Below is a question I asked myself recently. Now, keep in mind that it is not a good idea for an astrologer to analyze her own horary questions. Reason: It is hard to be truly objective about yourself, even when you try.
When will the .5 job come through?
1/6/10, 8:53 am, Milwaukee, WI
The planet representing me in this chart is Saturn, strongly dignified in Libra and placed in the 8th, one of its own houses, although not a fortunate house. The Moon is always co-significator of the querent (here, me). The Moon is just past conjunction with Saturn, with a little dignity (in its own face), also weakly placed in the 8th.
I have been doing this job on a fill-in basis for over a year. There has been talk of creating a .5 position with benefits for at least that long. I confess to having a sense that this job should come to me. Note that I did not ask whether I would get the job, but when I would get it! Saturn is in its own exaltation, which means my sense of myself is exaggerated. I could very well be wrong in assuming that the job is mine to get.
Playing the part of the job in this chart is Jupiter, in the 1st house and in strong Saturn dignities: The job “loves” me. This is not exaggerated, but genuine. My coworkers think well of me and my supervisor wants to hire me, so this makes sense. But the placement of my significators in the weak 8th house also makes sense: I am virtually powerless in this situation (all exaggerated sense of myself aside). The matter is in the hands of the large department within the very large government bureaucracy that employs me. I will submit the required paperwork and do my best in the interview process, but the decision is not mine to make.
Receptions are very important in horary, and here I am a bit puzzled. Neither of my planets loves Jupiter right now, so the reception is not mutual. The job is a good one all things considered, and I love my coworkers. I would have expected some mutual reception to reflect that. Instead, my planets both love Venus. What does Venus represent? There's no clear answer here. Venus is Lord 3 and Lord 8, but neither makes any obvious sense in the context of this question.
So, will I get the job? For a Yes, typically we look for an applying angle between one of the querent’s significators and the significator of the desired thing. There is none here, which could mean No. However, we could argue that I already have the job, albeit not on secure terms. In that case we can look at the condition of the job. Is there anything to indicate that the job will improve, and if so, when?
Jupiter right now is peregrine in Aquarius with accidental dignity in the 1st. In two and a half degrees it will leave Aquarius and enter one of its own signs, Pisces. In Pisces it will be very strong. This could well signify the guaranteed hours and benefits that I have been waiting for.
What about timing? Degrees in horary signify units of time. The trick is in determining which units to use. Days or weeks are unlikely, years too far, so we will settle on months. Two and a half months equals about 11 weeks. Counting from the date of our question, this puts us at mid-March. So here's my prediction: I will get the .5 appointment in mid-March 2010. For greater accountability, let's define that as March 13-March 18.
I will stand by this prediction, but I have lingering concerns:
1) We don't have an applying aspect, and my argument that we don't need one may be incorrect;
2) When Jupiter enters Pisces it will have only minor interest in Saturn (me);
3) The antiscion of Uranus, planet of disruptions, is very close to the Moon (1 degree), which could prove troublesome;
4) Saturn is applying to square difficult Pluto, also 1 degree. Normally in horary we don't pay much attention to Pluto, but here it is the only aspect immediately applying and so could signify some block or difficulty getting in the way.
Time will tell if this prediction is correct. Either way, we will learn from it. Stay tuned!
7/24/12:
Getting too exact with a timing is not a good idea, as you set yourself up for being wrong. "In a few months" would have been a better way to phrase the timing here.
The original post included a suggestion that Venus as Lord 8 meant my government paycheck, but this is incorrect. Salary from the job is 2nd from 10th (the 11th).
