Horary: The Art of Answering Questions with Astrology

Horary is a very direct and accessible form of astrology, called Prasna in Indian astrology, a branch of astrology that is used to answer specific questions.

Hora means ‘hour’ and relates to the time a question is asked. A chart is drawn up for the time of the question and is read using aspects you may be familiar with from Western astrology.

Horary astrology may fit into environments where a quick reading is required, and I have often used them in public fairs and shows. That is because these types of public environments are not conducive to in-depth, personal readings. They are, however, good for answering very specific questions, in the moment. Also, I prefer to study someone’s chart before meeting them, so a birth chart reading is not ideal when it is off the cuff.

For horary readings, this is not usually a problem.

Horary questions can come up within a birth chart reading also, when someone asks me a very specific question, for which I draw up a chart then and there.

When a question is asked, a chart is calculated for the exact time it is asked. It’s like doing a tarot spread or rolling the dice. Horary is an invaluable tool in the toolkit of an astrologer for two reasons:

1) many people do not have an exact time of birth, and 2) even with a time of birth, some prefer to ask very specific questions and would prefer a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

Now, a yes or no answer is not always necessarily the full picture, as there may be a ‘no, but’, answer, or ‘yes, but’ answer. If a time of birth is known for the person asking the question, it’s always a good idea to check with how this ‘yes’ or ‘no’ fits into the whole picture; seen in their birth chart; the reasons they are asking the question in the first place, as well as how a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will impact them.

No one likes to get ‘no’ when hoping for a ‘yes’, while sometimes, those hoping for a ‘no’ to a question may get a ‘yes’.

If a question is unclear, it is indicative of an unclear situation which cannot produce a clear answer. When someone asks me a clearly-stated question, there is usually a clear answer to that question, whether it is the answer someone wants to hear.

Usually, the answer is of no surprise to the person asking a clearly-stated question, in my experience. And certainly, it has been my experience that when a clearly-stated question has been asked, the planetary line up reflects the clarity of the answer, and the clarity of the question.

As above, so below.

Everything that is used in natal horoscope analysis; the knowledge of signs and houses, can be taken into the practice of horary. The chart is read as per traditional analysis, including sign and house placements, strengths etc. all calculated based on Parasara assessments.

Added to this, we have special aspects and yogas or combinations called tajika yogas.

Aspects & Tajika Yogas

The aspects used in horary are those used in Western astrology. These are extensively used in Persian astrology, too.

Added to these, we have the yogas or combinations between the two planets in question, as there are always at least two planets to consider when asking a question. The first is the querent themselves, the person asking the question, which is seen from the 1st house, and the second is the house or area of life under consideration.

The two houses under consideration are calculated based on the aspects and tajika yogas.

Tajika yogas suggest a clearcut yes or no, while the aspects suggest whether a yes requires some effort, or if a no eventually leads to a better situation.

The Aspects & Results

Conjunction — Obstruction, but depends on planets involved

Semi-Sextile — Somewhat helpful, but needs a lot of effort

Sextile — Helpful, but needs some effort

Square — Conflict

Trine — Very Helpful

Opposition — Obstruction

The above aspects need to be within a certain orb:

15 degrees for Sun

12 for Moon

8 for Mars

7 for Mercury

9 for Jupiter

7 for Venus

9 for Saturn

Yogas

Yogas are combinations which gives certain results. Some of the tajika yogas used are as follows. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list:

Ithasala

This occurs when a faster planet is at a lower degree than a slower planet with a higher degree, regardless of the signs (remember, we consider the aspects). Imagine the faster planet with a lower degree catching up to the slower planet’s degree. This ‘coming together’ of the planets by degree suggests success of the endeavour.

Easarapha

This occurs when a faster planet has a higher degree than a slower planet. Imagine the faster planet moving to higher degrees, away from the slower planet with a lower degree. This ‘separating’ of the planets suggests failure.

Kamboola

This occurs when the Moon is at a lower degree than two planets involved in an already successful Ithasala. This suggests an even higher likelihood of success, and even greater success obtained.

Naktha

This occurs when a planet which is faster than the two planets, both of which are not in orb, is in aspect to the two planets. Success is likely through a 3rd party, as if the 3rd planet is bringing one planet into contact with the other.

Yamaya

This occurs when a 3rd planet is aspecting the two planets in question, which are not in orb of each other, and is a slower planet than the two. Again, this shows a 3rd party helping out and leading to success.

Ithasala Yoga

Taking the Ithasala yoga as an example, we can see this combination formed when the degree of a faster moving planet is lower than the slower planet, as if the faster planet is about to catch up with the slower — by degree, not necessarily by sign.

Imagine Mercury is at 5 degrees of Scorpio and Jupiter is at 10 degrees of Pisces. Mercury is a faster moving planet than Jupiter and will be seen to reach 10 degrees subsequently, thus, forming this favourable combination and resulting in success with regard to the query. Mercury in Scorpio is in a trine to Jupiter in Pisces, which shows an ease in achieving success. If Mercury were instead at 5 degrees of Sagittarius, in a square aspect to Jupiter, there would be success after some conflict as Mercury is in Ithasala Yoga but also a conflicted square aspect.

The trine aspect is the most helpful, while the sextile or semi-sextile are also helpful, but with some or lots of effort required. The conjunction is conflicted, but the intensity depends of the planets involved. The square aspects show challenges, although the result may be forthcoming along with these challenges. The opposition shows, well, opposition.

Let us take an example of an Ithasala yoga.

The Moon is the fastest moving ‘planet’, so if the sign Cancer is rising at the time of the question, the Moon becomes the person asking.

If the Moon is in a lower degree to the other planet in question, for example, if the question is about career, then Mars is taken as the 10th sign from Cancer. So, if Mars is at higher degree by even just one degree, then the Moon and Mars are forming an Ithasala yoga.

The results will be successful in relation to what Mars represents, in this case if the person asks about getting a promotion at work.

Taking the aspects into account will show the full picture, how easy they achieve this success. If the aspect between the Moon and Mars is a semi-sextile it is somewhat helpful but requires a lot of effort.

If the aspect is trinal this is the best scenario for success for this particular endeavour, showing a general ease of attaining success. If, however, the aspect is a square, there will likely be conflict, although not necessarily failure, as the Ithasala yoga has suggested success. It’s just that there may be some obstacles to surmount before success is achieved.

There are many other indications to observe in any given chart alongside these considerations, but these offer a quick way to gauge the likelihood of success.

You could try asking a question until you get the result you want, but the first impulse to ask the question and the answer you receive back is not going to change.

You could, however, wait some time for circumstances to change and to formulate a new question, and ask it at another time.

Remember, the clearer you are about the question, the clearer the answer will be.