Electional Astrology: The Fine Art of Seizing the Moment

by Steven Forrest

"Were getting married. Can you help us pick a day?"

I hear that message on my answering machine at least once a month. People with the
slightest openness to astrology seem to know that certain moments in time are more
auspicious than others. They are right. For any major undertaking, its wise to consider
"planning its birth" through the judicious use of Electional astrology. Any action that we
volunteer for and exercise authority over in terms of timing is fair game. Getting married.
Opening a business. Leaving on a trip.

When am I likely to meet the sort of person whom I might choose to marry? Thats not an
Electional question thats in the domain of transits and progressions. Should I get
married? No, thats not Electional territory either again, use transits and progressions,
along with the birth chart, to find the answer. Should I marry this particular person? Use
synastry and perhaps Horary techniques. Many people get confused about the differences
between Horary and Electional astrology, so its important to be clear about them. In a
nutshell, Horary is about whether you should do something, and Electional is about when
to do something that youve already decided to do.

We use Electional astrology for only one reason: to time the beginning of an action to
which we are already committed. It is tactical astrology, in other words, not strategic
astrology. Weve figured out what we are going to do. We just want to know when to
make the move to bring the most "luck" to bear upon the situation.

It works powerfully. Ronald Reagans astrologer, Joan Quigley, used this technique
extensively for Reagan during his presidency. The media couldnt ignore his incredible
"luck." Of course, they ridiculed astrology when the truth emerged about its influence on
Reagan. The medias more "objective" explanation was that he was coated with Teflon.

So, back to our question: "Were getting married. Can you help us pick a day?" Everyone
with an IQ above the price of dinner knows that it takes a lot of sanity, patience, and
commitment to make a marriage work. Common sense dictates that even the "best" chart
in the world cannot create happiness between two people who are fundamentally
incompatible, ambivalent about the commitment, or simply not psychologically or
spiritually ready. Which leads us to Principle Number One: Electional astrology works
within the limits of the consciousness of the individuals using it; it does not override the
basic principles of natural law or common sense.

What constitutes happiness in a marriage? For a very mild couple, "never fighting" might
be a legitimate ideal. A standard kind of "good" chart might work for them lots of trines
and sextiles, a big glorious Venus ruling a Libra Ascendant. But what if two Plutonian
types are getting married? Would they want that kind of marriage? Probably not. With
marriage, or any other truly epochal existential undertaking, an effective modern
astrologer seeks to understand precisely the goals of the individuals involved and does
not succumb to the platitudinous assumptions about "good" charts that weve inherited
from the literature. A "good" chart can lack dynamism; it can be boring. Which leads us
to Principle Number Two: Although Electional astrology can shape and flavor outcomes,
to use it wisely, we must know specifically what kind of outcome is desired by the client.

Ive been asked on many occasions to pick a moment for entering a lottery or a contest.
Personally, Im not very interested in that kind of astrology, but Electional techniques can
be used this way. Ive never been successful at helping a client to win a contest, nor do I
really expect to be. The odds are just too long. I have no doubt that I have boosted the
clients chances of winning from ten million to one all the way up to maybe a
million to one. Which leads us to Principle Number Three: A realistic, non-astrological
assessment of simple probabilities is essential for keeping perspective about Electional
astrology.

If someone asked me to elect an auspicious moment to steal money, ethics would

obviously forbid my doing so. Say, for the sake of argument, that I did it anyway and that
the person got away with the crime. This raises ethical and metaphysical questions. (If the
ethical ones stump you, please stop reading this article and consider a career in politics!)
But metaphysically, we get into some very complex terrain with Electional astrology.
Stealing money sets cosmic wheels turning. Astrology may help us to dodge the
consequences this year or even in this lifetime, but in the end those consequences will
catch up with us. So Electional work can actually create karma.

The best Electional work can also be undone by previous karma. If it is important for you
to be single in this lifetime, for evolutionary reasons, a marriage performed under a fine
marital Electional chart will still probably come undone. This is philosophical territory,
and I certainly honor your right to your own attitudes and beliefs. I do encourage you to
think deeply about these questions before launching into a serious study of Electional
astrology. Which leads us to Principle Number Four: With Electional astrology, we are
practicing magic, pure and simple. We are playing with the natural laws of karma and the
universe. It is wise to do so cautiously and consciously.

