Horary Astrology : Should I buy this property?

**這是我為占星雜誌Infinity Magazine Jan/Feb 2017 Issue 撰寫關於卜卦占星的文章

雜誌連結 : Infinity Magazine 11

Should I buy this property?

Buying and selling property is an important decision to many people as they usually have only a few transactions in their whole life. Making a correct decision may mean making a fortune while an unwise transaction may bring troubles and nightmares. As the property market is heated up worldwide, property related questions are some of those mostly asked. We will see in this article the aphorisms for property matter and will study a chart example.

For property questions, we usually would want to know :

•   Whether the transaction can be made properly

•   The conditions of the property

•   The benefit/ profit for the querent

Whether the transaction can be made properly

There are two parties in a transaction : The buyer and the seller. The querent, no matter he is the seller or buyer, he is signified by the ascendant and planets in the first house, and the other party is signified by the 7^th house. Whether the transaction can be made properly, we will need to see if the significators of the two parties are connected positively, which means a contract is made. They can be brought to perfection by :

1)     A direct application to aspect or conjunction. If it is aspect with reception, the deal is made with the willingness of the parties.

2)     Translation of light or collection of light

3)     Emplacement—one of the significators is placed in the house of the other party.

Also, the connection between the buyer and the property (4^th house) gives a stronger indication that the property will be sold. However, if there is connection between the seller and the property only, it would show the property will be retained.

The conditions of the property

If the querent is the buyer, one of the main concerns will be the condition of the property. The querent may want to know whether it is in proper condition, a good place to live in or suits his needs. Nowadays the buyer might not be able to inspect the property thoroughly before he can made a decision. Particularly there are some properties which are sold during the construction period that the buyers make the purchase just by reading the promotional material provided by the developers. Thus if the horary chart can give some insights about the property itself it would be helpful to the buyer.

To assess the quality of the property, the 4^th house, including the Lord of the 4^th, the planets and their aspects can tell us how the property looks like. Not only the condition of property the 4^th house can tell, it also shows the long term potential and success of the house. Lilly writes, “But it either Jupiter, Venus or North Node be in the fourth, or the Lord of the fourth in this own house, viz. in the fourth, the Purchaser may expect good success in the Land or House now in buying, and that it may continue a long time with his Posterity, and it’s an argument he shall have good increase for his money by that bargain^[1].”

Besides the 4^th house, some people may have concern about the neighbourhood. A troublesome neighbour could be disturbing and affect the living condition. Thus the 3^rd house would be a place to investigate for such matters.

The Price

When buying or selling a property, one of the main concerns is the price. The buyer wants a good bargain while the seller wants to make a good profit. Lilly says, “Let the tenth house, a planet or planets placed therein, and the Lord of that house signify the Price, that is, whether it will be sold cheap or dear^[2].” If we take the 10^th house as the price, there will be questions arising: How do we define whether the price is high or low? It is something subjective and different persons may hold different views. If the 10^th house is strong, does it mean the price is high while an afflicted 10^th house means a low price? This may fit if the querent is the seller but quite illogical if the querent is the buyer. The 10^th house naturally signifies success and fruits of the matter, if a strong 10^th house means a high price, this will in turn not advantageous to the querent if he is the buyer.

To clear the confusion, we can take a step back and stick to the basic principle of the 10^th house. It signifies the success, advantages, benefits of the matter to the querent. Bonatti, in his writing about “if renting the land or the house would be useful”, suggests, “Then look at the 10th. If a benefic were in it or were to aspect from a trine or sextile aspect, the matter will be arranged and perfected. If indeed there were a malefic in it or who aspected the 10th by opposition or a square aspect, the renting will not be perfected…^[3]”

Thus a strong 10^th house would mean benefits to the querent, and an afflicted 10^th house is disadvantageous to the querent, no matter he is a seller, buyer, tenant or landlord. In this sense, the focus is not on judging the price is high or low but the “profit” or “benefit” to the querent. If the querent is the buyer, a fortunate 10^th house means the deal is advantageous to him, it may mean a low price, a profitable deal, or the purchase itself is a good investment. If the querent is a seller, a fortunate 10^th house suggests the transaction is beneficial to him, or he is making a good profit.

A Horary Case

I would like to show a horary case here that the querent asked, “Should I buy this property?”

Background : The querent asked whether she should buy a property for investment. She was interested in that property not only for investment sake, but also out of her teenage memory. She was studying in the school near the site, and her mother’s friend was living in one of the apartments next to her school. Her mother brought her to the aunt’s home for a few times which became a memorable experience for her. She loved the greenery hill view from the window, the honey water served by the aunt and she told herself that one day she should have a flat there. The old buildings was demolished and new apartments are now built on the site. The querent thus wanted to buy a flat there to fulfil her dream. However, her rational side also reminded her to check whether it is now a good time to buy and whether it will be a good investment.

