Electional Astrology is a form of predictive astrology where the goal is to choose a time for an important event where the chart for the start of the event seems to describe the desired outcome of the event. Essentially, when we use electional astrology, we’re making the effort to make sure that our intentions and desires line up more harmoniously with the universal planetary cycles.

The first and most important lesson of Electional Astrology is to memorize and repeat the following phrases until they’re entirely second nature to you:

“Not every event is important enough to elect a chart.”

“There is no such thing as a perfect chart.”

“A ‘bad’ chart does not mean a bad or unfavorable outcome — and a ‘good’ chart does not necessarily ensure success.”

“Sometimes, even with the most important events, you can’t elect a chart, and this is perfectly acceptable.”

Let’s look at these in more detail. First of all, recognize that electional astrology is generally reserved for events of some importance to us. It’s not necessary to elect a chart for when you mail your utility bill; you may, on the other hand, wish to elect a chart on when to mail your taxes (more on this later when we cover ways of making yourself “invisible” in the electional chart). Surgeries are events that are often important enough to elect, but sometimes we don’t have the luxury of choosing when we need surgery. Weddings are one of the more traditional events for electional astrology, but when considering weddings, we also need to remember the other Electional Astrology mantras — there is no perfect day for your marriage, and ultimately the success of your marriage depends more on you and your spouse than it does on whether the ceremony started at 4:25 or 4:30.

Next, we have the fact that there is no such thing as a perfect chart. Electional astrology is consists of a wish-list of what you’d like to see in a chart for a given event, and the understanding that you’re going to be lucky to get one or two of the things on that list in the final chart — and that the resulting chart is still a good elected chart. Even when working with simple Moon Phase and Aspect electional charts like we’re going to cover shortly, it’s not always easy or necessary to find a chart with everything on our wish list.

A “bad” chart isn’t going to doom your endeavor to failure, and a “good” chart isn’t going to ensure success. Electional astrology simply helps us to relieve some of our anxiety about important events, and to perhaps smooth out some of the inevitable bumps in the road. If, for example, you are forced to take a final exam on a day with unfavorable aspects, if you know the material, you’re going to pass the exam. Likewise, finding the “luckiest” chart in the world, with the Moon trine Jupiter and conjunct the fixed star Spica isn’t going to make that lottery ticket you bought a winner.

Finally, remember that you’re not always going to be able to elect a chart for important events. Electional Astrology is designed to take some of the anxiety out of life; don’t let yourself become more anxious because you’re not able to use it every time you want to.

The Moon’s Role in Electional Astrology

The Moon is the fastest-moving body in the heavens, and because of this, the Moon is perhaps the most important planet to consider in Electional Astrology. Although the entire chart, along with house rulers and essential dignities can be considered in Electional Astrology, it’s also possible to elect some very effective charts simply by focusing on the Moon in the chart.

The most basic use of the Moon in Electional Astrology involves working with the phases of the Moon. The Moon’s phases are determined by the Moon’s relationship to the Sun at any given time. Each month, the New Moon occurs when the Moon and Sun are conjunct each other (at the same degree by Sign), and there is no Moon visible in the night sky because the Sun and Moon rise and set at the same time. Since the Moon moves much faster than the Sun, the Moon steadily moves ahead of the Sun each day, and more of the Moon is visible each night. The Full Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon are in opposition — 180Á apart; the Moon rises at Sunset and sets at Sunrise. At the Full phase, the Moon is as far from the Sun as it can get. Now, rather than moving away from the Sun, the Moon begins to catch up to the Sun, and each night, less and less of the moon is visible until the Moon catches up to the Sun again and we reach the next New Moon.

Although there are actually eight phases of the moon (new, crescent, first quarter, gibbous, full, disseminating, last quarter, and balsamic), the most basic electional charts are only concerned with whether the Moon is waxing (growing—from the New Moon to the Full Moon) or waning (shrinking—from the Full Moon to the next New Moon). If you want something to grow, build, expand, or evolve, try and begin during the waxing or growing cycle of the Moon. If, on the other hand, you want something to shrink, be torn down, or otherwise disappear, try and begin the project on the waning or shrinking cycle of the Moon. If you’re starting a new business, for example, you will probably want to begin with a waxing Moon because you want your business to grow. If you’re starting a new diet, on the other hand, it’s probably better to wait until after the Full Moon and begin on a waning Moon, since your objective is to lose weight.

