Investigating and Illustrating Hephaistio’s Horary Technique for Rituals

A Way to Examine Ritual Approaches and Vows Through Traditional Horary Astrology

 

In Hephaistio’s Apotelesmatics: Book III: On Inceptions, he describes a technique of horary astrology that can be applied to rituals. Hephaistio says, “The approaches and vows are known in the following way: the Hour-marker is the petitioner, the setting, the sacrifice offered; the Midheaven, the god; the underground pivot indicates whether the prayers would be given ears to, and the matter that the prayer or inquiry is about.”¹ The idea of using horary astrology to look at ritual petitions is a bit peculiar. A person might wonder how they would use such a method. As it is, how many worshippers or ritualists would question their own sincerity, connection, and faith based on the transits of the planets through the signs of the zodiac? A ritualist may have a great experience and feeling about a ritual, but the horary chart may say something different. Still, the Hephaistio technique, which can be interpreted with various traditions of horary astrology, is worth exploring. I came up with two scenarios where the Hephaistio method can be applied. The first is a simple act of meditative penance that was done for Mars and Saturn on September 24, 2022 at 12:56 AM in Seoul, South Korea. The Hephaistio technique can be applied to the meditative penance session to see what it reveals of the petition, outcome, and so forth. The second instance that can be used to gauge the technique is an actual magical operation using a white candle, a sheet of paper, sigils, and a ritual invoking the celestial deities Jupiter and Venus. The magical operation was done on November 10, 2022 at 11 PM in Hanoi, Vietnam. I will discuss the elements of the ritual, including its purpose. First, a white candle was used. The color white might not be the first color to turn to for matters of friendship and social circumstances. The color is chosen to reflect the qualities of goodness, lightness, and new beginnings. The magical operation had a simple goal. Its purpose was to initiate a new beginning in a social environment. Recently, I moved to a new city. In the downtown area, there is a place that is known for its nightlife and drinking scene. I wanted to go there soon but wanted to avoid negative energy and antagonistic people. I also don’t want to drink too much or be around any destructive behavior. The goal of the magical operation is to bring new friends and a positive new relationship with a specific area. I plan to visit the nightlife spot a few times over the course of a few months. In the ritual, I invoked the planets Venus and Jupiter. The planets Venus and Jupiter were chosen because they are benefics and are often associated with harmony between people. Both rituals were performed as mentioned on the provided dates and times. The astrology of the rituals and all of the results that occurred are examined in this article.