The rising sign is Cancer and the querent is signified by the Moon in Virgo in the 3rd house of neighbourhood. This illustrates the querent is moved by her nostalgic feeling and the fact that she was studying in the school near the apartment.   Also, the querent has her natal Sun in Cancer and Moon in Virgo which clearly resonate with this horary chart. The Moon separates from Venus in the 5th house, which signifies the contact with the property agent. The 5th house represents ambassador, and thus the agent in business matter. Venus also rules the 4th, which represents the past as well as the property. The Moon is making a square with Saturn in the 6th, Saturn rules the 7th and 8th. In a property question, the 7th house signifies the seller, or the developer in this case while the 8th house is about mortgage and financing. Thus it seems difficult for the querent to make a transaction, and as she said, rationally she did not see this as a good investment as she thought the property market might not be doing good in the near future. She also felt stressful financially if she was going to buy this property.

Is she right? Is the property price too high and this might not be a profitable investment? The 10th house signifies the potential benefit. It is ruled by Jupiter in the 4th house Libra. Jupiter is peregrine and combust, suggesting this is not a good deal for the querent. Jupiter is sextile with Saturn and they receive each other by sign and by exaltation. This would say the benefit is on the seller’s side. The chart confirms the querent’s  opinion that such investment might not be a good one.

How is the property? The property is signified by the 4th house ruler Mercury, in his own sign Virgo in the 3rd house. The dignified Mercury suggests the property itself is of good value and condition. Being in the 3rd house again reflects the querent’s love of that property as it is in the neighbourhood of her school and the aunt’s home. Jupiter and the Sun are in the 4th house Libra. Libra represents “sides of Hills, tops of Mountains^[4]”. Actually, the property is on the hill and querent was impressed by the greenery hill when she was sitting by the window at her aunt’s home. This is one of the reasons why she fell in love with this place. More interestingly, the querent emphasized that she loved the honey water served by the aunt, and Jupiter rules the bees and sweet^[5]. The chart clearly illustrates the beauty of the environment which enchanted the querent most. She said it was like a scene in her favourite novel.

Despite of her love towards the place, the querent remained rational when she considered from an investment perspective. Another planet in the 4th house is the Sun in Libra. It is in detriment, rules the 2nd house of finance, suggesting it is a burden to the querent and it might be too risky if she buys the flat at the moment. Finally she decided not to buy it but may consider it again three years later when the construction is finished. The 10th house cusp is at a late degree of 26.37 Pisces. By three and a half degree, it will change to Aries, and Mars is in Capricorn. The exalted Mars suggests the property will become more beneficial to the querent, probably after three and a half years (one degree corresponds to one year), and this matches the querent’s plan.

When the querent asked this question, the property market was very hot and many different properties sold well, but the sales of the quesited apartments were relative low due to the high price. This fits what the chart suggests that the property is not beneficial to the querent from an investment point of view.

(Caption) The was how the site looked like in the past and the querent fell in love with this view. They were on the hill and the old buildings were demolished while the quesited apartments are under construction.

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此文章所提到的是屬於卜卦占星Horary Astrology的範籌，為高階的占星。想學習占星，可先從最基礎的開始。

想更深入的了解占星，新一班占星入門班於2017年3月開課，現已接受報名，名額有限，2月前完成報名繳費可享早報優惠 :

http://magiclife.com.hk/id/2017astro/

*如同學有些課堂未能出席，會獲發該課之錄音，以便自行收聽學習

*適合人士 : 對占星沒什麼認識，從零開始學習，這是歡迎新手參加的入門班。又或對占星有一點認識，但想更有系統的學習，打好基礎。 

Jupiter Lai - Hong Kong

Jupiter, a practising astrologer based in Hong Kong, is active in teaching astrology in Hong Kong, China and Malaysia. She is the co-founder, along with Rod Chang, of the Academy of Astrology, which was founded in 2008 with the aim of promoting Western Astrology to Chinese speakers. Jupiter lectures on a wide range of astrological subjects from natal to mundane astrology, and also incorporates Chinese astrology, I-Ching and Feng Shui into her own astrological practice. Through the work of the Academy, Jupiter has helped to introduce many international speakers to Asia, where they have shared their astrological insights to local students.

Jupiter began her formal study of astrology with the Faculty of Astrological Studies, and later received certification as a horary practitioner from the STA School of Traditional Astrology in 2013. Enthralled by the philosophical principles and techniques of classical astrology, she continues her in-depth study of horary with the STA‘s

Master course.