When gardening, most plants do best when planted during a waxing Moon cycle, as you would expect, since you want the plants to grow. There are a exceptions to this rule, however: peas, for some reason, are thought to be best planted on a waning moon, rather than on a waxing moon.

The New Phase of the Moon needs a little more explanation. The Moon’s phase is considered to be New when the Moon is between 0° and 45° in front of the Sun. The period of time immediately after the New Moon is called “the Dark of the Moon.” This is the two or three day period when there is no Moon visible in the sky. The Dark of the Moon can not be considered part of the waxing or the waning phase of the Moon, as the Moon is not visible in the sky at all. The ancients didn’t consider the waxing period of the cycle to begin until the Moon was actually visible. If you are trying to pick a time when you will have a very low profile, or when your actions are not meant to be noticed or have a definite outcome, the Dark of the Moon is an excellent time to choose. This, for example, might be a good time to mail your income tax returns, as it encourages them to simply slip through the system and help you to avoid any undue hassles. Don’t however, begin something during the Dark of the Moon that you want to see grow and flourish—wait at least a day or two until the Moon is once again visible.

The Moon in Medical Electional Astrology

The waxing and waning rules certainly apply when electing for a medical procedure — for example, if you’re having a tumor removed, it’s advantageous to do so under a waning moon to discourage it from growing back. More importantly than this, however, is the rule that you should always avoid having surgery performed when the Moon is in the sign that rules that part of your body. For example, Aries rules the head and face; Taurus the throat and neck; Gemini the lungs, arms, shoulders, and hands; Cancer the breasts and stomach; Leo the heart and back; Virgo the intestines; Libra the kidneys, prostate, ovaries and uterus; Scorpio the genitals, lower abdomen, appendix, and bladder; Sagittarius the thighs, hips, and the liver; Capricorn the bones, knees, and pancreas; Aquarius the calves, blood vessels and lymphatic system; and Pisces the feet and skin.

If the procedure is surgical, try and avoid the Full Moon because this phase of the moon tends to increase bleeding. Also, if possible, avoid hard aspects between the Moon and Mars, which can both increase bleeding and the chances of fevers, infections, and complications from the procedure.

Finally, a good, harmonious relationship between the Sun and Moon can help to support a speedy recovery.

One last Moon-related point for medical electional charts: if the procedure is a serious and potentially life-threatening one, make sure that you do not have the South Node of the Moon in the 1^st house or near the Ascendant of the chart. In classical astrology, the South Node represents destruction, and the Ascendant represents our physical bodies, so the South Node on the Ascendant represents the destruction of the physical body—something that you want to avoid at all costs in a medical electional chart!

It’s important to remember that you’re not always going to have the luxury of choosing when you can have a medical procedure performed. If you do have a choice, however, you can take a quick look at the Moon’s location on the dates in question, and choose the most beneficial time.

Lunar Aspects and Events in Electional Astrology

Because the Moon moves so quickly through the signs, it also forms the greatest number of aspects to all of the other planets, often in rapid succession. In Electional Astrology, each aspect that the Moon forms while in a given sign represents an important event. The order of the aspects formed by the Moon represents a sequence of events, and the last aspect formed by the Moon in a sign before it enters the next sign shows the outcome of the Electional chart. Before we can look at this in greater detail, however, we need to define a few concepts relating to aspects in classical Electional Astrology.

Aspects Used in Electional Astrology

When working with Electional Astrology, the only aspects that matter are the so-called Ptolemaic aspects. These are the Conjunction (0°, planets in the same sign), the Opposition (180°, planets in opposing signs), the Trine (120°, planets in the same element), the Square (90°, planets in the same modality), and the Sextile (60°, planets in the same polarity but different elements). These aspects are sometimes referred to as the “Major Aspects,” although I don’t use this term here, because most astrologers today also include the Quincunx (150°) aspect as a major aspect. While the Quincunx is unquestionably an important (and difficult) energy, it is not an aspect that is included in Electional Astrology, at least not where the Moon is concerned.