"When is the best time this evening to brush my teeth?" Well, yes you could actually do
valid Electional astrology on that pithy question. Make sure the 6th house and its ruler are
strong, and so on. But down that road lies madness. Which leads us to Principle Number
Five: The effectiveness of Electional astrology is most marked when it is applied to the
truly pivotal strategies of ones life.

Choosing the Date

When choosing the date for an action astrologically, we are selecting the moment for an
action to be born. Once our goals are clear, we pick the chart that seems to support them
most effectively. We let the action take its "first breath" at a moment we have chosen with
specific intentions and outcomes in mind. You wouldnt want a big adventure to be born
with a timid, reflective chart. You wouldnt want a meditation retreat to be born with a
noisy, chaotic chart which might be the perfect one for a wild party.

In practical terms, there will usually be a time limit involved. "I need to open my
business sometime in the month of April." "We want to go to Europe this spring." Once
youve gotten that information from a client, you have determined the first and last days
when the action might be undertaken. Thats your scope of inquiry. Your task is to pick
the strongest moment of time within that framework.

Naturally, the wider the range of time the client provides, the more powerful this
technique becomes you simply have more choices. Conversely, suppose the client says:
"Were getting married next Saturday afternoon is that okay?" Under those
circumstances, you should probably just congratulate the happy couple and change the
subject. For Electional astrology to work, you need some breathing room.

Ive often ranted in these pages about the foolishness of thinking in terms of "good" and
"bad" aspects in the charts of individuals. Cancer always loves Scorpio? Give me a break!
Capricorn always has trouble with Aries? Ha! Give them a joint project and stand back.
Still, in Electional astrology, we actually err in the direction of thinking in terms of
traditional "good" and "bad" aspects. Generally, when people set out to achieve a goal,
they would prefer fewer obstacles rather than many. Thus, it is wise to emphasize trines
and sextiles and to be cautious about oppositions and squares although I would quickly
add that the latter have their uses. They often represent strengths that are forged in
experiences that test our mettle. For a marriage between two conscious people with a
strong evolutionary orientation, I wouldnt be unduly concerned by some "hard" aspects
in a wedding chart. For a fun adventure trip to Europe or South America, though, give me
trines and sextiles I dont want the bus to break down for ten days in some backwater,
nor do I want my passport stolen.

Heres the first step: If someone is planning a wedding, the planet Venus obviously plays
a central role in the considerations. Id immediately scan the ephemeris for days when
Venus is involved in trines or sextiles. That is the key, very simply. Pick the planet
connected to the persons intention. Find the times during the period you are considering
when that planet is most strongly supported by aspects to other planets. Then, build your
possible Electional charts around those days.

When beginning a major project, look for a strong, well-supported Saturn. Speculation or
risk? Jupiter. Starting an educational or literary endeavor? Mercury. An adventure? Mars
and, ideally, Jupiter too. Domestic or familial actions? The Moon. Creative work?
Venus and Neptune. Psychotherapy or a necessary confrontation? Pluto.

As we will soon see, Electional astrology is complex. Venus might be looking great, but
other, darker factors could eclipse the Venusian possibilities on those days. You will
hardly ever find a chart that feels truly "perfect." You do hope to find one that looks
significantly better than any of the other possibilities. In a moment, well mention some
of those darker factors. Right now, lets continue with the heart of the technique: finding
the planet that naturally rules the action and making it as strong as possible in the chart
for the moment the enterprise begins.

Say Venus passes through a trine to Jupiter during the period a couple is considering for
their wedding. Thats obviously a merry discovery. The more exact the VenusJupiter
aspect is, the stronger its action will be, so it would be desirable to schedule the wedding
close to the day of exactitude. But practical issues may intervene most people would
prefer their wedding to be on a weekend rather than on a Tuesday, for example.
Everything else being equal, an applying aspect is stronger than a separating one; its
better to choose the weekend before the aspect is exact than the one following it.

Various factors might vex this simple scenario, but lets continue to assume a "best case"
situation. Youre electing a wedding date, and you have a strong VenusJupiter
interaction as the basis of your timing. Any wedding occurring during those few days will
be supported by a powerful harmonious aspect. Chances are good that youve found the
basis of the chart you will eventually choose. Youve narrowed it down to a period of
several days.