Jupiter is also a tutor of the STA School of Traditional Astrology. With an aim to bring horary astrology to the Chinese speaking communities, Jupiter has been working on the translation of the STA course material since 2014 and is offering the Practitioner‘s Level Horary Practitioner‘s Course in Chinese in Hong Kong. She will speak in the FAA International Astrology Conference held in Melbourne in 2018.

www.magiclife.com.hk

www.sta.co/

www.academyofastrology.co.uk/

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^[1] CA p.206

^[2] CA p.205

^[3] Bonatti, Book of Astronomy, Treaties 6 : On Questions p.405-406

^[4] CA p.96

^[5] CA p.63-64

了解黃道十二星座--真的只有12個，沒有第13個蛇夫座

大家一直認識的12星座，久不久就受到衝擊，說應該有第13個星座，即蛇夫座，所以大家所屬的太陽星座要重新執位，不但挑戰原有占星系統，簡直是挑戰原有的身份認同。而這個「13星座」的說法，近年更被所謂的權威機構如BBC 和 NASA提出，然後再在網上瘋傳，令訊息更為混亂。

其實蛇夫座不是今天才被發現，古人一早已知他的存在，而在占星系統上，為什麼一直沿用12星座，而非13星座，有其天文、文化、歷史的原因。國際知名的占星師、英國School of Traditional Astrology (STA) 的創辦人Deborah Houlding為此寫了詳細的解釋，筆者獲授權按其資料寫成中文(並非逐隻字翻譯)，以解釋清楚當中的來龍去脈。

原文連結 : http://www.skyscript.co.uk/zodiac.html

什麼是黃道十二星座 (Zodiac)?

在占星學上，我們常說的十二星座，其實是建基於黃道十二星座Zodiac (亦稱黃道十二宮/黃道帶)，要了解黃道十二星座前，先要了解黃道(Ecliptic)。

黃道，顧名思義，就是黃色的道路; 黃色，就是太陽。古代天文學家，觀察一年當中太陽走過的路，稱之為黃道，用來追縱太陽的軌跡，並以太陽的位置作季節和曆法上的依據。
 (註 :  黃道被視作「太陽明顯的路徑」，雖然地球是繞著太陽走，但從地球人的角度去看，是太陽在移動，所以占星是以地球為出發角度去看。) 

黃道 (Ecliptic)是一條線，以23.5°的傾斜度切過赤道(Equator)(見上圖)。”Ecliptic”這個名字，是源自日月食(Eclipses)。因為每六個月，當月亮橫過太陽的路徑，形成新月和滿月的當兒，就是日月食的時候。

黃道和赤道之交匯、相互的角度，讓地球有季節之分。當太陽在黃道上，跑到跟赤道之交匯點，日和夜的長度就是對等，也就是春分和秋分。(春分和秋分在英文上是 Equinoxes, 意即「平分的夜」) 當太陽在黃道上的最高點(稱為北回歸線Tropic of Cancer, 位於北緯23.5度)，就是夏至; 在最低點 (南回歸線Tropic of Capricorn, 位於南緯23.5度)，就是冬至。

黃道十二星座(Zodiac)，是從黃道延伸出來。黃道是一條線，而黃道十二星座是一條闊帶，從黃道兩邊伸延9°。這條帶代表著一個重要的空間，當我們從地球的角度望上天空，在太陽系中可觀察到的行星活動，都是在這條黃道帶中發生，因為太陽系當中的行星(包括地球)在圍繞太陽的軌跡上，都是處於類近角度的平面(見下圖1)。所以在這條黃道帶上的星空，是天文學家和占星學家最為留意的。而黃道帶上星星(恒星)變成了一個背景，像佈景板一樣，用來標示和觀察行星的活動。

太陽從赤道以南往上跑，經過赤道時，就是春分，即春天的開始，之後白天的時間逐漸增長。約二千年前，就以此春分點作為黃道帶(Zodiac)的開端，稱作「零度」，或「白羊零度」。二千年前，春分點的背景就是白羊星座，因而白羊是十二星座之始。

可見黃道帶/黃道十二星座的出現，是帶著天文、占星、曆法上的意義。它不是真實的存在，而是將黃道(Ecliptic)延伸。

1) 圖1  太陽系中的行星都是在類近的平面(即傾斜度差不多) 繞著太陽走。冥王星是例外(冥王星是肉眼看不見，在古代亦未被發現)，他的傾斜度有17°。

2) 圖2 地球被黃道帶圍著。繪圖來自Andreas Cellarius, The Celestial Atlas, or the Harmony of the Universe, 1660.

3) 圖3 此圖來自軟件 Stellarium，顯示土星火星月亮位於黃道附近，在處女座、巨蟹座、雙子座上。

為什麼黃道十二星座分為十二等分，而不是其他數目? 為什麼是平均劃分?