The first ritual dealt with meditative penance and Mars and Saturn. The chart for September 24, 2022 can be found above in Figure 1. It occurred at 12:56 AM in Seoul, South Korea. Mars and Saturn were major parts of the ritual because difficult transits were hitting my natal chart. The month before, I had experienced some difficult times related to my job and finances. There were conflicts, financial losses, changes to my living environment, and lots of stress related to events that occurred. There were also enemies who tried to cause damage and had attacked me personally. In that context, I did a session of meditative penance to ease the adversity and conflict in my personal life, since I knew that Mars and Saturn might continue to have a big impact on my life until March of 2023, when Saturn and Mars left two houses associated with work and reputation. In Figure 1, the pivots of the chart are Cancer on the Ascendant, Libra in the fourth house with the Sun, Capricorn in the seventh house, and Aries in the tenth house with Jupiter. The pivots, planets in them, houses and condition’s of the lords of the houses, as well as their aspects and relationships with each other can indicate much about the meditative penance session that took place. Cancer is the petitioner. The sacrifice is Capricorn. The God is Aries and the planet Jupiter. The matter is Libra and the Sun. The ruling planets are the Moon, Venus, Saturn, and Mars. The Moon is in the third house, Venus in the third house, Saturn in the eighth house, and Mars in the twelfth house. Cancer is the petitioner and this refers to me in both rituals we are examining. In the case of the meditative penance, the Moon symbolizes my role in the matter.  The Moon is applying to a square with Mars, and it is in Virgo, with the lord of the house and Venus. My condition is troubled and there will be some hardships. Symbolized by Cancer, I’m on the receiving end of things, and my vulnerability is highlighted. My body, money, emotions, and identity are all threatened. I have good intentions in the ritual and my view of the ritual and situation that prompted it is related to a third house divinatory and philosophical approach. Next, Capricorn and its lord Saturn signify the sacrifice. The sacrifice for the ritual was basically meditative penance. Ritual materials such as candles and incense were used. In addition to these traditional materials, there was a meditative session that lasted for 40 minutes. Saturn can relate to suffering, hardship, the traditional, hard work, discipline, and periods of time. With Saturn in the eighth house, the ritual materials and meditation can be related to debts and efforts for others. It also comes from ritual and esoteric wisdom, also eighth house significations. The sacrifice can relate to these aspects. The tenth house symbolizes the god involved in the ritual. Essentially, it’s Mars as the domicile lord of Aries, which matches literally as Mars and its transit in Gemini were the principle reason for the ritual. Mars was also the planet that was offered the meditative penance. Possibly Mars is the celestial god most responsible for the hardships that were afflicting me in the previous month. At another level, Mars as a malefic fits the ritual itself, which is for Mars and Saturn. Mars is in the twelfth house and associated with significations like past actions, bad luck, accidents, and so forth. Jupiter is in the house so the celestial deity is also involved in some capacity. Jupiter may give some additional beneficence and wisdom in the act of the ritual. The ritual, as an experience, expanded knowledge of esoteric and spiritual matters. Also, it indicates the deities have a somewhat favorable view of the matter. Then, for the matter itself, the sign Libra on the fourth whole sign house is important. Libra is a cardinal sign. It’s masculine. It is of the airy triplicity. It is anthropomorphic. With Venus as the ruler of the house, the matter itself is related to relationships with others. It is related to air sign qualities like intellect, communication, and exchange of ideas. As a cardinal matter, it popped up suddenly, out of nowhere.  It is about justice, treating others with respect, hearing both sides on the issue, and harmonizing with others. It is related to people. It is masculine. On the matter being “given ears to,” the outcome is mixed. Venus is conjunct the Moon and in a good house, yet it is cadent and square to Mars (also the signifier of the God, and doesn’t have an aspect to the house). The significance of the Moon is also important, not just as the lord of an angle, but also for the ability of the matter to manifest. As stated, the Moon has some difficult challenges yet also isn’t in a terrible place or sign. Therefore, the first ritual has a mixed result.

The second ritual was a magical operation for new friendships and associations that called on Venus and Jupiter. It occurred on November 10th, 2022 at 11 PM in Hanoi, Vietnam. Candles, incense, sigils, symbols, and a gift of meditative penance were offered. 

 

Now, the angles will be examined for what they reveal about the ritual. The petitioner is Leo. The Sun is in the fourth whole sign house, Scorpio. The petitioner is concerned with making an impact in life, with egotistical leanings, with leadership, visibility, and with a successful endeavor. The Sun in the fourth shows that the petitioner connects the ritual to the issue of home and roots. The ruling planet in the fourth also speaks to the good intentions of the petitioner to see the magical operation is successful. The sacrifice is Aquarius and Saturn. With Saturn in its domicile in Aquarius, the magical operation was done with seriousness, a Saturnian quality. It was conducted in a traditional manner, and was by-the-book as much as was possible. The materials used were pretty basic and spartan, without any extra offerings like flowers or artistic embellishes used. It also included a meditative session, which aligns with Saturn’s contemplative, introspective, hermit-like, and disciplined nature. The God is Taurus. Venus is the ruler of Taurus. As mentioned, Venus was one of the gods petitioned in the magical operation. Friendship is also something that has a strong connection to Venus. Venus was in Scorpio at the time. Scorpio is the fourth whole sign house. Venus was conjoined the South Node, the Sun, and Mercury. The lord of the house is Mars, which is in Gemini in the eleventh whole sign house. Mars is retrograde. Mars doesn’t have any hard aspects to the key planets for the angles in the chart. Mars is trine Saturn, the lord of the seventh house. It makes no aspect to Venus or the Sun, the lords of the tenth and first houses. Still, Saturn makes an inferior square to Venus from Aquarius. It indicates there might have been something in the preparation of the materials that adversely effects the God the ritual works with. Venus is also in Scorpio, where she has triplicity dignity but is in detriment. Generally, having the lord of the house in a pivot is a good thing and speaks to largely favorable from the God. The matter is Scorpio, with Mercury, the Sun, and Venus. Mars is in the eleventh whole sign house. The purpose of the magical operation is related to friendship and new associations, which are significations of the eleventh house. The symbolism of Scorpio and its retrograde lord also show that the matter is not a happy one. It is about the severing and disconnection from others and the pursuit of new connections. It is also about fears related to wasting time, meeting negative people and enemies, and avoiding potential violent or destructive behavior. It could be seen that the planet Venus most closely aligns with the ritual. Venus is the planet of harmony, friendship, and relationships. In my personal life, friendships might also be related to communication and learning, knowledge and the arts, and boldness and new experiences. All of the planets involved in the house might play a role: Mars, the Sun, Mercury, and Venus. Though the planet Mars isn’t initially a good signifier for this matter, there are some details that offset the negative interpretation. The ritual occurred at night. Traditionally, nocturnal Mars is moderate and balanced. Mars and Mercury are also in mutual reception, as they are both located in each other’s domiciles, which can further offset any troubles. Mars’s placement in the eleventh whole sign house is another factor. The only negative factor is that the lord of the fourth house is Mars, a malefic planet that might of its own regular functions bring the exact troubles the magical operation was trying to avoid. While there may be martial type situations, barriers to positive social encounters, environmental challenges, and even small conflicts, everything else is favorable for the result. It seems that it might not be fully possible to avoid social entanglements and noisy encounters, but at least there will be protection, factors that will limit the negativity, and any situation won’t get too out of hand. The symbolism of Scorpio also hints that the place I will spend time in, a nightlife street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, has a dark, dirty, and subterranean feel to it. Not only is it a nightlife place, but it will have the characteristics of dark, damp, and wet. In fact, the times I have been there match this description. Like any popular nightlife area, it was full of trash, liquids, and people. As far as making new contacts, it seems mostly favorable. The matter will be successful, as the lord of the house is in a good and succeedent house, is of the sect in favor, conjunct the Moon, and with a favorable trine with Saturn. The Moon indicates the matter will have the ability to materialize. And the eleventh house hints that it’s possible some of the people will be valuable contacts and potentially good friends.

