The so called critical degrees seems to be used in two different ways.

1) One is the general description of 0, 15 and 29 degrees in any sign

Of these Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson states:

If in O-degrees the person has lately entered upon a new course, in 29 degrees he is about to make a definitive change; in either case if the ruler leaves a sign in which it had a better standing it is a turn for the worse, otherwise it is a turn for the better.

In or around the middle of a sign , he is better balanced and more likely to steer a middle course insofar as the question is concerned. Midway of a fixed sign, he will probably stat put or stand pat in the matter.

The 29th degree shows some misfortune connected with the matter , the person or matter asked about is changing, at the end of his rope or patience or desperate. (Simplified Horary astrology p53)

Anthony Louis states ''a planet at 29 degrees is impatient , can hardly wait to enter the next sign.

As Sue pointed out this isn't necessarily negative and it can be positive. For example, if Mercury was direct in motion in this chart it would be imminently moving into Virgo where it would be very strong in essential dignity. However , Mercury's retrograde motion prevents this happening in this chart.

2) The other and I think more exact use of the term critical degrees refers to degrees connected with the Lunar mansions. As Ivy Goldstein-Jacobson states:

'The so called Critical degrees are derived from the Moon's average daily motion ( 13.00 degrees) through the signs, starting at 0-Aries and falling out as follows:

0, 13, 26 Cardinal signs
9, 21 Fixed signs
4, 17 Common ( Mutable) signs

She states: The significators or co-ruler Moon in a critical degree will bring matters to a critical point, a crisis., or to a head, as in illness or a quarrel.

I have experience of using the 0, 15 and 29 degrees and find that useful. I haven't used the critical degrees connected with the lunar mansions.

People vary on how much they use fixed stars in horary. I personally use them quite a lot but they usually only add extra detail to a judgement. They are especially handy when a judgement seems more finely balanced.

I am wondering how the exam turned out. Did Jasmine ever post the result of his/her question?

RC

I have a related question.

If we have Quesited/Venus at 29 deg Libra, about to enter Querent's 1st house, Scorpio - would Venus entering the sign where it experiences detriment make the Quesited about to surrender (somewhat) to the will of Scorpio Mars (the Querent?)

I'm just trying to put content behind the explanations above to understand this better with an example.

Hi Maxz,

Since the significator of the quesited is coming to the conjunction of the Ascendant (the querent), in itself it symbolizes that what the querent desires will come to him/her. But this is just one of the other important factors which must be considered (as you know, of course) and the Moon?s position and aspects will play a critical role in confirming or contradicting the success of the matter.

That said, since Venus is about leave her domicile and will enter her detriment, it does also show that when the querent has achieved what he/she desired, it will suddenly somehow seem not valuable or important enough or it will in some way lose its earlier ?worth?. In other words, it will bring the querent less joy and satisfaction than he had expected or hoped for. In a love or relationship horary, my sympathies would lie with the quesited.

Regards,
Mansoor

We've discussed love horaries before where querent or quesited are in the other's house, and I personally view it like any other horary, such as job horaries, where if the quesited is in your house, they are there by choice, and as Mansoor says, you are more likely to get whatever they represent (depending on supporting testimony). But, that may also show that they care a great deal about what others think of them or are partnership and/or harmony-seeking, as they are in their own 7th house.

However, if something/someone is about to leave domicile and enter detriment, that thing is about to be "corrupted" somehow (essential dignity is akin to virtue), and if a person, they are likely to make a change that will make them unhappy (they might also bend to the will of the other, and Venus is more likely to do that as an inferior to Mars via planetary speed), or somehow fall from grace in the querent's eyes or even their own eyes - with Venus, she is naturally a benefic and would probably be less harmful in her corrupt nature than some of the more weighty planets, as she is naturally more likely to want peace and harmony vs. causing pain, etc. Venus in Scorpio is under foreign domain in every way - she is both peregrine and in detriment. A planet lost and fallen from grace is in a most desperate situation and is much less likely to show its more positive attributes, which for Venus is natural expressions of love, creativity, friendship, pleasure. She is under Mars' territory, but she is still Venus, so she tries to behave like Mars but can only do so as Venus. It's as if she is pretending to be someone she is not, perhaps in an effort to make Mars happy vs. herself (she is confused and therefore does strange things).

Lilly says of Venus when ill dignified:

riotous, extravagant, loose and lewd, cares nothing for his reputation, incestuous, adulterous; of no repute, faith or credit; spends his time in taverns and ale-houses, among scandalous and loose people; lazy, an atheist

The fact that a conjunction is about to occur between two planets in each other's detriment, where one must enter its own detriment to meet the other, seems to suggest a relationship where one person has to give in to the other in order for it to proceed, but why should this have to happen in a truly loving relationship? It would not be necessary if this were an equal give and take, and this is one reason I do not like this relationship in horaries. One is usually dominating over the other - one person may feel like it is drowning while the other is thriving. As Mansoor said, we would feel bad for Venus.

At the time of the question, Venus is still in Libra, however, and we cannot dismiss that she/he is in Libra, whether at a late degree or not. Were she truly in detriment, she would be in detriment. In matters of the heart (vs. say health situations), it is more likely a choice by Venus whether or not she makes that change to worsen her essential dignity, and a late degree often shows a choice or a change - in order to change signs, or change a situation, you have to make a choice to alter the situation as it is at present. A late degree doesn't always guarantee a change is coming, but that a change might be necessary or *this* will happen if a change asked about proceeds. In cases where we ask about change, we'd especially expect late degrees because the late degree shows the current situation whereas the next sign shows what will likely happen if the change occurs.

Thank you, Mansoor and Tanit. You're both a wealth of information, truly.

(I did see a chart like this and thought generally the same thing, but wanted to respect the no-love rule on the board.)

Tanit, you brought up some major points I didn't know such as:

in order to change signs, or change a situation, you have to make a choice to alter the situation as it is at present.

and

A late degree doesn't always guarantee a change is coming, but that a change might be necessary or *this* will happen if a change asked about proceeds.

I don't want to hi-jack Elansome's thread however.

Maxz - I guess it might be a good idea to start a thread on the late degrees, if there hasn't been one before. I know Anthony Louis mentions the sign change implications in his horary book, and that is in part where I was originally influenced by this idea, although I have also seen it in many horaries. An example - one querent came to me about her boyfriend, asking if they'd marry (more specifically would he want to marry her soon), and he was at the 29th degree of Virgo (a sign very unfruitful for marriage, also the sign of fall for querent) and seemed to need to make a change in himself before he'd be interested in marriage. He is very much uninterested, as it turns out, and I find it unlikely he will change, but hypothetically speaking the chart also seemed to show how a marriage would transpire if he decided to, and he was about to enter detriment (he was Mars) and they were both in the 12th house. He would clearly be unhappy (enter detriment) were he to decide to marry her, and he is already an abusive boyfriend, which puzzled me why she was with him in the first place (although her natal told me a better story).

This is especially in matters where you or someone else involved has a say (vs. again things like health issues or matters out of your control - Louis has a pregnant woman querent who loses her baby with late degree influences showing this). In Louis' book though, he talks about a woman who goes to him regularly to ask about her love life, and the late degree of her ruler (or maybe it was the Moon - I can't remember) and this meaning that she needs to actively make a change in her situation and she will have better results, if I am remembering properly, because the sign change was more positive than the current situation. She moved out of town (this was the change) and wed soon after.

Thank you! So helpful.