黃道十二星座最主要的對應基礎，是曆法和季節，並非真實肉眼可見的星座。

一年有365日，而黃道，如所有圓形一樣，分為360度 (這是由古代巴比倫人定義的，因為365不容易「除開」，所以以較接近的數360來將曆法對應太陽周期)

黃道十二星座是以日曆為藍本，先將黃道帶分為四等分，每等分相距90度，那四點就是黃道及赤道的交匯點，以及黃道的最高及最低點，為四季的開端(春分、夏至、秋分、冬至)。每一等分再分為3個星座，每個30度，以對應太陽走30天(一個月)的時間; 所以太陽走畢十二星座，即十二個月，剛好就是一年的時間。而每個30度的星座之命名，是根據二千年前那些位置的背景星空是什麼星座去定。但要了解，背景星座(如金牛座、雙子座那些)，有大有小，闊度亦不一樣，並非每個都剛好佔據了30度、齊齊整整的排成一個圈。所以這個命名，就如我們將地圖劃成為A3、D 4等區域，而在黃道帶上就以白羊座、金牛座來標示稱呼那12個區域。

黃道十二星座是天文和曆法的結合，雖然度數與日數之對應並非絕對精準，但用以作一個參考系統去看行星的移動、季節的變更，都是有效的。此系統背後帶著富深度的哲理邏輯，當其時的哲學家像Pythagoras正在探索圖形、幾何、數學天文的關係。

要建立一個可靠的曆法，需要對太陽月亮地球周期有詳細的認識。基本上，太陽就是每365日回到同一點，在同一地平線點上升起。而在此太陽周期中(一年)，也包含了月亮的12個周期，月亮每年平均盈虧12次，剩下數天。英語中month來自mona, 對應moon月亮; 日曆中的月份周期並非月亮圍繞地球的周期28日，而是太陽月亮之間的30日周期，即太陽月亮合相/新月到下一次新月。

了解到這個背景，就會明白為什麼黃道十二星座是分為十二等分，因為基礎不是主要來自星空背景組成的圖形，最主要的劃分是來自以上所說的曆法原則。

此星座不同彼星座

Zodiac Constellation 跟 Star Sign是一樣的嗎? (因為中文全統稱為星座，所以這部份還是要以英文的term去解說)

Zodiac Constellation代表在黃道帶上的一組組星星。黃道帶上有很多的星星，在歷代不同的文化、甚至同一文化，在歷史上不同的時段，都會將這些星星組合，劃出不同的星座，而這些由肉眼可見的星星組成的星座，稱作Zodiac Constellation(黃道帶上的星座)。
但黃道帶Zodiac本身，如上文所說，是數學上的平均切割，是根據曆法去劃分，一直以來就是那12等分的Zodiac Signs。

Constellation 和 Sign (中文都叫星座，所以更易混肴)是不同的 :
Constellation —就是平日觀星的「星座」，代表一組組的星星。拉丁文中Con就是代表「一起」，Stellas就是「星星」。

Sign— 這是占星學上常提到的星座，雖然還是叫「星座」，但如上文所說，是根據天文曆法原則去定義。古時定義黃道十二星座的天文學家，同時也是占星學家，會對於這些星座附予更多的意思，但這些「星座」並非枱頭望天就可見，亦不是在位置大小上完全對等同名的星座 (即占星上說的天秤，跟星空上的天秤，並非對等)，因為星空上的星座，大小不一，但黃道上的十二星座，是十二等分的區域。

(簡單來說，Signs 是占星學上我們常說的12星座，Constellations是夜觀星空所見的「星座」)

其實巴比倫人一早就在黃道帶上劃出17/18個Constellation，不過後來慢慢精簡至十二等分星座，更方便去配合天文上的計算，亦將constellations的邊界作出更改，來配合黃道帶上的星座位置。

圖1) 來自Isaak Habrecht's 1666 edition of Planiglobium coeleste ac terrestre，展示出12等分的星座如何搭在不同大細的constellations星座之上(courtesy of Echo Cultural Heritage Online) 外圈的星座度數對應著曆法上的日和月分。在constellations上的虛線就代表著黃道。

圖2) Constellations星座在黃道上(by Albrecht Dürer, 1515), 可見一些星座，如雙子和巨蟹，Constellations都在黃道的雙子和巨蟹的區域上。

那蛇夫Ophiuchus從哪裡來?

根據上文的解說，先要了解黃道帶上的Zodiac 星座跟肉眼可見的星空星座Constellations是不同的，而一直提出要用上蛇夫座的人，就是將這兩個概念混淆了。

蛇夫座並非什麼新發現，在二世紀Ptolemy的天文著作Almagest中，當時已有蛇夫座，稱作Septentarius。一早已知黃道劃過蛇夫的一小部份，但蛇夫是一個很大的星座，並不整個在黃道帶範圍內。而大英百科全書Encyclopaedia Britannica (2014)亦清楚寫道，黃道帶是什麼，為什麼它確實有經過蛇夫，但蛇夫並非十二星座的一員。

不論蛇夫座的界限範圍在哪裡，占星學家一直對於Constellation星座附上意義和聯繫。一般來說，占星學家對於肉眼可見、光亮、或在文化上有意義的星座，都會特別關注，但這些跟黃道之劃分沒有關係。

圖1) Plate 9 of Alexander Jamieson’s Celestial Atlas (1822)—顯示蛇夫座是很小部份，只有其腳是踏在黃道帶上，當中的主星Ras Al Hague，在36° north - 27°， 遠超越黃道帶。

圖2) Plate 21 of Alexander Jamieson’s Celestial Atlas (1822)—水瓶座和山羊座，很明顯就是在黃道帶上。Plates courtesy of U.S. Naval Observatory

星座已經轉了位置?