For two esoteric rituals, the chart angles were investigated. The signs, planets, and aspects for the four signs on the angles were interpreted. The two rituals were performed at different times, dates, and places. Using Hephaistio of Thebes’s technique in the Apotelesmatics, major parts of the rituals were identified with the rising sign, fourth whole sign house, descendant, and midheaven. The first whole sign house was linked to the petitioner, the seventh house the sacrifice, the tenth house the God, and the fourth house the matter and it’s outcome. Using an array of information about the signs and their ruling planets in the chart, it was illustrated how one could interpret a ritual or magical operation using this method. The two rituals that were used for this purpose both went beyond the typical devotional ritual. The first utilized meditative penance and the second was a typical ritual but had sigils and a special candle added to it. The first can be called meditative penance while the second was a magical operation. The purpose behind the rituals was to lessen the hardships and challenges for the rest of an eight month period, the transit of Mars through Gemini in 2022-23, and the attracting of new friendships while limiting the negativity in a certain locale I might visit in a new city. The time frame on the first ritual is almost over, while the second has a longer time window, and depends on the few times I might go to a nightlife spot in the next ten or so months. I can share a little about my experiences so far with both. From September to December, I had some difficult moments. They weren’t as bad as my initial difficulties so to some extent it seems the ritual worked pretty well. It’s a totally subjective observation and the Mars retrograde isn’t even over yet. After the second ritual was completed, I visited the nightlife area one time. There were some brief moments of negativity with drunk and rude people, but nothing came of it. For the most part, the time spent there that evening was peaceful, though not fully pleasant. I didn’t make any new contacts that were of great importance yet, but its likely not the last time I will go there. So, in conclusion, both rituals were conducted, analyzed through their astrological symbolism, and though not fully concluded, are largely compatible with what has been analyzed. 

 

Notes

1. Trans. Eduardo Gramaglia, Hephaistio of Thebes, Apotelesmatics Book III: On Inceptions, (The Cazimi Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 2013) Heph. III. 7, 18 

 

Bibliography

1. Trans. Gramaglia, Eduardo. Hephaistio of Thebes. Apotelesmatics Book III: On Inceptions. The Cazimi Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, 2013.

 

Photo Credits

1. A sage meditates in a cave. Photo by Midjourney. Prompt: solar rays around a sage Meditating in a cave with a set of candles. Username: @david.k9
2. A person does a ritual, with clouds, candles, and other beings present. Photo by Midjourney. Prompts: clouds moving up to the heavens while the Greek Olympian gods watch a man in a toga below surrounded by rising incense and candles. Username: @david.k9
3. Figure 1 and Figure 2 event charts from Astro-seek. Images by Astro-seek.