Money and Wealth
The discussion about money and wealth is restricted to material wealth only. I am not referring to spiritual or other kinds of wealth.
Part A in this series concerns the basic principles for assessing the prospects of money and wealth from the natal and horary horoscopes, using the principles outlined in William Lilly’s Christian Astrology. The works of Abu’Ali Al-Khayyat, Bonatti and others will be assessed in a later series.
Since great wealth, having sufficient money to live on, and poverty are all part of a sliding scale in regards to material wealth, the same rules proposed by Lilly to evaluate wealth can be applied to questions about the prospect of great wealth, which will apply only to a minority of people, and also to questions about financial prospects asked by the majority of people.
Most people who ask the question “Will I be rich?‘ are picturing a wealthy lifestyle, being chauffeured around in a Rolls Royce, with servants and a mansion or two. The odds of this actually happening are very small, and therefore the default answer is “No, you will not become a wealthy person (in the material sense).”
Lilly’s rules for determining wealth they are fairly precise, and only a minority of charts will fit his criteria. This minimal correspondence accords with reality, for few people become seriously rich and few people engage in behaviour that attracts great wealth.
Of course there is the bigger question: Is becoming wealthy actually good for us? And further to this: Is this what our soul actually intends for us in this life? Who is to say that losing money or living a life as a pauper is not what our soul might regard as the optimum conditions for spiritual growth?
The discussion below about Lilly’s rules for assessing wealth can be applied to your birth chart and to horary questions.
Lilly’s rules for wealth
Lilly’s rules for wealth focus on Lords 1 and 2, the Moon and Fortuna. Accidental strengths such as angularity, aspects from the benefics, aspects to the cusp of the second house, and conjunctions to the fixed stars are also considered.
If the question is “Will I be comfortable?” Lilly’s rules can be applied with a broader brush. Usually ‘the question behind the question’ has to do with a fear of not being able to pay the bills and needing a rest from the stress of trying to make a living. For most horary questions we can answer the same way as if we were asked about the likelihood of an investment becoming profitable: consider the condition of Lord 2 and what happens next – does its condition improve or diminish in quality.
Below I have summarised Lilly’s rules. They can be applied with discretion to questions about natal astrology and horary astrology.
Will I be rich?
Consider
? The essential dignity and house placement of the planet which rules 2nd House (called Lord 2),
? Planets in the second house,
? Planets aspecting Lords 1 or 2 or the 2nd house cusp,
? The Part Of Fortune and its sign and house and how it is aspected.
Important considerations: Significators are stronger in angular houses, have less strength in succedant houses, and are weak in cadent houses.
Planets which are direct and swift in motion can more easily accomplish their mission than planets which are retrograde, stationary or slow in motion.
The strongest planetary significators are those in angular houses or the second house; direct and swift in motion, and at least moderately dignified in essential dignities.
Positive Indicators of wealth
? Lord 1 or the Moon aspecting Lord 2 or Fortuna
? Lord 2 or the Moon in the 1st house, or the Moon, or Lord 1 in the 2nd house
? The light of Lord 2 is translated to Lord 1. This is generally shown by the Moon separating from Lord 2 and applying to Lord 1 before it aspects any other planet.
? The benefics aspect the Ascendant or the Part of Fortune
? A benefic fixed star (of the nature of Jupiter and Venus) conjoining the 2nd house cusp or Fortuna or Jupiter
? Venus or the North Node in the 2nd house, and not aspected by a malefic
? All planets swift in motion and direct
Strongest indications of wealth
If Lords 1, 2 and Jupiter are conjunct in the angular houses (first, tenth, seventh or fourth), the second or the eleventh houses.
If not conjunct then sextile or trine with mutual reception. Squares and oppositions show a lot more effort is required to achieve wealth.
Factors inhibiting wealth
When consulting a client with the purpose identifying the cause of financial problems and preventing further loss, consider whether there is a debilitated planet aspecting Lord 2, or Fortuna or its dispositor, or the second house cusp, or the Moon. A debilitated planet is one that is in its detriment or fall, or conjunct Mars or Saturn, and to a lesser extent, in a cadent house.
? If this debilitated planet is Lord 1 then the querent’s behaviour is the problem.
