Confessions of a Freaky Fortune Teller

I know I’ve mentioned this before (maybe even in this blog), but I wanted to give you a definition of what these mysterious ‘the moon is via combusta’ and ‘the moon is void-of-course’ pronouncements mean.

The Moon is considered to be via combusta when it’s between 15 degrees of the sign Libra and 15 degrees of the sign Scorpio. In traditional astrology, that’s bad. It’s considered to be most evil from 25 Libra to 6 Scorpio, though I’m not sure if anyone’s ever offered a full explanation of that. I do know that I’ve got a stellium of planets and other critical astrological points between 25 Libra and 6 Scorpio in my own chart, but one person does not a case study make (yes, via combusta is considered with other planets, too, though the Sun and Moon are given primary importance).

The Moon moves at a rate of about 12 - 13 degrees per day, so the via combusta period lasts for about 2-1/2 days each month. The Sun moves about 1 degree per day, so that’s via combusta for about one month out of the year.

Why does anybody care? Good question. Back in 1029 CE, the astrologer Al Biruni in his Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology explained this - in highly technical astro-speak. So I’m going to try to translate.

For those of you who studied elemental dignities in tarot and got confused, cover your eyes! Even though I’m simplifying greatly here. A planet has five basic zodiacal positions in the elemental scheme, without considering astrological houses.

It can be:
• At home, in the sign it rules (strong)
• In the sign of its exhaltation (strong)
• In the sign opposite the sign it rules, also known as its fall (weak)
• In the sign opposite its exhaltation, also known as its detriment (weak)
• None of the above (neutral)

That was already more than you probably wanted to know, so I’ll try not to lose you any further. If you’re a tarot person, try to think of this as you might the positions of those figures on the Wheel of Fortune card - that’s probably the best analogous image.

The concept of via combusta came about through this system. Mars and Saturn are considered the ‘malefics’ (bad planets - look at the mythology of these two gods to understand why) in traditional astrology, and Saturn is exhalted in Libra, whilst Mars rules Scorpio under the traditional system. That’s part of it. The Sun and Moon are considered the most important planets, and the Sun is in its fall in Libra, while the Moon is in its detriment in Scorpio.

In other words, the two primary planets of the zodiac, the Sun and Moon, are weak, while the two traditionally evil planets, Mars and Saturn, are strong in Libra-Scorpio. Hence - via combusta. And at this point, most of me wants to tell you to go listen to Albert King’s Born Under a Bad Sign, because that really sums it up (no, Albert was not an astrologer - but he was, arguably, the best blues player ever ).

But back to our story. A via combusta moon was considered to be a harbinger of tragedy, or at least everything going wrong. A bad time to start projects, or take decisions. Most astrologers would not read for a horary question (a predictive question that has a chart drawn for the question at the moment it’s asked) during a via combusta moon.

Of course, astrology is about as cut-and-dry as card reading is when you really get into it. Interestingly, one of the greatest horary astrologers ever, William Lily, who published the seminal Christian Astrology in 1647, and is rumoured to have predicted the Great Fire of London in 1666, did sometimes read for horary questions during via combusta moons, and he didn’t always adjudge them to be bad.

So the mystery thickens.

If this piques your interest at all, I’d suggest noting whether the Moon is via combusta, or Void of Course (we’ll talk about that in a minute) when you do a reading.

If you have a Windows computer, the easiest way to do this is by downloading Lunabar, which is a free programme containing a lunar calendar, an almanac, icons to sit in your system tray telling you where the moon is, and whether it’s Void of Course or Via Combusta, and all sorts of nifty things. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Mac version.

Personally? I have noticed that my own readings seem to be a bit off during the moon’s void-of-course periods, and I don’t, as a rule, read during via combusta at all.

Void-of-course is another one that isn’t as cut-and-dry as many people think, because it can be calculated by both ancient and modern systems, and it works out differently either way. Which is right? Either? Both? What’s void-of-course, or VoC, as it’s sometimes abbreviated?

Void-of-course means that the moon has made its last major aspect to a planet before it leaves the sign it’s in. A VoC moon can last anywhere from a few minutes to 2-1/2 days. It’s another one that’s considered a big ‘no-no’ for horary astrology, in the sense that your question is bound to fail, or simply that nothing will get off the ground if it’s started during a VoC period. It’s said that nobody who has announced his plan to run for election for president of the United States during a VoC period has won the election, but I have no idea how much proof backs up that statement. But it gives you a good idea of the concept. VoC isn’t considered ‘bad’ the way VC (via combusta) is, but it’s not an auspicious time to start new projects, or to get a lot done.

Just to make it a bit quirkier, it’s said that if the moon is VoC in the signs of Cancer (which it rules), Taurus (where it’s exhalted), or Sagittarius and Pisces (I can find no correlation here whatsoever, except that Sagittarius and Pisces are both mutable signs - but so are Gemini and Virgo, and those are considered to be just as bad on the VoC scale), then it’s not necessarily an inauspicious omen.

As to how it’s calculated: If you’re using the ancient system, then Saturn is the last planet out, so the Moon is VoC after its last aspect to any of the planets falling within Saturn’s boundary. Saturn is the furthest planet that can be seen by the naked eye, so the planets that count in this calculation are the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and - Saturn.

If you use the modern method of calculating VoC, all those planets count, but you also consider Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, so as a rule, it leads to shorter VoC periods. If you have Lunabar, you can set it to calculate VoC by either the ancient or the modern method.

Does any of this matter? To bring it full circle, we know that Mlle Lenormand used astrology in her own readings, though we’ll probably never know if she refused to read during void-of-course or Via Combusta moon periods. But it’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility that she might have done.

For the curious: The Moon is indeed via combusta today, in its ‘most evil’ phase. And here I am writing about astrology instead of reading cards

Cheers -
Chanah