A Horary by Henry: Who shall I bet on, Harrison or Cleveland?(1893)

19 December 2010 by Lee

This is one of the examples that Alan Leo published in Modern Astrology: pages 157-158 of Volume 3, 1893. Later, Leo would reprise these published horaries as his examples in Horary Astrology. I should add that this is another example of a “horary” that I wouldn’t accept as such: who is to judge “who” asks this question first, and can we expect that millions of potential horaries about the same election would all come out the same?

What I do find disturbing about the delineation is that “Henry” does not spell out why he took the Ascendant for Harrison, other than in a general way, because it described him. Is it that simple?

Question: Who shall I bet on, Harrison or Cleveland?
Henry

Thos. W. Pemberton, of Paris, Texas, sent to me, by letter dated October 6th, 1892, as follows. “Would like advice on the coming national election. Who shall I bet on, Harrison or Cleveland?’
I do not like to encourage betting, but I do love to test the science of Astrology, so, after casting and judging my figure, replied to him.

“You may safely bet on Cleveland, yet this is a question requiring much calculation. The time required to figure it out to a certainty would cost much labour.”

The labour alluded to would be by nativity, directions, etc., which I did not care to undertake on a matter of betting, so my reply was given as above, and from the above horary figure.

A few days later, on visiting a friend, my friend informed me that he was going to risk 100 dollars in bets on Harrison being re-elected. I quietly told him that Cleveland would be elected. I had predicted losses by both fire and trade to him in the previous year (which he suffered), and he had some faith I Astrology, but he laughed a the idea of Cleveland’s election. He wished it might be so, but although a democrat himself, he declared that either the stars or myself “would be far out of the way this time, sure,” and that he should bet on Harrison, and, as it was only little friendly bets with his customers, he did not care if he did lose.

He refrained from betting, however, until very near to the day of election, when he informed me that he had made his bets, but he had put all his money on Cleveland’s election, and furthermore had, on the strength of what I had said, frightened some others out of betting for Harrison.

Harrison, as you know, was overwhelmingly defeated. The death of his wife (after my figure was drawn, I believe) made me more confident that it was correct, as that event proved he was under evil directions.

I received the question by post, at 8.30 a.m., October 10th, 1892, = 1.14 p.m. Greenwich time, and for that time cast my figure, several days later.

I took the ascendant for Harrison, with Mars his significator in third house, signifying his quarrels with neighbouring nations, with Blaine’s wing of his own party and danger through his own stubbornness, Mars applying to Jupiter in fifth house signified that he was depending upon the scholastic claims of his party, but Jupiter Rx in Aries showed that, while the schools might be strong, they were “going back on him.” The dragon’s head in sixth denoted that the “people” were with him, but as his claim would be to only one half the figure, the people in this case, as relating to the sixth house, would be the common or serving people of his party. The dragon’s tail in the twelfth, with Uranus, signified great secret enmity, and the Moon in the eighth, the house of death, the Moon lord of ninth, representative of the clergy, the courts, and the commercial powers, and Uranus, lord of fourth, the end of all things, through secret enmity. His house of friends is well filled with business people, lawyers, grangers, newspaper men, etc., but Saturn, representing deceitful friends, sure to ruin or worst him, is in exaltation and in elevation of the others. Venus is significator of his open enemies, and they are in the tenth house, the house of the monarch and of the government, and Venus is Cleveland’s significator, being lord of seventh house, and he (or she) could occupy no surer position than the tenth house for success.

But, from the western angle read, viz. from Cleveland’s ascendant, his significator in fourth house, with the landed interests, public buildings, and place of abode; Harrison’s malefic, Cleveland’s a benefic, Moon in second, in trine with Sun in fifth and with Mercury; and here in Cleveland’s fifth house (the house of luck, chance, etc.) we find Harrison’s friends; but with the figure reversed, although Saturn is in exaltation, Mercury and Sun trine Moon are elevated above him. The Moon is in the sign said to rule the U.S. (Gemini), and in second house, Moon signifying “the people,” and the second house, “Cleveland’s substance”, or “the nation’s allies,” Harrison has the dragon’s head in his sixth, Cleveland the tail in his sixth. The head is opposed by Uranus, and the tail in conjunction with Uranus. This was the hardest part of the figure to solve, but I did not try the part of fortune, I accepted Uranus in Cleveland’s sixth as of little account, or, if anything, it was the eccentric, independent voters, represented in the reverse figure as Harrison’s secret foes. The dragon’s tail in Cleveland’s sixth, might represent the public servants, who, of course, with the Republicn party in power, could not be expected to favour Cleveland, but the North Node in twelfth would counteract it, especially when so very near to the cusps of first. Jupiter Retrograde in Harrison’s fifth, I did not consider strong enough to overcome Sun, Mercury, trine, Moon, and Saturn strong in Cleveland’s fifth, especially as Jupiter, though weak by Rx, stood for Cleveland’s friends, while Harrison had Saturn among his friends. As you will notice, Virgo on Harrison’s ascendant, and Taurus on Cleveland’s, both excellently describe the two contestants. According to Hatfield’s system of Planetary Hours, the question was received in the hour of Jupiter, “relates to money” (betting), and “what is done can be depended on.” I might add that I take no part in either politics or betting, and therefore had no bias.