CHAPTER V

FINANCIAL PROSPECTS Look to the planets which are in the 2nd House, and the aspects to them. If any planet be therein, and well aspected by others, the financial condition will be competent. If a benefic (Jupiter or Venus) be therein, and free from evil aspects, the same effect will accrue. But if the benefic in the 2nd should have good aspects from other planets, then there will be considerable wealth. Any planet in the 2nd House, badly aspected, will produce difficulty in acquiring money, and if it be a malefic planet which occupies the 2nd House under these conditions, there will be times of stress and even poverty. Continual hardship and poverty is shown by malefic planets in the 2nd House, in evil aspect to the Moon or Sun; while at the same time the planets in the 2nd House will be severely afflicted by others. Saturn in the Midheaven afflicting the Sun or Moon is an indication of reversal of fortune, and such persons usually attain considerable position in the world and are then depleted of everything. Jupiter or Venus in the 10th House, and near the meridian, are signs of good fortune and success in life, and the same results are due to their rising at birth. In a general manner the aspects to the Moon in a male horoscope or the Sun in a female horoscope should be consulted, and the planets in good aspect thereto will show the means of good fortune, while those in evil aspect will indicate the sources of loss and hurt, according to the Houses the afflicting or assisting planets occupy. Thus Jupiter in good aspect to the Moon from the 11th House shows gain by friends, advisers, and co-operative measures, because the 11th House rules these relationships and Jupiter is the index of increase. Similarly, Uranus in the 7th House would show gain by the marriage partner if in good aspect to the Moon, or loss thereby if in evil aspect. Mars in the 2nd House shows good earning capacity, because Mars is an ambitious and industrious planet (_i.e._, it produces such effects in the person), and the 2nd House is the domain of finance. But at the same time it shows extravagance and inability to save money, for Mars is impulsive and lacking thrift. The 6th House well occupied shows faithful and advantageous servants and employés, such as will augment the fortunes and do good work for the Subject. Neptune in the 2nd shows complications and an involved state of finance, and frequently it shows loss by fraud and imposition; though in good aspect to other planets it shows gain by such nefarious means. Uranus indicates many ups and downs of fortune, sudden and unexpected rises and falls. Thus each planet is judged according to its nature and the aspect it throws to the Moon or Sun, while the planets in the 2nd House are judged by their own natures and the aspects which they receive. Inheritance is shown by a benefic planet in the 5th or 11th House in good aspect to Saturn; but indirect inheritance can be the result of Saturn in good aspect to Jupiter from any part of the figure. Legacies are shown by good planets, or planets well aspected, in the 8th House; or by Jupiter in good aspect to Uranus from any part of the heavens. Gain by marriage is shown by benefic planets in the 8th House, because the 8th is 2nd from the 7th, and the 7th House rules over the partner. The potential of each horoscope is capable of being increased by due attention to the sources of gain, as shown by the position and aspects of the planets in various parts of the heavens; but chiefly by associating oneself with persons whose horoscopes are in harmony with one’s own. Thus it happens that individuals are lifted to position and affluence through their association with persons whose horoscopes are in sympathy with theirs. (See Chap. XI. of this Section.) The Sun and Moon being in good aspect to one another will prevent disaster, or will always provide a means of restoration of fortunes, because it is an index of general good fortune and continual support. Such persons as have this aspect in their horoscopes need never fear misfortune, for if they should fall into disasters in one place, they will always turn up in another with a complete adjustment of their position. But when the Sun and Moon are in evil aspect, and particularly when the malefic planets are in elevation in the heavens, continual misfortune dogs the footsteps, and though there be spells of good fortune, they are brief and attended with troubles. The benefic planets, Jupiter, Venus, and Sun, being well elevated in the heavens, that is to say, in the 10th or 11th Houses, it is a sign of preponderating good fortune. But when the malefics are in elevation the reverse results happen. The Line of Least Resistance. It is a law in Nature that the line of least resistance is that of greatest progress. The lightning flash does not come straight to earth, but zigzag by the line of least resistance. The great rivers do not come by a direct course to the ocean, but by many turns and backward reaches, because they follow the path of least resistance. When one comes to take account of the years of human life that are spent in the vain endeavour to achieve the impossible, the lessons of Nature are worth reciting. But what is impossible to one man is facile to another, and the greatest economy of effort is therefore to be secured by proper regard to suitability of occupation and direction of effort. The principles of Astrology enable us to determine the line of action which at all times will be the most fruitful of results, and in the matter of money-making the matter is decided in the following manner: That planet which has a trine or sextile aspect of the Moon, and is at the same time elevated above the malefic planets, especially if it be itself assisted by the good aspects of other planets, receives first consideration. The House it is in will indicate the source of benefit, but the Sign it is in will show the means through which it will come. Thus if Uranus should be in the Midheaven, in trine aspect to the Moon, and itself receiving a good aspect from either the Sun, Jupiter, or Venus, it will indicate gain through governmental bodies, authorities, and persons of high rank. If Uranus should be in the sign Cancer, it would point to matters associated with the ocean, marine affairs, or those in which water is the element in chief employ; as in marine engineering, shipping, dock building, &c. But if Uranus had been in the 11th House, and in the sign Scorpio, then the source of gain would be by means of companies, syndicates, and associations of a collective nature, and the sign Scorpio would show it to be connected with naval defence (because Scorpio is a martial and watery sign) or the utilisation of waste materials, inflammable oils, &c., or by systems of drainage, which represent the excretory system of a town. By looking chiefly to the nature of the planet concerned, and that of the sign it occupies, a good artist will readily describe the particular line which is to be pursued. But here, as in every other matter upon which judgment is made, attention must be paid to the character and disposition of the Subject, his aptitudes and qualifications, for it is obviously of little use recommending literature or the law to one whose sole capabilities lie in unintellectual directions. Natural aptitude, supplemented by the necessary training, are the first considerations, for without these success in any direction is but ill assured.