Application, Separation, Frustration… Is Horary All About Aspects?

Editorial Note: This article was originally written during a period in which I was experimenting with whole-sign houses. It is presented substantially as originally written.

One of the most common misconceptions about horary astrology is that judgement consists merely of locating an aspect between two significators and pronouncing a simple yes or no. If the ruler of the ascendant applies to the ruler of the seventh, the answer is yes; if not, the answer is no.

The reality is rather more nuanced.

Aspects themselves have several layers of meaning that must be considered: application and separation, frustration, prohibition, collection and translation of light, reception, and a host of other factors. A chart may indicate the perfection of a matter whilst simultaneously showing obstacles, delays, or even a subsequent change of circumstances.

A horary consultation from earlier that year serves as an excellent illustration.

The querent, Dimitra, wished to know whether she would be offered a position for which she had recently been interviewed.

I cast the chart for the time and date at which I read and understood her question. The figure was displayed using house division; however, my topical analysis was conducted using whole-sign houses.

In horary astrology, the rising sign and its ruler signify the querent. The matter being enquired about—the quesited—is represented by the appropriate house and its ruler. The Moon, as the general significator of events and developments, may also co-signify the querent provided she is not simultaneously ruling the quesited.

Cancer rises in this figure, making the Moon Dimitra’s principal significator.

In terms of the considerations before judgement, the chart is radical. It was cast during the hour of the Moon, who both rules Cancer and serves as one of the triplicity rulers of the water signs.

The Moon is placed in the second house and is therefore in aversion to the ascendant. When the querent’s significator is averse to the first place, we may conclude that the matter is not entirely within the querent’s control.

As part of my practice, I also examined the twelfth-part of the ascendant, which falls at 6° Aries in the tenth place. Employment is a tenth-house matter¹. According to Hephaestion of Thebes, the twelfth-part associated with this portion of Cancer concerns “rulership and rank and a priesthood and what is like that².” Whilst not decisive in itself, such testimony is certainly relevant given the nature of the enquiry.

The central question, however, remains straightforward: will Dimitra be offered the position?

To determine this, we must establish whether there is a means of bringing together the querent and the quesited. This may occur through direct application between significators or through a translation of light.

The answer appears immediately.

The Moon, signifying Dimitra, is at 27° Leo. Mars, signifying the position itself, is at 27° Aries. The two are joined by an exceptionally close trine, with less than a degree remaining before perfection. This detail is important, for the aspect is still applying. Had the trine already separated, it would instead suggest parting: rejection, withdrawal, dismissal, or a conclusion already reached.

At first glance, therefore, the answer appears to be yes.

Yet judgement does not end there.

The next step is to determine whether the Moon perfects another aspect before reaching Mars. Were there such a planet, the trine could be frustrated. In this chart, no such frustration occurs. Mars is not stationing, nor is there any prohibition arising from retrogradation. Whilst the Moon eventually squares Jupiter, that aspect perfects only after the trine to Mars and is therefore irrelevant to the immediate question.

A more intriguing consideration lies elsewhere.

The Moon is at 27° Leo and has fewer than three degrees remaining before entering Virgo. As the Moon is the swiftest of the seven traditional planets, this change occurs quickly. Once in Virgo, she becomes averse to the tenth place.

In my experience, this is highly significant. Although the querent obtains the desired object—in this case, the offer of employment—she subsequently turns away from it. Such testimony frequently indicates a decision to decline an offer or pursue another opportunity.

We may also note that the Moon’s previous completed aspect was a trine to Saturn. Saturn rules both Capricorn and Aquarius; here, Capricorn occupies the seventh place, signifying competitors or other candidates. Technically speaking, this represents a translation of light between Saturn and Mars by way of the Moon.

Dimitra’s question was not whether she would accept the position, however. It was whether the position would be offered to her.

My judgement was therefore affirmative.

I also advised her that the chart suggested she would ultimately decline the role and that it would subsequently pass to another candidate.

That is precisely what occurred.

Shortly after receiving the offer, Dimitra was presented with a more attractive opportunity by her existing employer. Once the Moon enters Virgo, she begins to apply by opposition to the Sun in the ninth place. The Sun is both exalted ruler of the tenth and one of its triplicity rulers, further describing the alternative path that eventually emerged.