Orbs and Moiety: When is an Aspect an Aspect?

The question of “orbs” is one that has caused more than a few brawls at astrological conferences, and is on the list of topics that Kim Rogers-Gallagher says you should avoid discussing at an Astrological cocktail party. The central question of this debate is how to determine when two planets are close enough together for an aspect to actually be considered to be in effect. Most modern astrologers assign “orbs” to aspects, allowing a varying amount of leeway depending on the aspect (conjunctions may be in effect within 8 degrees, but sextiles may need to be within 4 degrees). The concept that aspects have orbs is a modern conceit that is a result of Kepler’s work with the harmonic theory of aspects. The term “orb” describes a sphere of influence surrounding a physical body; aspects aren’t physical bodies, so how can they have orbs?

In classical astrology, the type of aspect had nothing to do with the point at which an aspect’s influence could be felt. Instead, it depended entirely on the two planets involved. Each planet radiates a certain amount of light, and that sphere or orb extends a number of degrees in front of and behind the planet. When the orbs of two planets intersect, the aspect is felt. The way to determine if two planets are in aspect is to add the moieties of the two planets together. Moiety is a half-orb of a planet or, more visually, the number of degrees the planet’s orb extends in front of it or behind it. The planet’s orb is the total number of degrees of influence, with the planet at the center. Below is a table that lists the orbs and moieties of the planets (courtesy of William Lilly and Christian Astrology).

So, as an example, to determine if a Moon-Saturn aspect is in orb, you would add the moiety of the Moon (6 degrees) to the moiety of Saturn (4.5 degrees) and find that Moon-Saturn aspects begin to be in effect 10.5 degrees before the aspect is exact. Moon-Mercury aspects, on the other hand, start 9.5 degrees before the exact aspect, and Mercury-Venus aspects only have a 7 degree window (3.5 degree moiety + 3.5 degree moiety).

The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) don’t appear in this table, because they hadn’t been discovered when Lilly wrote Christian Astrology. Personally, I allow about a 4 degree orb (2 degree moiety) for the outer planets.

Working with moiety does not, however, change some of the fundamental rules of aspects which include the fact that applying aspects are more powerful than separating aspects are (because applying aspects represent events that are going to happen, while separating aspects represent events that have already happened), and that the closer to exact an aspect is, the stronger it is.

The Void-of-Course Moon

The last concept we have to introduce is that of the void-of-course Moon. From the point where the Moon makes it’s last aspect in a sign to the point where the Moon enters the next sign, the Moon is considered to be void-of-course. The Moon, remember, is what shows things happening in the chart; the aspects that the Moon makes indicate events. When the Moon has no more aspects to make before it changes signs, this is an indication that nothing else is going to happen until there is a significant change in the underlying situation. The Moon goes void-of-course at the moment that the last aspect becomes exact. Once an aspect begins to separate, it represents an event in the past, something that has already happened, and that we can’t change.

In the classical literature, we are told time and again to avoid the void-of-course Moon. This is not necessarily a hard-and-fast rule, however. The thing to remember about the void-of-course Moon is that it represents a time when you are not going to be able to have much of an influence on the outcome of the events. All of the major decisions have been made, and what’s left is to simply let the events play out their natural course. This is not necessarily a bad thing—in fact, sometimes, this is exactly the outcome that you are looking for!

Working with a void-of-course Moon is one way of operating “under the radar” as it were. For example, when filing your taxes, mailing the tax forms under a void-of-course Moon is one way to encourage your taxes to slip through the system without incurring any undue attention or hassle from the IRS (the dark of the Moon is another “invisible” period). I should point out that while the void-of-course Moon may be an advantageous time to file your taxes, I wouldn’t recommend actually doing your taxes under a void-of-course Moon. When you fill out the forms (or have your accountant fill out the forms) you want to pick a time conducive to focus, attention to detail, and sharp minds. One more disclaimer: if you are in a hurry to receive your refund check, you probably want to avoid the void-of-course Moon or the dark of the Moon when filing your taxes. A low profile can also mean that your return and your refund check take longer to process.