有說天文上，星座已經轉移了位置，所以現在的白羊座跟古代的白羊位置是不同的，對嗎?

以黃道帶作為天文、數學上的計算，已有超過二千年的歷史。黃道帶、當中的劃分、黃道星座的大小沒有改變，變的是其開端點—春分點。如果以春分點背後的星星constellation作為背景來標示其位置，春分點的確有變。如以太陽每年回到零度/赤道的點為春分，這個點每年都會向西移50秒，雖然是極微少，但長年累月就會跟最初的位置有明顯的距離。而這現象，稱為歲差precession of the equinoxes，亦是從古代起已知曉，希臘天文學家 Hipparchus和柏拉圖都有提到，歲差對於曆法的影響，亦在二世紀Ptolemy的著作有說到。

西方的占星師早知道歲差的存在，亦知道它是往西移，其背景的星星就會有所差別，但更重要的原則，就是不論此點背景為何，此點在天文上是代表著春天的開始，亦以此點定作Zodiac白羊座的開端。

雖然歲差走得很慢，每72年才走1度，但二千多年以來，巴比倫年代的春分點，是在星空的白羊座(constellation)上，到了中世紀，就已退到雙魚座，現在更逐漸退到水瓶座，也就是大家常聽到的「水瓶座年代」。

歲差要26000年才走完一圈，是占星學上說的Great Year，代表著一個文明的終結，另一文明的開始。

古舊的星空圖一般都有很豐富的天文資料，會展示出春分點的位置、黃道星座Zodiac及星空星座Constellation的對照，所以古圖常有黃道如何走過星空，而春分點就一直在雙魚座退行。

1 and 2) Alexander Jamieson’s Celestial Atlas (1822).

3) Albrecht Dürer's Constellations of the northern and southern skies, (1515)

既然有兩個星座系統，那占星學的採用哪一個?

大部份西方的占星師都是採用以春分點為起點的系統，不論春分點的背景星空為何，以此為起點，劃分黃道，最重要是因為這以曆法、季節為依歸。但這又帶到另一問題，就是這主要是以北半球為主，因這些季節的變化是按北半球的情況為依據。

另一系統，則主要是印度占星所用，就是以肉眼所見的星空位置為根據，稱為 Sidereal Zodiac (拉丁文中Sidus即Star)，所以此系統是以真實的星座作定點，但就沒有了季節、曆法的關係了。不過，雖然實質的星座各有大小，但仍是維持每個星座30度的分割。

而在此 Sidereal Zodiac 系統中，也有不同的方法去定義哪個是起點，其中一個較普遍的方法是以處女座的恒星Spica 的對分點為起點，有些是以金牛的Aldebaran為起點。這個系統就沒有上面所說的北半球傾向問題，並以星空的星座、星星之間的關係去解讀。其實兩個系統各有特式，也有不少共通之處，兩派的占星師也會互相討論。

其實兩個系統皆有其原則和根據，沒有對錯之分，正如不同語言皆有其文法，但都能帶來有效溝通。不同占星師會運用不同的技巧，但只要這些技巧有其理論根據便可，亦不會否定占星的有效性。

=============================================
2018年度的專業占星班M1 (入門班)九月開課，早報優惠於七月中截止。
在天王金牛的新大時代，學習占星，用嶄新的角度了解你自己和人生
*星期六下午上課的占星班，六堂課可完成一個Module
*實體上課+網絡錄播同步--> 按你的步伐，何時何地都可學習
*從占星了解你的人生藍圖-->找出對應生活策略-->掌握及創造人生
*詳情及報名 :http://www.magiclife.com.hk/id/2018astro/

學習占星
了解命運軌跡 自己的人生自己掌握
了解自己 走適合自己的路 發揮最佳潛能
多學一項技能 職場上多一個出路
這次是星期六下午上課的班，兩年才辦一次
*如同學有些課堂未能出席，可獲發該課之錄音，及補看現場錄製的ppt 課堂video, 以便自行學習。
*適合人士 : 對占星沒什麼認識，從零開始學習，這是歡迎新手參加的入門班。又或對占星有一點認識，但想更有系統的學習，打好基礎。
課程內容、整個學習系統、報名 :

http://www.magiclife.com.hk/id/2018astro/

如何選購塔羅牌?

