Deus Ex Machina

The ghost, or more accurately God, in the machine . . .

A recent horary chart reminded me of this often overlooked fact in both life and especially astrology

The nodes, it seems to me, are the main things to consider when it comes to defying expectations or throwing a cog in what some like to believe is a neatly organized machine of fate

When will power be restored to the house?

In this chart we look to Mercury, natural significator of power lines and electronics. The power had already been out for approximately 15 hours. The Moon, ruler of the 4th house cusp and signifying the house, is dignified but basically void of course and separating from an opposition with its dispositor Venus, which also rules the 1st and 6th house. The power went out as a result of a storm (6th lord in watery and violent Scorpio). The 6th/1st house rulership is a very appropriate symbol of this type of obstacle. The Moon was also conjoined Uranus adding to the theme of sudden accidents shown already by the 6th lord.

At first these factors made me concerned that the power would still be out for quite a while. The Moon wasn't going to show the timing as it wouldn't bump into Mercury for far too many degrees and in fact it would bump into the antiscia of Mars way before that time — not a great signification for things working out.

Mercury, to my mind, was clearly the planet to look to next as it would be the logical choice to represent the downed power lines especially due to the fact that it was separating from a square with Mars and a tree had fallen on the power lines due to the storm.

Now Mercury was going to apply to a conjunction with Jupiter in about 5 degrees. Based upon the fact that the power had been out for 15 hours for this particular house and neighborhood I assumed that about 5 hours was a fair estimate. I was concerned that Mercury was in a fixed sign, which slows things down timing wise, but I had to go with what was logical and typically it doesn't take 5 days to restore power in the US, but then again it could happen given the current state of affairs. Mercury was in an angular house which normally gives a slow timeframe, however due to the fact that people were working hard to fix this, volition was clearly a factor and therefore in this instance the angular state was logically to be regarded as a speedy factor in the symbolism. Furthermore Mercury was quite fast in its daily motion as was the Moon and so these factors told me that it could happen a bit earlier than 5 hours, but I had no way to time it exactly as far as I could tell.

The chart was cast for 6:25pm and power was restored at 9:41pm, about 3.25 hours, not the 5 I had predicted. I know from first hand experience that not everything in life is rigidly fated so that it cannot possibly be altered and divination usually reflects this. The fact that the north node tenanted the 4th house of the chart and the Moon was with Uranus told me that perhaps things weren't set in stone. Further testimonies were the fact that the Moon and Sun are closely square the nodes.

I suggested to my friend who owned the house that we both chant a very powerful prayer revealed by The Bab* and that perhaps that might make a difference in the time . . . or not, because the prayer merely invokes the will and presence of Divinity and doesn't promise anything more. So you are asking that Divinity intercede and take over, rather than for your desired outcome.

*See (https://bahai-library.com/uhj_source_transliteration_mustaghath) for the prayer

We both internally chanted the prayer at different times in the course of the evening and indeed the power came on 1.5 hours earlier than the chart suggested it would. It actually returned very shortly after we had returned to the house from going out to dinner. I know I had chanted the prayer while we were out but I'm not certain about my friend, though I suspect the same.

Now I want to again draw your attention to the fact that Moon, Mercury were both angular and quick in motion and that Mercury was applying to a benefic and so some may say that alone was sufficient to show that power would return more quickly than a rigid 5 hours. I myself thought this as well when reading the chart and I cannot deny the validity of it. Yet simultaneously to say that the prayer had no effect and things would have turned out the same if I had never drawn the chart, observed these factors and chanted the prayer, is simply not correct. If reality is an integrated whole made up of other wholes, all reveling in the wholeness of The Whole, then all thoughts and actions are intimate partners in whatever unfolds and cannot be dismissed by a line of thought akin to scientific materialism masquerading in another guise.

When the nodes are in a key position in the chart relative to the topic you are investigating or inquiring about, always be open to Deus Ex Machina.