The void-of-course Moon has some caveats, naturally. William Lilly said in Christian Astrology that the Moon can not be considered to be truly void when it is in Cancer, Taurus, Sagittarius or Pisces. His exact words are that in these signs (the Moon’s Rulership, Exaltation, and the two signs ruled by Jupiter), the Moon “performeth somewhat.” J. Lee Lehman has worked with these void Moons and in her experience, while events didn’t unfold in the way that she would have expected them to (or indeed, in the way that they would have normally occurred), the outcomes were consistently very favorable. In many of her business dealings, she has taken to electing times to meet with new business clients during these void Moons.

Understanding when the Moon goes void-of-course is very important to creating a successful electional chart. The last aspect that the Moon makes before going void represents the outcome of the matter. Do not underestimate the importance of this! You may find a chart with wonderful lunar aspects—say the Moon moves from a Trine to Venus to a conjunction with Jupiter—and under most circumstances, this would be a very favorable chart. But if the Moon’s last aspect before going void is, say a square to Saturn, you can count on your parade being rained on. No matter how much help and support and luck you receive from Venus and Jupiter, the last thing that you’re going to experience is Saturn coming along (usually in the form of some external authority figure) and telling you that you can’t get what you want.

Easy Lunar Aspects: Jim Shawvan’s Opportunity Periods

The easiest way to work with the Moon’s aspects in Electional Astrology is to look for an “Opportunity Period.” This is a technique developed by a colleague of mine in San Diego, Jim Shawvan, and it can be used quite effectively for simple electional charts.

To find an Opportunity Period, look at the aspect when the Moon goes void of course in a sign. Opportunity Periods exist when the Moon goes void on an easy aspect, which Jim defines as any trine or sextile; a conjunction to Mercury, Venus or Jupiter; or an opposition to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, or Jupiter. If the Moon’s last aspect is any square, or a conjunction or opposition to Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune or Pluto, there is no Opportunity Period in that sign.

Assuming that the Moon’s last aspect is an easy aspect as defined above, work backwards through the sign looking at the previous aspects of the Moon until you come to a difficult aspect of the Moon. The Opportunity Period begins as soon as the Moon has completed its last difficult aspect in a sign, and continues until it goes void of course. If the Moon makes no difficult aspects in a sign, the Opportunity Period begins as soon as the Moon enters the sign (assuming that the Moon is not void of course through the entire sign, which is possible, though very rare).

Opportunity Periods are excellent times to begin events that are important to you, but not necessarily important enough to require a specifically timed and tuned electional chart. Because they represent periods of time when the Moon is only making easy and harmonious aspects, they represent a flowing, direct, and easy progression of events.

Needless to say, we do have a few exceptions to consider as well. First of all, the good -- when the Moon is void of course in Taurus, Cancer, Sagittarius or Pisces, according to William Lilly, it “performeth somewhat.” As noted when we discussed the void-of-course Moon above, although events under these void Moons may not unfold quite as you would expect, they often result in favorable outcomes because the Moon is either dignified enough in her own right (by rulership in Cancer and exaltation in Taurus) or ruled by Jupiter (in Pisces and Sagittarius). Therefore, when the Moon is void of course in these signs, it can also be looked on as an Opportunity Period.

The next exception has to do with the Moon conjunct the Sun. Planets that are within 17 degrees of the Sun are “under the Sun’s beams” and are quite debilitated. These planets are effectively made invisible because the Sun outshines them and we can no longer see them in the sky. When the Moon is under the Sun’s beams, it is not an Opportunity Period—and, more to the point, it is the “dark of the Moon” when there is no Moon visible in the sky, so it’s generally not a good time to be starting any projects (at least not any projects where you want things to grow and develop).