Because the trine between the Moon and Mars was so close to perfection, I further advised Dimitra that she was likely to hear the outcome extremely quickly. The chart was cast at 14:10 in London. Two days later, she informed me that the offer had arrived that very evening and that she had formally withdrawn two days afterwards.

I sought Dimitra’s permission to publish this case following a discussion with one of my Tarot de Marseille students who had recently begun exploring horary astrology. During the conversation, the student suggested that horary amounted to little more than locating an aspect and declaring a positive or negative outcome.

The belief is not uncommon.

It is, however, mistaken.

As this example demonstrates, meaningful judgement requires consideration of numerous factors. Nor are all horary questions judged in precisely the same manner. A chart concerning employment differs substantially from one concerning illness, a missing object, or allegations of malefic magic.

For those interested in studying horary astrology, there are many worthwhile starting points. I began with Derek Appleby, Olivia Barclay and William Lilly’s Christian Astrology (Books I and II)³. Today, I would also recommend John Frawley’s The Horary Textbook and Christopher Warnock’s Horary Case Book. My own favourite authorities, however, remain al-Kindī⁴ and Sahl⁵, particularly in Benjamin Dykes’s translations. Dykes’s translation of Bonatti⁶ is also highly recommended.

References

Featured image: Jacopo188, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Chart generated using Delphic Oracle.

Notes:

During the twentieth century, it became fashionable to associate employment with the sixth place. Such an attribution has little basis in the traditional sources. Averse to the ascendant, the sixth is known as the Place of Bad Fortune and is associated with slaves, illness, injury, enmity, and affliction (Brennan, 2017; Valens, Anthologies). Modern astrologers frequently attempt to whitewash the ancient designation of “servants” as “service,” and from this conclude that employment ought to be judged from the sixth place. This is an entirely erroneous assumption. It is both historically anachronistic and culturally relativistic, presupposing that employment is fundamentally an act of service. The ancient sources make no such argument because they possessed sufficient common sense to distinguish between the native and the native’s servants. The slaves signified by the sixth place belong to the native; they are not the native himself. Consequently, however humble one’s occupation, the tenth place remains the proper house of profession, office, advancement, reputation, and employment, whilst the sixth more naturally signifies those over whom one exercises authority or responsibility. ↩︎
Hermann of Carinthia and Dykes, B. (2011). The Search of the Heart. Minneapolis, MN: Cazimi Press, p. 201. ↩︎
Lilly, W. and Roell, D. (2004). Christian Astrology. Bel Air, MD: Astrology Classics. ↩︎
Dykes, B. and al-Kindī (2011). The Forty Chapters of al-Kindī. Minneapolis, MN: Cazimi Press. ↩︎
Dykes, B. (2011). The Book of the Nine Judges. Minneapolis, MN: Cazimi Press. ↩︎
Bonatti, G. and Dykes, B. (2010). Bonatti on Horary: Guido Bonatti’s Book of Astronomy, Treatise 6: On Questions. Minneapolis, MN: Cazimi Press. ↩︎

14 August, 202613 August, 2026

Tarot de Marseille: The Picturebook of Fate: The Sixes Part 3

This article continues my series examining the trumps of the Tarot de Marseille, adapted from my unpublished manuscript, Tarot de Marseille: The Picturebook of Fate. As throughout this series, the emphasis is placed upon the traditional eikōn of the card, its historical context, and the practical significations I have found useful through divinatory practice. The interpretations presented here reflect my own experience of working with the Tarot de Marseille and should be understood as a working method rather than a definitive authority.

The Sixes: The Lover and the Devil

Let us now turn to another example and, in doing so, introduce a different variation of the classic Cross Spread.

One of the principal reasons for this spread’s enduring popularity is its ability to provide a clear and decisive response to a question. Indeed, where appropriate, it may even yield a simple affirmative or negative answer.

In this instance, however, we shall employ an older variation, one often likened to a court hearing. It is perhaps fitting that the querent in this example was herself a barrister, for the structure of the spread closely resembles a legal proceeding.

The twenty-one trumps and the Madman are shuffled and cut, after which four cards are dealt in the form of a cross.

03
01 – 05 – 02
04

Card 1 (Left): The card arguing in favour of the matter, including helpful influences and supporting evidence.
Card 2 (Right): The card arguing against the matter, including obstacles and hostile influences.
Card 3 (Above): The judge, who weighs the evidence and clarifies the question.
Card 4 (Below): The outcome or verdict.
Card 5 (Centre): The synthesis.