Choosing the Minute

Within those few days when Venus is applying to the trine of Jupiter, which minute
represents the peak of the energy? Our aim is to make that VenusJupiter energy as
central to the chart as possible. The aspect will be exact at a certain moment on a certain
day, but that is probably not your answer. The practical key is to realize that the daily
transits of the planets around the horizon put them either in the spotlight or in the
background, minute by minute. Any planet is strongest when it is in an angular house (the
1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th), especially when it is actually conjunct an angle rising, setting,
culminating, or crossing the lower Meridian. Perhaps you can place either Venus or
Jupiter on an angle, thus strengthening the planet.

Planets also have specific house rulerships Mercury loves being in the 3rd house, but
Saturn isnt so excited about it. Venus would love to be in the 7th house, of course,
though Jupiter prefers the 9th.

Furthermore, the planetary ruler of the Ascendant is always a critical factor. If you want
to emphasize Venus, choosing a chart with Libra or Taurus rising will accomplish that. If
Sagittarius or Pisces is rising, Jupiter would be very energized.

Say that Saturn is currently squaring Jupiter. You will want to use that VenusJupiter
trine as the basis of your Electional chart, but you dont like that hard aspect from Saturn.
Both of those planets are fairly slow, so waiting for the square to break up might not be a
realistic option the couple is eager to be married in the spring. If you were to elect a
chart with Capricorn rising, Saturn then becomes the chart ruler, and youve really
emphasized the problem not a good move. So, having Venus-ruled Libra or Taurus on
the Ascendant would be a better choice. The same can be said for having Jupiter-ruled
Sagittarius or Pisces there. Tuck Saturn into the background as much as possible.

Youll notice that I am using the traditional rulerships. Our modern love of Neptune as
the ruler of Pisces has eclipsed our sensitivity to Jupiters association with the sign. In
practice, my recommendation is to think in terms of "co-rulership." If Pisces is on the
Ascendant, then both Neptune and Jupiter are emphasized.

In a nutshell, choose a day that looks strong because of some fundamental supportive
planetary aspect involving the planet that is most closely associated with the action being
considered. Then juggle the time (and thus the Ascendant and planetary house
placements) to make that planet as central as possible to the chart, meanwhile doing your
best to minimize the impact of anything that looks dicey.

The Role of the Computer

As in all things astrological, apart from chart interpretation itself, the computer is a
blessing in Electional work. You can easily set up charts on screen, adjusting the time
until you see something that works. Most modern programs also have a Rectification
module, which is very helpful in the Electional process. This allows you to adjust the
chart quickly, going forward or backward on the screen in increments of hours and
minutes.

Of course, the whole process can also be done with an ephemeris, a Table of Houses, and
plenty of patience.

Bad Moon Rising

Weve just covered the core process of Electional astrology. In the end, you will probably
discover a few periods of a few days each, when the door seems to be open for an action.
You will also come up with a variety of specific times on those days when the Ascendant
and planetary house placements all look encouraging.

How should we choose among these days and times? To answer that question, we need to
go deeper into the Electional process. Then, we will learn that other factors come into
play some of these can potentially turn your Gold Medal chart into a catastrophe,
leading you to fall back on your Silver or your Bronze.

The Moon plays such a dominant role in Electional astrology that it can effectively rule
out a chart that otherwise looks perfect. You simply cannot ignore the Moon. The most
critical concept here is perhaps the notion of the Moon being void of course. This refers
to a situation where the Moon will not make any more major aspects before it leaves the
sign it currently occupies. This is a simple concept, but its absolutely pivotal that we
understand it perfectly. Lets say the Moon is in Aries. If it wont make a conjunction,
sextile, square, trine, or opposition to any other planet before it enters Taurus, then it is
void of course. Thats all there is to it.
It is important to understand the precise meaning of a void Moon. Never think of it as
"bad" per se. What it tells you is that "nothing will come of the matter." In Horary
astrology, theres a dictum: No aspects, no action. Its a very solid and reliable principle
in Electional astrology, too. Of course, with a wedding, one typically hopes and expects
that something will come of the matter a long, happy life together, prosperity, perhaps
children. To accept a void Moon in a wedding Electional chart would be a real blunder.
On the other hand, imagine that a client needs to schedule a professional meeting where
she fervently hopes that nothing will happen the company is considering transferring
her from her Hawaiian paradise to its new office in Greenland. Pick a void Moon for that
meeting! Please note that having a void-of-course Moon in your birth chart is an entirely
different matter. Exploring its meaning would take us too far afield in this article. Suffice
it to say that a natal Moon void of course does not mean that your entire life will come to
nothing.

