Minderwiz
Now that I've had time to read through this, some more newbie questions?
It seems like there's this unlimited amount things you can check after you go through the basic essential and accidental dignities. So how do you figure out which ones to use? Is there like a list of the ones. For example, in the beginning you mention the Antiscia, how do you know it that's something you can check for a question? Also how do you know how important each of those things is to a question and which one of those hold more weight in a question?
Yes there's a lot of possible techniques that might be used. To keep matters under control I proceed as follows, after I have evaluated the essental and accidental dignities.
1. I check for an applying between the significators. If so this is a large testimony and if the significators have at least some dignity then the matter will work out and I don't need to go any further.
2 If there's no applying aspect then I check the antisicia. If there is a connection through antisica then the matter will work out and there's no need to go any further.
3. If there's no connection in 1 or 2 then I check for translation of light or collection of light if there is then the matter will work out
4 If none of the above then the matter is unlikely to work out.
That's a brief scheme but it is essentially what to do.
SilentBreeze said:Also some chart questions..How do you figure out if a planet is retrograde, or about to go retrograde? How do you know if the mood is void of course on the chart? How do you know where a planet will end up or how a chart is changing over time?
Also this question may come more from reading the glossary, but it was mentioned in a reading as well. If a planet is in conjunction with the sun, in what cases is the aspect considered positive or negative?
Every software program or astro.com that produces charts marks retrograde planets as Rx. This is usually written alongside the planet and it's zodiacal degree
Knowing if the planet is about to station is a bit more difficult you can consult an online ephemeris (astro.com has one) or if you have Morinus you can check the planet's speed, as planets about to station are moving very slowly. Morinus also has a graphical ephemeris that you can use, though I don't find it wonderfully helpful.
Some programs tell you if the Moon is VOC but they don't all use the same definition. I do a visual check which I explained earlier in this thread in response to one of Ronia's questions - If the Moon is 18 degrees of the sign or less then check if there's a panet in any greater degree of that sign than the Moon, if so then the Moon is not VOC Then go through all the signs that are sextile, square, trine or in opposition to the Moon's sign and if there's a planet in any one of the in a greater degree than the Moon then the Moon is not VOC. If you don't find a planet then the Moon is VOC.
Things are a little more complicated if the Moon is in 19 degrees onwards In this case it's orb extends beyond the sign boundary, so you will have to include adjacent signs in your search. So if the Moon were at 25 degrees of a sign, it's orb will extend to 7 degrees of the next sign. If there's a planet between 0 degrees and 7 degrees of the sign then the Moon is not VOC Remember to check the other signs that are in major aspect to that degree. I'll put a full version into the glossary.
I will only bother with planetary movement if it's the Moon or if a planet is at 29 degrees and direct or 0 degrees and Retrograde In that case the planet is about to change signs and this suggests that something relating to the question is about to change. That change is not necessarily for the better, nor is it necessarily sufficient to secure, or even prevent the desired outome, unless there are several other indicators that change is coming and pointing to the same sort of change - for example a planet near a house cusp.
The conjunction with the Sun is generally undesirable because the planet is obscured, however at the moment of exact conjunction +/- 17 minutes, the planet gains strength and is a very positive situation.