Of course, this exception also has an exception. While it’s true that planets that are under the Sun’s beams are very debilitated, when a planet gets to be within 17 minutes of arc of the center of the Sun (in celestial longitude), it becomes strongly dignified. This is a condition called Cazimi, which means “in the heart of the Sun.” The Moon is Cazimi for about a half-hour before and a half-hour after the exact moment of the New Moon, and this can be considered an Opportunity Period. Note: do not attempt to use cazimi if it occurs during a solar eclipse, or if the Moon will be leaving cazimi and forming a difficult aspect.

Eclipses

Eclipses are another important factor to consider when working with the Moon in electional astrology. Eclipses occur twice a year, when the New and Full Moons occur within 18 degrees 31 minutes of the Moon’s Nodes in the chart. Eclipses always come in groups of at least two (one Solar at the New Moon and one Lunar at the Full Moon), and occasionally, they come in groups of three (Solar, Lunar, Solar or Lunar, Solar, Lunar).

The most important thing to recognize about eclipses is that they represent an interruption in the normal lunar cycles. Under normal circumstances, the Full Moon represents a release of all of the energies that the Moon has collected during the previous lunar cycle. During an eclipse cycle, however, and particularly during a Lunar Eclipse, the Earth’s shadow comes between the Sun and the Moon, interrupting and interfering with the release of the energies. In the context of electional astrology and events, what happens during a Lunar Eclipse is that everything proceeds exactly as we would expect it to, and then at the last moment, something entirely unforeseen and unexpected occurs which interferes with the expected outcome of the events.

A Solar Eclipse occurs during a New Moon, and this time the Moon’s shadow gets in the way, representing unexpected and hidden (and, as we’re dealing with the Moon, here, unconscious and emotional) energies that are going to play very important parts in the events of the following lunar cycle. Again, from a strictly electional standpoint, we’re dealing with unknown and unpredictable factors in the equation.

It’s not always possible to avoid electing charts that occur during an eclipse cycle; after all, eclipse cycles can last for up to six weeks. If you do find that you need to consider an electional chart that occurs in an eclipse cycle, be aware that you may be confronted with unexpected obstacles and hidden motivations, and be absolutely certain that you have enough other positive and encouraging factors in the chart to justify your choice.

Advanced Electional Astrology: Working With the Houses

More advanced techniques of electional astrology involve working with the rulers of the houses of the elected chart. Bear in mind that electional astrology uses the classical rulership system, not the modern rulership system. The table below lists the signs and both the classical and the modern rulers.

Sign	Classical Ruler	Modern Ruler
Aries	Mars	Mars
Taurus	Venus	Venus
Gemini	Mercury	Mercury
Cancer	Moon	Moon
Leo	Sun	Sun
Virgo	Mercury	Mercury
Libra	Venus	Venus
Scorpio	Mars	Pluto
Sagittarius	Jupiter	Jupiter
Capricorn	Saturn	Saturn
Aquarius	Saturn	Uranus
Pisces	Jupiter	Neptune

You’ll notice that in the classical system of rulerships, the outer planets do not rule any of the signs, while all of the rest of the planets (except for the Sun and Moon) rule two signs each.

In an electional chart, the houses represent different aspects of the question, and the relationships between the rulers of the houses indicate the course of events and influence the outcome of the events. For example, if you were electing a time to ask someone for a loan, you might want to see a connection between the ruler of the 8^th house (other people’s money) and either the 1^st house (you) or the 2^nd house (your money). The table below describes (briefly) some of the meanings of the houses in electional astrology.

House	Meaning
First House	This represents you, the person asking the question. The ruler of the 1st house represents your role in the events.
Second House	Your money, finances, and personal possessions.
Third House	Communication, letters, exchange of information.
Fourth House	Your home, your private life, your family.
Fifth House	Gambling, speculation, love affairs, romantic and sexual partners.
Sixth House	Work (job-related issues), illness, unequal relationships (master-servant)
Seventh House	Generic “other person”; spouse or committed love interest; open enemies
Eighth House	Other people‘s money; partner‘s resources.
Ninth House	Religion, travel, higher education, philosophy
Tenth House	Your boss, people in authority, your public face and reputation.
Eleventh House	Friends and peers
Twelfth House	Hidden enemies; imprisonment.

