Interview with Astrologer Deborah Houlding (Part 2 of 3)
July 8, 2008 by Nina Gryphon
This is a continuation of Gryphon Astrology’s (dare we say it? exclusive) interview with Deb Houlding. If you have missed Part 1 of the interview, read it first. Part 3 will be posted tomorrow, along with Deb’s chart, which she kindly shared.
Deb will be presenting a workshop on horary astrology Forensic techniques this September in San Francisco.
NG: How did you get into astrology? Was it through Linda Goodman’s books, through whom it seems everyone got started?
DH: No, I never even picked up a Linda Goodman book! I actually started out as a skeptic. I always assumed the daily horoscope column in the newspaper was completely made up, and that is how I thought of astrology in general. To my mind, anyone who could believe astrology was a bit intellectually deficient. The way that I got involved in astrology is that I promised a ride to an astrology class to an older friend of mine without a car. I thought it was complete rubbish, but in order for me to be able to drive her to and from the class – it was a series of classes – I stayed for the class itself. I went through the course, still not believing in astrology, but by the end of the course, I found I was pretty good at it!
I had an intellectual curiosity and social interest in astrology long before I had any kind of personal belief in it. Because of that I kept wanting to know more about it, and I took up the Faculty of Astrological Studies Correspondence course. But it was a good two years after starting to learn about astrology that I finally realized that it worked, and that I had learned to trust it without wondering whether it was ‘logical’ or not.
NG: I wanted to ask you about an issue that is “hot” in astrological circles right now: is the radicality of horary charts important, that is, the idea that the horary cannot be judged if the horoscope doesn’t have certain characteristics? You have an article on the subject on your website, so I’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter.
DH: I think it’s important to distinguish between the chart itself being radical and the question being radical. People tend to focus on the technicalities of the horary chart; the agreement between the lord of the Ascendant and the lord of the hour, and so on. But when you read the traditional astrology texts, the old astrological authorities are talking about the question being radical, not the chart itself.
There is really something deeper in play, which Ben Dykes addressed in his translation of Bonatti: the meaning of the word radical is “rooted,” or the “rootedness” of the question in the querent’s soul. I have not yet seen a chart that did not work or produce an answer, but the more urgent the question is, and the person really needs to know the answer, the clearer the horary will be. Sometimes, when people ask me to look at a horary they attempted to judge, but it was not very clear, it’s often the case they did not need to know the answer very urgently, and the chart reflects that lack of motivation.
NG: Along the same lines, do you follow any special ritual when doing horary horoscopes, for you or for your clients? I’m thinking of Bonatti, who said that the prospective querent should first turn over the question in his mind for at least a night and a day, then pray earnestly for God’s help in finding the truth, and only then he should go see the astrologer. Do you believe in following that?
DH: This follows what I was saying earlier about sufficient motivation to know the answer. I’ll give you a example of my own which I often demonstrate to students. I had misplaced my handbag. I thought of casting a chart for it, but then I didn’t really need it right away, so I hadn’t really bothered to search very hard for it. I was thinking that a horary might save me the bother of a search, but as I opened up the astrology program, I realized that I wasn’t really committed to doing whatever needed to be done to find the bag, so I stopped myself from drawing up the chart.
A few days later, I really, desperately needed to find that bag, I turned the house upside down trying to find it, and just couldn’t. Then I cast a horary, because I had now developed a genuine need to find the bag and I was entirely focused on that one thing – the chart just could not be clearer. I looked at the chart, and went to the unlikely place where the bag should have been, according to the chart, and found it right there.
But to answer your question more directly, I don’t really pray, or anything like that, before judging a chart. I have found that the most effective thing is to make sure that the question I take really is radical, and that the person has a genuine need to know the answer, and is not just asking something unimportant out of curiosity, or something that doesn’t even concern them directly. I can sense it when the person is not really invested in knowing the answer, and then I will decline the consultation. I am selective about the questions I take, again because of client motivation and the chart’s radicality.
[Tomorrow: The final part 3 of Gryphon Astrology's interview with Deb Houlding, including Deb's horoscope.
Yesterday: Part 1 of Deb Houlding's interview.]
