Hello:

Is there any method of specifically determining the duration of an event? For example:

[1] How long will be my prison sentence?
[2] How long will I stay in this house?
[3] How long will I stay with my girlfriend?
[4] How long will I keep this job?
[4] How long will the city last?

For question [1], William Lilly and other sources give methods of analysis, but they merely show the duration in general terms EG: "He will be imprisoned for a long time" without actually specifying the length of the prison sentence.

For question [5], Lilly also describes a method using 'years of the planets'. But it seems a bit odd to apply it to the other questions, considering the 'greatest year' of some planets can be over a millennium!

Hi Edward - Generally speaking, the method is similar to what you described - a general idea of days, weeks, months or years based on the sign and house placement, and the planets involved too.

I will try to organize some general approaches:

1. Planets as indicators of time. The planets do represent a certain time scale that can be attempted to use. This is often used in length of life predictions in natal, for example and Bernadette Brady wrote a hyleg calculation pdf file with some traditional timescales of planets that I use in natal:
http://www.bernadettebrady.com/Pdfs/Hyleg.pdf
Bernadette Brady's little chart with time scales is very useful and is basically the same as Lilly's information but excludes the larger numbers. The way to calculate them is also explained and could be applied to horary- based on dignity and benefic versus malefic influences. I don't look at the time scale for planets for horary (and don't think that was probably Lilly's intention either?) but could see them being useful. In general, I use a more practical approach and look at the inferiors (Moon, Mercury, Venus) as bodies that move quickly and hasten things whereas the superiors (the rest) move more slowly and might show less quick change. Saturn especially is the slowest while Moon and Mercury are both swift (planetary speed can be a factor: slow, stationary, retro versus direct).

2. Aspects as indicators of time. Obviously aspects by degree can give number indicators too as well as using an ephemeris to see when aspects perfect in real time. For example, if you asked how long you will stay at a job and there was an applying square or opposition between your significator and a job and it was a difficult aspect without reception, implying separation or discord, such as involving ill dignified Mars, the aspect might describe by degree number how long that would be or even possibly when the aspect occurs in real time. The applying planet cadent might show years, succeedent months, angular days in most cases but depends on the sign too (angular and fixed would more likely take months or maybe even years for example). An aspect might not be necessary to interpret when something will end but could show up.

3. The angles as indicators of time. The angles are often looked at too. If all are 4 are fixed it can show lack of change whereas cardinal shows more likelihood for change (mutable is in between). Cardinal signs are periods that the Sun is in where the weather (seasons) is most unpredictable whereas fixed is more steady and mutable is again in between, so that is one basis for that as far as time scales.

4. The signs and houses as indicators of time. I am including resources for you to read more on this in links, such as the old forum posts. Again, If you asked about prison stay or partnership and the significator was fixed in a cadent house, you would assume many years if not indefinitely. Angularity, especially with cardinal placement can be days or even hours. You will see in a table the general idea for houses: http://www.skyscript.co.uk/horary1d.html

5. Is the Moon VOC? A VOC Moon can also suggest that the status quo continues, or in other words the matter will not change in the foreseeable future. Some might argue that horary cannot predict very far in the future (beyond maybe a few years), though. I am a little on the fence about that.

In general, looking at the signs on angles and the overall indicators in the chart, such as the Moon and primary signficators helps to determine how long something will take, so looking at one alone might not give the correct answer. As Lilly tends to say throughout CA (from natal to horary), you want to look at the overall pattern. One example I always think of that Lilly mentions for natal charts is that someone with a cardinal sign on the ascendant and the ascendant ruler also in a cardinal sign shows a person inclined to a lot of change - he refers to them in negative ways because people who were not constant in their ways traditionally were considered shady or unreliable. A person like that could change their mind all of the time, their behavior, or even their appearance. This sort of changeable signification can show up in any type of chart.

Here are old threads with opinions from more experienced astrologers:
http://www.skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewt ... dbe3dcd91b

http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?p=18695

The subject matter of when something will occur versus how long something will last is for me a similar method because if you are asking when something will end you are essentially asking when something will occur - the end of something. Some people might be very literal and look at the 4th house/significator, as the house of the end of a matter to predict this, though (I would be interested to hear if that is something people use).

[quote]Hello:

Is there any method of specifically determining the duration of an event? For example:

[1] How long will be my prison sentence?
[2] How long will I stay in this house?
[3] How long will I stay with my girlfriend?
[4] How long will I keep this job?
[4] How long will the city last?

For question [1], William Lilly and other sources give methods of analysis, but they merely show the duration in general terms EG: "He will be imprisoned for a long time" without actually specifying the length of the prison sentence.

For question [5], Lilly also describes a method using 'years of the planets'. But it seems a bit odd to apply it to the other questions, considering the 'greatest year' of some planets can be over a millennium![/quote]

Hello Edward,
have you already read "The Use of Angularity of Significators in Interpretation"? http://www.skyscript.co.uk/horary1d.html
I feel very confortable with this method because it can be applied with every kind of questions :-)
Hope that this is pertinent and it helps a bit, cheers

Can I suggest there would not be such a technique for determining length of time. There's a terrific kindle book by soneone called Abramelin which says the rules of astrology are the same as the laws of physics (ineertia). In other words things carry on being exactly the same forever or until an external force acts upon them.