Even when the Moon for an Election is not void of course, we need to be careful how we
handle it. Pay attention to the last aspect the Moon makes before leaving the sign it
currently occupies. That aspect is always relevant to how the matter turns out in the end.
Say you have the Moon moving toward an opposition to Uranus in a wedding chart.
Thats suggestive of the marriage ending explosively. Better to have the Moon moving
toward a trine, sextile, or a happy conjunction. The ideal would perhaps be a conjunction
with Venus that would evoke something much closer to the desired loving outcome.

Remember: This procedure applies strictly to aspects that the Moon will make before
leaving the sign through which it is currently passing. If the Moon crosses the line into
the next sign before it conjuncts that Venus, it loses its deepest relevance.

You may have a series of days that all look pretty good from the perspective of all the
planets other than the Moon. You find that when, say, Libra is rising on those days, the
charts are especially strong. Which chart should you choose? A close consideration of the
Moon will almost always resolve that question youll find that the Moon is void or
going toward a scary last aspect in several of the charts, so you can toss them out of the
running.

In summary, regarding the Moon, there are two principles to keep in mind. First, steer
clear of a void-of-course Moon in an Electional chart, unless you have good reason to use
it. Second, make sure that the final aspect the Moon makes, before leaving the sign it
currently occupies, supports the results you are seeking. Generally, that means you are
looking for the Moon to make a trine or sextile to any planet or a conjunction to a gentle
one.

The Querent and the Quesited

These delightfully archaic terms are commonly used in Horary astrology, and Electional
is a close cousin. The querent is the person asking the question, usually represented by
the Ascendant and its planetary ruler. The quesited is the thing being asked about.
Depending upon what that thing is specifically, it can be represented by any house and its
ruler. If the question is about another person, the quesited will be the 7th house and the
planet ruling the sign on its cusp. If its about a career move, it will be the 10th house and
its ruler. The basic idea, in Horary, is that you want an easy aspect forming between those
two planetary rulers. We import this procedure wholesale into Electional astrology.

Heres how: A wedding is naturally a 7th-house affair. We have tentatively chosen a chart
with Libra rising, for example. That places Aries on the cusp of the 7th house, with Mars
as its planetary ruler. Mars thus becomes the quesited a wedding. The querent is Venus,
because it rules the Ascendant. Now, heres the question: Is there an aspect between Mars
and Venus? In the best of all possible worlds, Venus would be moving into a sextile or
trine with Mars. If a hard aspect were forming between them, that would be ominous
although here I would instantly advocate sensitivity toward the intentions and desires of
the couple. A square isnt "bad" as much as process-oriented; by this I mean that such
aspects usually require negotiation and serious efforts by the couple to understand each
other and to find a respectful middle ground not such bad skills to develop in a
marriage. Some people are better suited to the intensity of that kind of chart than others.
A conjunction between Mars and Venus in a chart such as this would be easier by far than
a square or opposition but not nearly as encouraging as a trine or sextile. At least, the
couple would tend to agree on what subject they were fighting about!

If no aspect is forming between the two planets, the chart is a candidate for rejection. Try
changing the Ascendant to see whether you can get the querent and the quesited to dance
together. You can often do this by simply altering the hour, without starting all over again
with a new day.

Aspects that are currently applying getting closer to exactitude are more powerful
than ones that are separating. In Horary astrology, one basically ignores separating
aspects the trine that is one degree past exactitude is forgotten. In Electional work, that
extreme attitude is unnecessary. But the ideal is to see applying trines, sextiles, or
conjunctions between the planetary ruler of the Ascendant and the ruler of the house that
represents the action the client is undertaking.

In our example, weve been considering a wedding, which is a 7th-house affair. Career
questions would focus our attention on the ruler of the 10th house. Questions about health
or pets would focus on the 6th house. Questions about actions involving children would
turn our attention to the 5th house. Long trips, the 9th house. And so on. All the
"Astrology 101" principles apply, in other words.

