Astrological Chart of the Week-Mercury Election for Astrological Study

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Christopher Warnock, Esq.

Astrological Chart of the Week
For the Week of December 3-9, 2001

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Election of Mercury for Astrological Study

Education is Revelation coming to the individual Man, and Revelation is Education that has come, and is still coming to the Human race.

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing

This week's chart is an example of Electional Astrology, which allows us to pick the most auspicious days and times to take action or begin an activity. While we may be familiar with the use of birth horoscopes for people, everything including animals, buildings, corporations and even marriages has a birth chart which can tell us what the subsequent growth and fate of the thing born at the moment will be. By choosing the time and date of the birth of something we can affect the course of its existence.
I was asked for an election for a time to begin to study astrology. William Lilly says that the ninth house rules "learning" and it is generally accepted as the ruler of higher education. Christian Astrology, page 54. Lilly also says that Mercury rules astrologers. Christian Astrology, page 78. Thus Mercury and the ninth house should figure prominently in our election.
The English astrologer William Ramesey gives a number of different rules for eduction and schooling. Ramesey says,

"And to send Youths to School, let the Moon be in Conjunction of Mercury, or in Sextile or Trine with reception out of Virgo or Gemini, fortifie also the ascendant and its Lord, and the ninth house and its Lord, and the ascendant and ninth in the radix [natal chart of the elector] and their lords, or as many as you can; but be sure you fortifie Mercury, the Moon and the Lord of the Ninth in the radix, and your time wherein you make your election."

Astrologia Restaurata Bk. III, Section II, Chapter 1, page 132. Ramesey also says that when apprenticing a child as an astrologer then Mercury should be fortified.
Ramesey has a chapter on elections for learning sciences and says,

"Wherefore if you would learn any Science see that the Ascendant be a humane sign, as also that the Moon be located in a humane sign, and the Lord of Ascendant in the tenth house or entring thereinto, and the Lord of the tenth in configuration of the Ascendant, as also the Lord of the ninth; and let the Moon be joyned to Mercury, or applying to him by a good aspect, and Mercury strong and well dignified. Make also Mercury behold the Lord of the Ascendant in a good aspect, and let not the Moon be decreasing in light nor descending in latitude, and make the Lord of the Ninth to be in reception with the Lord of the Ascendant."

Astrologia Restaurata Bk. III, Section X, Chapter 3, page 195.
The emphasis on the tenth house is a little puzzling, but Ramesey explains it in a later chapter on learning an art or occupation where he notes that,

"Most of the Ancients have placed this matter in this House; I conceive their reason was, because a Trade or Occupation is the highest dignity such can look for that are bound thereunto. Wherefore in this matter you are exactly to distinguish the Planet signifying the Trade or Mysterie you would learn...then let your Ascendant or Tenth house be a sign wherein that planet beareth dominion by house, as if you would learn Morality or any study, or if thou desirest to be a Merchant, place Gemini or Virgo in the Ascendant, or else Libra, the last fifteen degrees of Sagittary or Aquarius, and fortifie the Lord of the Ascendant and the cusp of the Tenth, and its Lord, Mercury also and the Moon; yet have a more special care to fortifie Mercury then any other, because he is the Planet signifying the Trade or Occupation."

Astrologia Restaurata Bk. III, Section XI, Chapter 3, page 198.

In our electional chart Virgo rises. Thus Mercury is the ruler of the Ascendant is significator of the elector (person who will be using the election).
Mercury is dignified by triplicity as the night ruler of the airy triplicity and in the succedent 5th house.
As Gemini is on the cusp of the tenth house Mercury is also the ruler of the tenth. The Moon is in Libra and makes an applying trine to Mercury with reception by triplicity.
The Ascendant and the 10th house, as well as Mercury and the Moon are in humane signs.
The ruler of the 9th house is Mars, who is dignified by triplicity and in the angular 7th house. It is the planetary hour of Mercury.
As far as negative factors, we don't like to see retrograde Saturn in the 10th, but at least we have moved him off of the Mid-Heaven.
One of the things I like about Ramesey's instructions for this election is that after listing off all the conditions he says fulfill as many as you can. It's easy to get intimidated by a long list of conditions and give up if all of them can't be satisfied. Here the focus is on Mercury. We make him the ruler of the Ascendant and 10th and put him in dignity by triplicity. We also place him in Aquarius, a sign ruled by Saturn, the natural significator of occult studies. Finally, the Moon trines Mercury.
This focus allows us to pull together the election and to decide which factors to fulfill and which to leave unfulfilled. We might also profitably look at another election using Mercury for the beginning of my discussion group Spiritus Mundi.

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Specializing in Horary Astrology, Electional Astrology Astrological Magic and Astrological Talismans.

Copyright 2001 Christopher Warnock, All Rights Reserved.