When I first became interested in horary astrology, I’d try to get an overall impression of the chart. What was strong? What was weak? What was notable? General considerations like these can often hint at an answer. When I do horaries these days, I still start there. You can’t ignore the rules, but I find I often don’t need a highly detailed, rigorous analysis to get the correct answer, particularly with simple questions.
On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, when much was closed due to the coronavirus, I changed into sneakers to run to the grocery store, leaving my slippers on the bedroom floor. When I returned, only one slipper was there. I searched the room, under dressers and near my other shoes. Nothing. It was puzzling; a slipper doesn’t just disappear. When it didn’t turn up, I ordered a new pair the next day. But it nagged at me – what had become of the slipper? I finally did a horary at 9:52 a.m. on August 20.
With all the personal planets above the horizon, the general tenor of the chart looked promising with the Moon given nice trines all around. And there’s a lot of essential dignity, with the Sun in Leo, Mercury in Virgo, Mars in Aries and Saturn in Capricorn, all in the signs they rule, making them more helpful. Definitely more of a “Yes” than a “No” chart.
The Ascendant ruler, representing me, is Venus in Cancer conjunct the MC, which also seemed good: a benefic in the house often associated with success. Venus squares the Ascendant and opposes Jupiter in Capricorn, so I was at cross-purposes with myself, clinging to a comfortable old item that remained out of reach.
The Moon is the querent’s co-ruler, and in Virgo in the 12th house also nicely describes my bewilderment over the small, functional, missing item. The Moon had trined Uranus in the 8th house in the past, showing a sudden event that remained obscure. It would soon oppose Neptune, suggesting that the mystery will remain, at least for a while. But the Moon’s double-approaching trines to retrograde Jupiter, Pluto and finally Saturn in the 4th house were hopeful signs that the slipper should be home where I expected it. Certainly there would be an end to the suspense!
The Moon is ruled by the dignified Mercury, which is good, but combust the Sun – not so good. On the plus side, I felt that Mercury in Virgo was a terrific significator for my lightweight little slipper, with the Sun overshadowing it somehow. I tried to think what the Sun represented in the room and immediately thought of the floor lamp in the corner, not far from where I’d left the slippers. I searched closer to the lamp area, though again turned up nothing. It was so clear in the horary! I sat there for a while thinking. It couldn’t be the ceiling light or the lamp on the night-table, nowhere near where I’d put on my sneakers.
What else in the room was like the Sun? It finally hit me: the radiator right next to the floor lamp – not light, but heat! The radiator cover is about an inch off the floor in some places. I slid my hand under it and found the missing slipper. It seemed amazing that it could’ve slid under such a narrow opening, but I must have kicked it across the floor as I left the room. Mystery solved.
The new slippers were delivered a few days later. If Scorpio on the 2nd is my purchase, and Mars in Aries the new item, its square to Saturn shows my rush to order a replacement as well as my overcompensation. Not the worst outcome from a Mars square Saturn!