Planets in the House that Rules the Matter

Say that someone elects a chart for a wedding, and the chart has Saturn in the 7th house.
A lot of astrologers might gasp. Thats an overreaction, I think but I would like to see
this particular Saturn supported by lots of easy aspects and relatively free of hard ones
before I breathed easily about it.
The general principle here is that any planet lying in the house of the quesited assumes a
great deal of power in the chart. Thats a fairly obvious idea, intuitively. The trick is to be
cautious about any knee-jerk assumptions about which planets are good and which ones
are bad. We would love to see Jupiter in the 7th house of a wedding chart but if Jupiter
is currently passing through some tense aspects, you probably dont want to put it in the
spotlight. Doing so could suggest unrealistically high expectations of the marriage, which
can lead quickly to disillusionment. A solid, happy Saturn might serve your intentions a
lot more effectively.

Keeping One Eye on the Birth Chart

Once youve come up with a possible chart, it must pass one more test. How well does it
fit with the clients birth chart? That Electional chart represents the current transits at a
given moment of time, and those transits are affecting the birth chart of the person asking
the question. Maybe theres a transiting traffic jam in the individuals 12th house right at
the time you are electing for opening a new business or tying the marital knot. If so, you
might want to reconsider your Electional suggestion. The moment youve selected could
very well be an excellent time for someone else to undertake the action, but not your
client, who simply isnt sufficiently clear regarding his or her own intentions to make
such a commitment wholeheartedly.

A complete treatment of this final dimension of Electional astrology would actually

require a book, because it blurs into the vast territory of transits, progressions, and solar
arcs. If you are fuzzy about how these factors impact a birth chart, Id suggest that you
spend a little time with my book, The Changing Sky.1

Conclusion

That is the heart of the Electional process. If you find a chart that covers all the bases,
youve done your job. The rest is up to the people involved. That, in my opinion, is
astrologys glory reality, as we experience it, is created at the interface of consciousness
and planetary forces. Remember Principle Number One: Electional astrology works
within the limits of the consciousness of the individuals using it. Even a "perfect" chart
can turn sour. Thats not astrologys fault or yours.

In the real world, you probably wont find many charts that seem truly perfect. You just
do your best and then discuss the results honestly with the client, balancing the pros and
cons, just like everything else. If you could "elect" over a period of a decade or two, you
might be able to come up with a chart that seemed flawless. Thats not the real world,
though. In practice, you always have to choose the "lesser evil." The art lies in learning to
recognize it!

Sometimes, you will simply not come up with any workable chart at all. I remember a
summer not long ago when Saturn was in Pisces and Venus went retrograde in Virgo,
opposing it for several weeks I couldnt, in clear conscience, recommend any marriage
dates under that energy. That frustrated some people, but I felt that I had to be truthful
about what I saw. Patience was the lesson!

When my wife, Jodie, published the first book in her trilogy, The Rhymer and the
Ravens, we wrote a local "rock opera" based upon it. I elected a chart for our first
performance with Jupiter rising in Sagittarius. Almost instantly, everything went ballistic
Jupiter-fashion! We were flooded with volunteers, creative ideas, and enthusiasm. We
sprouted a big band, a troupe of 15 dancers, costumers, lighting technicians everything
but an elephant. At one show, we played on a 40-foot, three-level stage designed as a
Viking dragon ship. At our final performance, we sold out the best of the local
performance venues and turned away a hundred people. The whole experience was like
having the proverbial tiger by the tail. It completely dominated our lives in every way for
a couple of years, which wasnt what we had really intended. I felt like Mickey Mouse in
"The Sorcerers Apprentice," casting his spell on those ever-multiplying brooms. It was a
good experience, but it taught me a valuable lesson: Never underestimate the power of
Electional astrology!

Reference

1. Steven Forrest, The Changing Sky, San Diego, CA: ACS Publications, 1998.

2001 Steven Forrest all rights reserved

Steven Forrest is a well-known astrological writer and teacher and the author of The
Inner Sky, The Changing Sky, The Night Speaks, and The Book of Pluto. He co-authored
Skymates with his wife, Jodie Forrest, and most recently published Measuring the Night,
co-authored by Jeffrey Wolf Green. Steven is Chair of the Advisory Council of Kepler
College of Astrological Arts and Sciences in Seattle. He maintains a busy astrological
practice in his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. You can contact him at P. O. Box
2345, Chapel Hill, NC 27515; e-mail: alyra@intrex.net; or visit his Web site:
http://www.stevenforrest.com