What is Horary Astrology?

What is Horary Astrology? The word Horary itself points to the way this type of astrology is calculated and used. Horary comes from the Latin word Hora, which means Hour. Horary astrology is used by making a chart for the time (you could say the hour, but really it's also the minute) that the question is asked of the astrologer. The chart that is made for that minute is then read, in a way similar to reading a natal chart (depending on how you've been taught to read a natal chart).

This form of astrology has been used for thousands of years, across many continents. It is popular in India, where it's called Prashna astrology in Sanskrit. India has a unique culture relating to astrology because they have consistently be utilizing astrology for many thousands of years, and they have the historical records to prove it. Horary astrology has also been used in the Persian nations, in Mesopotamia, in the European nations like ancient Greece and Rome. Also in Medieval England it was used extensively, by commoners and aristocrats alike.

Horary was popular because it gives concrete answers for real world questions. It's not particularly used to dive deep into the psychology of a person, as is generally the use with natal charts. Horary can show things about what is in the mind or heart of the people involved of the question, which helps in getting the answer. But the answers are generally very practical and help to make decisions that we face regularly as we go about our lives. I'm sure that horary would be much more popular now, if people knew about it, but for whatever reason, the majority of people haven't heard of it, or only in passing and haven't inquired further. As far as learning horary, it's not easy. It's very technical, and requires great attention to detail, so I can understand how people may not pursue learning it, unless they do have a passion for all forms of astrology. Another benefit of horary, and I'm sure has something to do with why it may have been so popular in the past, is that you don't need a time of birth. I'm guessing it was much more difficult than it is now to get an accurate birth time. You don't need to know your own birth time, nor the time of a person that you inquire about, so in this way it's very handy. There are many things that can be found through other forms of astrology, by using the natal chart, with progressions and transits for example, but with horary you can ask a specific question and get a very clear answer - STRAIGHT TO THE POINT.