In my in-box this morning: “Christine, do you help your clients form their horary questions? My case is complicated and I’m not sure how to phrase it for maximum effect.”

It’s a good question. Whether you’re looking for an astrologer’s help or practicing your own horary skills, asking the right horary question is at the root of the whole process. The question and its answer are born in the same moment, so it pays to take some time to think about what is most important to you and what you really need to know. I can’t come up with your question for you, but I can help you understand what horary astrology can do and give you some tips about formulating what you want to ask.

Simply put, horary astrology is excellent at answering two types of questions: present circumstances (such as, “What’s going on in my marriage?”, “Does he like me?”) and future trends (”Will I get the job and will it pay well?”, “Should I move to London or stay here?” , “Will he leave her for me?”).

Especially if your case is complicated, you want to think about what you specifically need to know now, whether it’s information to help you make a decision, or something to give you peace of mind, or something to confirm a hunch. Some background details can be helpful to me as I work on the chart - I’ll always ask for more information if I need it - but you really want to narrow the story down to a specific question.

Here are some examples of horary questions I’ve answered:

• When will my house sell?

• Should I pursue a more meaningful relationship with X, or should we just stay friends?

• Will I get into graduate school, and will any of them offer me funding?

• Is he the one? Will we be together, and if so, when?

• My husband, a chiropractor, is being punished by the licensing board - should he accept the punishment they’ve put forward, or should he appeal? Would getting a different lawyer make a difference?

• Should I move my elderly mother to a nursing home closer to where I live? Is it worth all the upheaval?

Some of these do sound complicated, especially the compound questions. But they are specific, direct, and focused, and they show that each querent (the person asking the question) has put serious thought into what’s most important to him or her at that moment.

The other thing that usually helps a querent focus is knowing that they’re paying by the question. Funny how often that helps a person answer her own question without any help from me.

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Can I answer a horary question for you? Email me at christine at askchristine.info - I’d love to help. My rate is US$50 per question. Or visit my website, askchristine.info, for more information.