition
William Lilly and Christian Astrology (1647), the older authors he drew on, the 20th-century revival and how traditional horary is practised today.
- Lilly and Christian Astrology
- Lilly's sources
- The 20th-century revival
- Horary practice today
- Checkpoint: Lilly and the horary tradition
Level 3 · Unit 2
Considerations before judgement
Lilly's warnings before judging a horary chart: the Ascendant, Saturn, the Moon's condition and the astrologer's 7th, and how modern practitioners weigh them.
- Lilly's list
- The Ascendant and Saturn
- Three conditions of the Moon
- The astrologer's 7th and weighing the list
- Checkpoint: Considerations before judgement
Level 3 · Unit 3
Significators and house turning
Finding the querent's and quesited's significators: the Moon's role, turning the chart once or twice, natural rulers and planets in houses.
- The querent's significators
- Turning the chart for other people
- Natural rulers as co-significators
- Planets in houses as secondary testimony
- Checkpoint: Significators and house turning
Level 3 · Unit 4
Perfection, translation and collection
Applying W3's rules to horary judgement: perfection by application, translation and collection of light, reception, and a first look at timing.
- Perfection by application
- Translation of light in horary
- Collection of light in horary
- Perfection with reception, and timing
- Checkpoint: Perfection, translation and collection
Level 3 · Unit 5
Dignity of the significators
W3's essential and accidental dignity applied to horary: what a strong or weak significator describes, and why a significator's condition is not the same as a yes.
- Essential dignity as description
- Accidental condition of a significator
- Whether versus how well
- Worked chart: the concert question
- Checkpoint: Dignity of the significators
Level 3 · Unit 6
The Moon's story
Reading the horary Moon's course through her sign: her last separation as recent background, her coming applications in order, and her last aspect before she changes sign.
- Looking back: the Moon's separation
- Looking ahead: applications in order
- The Moon's last aspect
- Worked chart: the hedge
- Checkpoint: The Moon's story
Level 4Units: 6
Level 4 · Unit 1
Timing in horary
Turning degrees to perfection into days, weeks, months or years by sign quality and house type, a summary of Lilly's scheme, and checks against the ephemeris.
- From degrees to time
- Lilly's timing table
- Timing a whole chart
- Symbolic time and the ephemeris
- Checkpoint: Timing in horary
Level 4 · Unit 2
Question types
Lost items, relationships, work and travel as traditional horary questions, with the houses they use and firm ethical limits.
- Lost items: the 2nd house and the Moon
- Relationships: the 1st and the 7th
- Work: the 10th house
- Travel: the 3rd and 9th houses
- Checkpoint: Question types
Level 4 · Unit 3
Prohibition, refranation and frustration
The three obstacles to perfection in invented horary cases, with computed timing, event timelines and refranation by a retrograde station.
- Prohibition in a horary case
- Frustration in a horary case
- Retrograde refranation
- Sorting obstacles in time
- Checkpoint: Prohibition, refranation and frustration
Level 4 · Unit 4
Home, money and hopes
More traditional question types: home and land in the 4th, money lent and owed through turned 2nd houses, hopes and pleasures in the 11th and 5th, and choosing the right house.
- Home and land: the 4th
- Money lent and owed
- Hopes, wishes and pleasures
- Choosing the house
- Checkpoint: Home, money and hopes
Level 4 · Unit 5
Antiscia, besiegement and the Part of Fortune
Three extra testimonies from Lilly's toolkit: mirror degrees across the solstice axis, a significator hemmed in between Mars and Saturn, and the Part of Fortune in horary.
- Antiscia: mirror degrees
- Antiscia in a horary chart
- Besiegement
- The Part of Fortune
- Checkpoint: Antiscia, besiegement and the Part of Fortune
Level 4 · Unit 6
Level 4 casebook
Four invented horary charts drawn from real skies, judged with Level 4's question types, timing, obstacles and extra testimonies, each ending in a careful answer.
- Case E: the allotment
- Case F: the loan
- Case G: the neighbour's trailer
- Case H: the sister and the move
- Checkpoint: Level 4 casebook
Level 5Units: 6
Level 5 · Unit 1
Complex questions
Questions with several parties or outcomes: turning the chart twice, charts that aren't ready to judge, and weighing testimonies in the order they happen.
- Turning the chart twice
- Questions with several outcomes
- When the chart isn't ready
- Sequencing testimonies
- Checkpoint: Complex questions
Level 5 · Unit 2
Practice casebook
Four invented horary charts walked step by step: considerations, significators, perfection, reception, timing and a responsibly phrased answer.
- Case A: the flat
- Case B: the sister's job
- Case C: the lost boots
- Case D: the bike offer
- Checkpoint: Practice casebook
Level 5 · Unit 3
Ethics of answering questions
Questions to decline, not re-asking the same question, honesty about uncertainty, consent and fees, practised through scenarios.
- Questions to decline
- One question, one chart
- Honest about uncertainty
- Consent and fees
- Checkpoint: Ethics of answering questions
Level 5 · Unit 4
Contests and rivals
Contest questions: the querent's side in the 1st, a named rival in the 7th, a simple tally of each significator's strength, and framing contests fairly, never for betting.
- Two sides: the 1st and the 7th
- Weighing strength
- Contests fairly asked
- Worked chart: the chess final
- Checkpoint: Contests and rivals
Level 5 · Unit 5
Where is it? Direction and distance
Lost items in more depth: compass directions from the houses and the signs, near or far from the house type, and location clues from a significator's condition.
- Directions from the houses
- Directions from the signs
- Near or far, hidden or returning
- Worked chart: the notebook
- Checkpoint: Where is it?
Level 5 · Unit 6
Level 5 casebook
Four invented charts drawn from real skies that combine Level 5's skills: a contest, a lost key's whereabouts, a question turned twice and a choice between two options.
- Case I: the quiz final
- Case J: the bike-lock key
- Case K: the brother's partner's sofa
- Case L: the choir or the class
- Checkpoint: Level 5 casebook