? If this debilitated planet is Lord 2 then lack of funds is the cause.
? If it is Lord 3: Troublesome neighbours or neighbouring businesses, siblings or cousins.
? The same logic can be applied to the rulers of the other houses: fourth: parents or bad property investments; fifth: children or pleasure seeking; sixth: ill-health or unreliable employees; seventh: one’s spouse or open enemies; eighth: partner’s financial problems or death duties; ninth: misadventure by travel; tenth: poor career choices or problems with bosses or authorities; eleventh: tax debts or poor choice of friends; twelfth: addictions or secret enemies.
How will I become rich?
If an aspect between Lord 2 or the Moon promises wealth consider the houses involved and the house ruled by the Moon; or if neither of these promise wealth consider the house occupied by Fortuna and the house ruled by its dispositor.
The following list, adapted from Lilly’s book Christian Astrology, describes how Lord 2 in the houses shows how wealth can be obtained.
This list can also be adapted to show how planets in these houses which aspect Lord 2, or the cusp of the 2nd, or Fortuna, or the ruler of a different house which is placed in the 2nd house, indicates the source of money wealth.
? Lord 2 in the 1st house: Attracts wealth without much personal effort.
? Lord 2 in the 2nd house: Attracts wealth through personal effort.
? Lord 2 in the 3rd house: Neighbours, siblings or cousins in connection with the house occupied by Lord 3, short journeys (courier, taxi) or news (email and digital networking services, TV radio, digital and electronic transmissions).
? Lord 2 in the 4th house: The father or grandfather or their property (land), agriculture, family inheritance and mining
? Lord 2 in the 5th house: Gambling; representative/ambassador; entertainment/hospitality industry; sport; the fathers’ estate; childcare or products associated with children.
? Lord 2 in the 6th house: Employing others; the pet industry; treating the sick, medicines and remedies; surgery, butchery.
? Lord 2 in the 7th house: The spouse, trading, merchandising; partnerships; war and contest; theft.
? Lord 2 in the 8th house: Legacies, inheritance, foreign travel.
? Lord 2 in the 9th house: Travel, by sea if Cancer or Pisces is on the 9th house cusp, in a foreign country dealing with commodities produced in that country if an earth sign is on the cusp of the 9th house; or spouse’s siblings, or clergy or spiritual person publishing.
? Lord 2 in the 10th house: Government or public service, or employment in a prestigious firm or person; industries associated with motherhood.
? Lord 2 in the 11th house: Employment or association with a friend; good luck, windfalls and lotteries.
? Lord 2 in the 12th house: Livestock; horse racing; places of incarceration or from prisoners especially if a humane sign is on the cusp.
“I thought good here to give this general caution, that if the Lord of the 2nd House, or Dispositor of the Part Of Fortune be infortunes (Mars and Saturn) , yet if they have Essentiall Dignities where they are, or aspects to good Planets, or be placed in such benevolent Houses as I formerly mentioned, they may be Significators of position of Substance; and in like nature both Jupiter and Venus being afflicted or impeded, or Significators, as aforesaid, may be the Planets obstructing as well as any other, for every Planet must do the work for which he is by divine Providence assigned unto:
Doe you also ever remember that in what House you can find Cauda Draconis (the south node), it prenotes detriment and impediment in such things as are signified by that House, as if he be in the 2nd, he denotes consumption of Estate by the Querent’s own folly or not thriving, by his owne proper neglect: in the 3rd, hinderance by evill, beggarly or peevish Kindred, etc., and so judge in all the rest of the 12 Houses.” Lilly
Lawful or unlawful means
Wealth is obtained by lawful and honest means if the significators are benefic, and obtained by dishonest or unlawful means if the significators are malefics.
When wealth will be obtained
In youth if the planets indicating prosperity are placed between the ascendant and the 10th house;
early 20’s to late 30’s if between the 10th house and the 7th house;
middle age (early 40’s to mid 50’s) if between the 7th and 4th houses;
in old age if the important wealth significators are placed between between the 4th house and the Ascendant.
In Part B of this series om Money and Wealth I examine example charts of people who have achieved great wealth to illustrate the principles mentioned above.