Free Astrology Advice – Horary Astrology: When Will I Get a Full Time Job? Is This the Right Career?
October 17, 2006 by admin
Question:
In the next few days I’ll have a job interview for a position as a video editor, with no promise for the long-term, but I would like to know when I’ll get a full time job. Is this the right choice for me, career-wise? I’m sort of that creative pearson who’s still searching for his final profession.
—T.
Nina Gryphon:
Dear T.,
My sense, T., is that most people today are still searching for their final profession. Very few people come into this world knowing exactly what they are going to do, because they do not have one overwhelming talent. This puts me in mind of a four year old I know who is basically a child savant, and knows everything there is to know about entomology. This is a kid who started lecturing a presenter at the local Science Center about the fine points of difference between two species of insect, at which point he was seriously invited to come back and give talks. What do you think he is going to be when he grows up? Most of us are not like this, of course, and our talents are more diverse. In the old days you would not have the problem of choosing, as you would simply pick up the trade your parents did, or something similar. The horoscope reflects this basic reality, and will show whether creative work, for example, is appropriate for you. While you can parse between a video editing job and a director job, in the universe of all possible jobs, these are not terribly different from a macro perspective.
I cast a chart for the moment, date, and place that I understood your question. This technique is called horary astrology, and is a very ancient method for answering specific questions such as yours. Some people do not know their time or date of birth, so for them constructing a natal chart would be difficult. However, many questions are answered just fine using horary astrology. If you are more interested in looking at the bigger issues in your life, such as “what career am I meant to do,” then a natal chart is better. The horary chart for your question is here:
As you can see, you are shown by the ruler of the first house of self, Saturn in Leo in the eighth house. Saturn in Leo is in its detriment, so we can see you’re not doing too well for some reason. The reason will be shown by the ruler of Saturn’s sign, which is the Sun. The Sun rules the eighth house of fear, so you’re obviously freaking out a little bit (or a lot) about not having work, and are fretting about what will become of you. Your co-significator is the Moon, which is in 29 Leo, on the fixed star Regulus, and is about to move into Virgo. At this point, the Moon is void of course, meaning that it will not make any more aspects while in its current sign. This can mean that there will be no change in the situation, but because the Moon is about to move into a new sign, this tells us there is no change in the short term but there will be change in the future. Also, Regulus is a Royal star also called the Heart of the Lion. This tells me one, possibly two things. You have a pretty darn good shot at getting the position you are interviewing for in a few days, because Regulus bring success. Two, if you choose, you can have a full-time position in a relatively short time. However, this would be expedited if you stopped freaking out so much, because it makes you somewhat less appealing.
Lest we forget, the job you asked about, the full-time job, is ruled by the 10th house of career, and its ruler, Mars in the ninth house. There is no immediate aspect between Mars and your significators (Moon or Saturn), but we know that eventually you will get a job. So the answer is in here. The most likely time looks when Mercury sextiles Saturn; and this is for two reasons. Mercury has recently separated from Mars, so it will translate the light between Mars, the job, and Saturn, you. Mercury will aspect Saturn in about 9°, which will give us a timeline of about nine weeks. It may be nine months, but I think nine weeks is rather more likely. Do not forget that this is counted from the time I got your question; on September 19, so you have to count forward from that date. The other reason is that Mercury, being in Libra, exalts Saturn; so the job thinks you’re just peachy. This is great news, so don’t forget to ask for a hefty raise when you’re being interviewed.
You ask whether this job is what you’re meant to do. I would say in the universe of all possible jobs, you’re on the right track. Anything that requires working with computers, special analytical skills, and general technological wizardry would be a good match for you. I would not go too heavily into purely artistic endeavors, because we see that Venus in this horoscope is in its fall. I am sure I do not have to tell you that physical work is out of the question as well, as Mars is in its detriment. This leaves Mercury. It is not an utterly fabulous choice, because it doesn’t have a whole lot of essential dignity at 11 Libra, but it is far better than the other alternatives. So yes, I think being a video editor will be fine for you.
—Note to all readers: If you liked this short reading, you can schedule a full private consultation with Nina Gryphon at nina@gryphonastrology.com. zm.
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