TRANSitional Astrology: Electional Astrology or Thoughts on Divine Timing
A few weeks ago, my podmate J reached out to me because he needed my astrological know-how to settle on an interview time. This interview was a Really Big Deal. One of the things J and I initially bonded over other than our trans masc identities was that we are both fiction writers, and the organization was one of the most prominent creative writing schools on our coast.
Electional astrology, which is the art of using the night sky's cosmic bodies to decide a good time to take an action in order to get the best outcome, was likely the second function* of astrology developed. While mundane astrology tracks the movement of the cosmic bodies to find omens of upcoming events, electional anticipates the opportunities within mundane. Unlike mundane, however, electional astrology can be a bit of an iffy thing. First, the stars aren't exactly cooperative when it comes to deciding good timings for everything on short notice. Secondly, a lot of historical and contemporary astrologers warn that a mistakenly chosen election can yield catastrophic results.
J's election fortunately had some bumpers installed. His autistic burnout is an ongoing factor that he is careful to take into consideration for any scheduling throughout his week. He also likes to have enough time to prepare for interviews. So out of the few times offered for the interview between his availability and the organization's, I was able to select what I felt was the best one.
Chris Warnock among other more experienced astrologers in the field recommend looking at the angles and condition of the Moon first when choosing an election. I noticed that at the selected time in my and J's timezone, the Midheaven was conjunct the Sun, which was well conditioned in domicile and sextiling Jupiter and Mars. The Moon was seemingly doing less hot, in Virgo and opposed by Saturn—the first part okay, the second not great—but was being classically received by Mercury (even in retrograde) there.
The Result: J did well in the interview, enough to get invited to a second in-person interview! Even better, he turned it down. Throughout the course of the first interview, it became apparent that the job would be in-person and full-time, something that would be really demanding on J's schedule and body. That schedule would, in fact, cut into J's time to do his own writing. J also had other ventures he was exploring that he was finding very fulfilling. As he told me, having this interview at what seemed like the dream organization helped him clarify what his actual goals are, the gift of a Sun in Leo and a AC/Moon answering to a reconsidering Mercury.
What's interesting about this case study is that it highlights how the best outcome isn't the traditional/normative ideal outcome. While a lot of people would find a good election to lead to them a second level interview an enormous win, and want another election to help secure the job, that's not J's life direction. With his own natal Midheaven ruled by a retrograde planet, J is meant to live his life to the fullest in ways that take into account his queerness, neurodivergence, and disability.
This twist also highlights something that many magicians who use astrology will tell you: when interacting with spirits, they will tell you to do strange things at untraditional times. For instance, I had some strange ancestor work done in relation to my mother when the Moon hit the South Node in Libra a few months back. Typically, you don't want the planet of mothers to hit the point of reduction or weakening if you want to talk to your mom about something. But something somehow shifted in our relationship. Perhaps it was our ability to let go of the concept of motherhood and mothering that had come before.
This connects with something that created a hubbub on astrotwitter earlier this week. Hawk, astromagician and magical mentor with over a decade of experience, had this to say:
Hawk caught a lot of unnecessary flack for this by those in the traditional western astrology space, but it's the truth. Life needs flexibility for your personal expression and direction. What you think you want is not always what you need. Any spiritual experience requires the tearing down of old structures and assumptions in order to come to stronger selfhood and ways forward.
As Saturn currently retrogrades, continuing her now fully established transit in Pisces, what was held to be mandatory and orderly during her time in Aquarius is seeing deconstruction. As part of this time, I am glad we are now having conversations about what traditional astrology can look like outside of texts. Retrogrades are defined as both marginalization and diversity, according to Ben Dykes Arabic astrology text translations. Those who are marginalized deserve options outside the status quo, as they are meant to live.
*For the purposes of specificity, I am referring to mundane, electional, natal, and horary as astrological functions versus astrological types which can be traditional western, Indian, Islamicate, Medieval, Esoteric, etc.