Unlike the first four cards, the fifth is not drawn but calculated. One adds together the numerical values of the four cards already laid, using the numbering of the Major Arcana, and reduces the result to a number not exceeding twenty-two.

For example, should one draw the Star (17), the Madman (0), Temperance (14), and the Charioteer (7), the calculation is as follows:

17 + 0 + 14 + 7 = 38

As this exceeds twenty-two, one reduces it further:

3 + 8 = 11

The resulting number corresponds to Fortitude, which serves as the synthesis.

It should be evident that this synthesis card is not to be read as an additional outcome; that function is already fulfilled by the fourth card. Rather, the synthesis reveals the underlying dynamics of the matter, the deeper currents and governing principles operating behind the question.

Oswald Wirth, who was the first author to document this spread in print, advocated reading the synthesis before interpreting the other cards, regarding it as the key to understanding the reading as a whole.

A brief note should be made regarding the Madman. When it appears amongst the first four cards, it is assigned the numerical value of zero for the purposes of calculation. However, the matter is treated somewhat differently in the case of the synthesis. Should the final total reduce to twenty-two, the Madman itself becomes the synthesis card.

Example

This reading was conducted in 2008.

Janine was in her late forties and enjoyed a successful career as a barrister. Three years earlier she had divorced her husband, Ben, following an infidelity. Since they shared two children, Ben remained a regular presence in her life. Recently he had approached her with a proposal that they attempt a reconciliation.
Her question was:

“Should I give him another chance?”

The cards drawn were:

Position 1: Temperance (14)
Position 2: The Devil (15)
Position 3: The Wheel of Fortune (10)
Position 4: The Madman (0)

Let us calculate the synthesis:

14 + 15 + 10 + 0 = 39

As this exceeds twenty-two, we reduce it further:

3 + 9 = 12

The synthesis is Trump XII, the Hanged Man. The essence of the Hanged Man is dishonour and advises that past problems—and the loss of trust—still have an influence on the relationship.

The card arguing in favour of reconciliation was Temperance.

Temperance suggested that a genuine degree of harmony had already been achieved between Janine and Ben. Through considerable effort, clear boundaries, and mutual concern for their children, the former couple had established a workable relationship. Communication had improved, conflict had subsided, and they had learned to co-operate effectively as parents.

In short, the card acknowledged that something valuable had been gained since the divorce. A degree of peace and balance had emerged from what had once been a difficult situation.

Arguing against the proposal was the Devil.

The Devil suggested that the unhealthy dynamic which had contributed to the breakdown of the marriage had not truly disappeared. Old patterns of control, dependency, and imbalance remained present beneath the surface.

The card did not necessarily imply malice on Ben’s part. Rather, it questioned whether the underlying nature of the relationship had genuinely changed. Ben appeared eager for reconciliation, but the Devil raised doubts about his motives and, more importantly, about his ability to escape familiar patterns of behaviour.

The judge was the Wheel of Fortune.

This is where the reading became particularly revealing.

The Wheel asked a simple question: what has actually changed?

Relationships often end because the same patterns repeat themselves. The Wheel is not concerned with promises, intentions, or hopes. It is concerned with cycles.

Every previous attempt at improving the relationship had followed a recognisable pattern. Things improved for a time, old difficulties resurfaced, conflict returned, and both parties eventually found themselves back where they had started.

The Wheel therefore reminded Janine that cycles tend to repeat unless something fundamental alters their course.

The outcome was represented by the Madman.

The Madman did not suggest liberation or adventure. Rather, he represented a return to uncertainty, instability, and lack of direction. The card suggested acting without sufficient evidence that the circumstances had materially changed would be a mistake.

One is reminded of the familiar observation that people often repeat the same behaviour whilst hoping for a different result.

From the perspective of the spread’s judicial structure, the verdict was clear. Revisiting the relationship would place Janine back upon an uncertain road whose destination was already largely known.

The synthesis was the Hanged Man, and it confirmed this interpretation.

The Hanged Man revealed the deeper dynamic underlying the question. Janine remained suspended between the past and the future. Part of her still felt the pull of what the marriage had once been, whilst another part recognised the life she had built since the divorce. She still couldn’t forget Ben’s betrayal and loss of trust.