Needless to say, some of the houses tend to be more important in electional charts than others! By far the most common types of electional charts involve the ability of two people to come to an agreement, and in most situations, this means finding a time when the ruler of the First House (you) and the ruler of the Seventh House (the other person) are in good aspect to each other. Where money is concerned, it’s always nice to arrange for a chart where there is an easy flow of energy from the 8^th house (other people’s resources) to the 2^nd house (your resources).

It’s not always possible, however, to find a time when you can get the key house rulers in good aspect (or even in any aspect) to each other, and this is where the Moon can sometimes help by “translating the light” between the two planets.

When the Moon separates from an aspect with Planet A and then applies to an aspect with Planet B, the Moon is said to be “translating the light” between planets A and B. The effect of this is to bring planets A and B together (or more accurately, to bring Planet A to Planet B) by way of the Moon. In this way, it is possible to create a harmonious connection between the two planets (and the houses that these planets rule in the chart) without the planets actually being in aspect to each other in the first place.

The Moon can only be said to be truly translating the light between two planets when there is no gap between when the Moon has completely separated from the first aspect, and has begun to apply to the second aspect, and of course when there is also no intervening aspect that will occur. In other words, we need to consider the moiety of the planets involved.

Let’s take the example of Mercury at 2 Aries and Jupiter at 20 Aries. Even though Mercury and Jupiter will eventually conjunct each other, they are too far apart to be considered in aspect. Mercury’s moiety is 3.5 degrees and Jupiter’s is 4.5 degrees, so if Mercury and Jupiter are more than 8 degrees apart, they are not in aspect to each other. Now, let’s also assume that we have the Moon in Leo. The Moon’s moiety is 6 degrees, and the orb for Moon/Mercury aspects is 9.5 degrees. This means that the Moon aspects Mercury (separating) until 11’30 degrees of Aries. The Moon/Jupiter orb is 10.5 degrees, which means that the Moon begins to apply as a Trine to Jupiter at 9’30 Aries. The orbs intersect—from 9’30 to 11’30 of Leo, the Moon is trine both Mercury and Jupiter, which means that so long as the Moon makes no other aspects before reaching Jupiter, the Moon is translating the light between Mercury and Jupiter.

In an electional chart, this would play out that a third party (the Moon) helps to bring Mercury and Jupiter together and they are able to be in agreement with each other.

The type of aspects that the Moon makes as it translates the light between two planets is important to consider. As always, look for the “easy” aspects (conjunction, sextile and trine) and avoid squares. Oppositions are tricky; you’re probably ok to work with an opposition so long as the Moon is separating from an opposition and applying to a conjunction, trine or sextile.

Putting it All Together

We’ve covered a number of Moon-based techniques that you can use to create simple electional charts. Let’s review some of the most important concepts.

Before you decide to create an electional chart for an event, you must decide if the event is actually important enough and significant enough to you to merit an electional chart. Once something has become routine or commonplace for you, electional charts lose their effectiveness. And once you do decide that you are going to elect a chart for an event, remember that there is no such thing as a perfect chart!

Consider what it is that you want to accomplish so you can have a clear understanding of what your elected chart should look like.

The simplest electional charts only involve making sure that you’re beginning your event on an appropriate phase of the Moon. If you want something to grow, choose the waxing phase; if you want something to shrink or diminish, choose the waning phase. And if you want something to go unnoticed or to not produce much of a result, choose the dark of the Moon or a void-of-course Moon. If you’re not able to find an acceptable chart during the waxing phase of the Moon, another option is to choose a chart that is based around the closing Trine between the Moon and the Sun. Even though this is a waning Moon, the Moon-Sun trine is an extremely fortunate aspect, and can be used quite effectively for events that are meant to grow and flourish.

Go through your Moon Sign Calendar and make note of the “Opportunity Periods” during the year. These time periods are also excellent to choose for simple electional charts.

For more advanced and involved electional charts, consider which houses of the chart are important to your question, and what kind of relationship you want to see between the rulers of those houses. If you’re not able to choose a time when the house rulers are aspecting each other directly, look for a time when the Moon can translate the light between the two planets.