Hi All,

This is one of those charts where it?s so clear (I think) in 20-20 hindsight. I was feeding my pet turtles when all of a sudden a lens fell out of my glasses. I know I saw it roll over to my right on the floor. But I could not find it for the life of me. I put on my contact lenses so I could see and crawled around on the floor for over an hour, but nothing. I turned on all the lights and moved all the chairs, my desk, and table but no lens. After about two hours of this I was going frantic and couldn't get to sleep later on. This morning I thought that daylight would help but it didn?t. Even though this sounds trivial I was really upset and felt powerless. I went over a friend?s house to ask for his help and he said he would later on and he asked why I didn?t do a chart. I thought it was too early to do a chart, and thought that I didn?t need to since the lens had to be within ten feet or so of where it fell out. Then he suggested that I ask a friend of mine to do a chart for me. So later on I called this guy and had him do a chart.

The data is February 23, at 10:48 AM, EST (+5) in Cleveland Park, in Washington, DC, 77?W 3'57'', 38?N56'10''.

With Gemini rising we get me as Mercury in detriment and fall. Well that explains my nervousness and frantic condition. It the hour of Mercury so the chart is radical.

I think we all know how difficult lost item charts can be and one of the biggest problems is what planet to use as the significator for the lost item. John Frawley seems to use the 4th house, as it?s the house of buried and hidden treasure. Many people would use the 2nd house ruler as the lens is a piece of personal property. So if we use the Moon (2nd house) we don?t get any signs of recovery. I had a bit of trouble with this because I was sure the lens would be found, but my question was where to search for it, and to find out why I was having such trouble finding it. My significator Mercury being so debilitated explained why I couldn?t find it; I was too nervous and agitated to be of use.

After I got home this afternoon, I used a large flashlight and found the lens in about a minute. It was about six feet from where it dropped out and was out in the open, not in an inaccessible place at all. It was lying right against my PC.

So I looked back at the chart to see what planets were about to make contact with Mercury and Venus pops right out. Venus is very close to being sextile with Mercury. So if Venus is the lens?s significator, then sure, it looks like I will find it.

Another take would be to use the 4th house ruler as the significator for the lens. I really don't like this because I don't see a lost lens as being hidden treasure, but this is a traditional technique so I can't disallow it out of hand. So then the Sun would be the lens, with the Moon about to apply to it. This also shows recovery.

But this is the classic situation where the chart only works in 20-20 hindsight and I really hate that. I thought the Moon was a good significator for a lens, as the Moon represents glass, even though the lens was clear plastic. But? Venus also can represent a piece of adornment, which glasses are, sort of.

How would the rest of you handle this? Would any of you used Venus for the lost lens? This isn?t so much of a how-to question, but more of general one to see what people think of a chart that only makes sense afterwards.

Hi Mark

Yeah, hate those charts that leave you scratching your head over which signifier is the right one.

I think I would have stuck with the ruler of the 2nd being that the lense is a personal possession and you knew it wasn't buried (4th), rather it had to be lying out in the open, but you just weren't seeing it.

A bit flimsy I know and easy to say after the fact ... I know I would have been turning myself inside out wishing that the correct signifier would just step forward.

Hi Mark

Have just found the text to answer your dilema!

William Thrasher "Tubar Astrologicum or A True Astrological Guide" 1671! Page 139 - 'To Find a thing hid, or mislaid'

I think Deb or Sue may have put a link to these texts on the site? I'm not sure. I got the tip from the Yahoo Group 'The Real Astrology'. Don't have the website page handy. Check the books & news page.

Thrasher only uses the 2nd house for lost objects, or derivatives there of ... and makes no mention using the 4th for buried objects like Lilly does.

"If it be the Querent's own Goods, then the things lost are signified by the Seond House. If his Brothers or sisters, by the 4th; If his Son or Daughters, by the 6th, if an Uncle, by the 7th &c."

And just because it is on the next page ... unlike Lilly, and much like Frawley (I wonder where he got it from?!) ... on the question of "If it be good to remove from one Place or House to another?"

Look to the 1st and 7th ... If Fortunes be in the 1st stay ... if a good planet in the 7th - without doubt good to remove.

fasinating!

Hi Mark,

Obviously, I'm no expert, just a student, but I couldn't help being very intrigued by the symbolism of the luminaries actually being the significant planets involved when using the 4th cusp in the search for your lens.

The luminaries are symbols of the eyes, they grant us vision, we cannot see without light. Many ancient cultures saw the Sun and Moon as literally the eyes of Deity. In the Northern religions, the god Odin, was blind in one eye. Odin, among a multitude of other things was most prominently the god of the skies, the Sun and Moon were then, the very eyes of god Odin, the blind eye, or the one turned toward inner vision (the Moon) and the seeing one that glared down upon the world (the Sun).

If we see the Sun and Moon, as two eyes, one blind, the other seeing, then this gives us a fitting description of your glasses with a missing lens, as well as giving a description of your eventual reunion with the lost object.

Also the Sun/Moon symbolism is ftting in that is tells us something of the circumstances in which you found the lens.

I used a large flashlight and found the lens

A large flashlight (the Sun) is used to find the lens (the Moon and the missing 'eye'). So the Moon applying to the Sun, showed that the lens would be uncovered.

Perhaps the meaning of this is that you are being urged to try and consider the 4th house for missing objects for a while and see how it turns out.

The symbolism relating to vision and the bringing to light of hitherto unseen things might be a suggestion that there is 'buried treasure' to be uncovered from an alternate viewpoint in considering the 4th cusp for lost objects? This is just and idea, and the way that the symbolism strikes me.

As a consequence of reviewing the horary, you were able to 'see' twice as much. Perhaps then you can increase your vision by considering the 4th cusp for a while?

I would feel definately most comfortable with the 2nd house, but having had a horary like this I would start looking to the 4th and see how things turn out.

Just my thoughts.

Draco