The synthesis therefore suggested that reconciliation would not resolve this state of suspension. On the contrary, it was likely to prolong it. Rather than moving forwards, Janine risked becoming trapped once again within circumstances she had already spent years trying to escape.

My conclusion was that Janine should not give Ben another chance.

The cards did not suggest that reconciliation was impossible, but they strongly indicated that the conditions necessary for a successful reconciliation were absent. Temperance showed that a healthy co-parenting relationship had already been established. The Devil suggested that unhealthy dynamics remained unresolved. The Wheel of Fortune questioned whether anything fundamental had changed, whilst the Madman warned against returning to uncertainty and repeating familiar mistakes.

The Hanged Man ultimately revealed that revisiting the relationship would leave Janine suspended between the life she had left behind and the future she was attempting to create.

This example illustrates an important principle of the Cross Spread. The verdict alone is not the whole answer. The judge explains why the verdict is reached, whilst the synthesis reveals the deeper principle operating beneath the entire matter. Here, both the verdict and the synthesis pointed away from genuine progress. The Madman offered movement without direction, whilst the Hanged Man offered suspension without resolution. Together, they suggested that the cycle was far more likely to repeat than to change.

Tarot Cards: Jean Dodal Tarot via Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain.

Featured Image: Ancient Tarot Major Arcana © BP Grimaud/John Waddington Ltd, Leeds & London, Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Noblet, 1650 © Editions «letarot.com» (2001 [hand stencilled trumps]). Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Dodal, 1701 et 1715 © Editions «letarot.com» (2002 [hand stencilled trumps])

13 August, 20269 August, 2026

Tarot de Marseille: The Picturebook of Fate: The Sixes Part 2

The Sixes: The Lover and the Devil

Trump XV, Le Diable, or the Devil, is one of the most confronting cards in the Tarot and one that inevitably divides opinion. Surely belief in the Devil belongs to a less enlightened age? Is this card merely a warning against materialism, excess, and worldly temptation? Or does its disturbing imagery point towards something deeper and more unsettling: the malignant forces that can overwhelm both individuals and communities?

The origins of this trump remain the subject of debate, and the card is absent from some of the earliest surviving examples of the Tarot. The traditional Marseille eikōn depicts a grotesque bat-winged Devil standing upon a pedestal and holding a staff. The figure combines both male and female characteristics. A second face appears upon its abdomen, whilst its knees possess eyes. On either side stand two horned and naked figures loosely bound to the pedestal by ropes. The image is deeply unsettling and deliberately so. Nothing about the card conveys harmony, balance, or order.

The essence of the Devil is blind force; its function is to enslave. Unlike the Pope, who guides through wisdom, or Temperance, which governs through reason and proper measure, the Devil represents power divorced from reason and directed without regard for the good. It is force for its own sake: primal, destructive, and indifferent to consequences.

Pope Francis¹ has spoken of the Devil more frequently than many of his recent predecessors. Significantly, he teaches that the Devil has little need to possess people in the dramatic fashion popularised by films and folklore. Instead, the Devil works through hatred, envy, resentment, vice, desolation, and despair. These become the instruments by which individuals, communities, and even whole societies are poisoned. It is an apt description of the necrotic energy contained within this powerful card. The Devil rarely appears openly. More often, it operates through those forces that gradually distort our judgement, weaken our resolve, and separate us from what is good.

At its most obvious, the Devil appears through addiction and compulsion. Whether the object of dependence is alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, sex, or something less tangible, the pattern is the same. A force that initially appears manageable gradually acquires mastery over the individual. Freedom diminishes, relationships suffer, and life becomes organised around satisfying the appetite. The two figures chained to the Devil’s pedestal illustrate this condition perfectly. Their bonds are slight, yet they remain captive all the same.

The card also manifests through coercion, abuse, and domination. Here the enslaving force is not a substance but another person. Physical abuse, emotional manipulation, coercive control, exploitation, and intimidation all belong to the Devil’s domain. Under such circumstances, the victim’s freedom is gradually eroded until fear, dependency, or despair take its place.

