Horary Astrology: Tool or Crutch?

Horary astrology is a vast and complicated study: the art or 'science' of answering a specific question using a chart drawn at the exact time, place, and date of the asking, a 'birth chart' for a question.

Sceptics find it hard to believe that horary charts can answer questions ranging in scope from 'Will Chelsea win the cup this year?' to 'Where is my lost necklace?' (and everything in-between), but students of horary will tell you that it is almost spookily accurate, if you know what you're looking for.

Me, I've found wallets and keys and lost notebooks using horary; I've answered questions on matters of the heart, marriages, and by now, several hundred, "Does s/he love me?" questions.

An emerging problem I see with horary, as it becomes more popular and well-known on astrology websites, is that people have a tendency to use horary as a substitute for common sense. They ask a string of questions, all surrounding the same subject (often, a "Does s/he love me"-type question) without giving pause to consider what the first, original chart they cast, has told them.

I find myself getting very irritated with this sort of behaviour, although it is perfectly human and quite common; I have done the same thing myself! But after awhile, you get the feeling that people, by and large, don't want to be responsible for their own destinies and choices; they want a chart to tell them the exact moment their 'Great Love' will appear on the pavement outside the cafe window; the exact moment when the difficulties in their current relationship will work themselves out (not having done much work, in the meantime, to fix the problems); or to tell them 'Why' they just can't seem to find Mr. or Miss Right, when a little introspection and time spent understanding their own patterns of behaviour, may hold the key.

Astrology of any sort is a tool; a tool for self-understanding and blossoming self-awareness; this is especially the remit of natal astrology. Horary astrology, on the other hand, is an excellent way of finding out answers to questions in mundane reality where you just can't find the answer, no matter how much you search; this is why it's so great for finding the set of keys you dropped behind the cushions in the sofa last night, when you were sure you put them on the counter instead. Horary astrology can tell you, quite accurately, that you'll get a new job in June, but the pay won't be great; it's up to you, then, to decide if you actually stay at the job or take it in the first place. It can tell you that she doesn't love you, and will never marry you:- but asking several more questions about When will we get married, then? will not alter the fact that the first chart says she won't. This is where horary needs to be dropped as a crutch and used as a crucible for self-awareness.

People have a tendency to be pig-headed, and wear those famous rose-tinted spectacles. We tend to see only what we want to see, even when all the common sense in the world tells us differently. Unfortunately, horary astrology sometimes gets drawn into this, where we use it to prop up our own shaky beliefs instead of taking what the stars tell us seriously, trusting what the chart says, and making a self-aware, responsible choice to follow on from that.