18. Horary Astrology is one of the oldest forms of astrology, with ancient experts believing they could predict a person’s future based on the time they asked a certain question
Astrology may be hugely popular today, but it’s by no means a modern phenomenon. In fact, it’s been around for thousands of years. Horary astrology was an ancient precursor to the modern-day practice. Here, rather than taking the date someone was born to predict their future, the seer would use the precise time they asked a question to try and divine what was to come. It’s believed that the discipline emerged in the 8th century, influenced by older Nordic traditions, and continued to be a popular form of divination up until the 17th century.
It was during the later period that real efforts were made to codify horary astrology. Charts and rules were drawn up and the discipline became a specialist branch of astrology. Seers would typically be asked questions for which there were only two possible answers (yes/no questions are the best for this type of divination). In most cases, practitioners would also draw upon the fundamentals of katarche, a branch of astrology that dates back to the times of the Babylonians, between the 5th and 8th centuries. These days, while it is still practiced by a relative few, it is very much a niche part of the wider astrology movement.