Horary: Where Are The Books

Where Are The Books?

Question asked: 12:16pm, 3 May 2007
Lat: 40S55 Long: 175E01
Asc: 17 Can 15; MC 11 Tau 59

Background: A precious set of books disappeared into thin air during the shift of our costume hire shop from one premises to another. The books were purchased over the course of time as reference material when helping customers choose costumes. They ranged in content from the history of western clothing through the centuries to famous Hollywood actors to the history of rock’n’roll. Needless to say, they were extremely useful when helping customers choose costumes.

On the day of the shift (March 25th 2007), we left the items most used around the counter until last so that we would know exactly where they were when opening shop again and I thought I had packed up the books with the eftpos machine and phone to be taken home rather than risk losing amongst all the boxes and racks that were being stored in the garage at the front of the new property. We still had to renovate the new shop and it would be some while before we would set up again (mid- to late April). In my mind, I labelled this the “counter box” and took it home leaving it downstairs in a large, darkish basement room that contains the washing machine, dryer and a pool table. This box sat on the pool table in full view for quite some time so imagine our dismay when setting up the counter and finding that the books were not where we thought they were.

Back-tracking over the course of events to determine what might have happened to them, on the day of the shift, we engaged two friends and my sister to help with the move. My sister had arrived during my absence and my husband left her to guard the shop while he went with the two male friends to take another truckload of costumes to the new premises. Thinking she was helping, my sister randomly packed up the bits and pieces that are left once all the big stuff has been shifted and this is the point where we felt things had gone askew. She, however, had no recollection of seeing the books and swore she never left the shop unattended.

My stomach dropped at reading that Saturn, as ruler of the 7th of thieves, being placed in the first of the querant (Lilly) meant there was the possibility that someone had taken the books but we quickly abandoned the idea that one of our very trustworthy friends had taken the books since what use would they be to them? Also wouldn’t it be obvious if we went to their house and spied them? We thought that perhaps my sister had left the shop unattended at some point and someone had walked in and walked out with them. After searching extensively for six weeks and then giving up the search completely, I exasperatedly asked the question “where are the books?”

Considerations: Despite Saturn being in the First House and sounding a warning for this self-asked question, the ascendant is in Cancer in the Hour of the Moon. Not only do I (and also my partner) have the Moon in Cancer, but I also have Saturn in the First of my natal chart square the Sun, as in the horary. I immediately connected with the chart and felt it able to be read.

As an overall view of the chart and whether the books would be found: Lilly’s indications are that they would (CA pge 355 – Saturn ruling the Eighth in the Ascendant). The Moon is in its Fall in damp, dark Scorpio but separates from significators Mercury and the Sun so the goods are laid down and forgotten. Being angular in the Fourth along with the books’ significators – Sun and Mercury - angular in the Tenth, the books had to be somewhere near me (angular houses in horary represent the querant’s physical self and his/her everyday physical locations such as home and work). This makes sense as there was nowhere else for them to be but at the shop or in my home. Despite the Cardinal Ascendant, the significators are in Fixed signs so recovery would not be immediate.

Significators: The significators of this chart describe the situation extremely well. The Sun, as ruler of the 2nd house and ruler of famous people in the 10th, perfectly describes the content of the books – famous rock and movie stars. Not only that but it sits in an exact conjunction with the natural ruler of books (CA, pge 353), Mercury, which also rules the intercepted Second House of Virgo. Mercury is within 12 minutes of cazimi – in the heart of the Sun (refer Skyscript, Horary, Combust), so I knew straight away that the books were safe but totally obscured from view. In Taurus, in Venus’ term and also in Mutual Reception with Venus in Gemini, they could be close to the ground, in a low room such as the garage at the shop or the downstairs laundry at home as I first thought (CA pge 352). Again, knowing that the books could just as easily be at the shop as they could at home, the Sun and Mercury conjunct the MC perfectly described our place of business, which is in fact an old house that has been converted to a shop and which sits in full view of a busy railway station, main commercial centre and highway that runs north/south.

The Moon on the other hand, being in the Fourth in Scorpio, suggested that the books could indeed be at home in a damp, dark place such as our laundry area downstairs. I don’t know how many times, I went down there to make sure I hadn’t missed them the other ten times I had searched! I had complete faith in this chart but how puzzling.

In the end, with the Fixed Sign significators suggesting it would be some while before we recovered the books, we had to give up searching since once the garage was emptied of stock, we had nowhere else to look.

Outcome: Exactly three months and a day to the date of this question – August 4th 2007 - my daughter came in to the shop and asked if one of the books had a certain title. When she said the title, I knew immediately that the books had been found! Where? William Lilly says that brothers are ruled by Mars. The book she referred to had been in my brother’s flat out the back of the shop and she had seen it sitting on the table. Wondering how he would have it, he explained that the evening before he had been in the run-down shed (Lilly describes ruinous buildings as ruled by Saturn) immediately adjacent to his flat and which houses his washing machine and had been playfully scaring his children with the mannequin and its body parts that we had stored there (note Mars is in Pisces and he has a Pisces ascendant). Conjunct Uranus, the books turned up suddenly and were in the least likeliest place! His children (exact sextile between the Moon and Jupiter in the 5th ruling the 5th of children) had pulled an arm (Jupiter opposition Venus in Gemini!) out of the bag and discovered the books, one of which was the book my daughter had seen in his flat. When we went out to this low-roofed building, there was the red, white and blue striped bag on the ground with all the books totally safe and sound! This was the room described by both the sign of the Sun and Mercury in Taurus – low-roofed and low to the ground – and by the Moon in Scorpio in the Fourth – damp and dark – in all its ruinous glory as deemed by the square from the Moon to Saturn and Sun and Mercury!

Since the books were under the arms, Venus in Gemini in the 12th in Mutual Reception with Mercury immediately came into play! Not only that, but Venus describes the fact that our business deals in costumes, clothing and fashion and that the items they were concealed under modelled the costumes. Venus also rules the Third House of brethren (CA pge 52) and according to Lilly “doth rule shoulders, arms, hands and fingers” (the mannequin’s body arms and hands were all in the bag obscuring the books!). My brother had said he had brought the bag into the shop when we first moved there but we told him to take it back out to this shed because we weren’t using the mannequins – little did we realise the books were at the bottom and this is where I suspect my sister packed up stuff that she hadn’t realised had been put aside especially. Lilly suggests that if the ruler of the First (Moon) separates from Saturn, then the item was lost due to forgetfulness (CA pge 321) and lo and behold, the Moon separates from Saturn by 22 minutes! In modern astrology, Neptune would also contribute to forgetfulness and oversight and it also squares the Moon and opposes Saturn.

The distance from where I asked the question – at home – and the place of the books is, I am pretty sure, described by the opposition of the Sun and Moon as stated by Lilly (CA pge 350). Moon separates from opposition by six degrees – we are pretty sure that it is approximately 6 miles away by car to the shop from home where I asked the question!

Just about all the traditional planets involved but, now that the mystery has been solved, it really is very simple. Perhaps Saturn in the First did point out that I would not be able to figure out the book’s location and that the mystery would be solved when they turned up of their own accord.