Yet the Devil’s operation extends beyond the individual. Blind force can seize entire groups and societies. Hatred, fanaticism, ideological extremism, prejudice, and collective hysteria all demonstrate what happens when reason is overwhelmed and people surrender themselves to destructive passions. The card therefore warns against those influences which encourage unquestioning conformity, demonisation of others, and the abandonment of conscience in favour of dogma or tribal loyalty.

On a collective level, the Devil may also manifest through ideologies (the far right), movements (imperialism), and systems of thought that subordinate truth to power, loyalty to the group (like the Freemasons), or passion to reason. In the Neoplatonic and Christian traditions, human beings are called towards freedom through participation in the Good, which ultimately finds its source in Divine Love. The Devil represents the opposite tendency: the reduction of the human person to appetite, compulsion, tribal identity, or domination. Whenever individuals become willing to sacrifice conscience, charity, and reason in service of an abstract cause, charismatic leader, or collective identity, the influence of the Devil may be discerned. The card therefore warns against any doctrine or movement that encourages bondage where there should be freedom, division where there should be communion, or power where there should be love.

To some extent, the concept of Hell may be more illuminating than the Devil itself. Traditionally, Hell is understood not merely as punishment but as separation from God, the source of all goodness and truth. The Devil card depicts the misery that arises from such separation. Its grotesque central figure towers over its followers, feeding upon despair, division, and suffering. The further one moves from reason, wisdom, and the good, the stronger its influence becomes.

In practical divination, the Devil frequently heralds periods in which the querent feels trapped or overwhelmed. Temptations are stronger than usual, unhealthy attachments become difficult to break, and circumstances seem to exert an almost oppressive weight. It is not uncommon for the card to foreshadow illness or a deterioration in health. At first glance this may appear unrelated to the image, yet illness itself often reflects a body whose natural defences have been overcome. Severe illness can isolate, restrict, and diminish a person’s independence, mirroring the card’s central theme of bondage.

Finally, the Devil is the card of temptation itself. We are often persuaded that we can indulge without consequence, compromise our principles without cost, or remain in control of forces which are gradually mastering us. The Devil reminds us that such confidence is frequently misplaced. Every temptation carries a price. The question posed by the card is simple: are we truly in control, or have we become one of the figures at the foot of the pedestal, mistaking our chains for freedom?

General: A powerful and overwhelming influence operating within the querent’s life. The Devil signifies domination, compulsion, and circumstances which are difficult to escape. The card often appears where there is manipulation, deceit, coercion, or the abuse of power. Freedom is restricted, whether by external forces or by the querent’s own weaknesses and attachments.

Love: Under the Devil’s influence, relationships frequently develop unhealthy dynamics. One partner may seek to control, manipulate, or dominate the other, leading to emotional, psychological, or even physical abuse. Co-dependency, jealousy, obsession, and self-destructive behaviours can undermine the relationship and erode trust. For those who are single, the Devil often heralds the beginning of a passionate and intense affair. Attraction may be immediate and overwhelming. However, the card carries a warning: there are likely to be strings attached, hidden complications, or consequences that become apparent only later.

Career: The Devil is less concerned with particular professions than with working conditions. It often appears when the querent feels trapped in an unrewarding role, unable to leave a job they dislike, struggling with long-term unemployment, or working under exploitative conditions. Workplace bullying, coercive management practices, unreasonable expectations, and employers who take advantage of staff frequently fall under the Devil’s domain. The card asks whether the price being paid is truly worth it.

Finance: Extreme caution is advised in financial matters. The Devil often signifies debt, financial dependency, losses of income, or obligations that become increasingly difficult to manage. It may also indicate scams, fraud, predatory lending, or exploitation by those seeking to profit at the querent’s expense. Financial problems can quickly become self-perpetuating cycles unless decisive action is taken.

Health: The Devil is fundamentally a card of sickness, particularly conditions in which the body’s natural defences have been compromised or overwhelmed. It is strongly associated with autoimmune disorders, including lupus and Type I diabetes, as well as chronic illnesses that diminish vitality and independence. The card governs addictions and compulsive behaviours of all kinds, though unlike the Lover, it typically indicates that those compulsions have produced tangible physical consequences. Anatomically, the Devil is associated with the elimination system.

Essence: Blind Force.
Function: Enslave.
Polarity: Negative.
Astrological Association: Scorpio.
Timing: November.

Tarot Cards: Jean Dodal Tarot via Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain.

For example, see Gaudete et Exsultate ↩︎