Identifying enemies, known and unknown, with horary astrology

As well as identifying curses and hidden malefic spiritual influence, horary astrology also gives us a couple of methods to identify whether we have secret enemies – and to determine who they are -, as well as to discover whether a person we suspect to harbour malice towards us is indeed our enemy . As in the previous post, these rules are drawn from William Lilly’s Christian Astrology.

Whether have I enemies, yea or no?

In this case, as our enemies are hidden, we look to the 12th house which is significator of all things hidden from us. The rule is:

1. The 12th Lord squares or opposes the Moon, with or without reception

then, Lilly tells us, “he has enemies that watch for an opportunity against him, but they do all things clandestinely and cunningly, and desire to play their part when they can do it without noise or rumour of evil, that so they may still go under the notion of Friends, when as in truth they are treacherous, false and deceitful…”

Although Lilly does not mention it specifically, we can also examine square or oppositions from the 12th Lord to the Lord of the Ascendant, since Lord 1 is also a significator of the querent in horary interrogations. As Lilly reminds us, square aspects are indicative of envy and malice but with an opportunity to be reconciled with our enemy, but an opposing aspect without reception implies an enemy who cannot be reasoned with.

We can use the Sign and the house that the Lord of the 12th is in to describe the quality and condition of our secret adversary as per the usual rules in such matters, e.g., a strong malefic as Lord of the 12th in the 10th house might indicate a powerful and dangerous enemy in a position of authority, an ill-dignified Venus in the 7th house might signify a spurned lover ,and so on.

In such horary questions, many planets in a house can also signify an abundance of enemies, e.g., many planets in the 7th house suggest many open enemies, a multiplicity if planets in the 2nd house can signify a lack of money if they are ill dignified,. In such charts, we can consider the houses ruled by these planets to determine the type of people who might be our enemies.

Whether such a man [or woman] is my adversary?

If we want to know whether a particular person is an enemy, the rules are similar but here we use an appropriate house as significator of our enemy. If we don;t have a close relationship with our adversary, we use the 7th house and its Lord to signify him. However, if we suspect a friend, then we use the 11th house; a sibling, then we use the 3rd, and so on.

The rules here are as follows:

1. The 7th Lord aspects the Lord of the Ascendant or the Moon with square or opposition aspect – then it is very probable other party enquired about envies the querent and wishes him no good.

We can also consider the aspect here, keeping in mind the description above about the nature of the square and opposition. If the aspect is separating, then this can suggest that there has been some sort of confrontation, but if the aspect is applying, the enmity is still growing and about to come to a head.

2. 7th Lord is in the 12th House, or in the 12th sign from Lord of the Ascendant or the Moon, or the 7th Lord is conjunct any planet, or is in any aspect with a planet who is in square or opposition to the Lord of the Ascendant or the Moon, without reception,

In this case too, the person we are enquiring about is an enemy and is inimical to us.

In the absence of any such signs, the quesited is not an enemy.