Electional Astrology 101: Celestial Party Planning

Imagine if you will that you are a party planner. Your job is to select the perfect date, place, and time for a party that someone else wants to throw. Sounds pretty simple, right?

First of all, the kind of party the person is asking you to plan is of paramount importance. Generally speaking, people want Christmas parties around the holidays, Mardi Gras parties in February or March, and Labor Day parties in early September. So you've got a limited set of dates you're working with, no matter what your occasion may be. 

Next comes the guest list. For your party to be successful, you're going to want certain people to attend. If you're throwing an engagement party or a bachelorette party, the guest(s) of honor need to be able to attend. If they can't, then what's the point of having a party at all? Of course, other people need to be considered, but if there are important guests that must be present, that must be taken into account. 

After that, you'll have to deal with people you absolutely do NOT want to be there. Now don't go all soft on me and say "Oh, that's not true!" You KNOW that it is, so let's deal with that next. You can face the uglier side of your personality later. #sorrynotsorry

Here's what I mean: If you're having a Halloween party with a tarot card reader, inviting people who believe that tarot cards are the "tools of the devil" is likely not a smart idea. You'll want to keep them away from this event, or at least out of the general area. Likewise, you don't want your drunk uncle or aunt to come over for most occasions since they tend to get out of control. Last but not least, the creepy, lecherous guy who will make every female in the room want to run and hide is someone else whose invitation may get lost in cyberspace. 

Finally, perhaps the most challenging part of this exercise: No matter what you do or how well you plan, something is not going to be perfect. Someone may crash the party, for example, or one of the good friends of the host and hostess is out of town.  All you can do is the best you can do given all these restrictions, which are MANY. 

If you understand this example, you now have an idea of what electional astrology is about. And it has nothing to do with political elections, either. 

Electional astrology is the branch of the discipline that we use when a person "elects" (chooses) to do a particular activity. If you've heard of "elective surgery" you understand this concept. 

Some reasons why people might consult an astrologer for an election include:

• Getting married
• Holding a meeting (SOTA looks at the stars before they decide on the dates of their yearly conference, for example)
• Having surgery
• Taking a trip
• Starting a business or launching a new product line
• Giving a particular speech or making an announcement (Ronald Reagan consulted his astrologer frequently on dates and times to give  speeches or hold events)

The astrologer takes the given timeframe for the event and looks to see which date or dates would be most suitable. But there are a lot of hurdles between the astrologer and the goal! What will s/he do?

Tune in next time for the answer!