要學習塔羅牌的朋友，第一個問題往往是「應該選哪副塔羅牌?」上網尋找，塔羅牌款式多到數不完，這副很有味道那副又很cute，那初學者應先選哪款? 各種款式又有什麼主要分別?
為了解答大家的問題，今次就一次過介紹番吖

Q : 初學者應先從哪副塔羅牌學起?
A : 雖然塔羅牌是一種比較自由隨意的占卜工具，沒有太多的限制，你覺得哪款合眼緣都可以用。但如果想有個切入點，一般都會先從Rider Waite偉特塔羅入門。

Q: 為什麼要選Rider Waite?
A : Rider Waite偉特塔羅早於1910年出版，是英語國家最廣泛使用的牌。就算是市面上的塔羅牌書，大部份也是以偉特塔羅為教材。而Rider Waite牌的圖像、牌義、整副塔羅的結構，亦成為其他塔羅牌的參考指標。所以學了Rider Waite，再選用或學習其他款式的塔羅，也就很容易上手了。

Q : Rider Waite偉特塔羅好像也有幾款?
A : 對，如果你去search一下，就會發現Rider Waite也有不同版本。
例如我教學時用的The Original Rider Waite Tarot Deck ，顏色是比較素一點;
另一款Rider Tarot Deck，顏色則較鮮亮; 有些同學比較喜歡Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot，顏色是較為豐富和有層次。還有一款叫Universal Waite ，顏色就比較淺亮些，有木顏色的感覺。
而我平日跟客人占卜時，就愛用Universal Tarot，意大利出版社出品，圖象和顏色都比較鮮明和有層次感，對我來說是最有feel~
(下圖就找了上面提到每一款的塔羅的Magician 魔術師牌給大家作個對比)

所以這些不同版本的Rider Waite塔羅，圖像和結構都是一樣的，分別在於顏色深淺、牌底的款式，可憑感覺選自己喜歡的。有同學更會多買一款mini size，可放在辦公室必要時服用 XD

Q: Rider Waite 偉特塔羅以外的其他塔羅牌又如何?
A : 塔羅款色多不勝數，當你學會了塔羅後，很多時就會買牌買上癮，因為每款都有其特色，無論是主題、用色、意象方面都不盡相同。但如果下下都要看說明書，從頭學起，真的相當麻煩，況且不會每副牌也會有那麼多的參考書甚至課程，只能靠隨牌附送的小小說明書。那怎辦? 大家可以先看以下圖片，是我隨意在網絡上搜尋不同的魔鬼牌，給大家作個比較

左上角是Rider Waite的魔鬼牌，其他是我隨意找的，有些都不知是什麼名堂。但你可以看到，雖然每張牌的畫風、用色、風格都不盡相同，但都離不開「魔鬼」的意象，並保留了「魔鬼」、「鎖鍊」、「縛著兩個人」這些元素，只是表達方式不同。而Rider Waite 15號牌是魔鬼，其他牌亦不會無端端整個15號變成皇帝的，在牌組結構次序上都會是一致。
萬變不離其宗，都是依Rider Waite的結構和意象來再創作，所以為什麼入門都最好先學Rider Waite? 因為學了最基本的那個，之後你用其他牌，是舉一反三，不必重頭再學習，只是不同的圖象風格可以刺激不同的直覺和靈感。
當然，還有一部份的塔羅像Thoth、奧修禪牌不是很貼近Rider Waite，其獨特主題風格比較明顯，但這類的塔羅為數較少。

Q: 塔羅跟占星有關嗎?
A : 塔羅跟占星有所對應，所以我自己另外喜歡用Spiral Tarot，一來喜歡其圖象較有現代感，二來牌上有占星符號，即是可當貓紙，不用死背 XD

另外，占星大師Brian Clark老師的Celestial Tarot 更進一步，整副牌78張都跟占星系統對應，結合了塔羅、占星、天文、神話四大元素，意象非常豐富。
塔羅師可以藉此增加占星的訊息，占星師亦可通過塔羅更靈活去作諮詢，以解答各種問題。






Q: 在哪裡買塔羅?
A : 以前在書店都會容易找到，像誠品，但現在網購其實更方便會多選擇，大家可以去 amazon.com 和 bookdepository.com 看

2016星象

南華早報的訪問，談談2016年的星象 :

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1910484/year-monkey-tiger-snake-and-pig-beware-fortune-tellers-see

//Astrologer Jupiter Lai said Saturn and Jupiter form a hard aspect of 90 degrees square until 2017. She said as Jupiter stands for expansion and Saturn represents restriction and structure, challenges will be expected under the harsh aspect.

“The over expansion of the economy from the past few years will be challenged. There will be a slow down,” she said. “But at the same time, a new order will emerge.”

Saturn will also form a square with Neptune, a planet of dreams and illusion. “Saturn is about the reality. Thus bubble will burst. But if your dream can be substantiated, this is the year for you to realise your dreams. Expect a new development in virtual reality this year,” Lai said.

And as for Hong Kong, political challenges are expected, as Uranus, a planet of revolution, conjuncts the natal Saturn in the city’s astrological birth chart.

