Astrology is a predictive science which depends on information like the date, time and place of birth of a person to make accurate predictions about a person’s life and analyze their personality. The planets in the sky will be in certain positions when a person is born. Based on these positions, an astrologer will create a horoscope for the person. Depending on the astrology readings expertise and experience, very accurate predictions can be obtained.
Sometimes, a person may be unable to furnish their birth details. This will make it difficult to create their horoscope. At other times, a person may want the answer to a particular question. It could be anything from the location of a missing object to the result of a job interview. Using the time the question is posed to the astrologer, a horoscope will be created based on the planetary positions at that moment. It will then be analyzed to seek the answer to the question. This is called Horary Astrology or Prasna Astrology. The question that is asked is called ‘query’ and the person who asks it is called the ‘querent’. The subject of the query is called ‘quesited’. For instance, if you are asking about your lost pet, the pet is the quesited.
Hora comes from the Sanskrit words ‘aho’ which means ‘daytime’ and ‘raathra’ which means ‘night’. The word means ‘moment in time’ as it is the passage of time that creates day and night. Horary astrology is a concept that both eastern and western astrologers are familiar with. It finds mention in the works of Varahamihira, Kalidasa and Kalyana Varma. In the western world, Ptolemy, William Lilly and Alan Leo have written books about it. Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra has a lot of information on the subject. It is in the form of a discussion between the two sages, Parashara and Maitreya.
The ‘why’ and ‘how’ of Horary Astrology
People resort to Horary Astrology to seek answers to specific questions. When a person poses his question to the astrologer, the planetary positions for that particular place, date and time are calculated and a horoscope chart is created. In the chart, the querent is the Ascendant. If the querent poses a query about their spouse, the 7th house (which represents spouse) and its lord will be analyzed. The 7th house will be called the ‘significator’. If the question is about the person’s job, the 10th house and its lord will be analyzed. In this case, the 10th house is the significator. When the significator receives favorable aspects or is exalted, the outcome will be positive. If the significator receives bad aspects or is debilitated, the outcome may be negative.
One important thing to remember in horary astrology is the origin of the question in the querent’s mind. He/she must be genuinely interested to know the outcome of the query. He/she should not ask it without real interest or merely for fun. This kind of astrology helps to predict events in the near future, usually within one year of asking the question. Horary astrology is often referred to as the most elegant kind of astrology. A horary reading is usually valid only for the time duration that’s relevant to the question. Whatever the type of astrology, a person always has free will. Astrology can indicate possibilities in life but acting on them is up to us. Horary cannot answer questions that cover a lifetime. It cannot replace other methods and like studying a person’s birth chart, transits, progressions, solar return, etc.
