Electional astrology, also known as ''event'' astrology, is a branch found in most traditions of
astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
according to which a practitioner decides the most appropriate time for an event based on the astrological
auspicious
Auspicious is a word derived from Latin originally pertaining to the taking of 'Augury, auspices' by an augur of ancient Rome. It may refer to:
* Luck, the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable positive or negative events ...
ness of that time. It differs from
horary astrology because, while horary astrologers seek to find the answer to a question based on the time the question was asked, electional astrologers seek to find a period of time which will result in the most preferable outcome for an event being planned.
Historically used primarily to schedule
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
s, electional astrology has been used by its proponents to plan a number of events, including
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...
s and trips.
Modern discoveries about the true nature of
celestial objects has undermined theoretical bases for believing that their motions affect
luck, and
empirical scientific investigation has shown that predictions and recommendations based on these systems are not accurate.
[
] Astrology in general counts as a
pseudoscience.
History
A rudimentary form of electional astrology was used by the
Babylonians beginning sometime after the 16th century BCE. This and other Babylonian forms of astrology were passed on to the Egyptians, and Persians; Early Vedic astrologers also used a sophisticated form of electional astrology known as Muhurta (
Muhurat) that was used for choosing the start of
yajnas, travel, warfare, marriage and even filmmaking (
muhurat shot) etc.
Modern electional astrology, as well as most other astrology, can in general be traced directly back to Book Five of
Dorotheus of Sidon's treatises in Greek on the subject, ''Carmen Astrologicum'' from the 1st Century CE. This is the oldest treatise on electional astrology.
Practice
In electional astrology, an astrologer is given an event the querent intends to plan. The astrologer then finds a date and time most auspicious for the event to take place, around which the querent bases the following plans. The method of coming to these conclusions is based on the relative positions of stars, planets and other celestial bodies at various times.
Each celestial body's placement means something particular to the tradition the individual astrologer is using, in combination with the
natal chart of the querent.
Event chart
An event chart is a
horoscope that is cast for the
date,
time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
and
place of a particular event. Such a
chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...
is interpreted to gain insight into influences surrounding the event and an outlook for possible developments stemming from that event.
For example,
astrologers can erect a chart for a major event, such as a
marriage
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
, and interpret it as though the event were a person in its own right. For example, if a chart was cast for the date of one's marriage then the chart would give an indication of what the couple can expect during their married life. If a chart is cast for a national event then one can interpret the chart to determine influences surrounding the event. This is in contrast to a
birth chart, which is calculated for the actual time of a person's birth, but the design and interpretation are similar.
First Meeting Charts
Astrology Weekly. Accessed March 3rd, 2012.
Branches
Elections, or predictions for auspicious times, are usually divided into three branches, which are used depending on the type of event being planned.
Radical elections
Radical elections rest on the assumption that an election should be performed primarily based on the natal chart of the querent or person for whom the election is being performed. An underlying assumption of radical elections is that, because each person was born under different astrological conditions, the most auspicious time to hold an event will be different for each.
Mundane elections
Mundane elections involve using prominent mundane horoscopes ("mundane astrology" is concerned with world affairs) in force at the time for which the election is made.
Ephemeral elections
The most commonly used and distinctive form of election is the ephemeral election. These involve picking a date for an event based on the position of the celestial bodies in the sky at the moment of the event. Most of the time, when a person is talking about electional astrology, that person is referring to ephemeral elections.
Magical elections
Ephemeral elections have been used in ancient and modern times to make talismans and seals. These items were seen to be imbued with the qualities of the auspicious date during which they were made, and their instruction is commonly found in medieval literature.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Electional Astrology
Astrology by type
Pseudoscience