“Saturn also stands for hierarchy and system. When Uranus sweeps across this planet, the old system will be challenged. A new set of culture and value will emerge,” she said.

“Having a stable job or owning a property will no longer be the definition of success in the eyes of the young generation.”//

這次報導內容講解本年木土四分、土海四分，以及流年天王合相香港盤的土星。Let me recap in Chinese :

木土四分並在下弦周期，往往代表經濟下行、過往過度擴張現在要調整;
土海四分更是將泡沫刺破，不切實際的幻想會面對現實的考驗，但同時虛擬實境科技或會成為焦點。而我們亦有機會讓夢想變成現實;
而當然，香港盤的土星被流年天王觸碰，帶來混亂衝突紛爭，舊有的制度、架構、權威會被新的力量衝擊，混亂在所難免，但在混亂之中，新的價值觀和文化會走出來。(例如 : 以前成功的定義是在大公司工作、有title、有幾多層樓 etc，現在新一代，反更為尋求自由自主，寧做自由業，以及共享經濟之出現等)

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學習占星，有助我們了解時代、社會的趨勢，再看看如何立足自處。
學習占星，就如給自己一個萬能工具箱，歡迎參加2016年4月開課的專業課程占星班M1(即入門班)，現在報名更可享早報優惠，名額有限。詳情及報名 :www.magiclife.com.hk

When the question is not a question —Consultation skills in Horary practice

(Originially published in InfinityAstrological Magazine Issue 5) 

Jupiter Lai

Horary astrology is about “questions”. The chart is casted at the time when the question is fully understood by the astrologer. Before chart judgement is made, ancient astrologers remind us to check whether the figure is capable of judgement, as William Lilly writes in Christian Astrology (p.121) : 

“All the ancients that have wrote of questions do give warning to the astrologer, that before he deliver judgement he should consider whether the figure is radical and capable of judgement.” 

This is not saying whether the chart is suitable or easy to read, this is about the intention and sincerity of the querent. Bonatti in his Considerations explains : 

“The 1st consideration is on those things which move a man to pose a question (and there are three motions). The first is the motion of the soul, when someone is moved by his intention to pose a question…”  

The second consideration further says : “…he must observe this manner of asking, plainly that he ought to pray to the Lord God, from Whom every good beginning leads, and to entreat Him (with all devotion and with a contrite spirit) that it should fall to him to reach to an understanding of the truth of those things about which he intends to ask. Then with this truth, he ought to go to the astrologer with intention concerning that about which he is going to ask, and about which he proposed to ask, and the intention for which he retains in this heart for a day and a night (or more), not touched by just any motion of the mind (as sometimes many impertinent people are wont to do, as is said elsewhere). And thus He who spoke, who gave so you may seek, will add [to it] so that you may find.”

The two considerations are saying the question asked should be a burning issue to the querent, and it is essential that the question is asked with thorough thought, sincerity, honesty and clarity. 

Ancient astrologers have emphasised a lot on the radicality of the question, which is mainly based on the attitude of the querent. However, in practice, a horary consultation is the interaction between the querent and the astrologer.  How the question is asked and the intention depend on the querent, yet the astrologer could also contribute to the quality of the question—how it is phrased and understood. What role shall an astrologer play in the consultation besides giving judgement of the chart? 

In ancient texts or modern horary astrology books, cases are given with clear and direct questions followed by the analysis of the charts. Nevertheless, in real-life practice, astrologers may encounter situations that the querents are not giving simple and direct questions as those written in textbooks. This does not mean they are insincere or with bad intention, rather they could be so confused with the situation itself that they could not explain it clearly, or they may feel embarrassed to ask. Also, it is understandable that not everyone is eloquent and expressive in communication.  We could not expect all the clients come to us and immediately give direct and precise questions. Most of the times, people who need a horary consultation are at the crossroad, anxious and worried about what is happening to them, or in trouble that they are looking for a way out. It is common for astrologers to meet clients without a direct or to-the-point question, and this is when the consultation skills of the astrologers become important in the interaction with the clients. 

I would like to share a few examples and communication techniques that would be helpful for astrologers to guide the clients and to make sure the core question is clearly asked and understood.

The Client just gives the story, but there is no question asked

The client tells the story about what is happening (sometimes, it can be long and complicated, without a focus), and expects the astrologer to give resolution to his problem. There is no specific question asked or it could just as simple and general as “what should I do?” 

In face of all the bits and pieces, the astrologer could use the skill of “summarising”, that is making a summary and tell the client briefly what is heard, this is to check that you have heard things correctly. Also, the process of “summarising” allow us to pick up the most important details of the issue, and not to be side tracked by other unrelated information. After making the summary, we can ask the client “what is of your most concern?” “what do you want to know actually?” , and through the conversation, we can narrow down and find out the core question. 

Once there was a case that the client asked about a legal matter he was involved. I asked him to explain the background of the case but he was just complaining what the other person had done wrong (from his own point of view) in a business deal and that person was trying to sue him. He even tried to show me all the text messages between himself and the other party, expecting me to understand their dispute, yet his emphasis was put on how “bad” the other party was. That was really a situation that “stirred his soul and moved him”, but he was not asking a specific question, nor describing the situation from a more factual or objective point of view. I am not a lawyer and I was not able to understand and judge from a legal point of view. For a complicated matter like this which involves certain professional knowledge, sometimes even the client would not be able to explain clearly, or he may just take the chance to express their emotion, without a clear question asked. However, what I understood from the conversation with the client was that the dispute was about a business deal, and the role of the horary consultation was to see whether the querent would be favoured. The client mentioned that the other party was trying to sue him, so I presumed he wanted to ask his own position as the defendant. I then tried to phrase the question, “do you want to ask how the trial will be if this person sues you?” But then he said, “No! I want to ask if I could win if I sue the woman for her false accusation!”  This is the “eureka” moment and finally I got clear what he really wanted. He did not mention this during the whole conversation, but only after I tried to phrase a question. When the client is not giving a direct question, it would be helpful if the astrologer tries to clarify with the client by asking “do you want to ask xxx?”. This allows the client to reflect and focus on the “question” which may help point to a specific one. 

The Client is not asking what he really wants to ask

Sometimes the client is asking something which indeed has a hidden core issue. For example, a client once asked about the possibility of moving home. It seemed to be a property question which indeed turned out to be a relationship question. The client had problems with her husband for years but they did not separate or divorce, but continued to live in the same flat like flat mates.  The “reason” for staying together was some property matters like it would be difficult to sell the co-own flat if they separate, or the market was not good etc. Indeed, the core issue was they were avoiding to face their relationship problem. 

Usually, even the client asks a direct question, it would be useful if the astrologer still spends some time to discuss with the client about the details. As in the above example, when the client asked about “moving home”, I asked about her present situation, and her plan of moving, or what bothered her most. For topic like this which appears to be “natural” and “normal”, it is useful to dig deeper by asking the client what dilemma or obstacle he is facing, or what he concerns most in the issue. This is to see if the question is just asked out of curiosity, impatience, or casual thought that there is really nothing needs a horary. This also allows the astrologer to know what really matters to the client. Through the conversation, I figured out it was the relationship that mattered, and the property issue was only the cover or a secondary question. Even if a chart was casted right after the property question, I believe it would still show the relationship problem behind. However, by clarifying with the client first, I believe the chart will give clearer indications, and at the same time beneficial to the client when the core issue is acknowledged at the very beginning. 

The Client does not know how to ask

The client is facing a problem, making a decision, but does not know how to ask the question. Sometimes I may encounter clients who know well the problem, but they do not know how to phrase the question, or what the focus should be. In such case, astrologer could discuss with the client and see what the real focus should be. This may require good analytical skill of the astrologer who is able to pick the point that matters.

Once a client asked about an investment question, he was thinking about buying a property some time later. When I asked for more details of this plan, like was there a specific time, or certain property in his mind, he said this was just a “thought” without anything concrete. For horary, a vague question may still lead to an answer, but it would be a vague one too. A concrete or specific question, and when there is something more immediate, would lead to a clearer chart. 

I did not turn down the client immediately, but further asked what made him have that “thought” and what he was planning to do for that plan. He then said why he asked this question was because he would need to do some financial arrangement now if he was to buy a property. Thus I figured out that this “financial arrangement” was more immediate and essential, because the client needed to make the decision at the moment of whether he should contact a financial institution, get a loan and make some other necessary arrangement. The question is not about “shall I buy a property” but “should I do the financial arrangement and would that bring me profit?” Thus it would be useful to ask clients “what makes you have that plan/ thought?” “what decision you need to make indeed?” so to find the real motive behind the issue. 

Though horary astrology appears to be simple as “answering question”, how to clarify the whole situation that the client is in and how to phrase the question would require consultation skills, empathy and patience. It is important to remind ourselves that the chart is casted at the time when the astrologer fully understood the question. Thus posing question with honesty is the role of the client, but how to bring the question to clarity and have it well understood would be the role of the astrologer. If a vague, insincere question would lead to a vague chart, a misunderstood, out of focus question would also lead to a confused judgment. It is worthwhile to spend some time discussing with client before jumping to the question in haste. It may first appear to be confusing, or the client could be emotional, or they could only tell bits and pieces about a complicated matter. However, through asking, talking, reflecting, summarising and paraphrasing, both the client and astrologer would come to clarity. It is never too late for the astrologer to decline if he finds the question not suitable for judgement, say it is pointless, dishonest or too trivial, but only after having understood the whole situation thoroughly. Ultimately, one of the important purposes of horary consultation is to sort out problems, make things clear and thus empower the client to make a wiser decision. Chart judgement abilities are important of course, but it would be beneficial if the horary astrologer is equipped with consultation and communication skills.