Overview

Horary acts as an entry to many branches of astrology, and this comprehensive course will challenge, stretch and greatly enrich your understanding of astrological philosophy and symbolism generally, as well as horary specifically.

Benefitting from over 25 years' development, in-depth research and continued investment into improved delivery methods, the STA’s Practitioners Level Horary Course has gained an outstanding reputation for the uniqueness of its syllabus and the ease with which it clarifies fundamentally important astrological principles which are seldom explained elsewhere.

Although traditional techniques lie at the heart of the study, the course is fully focused on the consulting needs of the modern astrologer, with the aim that everyone who completes this course will gain confidence and competence in this enormously valuable branch of judicial astrology.

Syllabus

The format of this course has been developed to maximise the advantages of online delivery. Twenty session themes are delivered on a weekly basis, through a combination of supplied course notes, modern media presentations, online tutorials and set assignments. Each student studies at their own pace and in their own time, but always with easy access to guidance and support from the tutors, and with the benefit of supplementary study-group discussion.

A typical session will include: a live presentation (attendance is optional: this is recorded and can be watched or reviewed later); a reading and self-study assignment; workbook activities or additional example charts to aid preparation for the session assignment; an online assignment which tests understanding of the session’s main principles, and an 'Answer Key' document which provides extra follow up material and more information on points discovered through taking the assignment. The tutors deliver and guide the week's content, review student assignments, give personalized feedback and are always readily available for questions and feedback. We also encourage students to engage in group interaction through forum discussion, and through some of the extra chart discussion sessions that we host within the course.

Course content (subject to amendment):

  • Principles of angularity and house significations
  • Identifying significators and chart turning / use of derived houses
  • Effects of planetary motion and phases, retrograde cycles and combustion
  • Interpretative use of essential dignities and debilities
  • Principles of dispositorship and reception
  • A study of relationship and contract charts
  • Point-scoring and a closer look at accidental strengths and weaknesses
  • A study of missing things and pets
  • Techniques for deriving physical descriptions from planetary significations
  • Identifying perpetrators and unknown persons; techniques for finding missing persons
  • The interpretative value of elements, humours and temperaments of the signs
  • A study of career matters and professional concerns
  • Understanding the philosophical principles, calculation and practical use of aspects and orbs
  • Review of ‘aids and impediments to perfection’ and traditional ‘terms of art’
  • A study of trials, legal matters and conflict charts
  • Effective use of the key principles of timing
  • A study of investment, property charts and financial concerns
  • Understanding planetary hours and exploring the ‘considerations before judgement’
  • A study of charts with health and death concerns
  • A study of pregnancy and fertility issues

Details of the tutors and lecture times/dates are provided in the course Prospectus for each course (see table below for available start dates). The course also provides an active forum for group discussion and several 'student-chart' meetings which provide further opportunity to engage in horary practice and exploration. Our course has gained a great reputation for its excellent level of tutor interaction and student engagement, and no one will miss the opportunity to have their questions addressed in a timely manner by one of our expert tutors.

Tutors

The course material was written by Deborah Houlding and benefits from a world class tutorial team which includes some of the most experienced and highly regarded internationally known horary astrologers (click the names below for details of our main presenters).

Deborah Houlding, founder of the STA School, is based in the UK and has worked as an astrological consultant since the late 1980s. Her articles on horary have been translated into many languages and have appeared in numerous international journals. She was the founder of Ascella Publications (specialised in the republication of traditional astrology texts), editor of The Traditional Astrologer magazine (1993 to 2000), and creator of the Skyscript astrology website. She has also worked as the Horary Editor for the Astrological Association of Great Britain's Journal, and the The Mountain Astrologer magazine, which presented her serialised 'Introduction to Horary Astrology' in 2013.

Deborah's book, The Houses: Temples of the Sky is regarded as an essential text for anyone seeking an informed knowledge of the development and practical use of astrological houses. It is available in Czech, English, German, Italian, Japanese and Turkish. Deborah is also the author, with Oner Doser, of Soru Astrolojisi: Horary Astrology (Astroloji Okulu, 2015).

Deborah established her own horary course in 1996, in a completely unique format, which demonstrates theoretical principles through their application to chart work. This approach was motivated by her observation that many astrologers who gain qualifications in horary courses, admit to knowing the theory, but lacking the confidence to apply the techniques in practice.

In 2010 Deborah was awarded the Charles Harvey Award by The Astrological Association of Great Britain in recognition of her 'exceptional service to astrology'. In 2012 she received the Jayavidya Cultural Association International Award for her cultural contributions to the field of astrology. In 2018 Deborah received the UAC Marion March Regulus Award for 'advancing the theory and understanding of astrology'.

Eve Dembowski runs her astrological practice in Melbourne, Australia. She has trained as a musician, flower essence therapist, and astrologer. She was one of the founding members of the Flower Essence Foundation of Australasia, (serving as its president in 1999-2000); and in 2009 and 2010 she was one of the conveners of the Regulus Traditional Astrology Conference, held in Australia.

Eve first became fascinated by astrology at the age of 11. She has 20 years’ experience as a practicing horary astrologer and has been tutoring for the STA since 2013, being the first of our tutors to develop the course into a format for online delivery. In addition to her Master’s Level Diploma from the STA, Eve studied medieval astrology with Robert Zoller and her astrological qualifications include diplomas from Astro-synthesis and the Federation of Australian Astrologers (FAA), in which she was awarded the silver medal of excellence for the Interpretation exam.

Eve consults, teaches, and frequently presents workshops and lectures on traditional astrology and astrological philosophy. She has had many articles published in the FAA journal, The Mountain Astrologer and Astrolog. Eve presents STA courses through classes with small study groups in Melbourne, over distance as part of hte online tutorial team, and as residential intensives.

Eve's personal astrological blog is at astrologicalmind.wordpress.com. She can be contacted via email at eve@sta.co.

Jupiter Lai teaches astrology in Hong Kong, China and Malaysia. She is the co-founder, along with Rod Chang, of the Academy of Astrology, which was founded in 2008 with the aim of promoting Western Astrology to Chinese speakers. Jupiter lectures on a wide range of astrological subjects and also incorporates Chinese astrology, I-Ching and Feng Shui into her own astrological practice. Through the work of the Academy, Jupiter has helped to introduce many international speakers to Asia, where they have shared their astrological insights to local students.

Jupiter began her formal study of astrology with the Faculty of Astrological Studies, and later received certification as a horary practitioner from the STA in 2013 after becoming enthralled by the philosophical principles and techniques of classical astrology. Jupiter's personal website is at www.magiclife.com.hk. She can be contacted via email at jupiter@sta.co.

2008年跟台灣占星師魯道夫成立「Academy of Astrology國際占星研究院」,為華人提供正統專業、有系統的占星教育。學院提供香港、台北、中國的現場課及網絡課程,學生來自各地區的華人。本學院亦多番邀請不同的國際級占星大師來亞州講課,提升學生之占星學問至國際水平。 Jupiter主要於香港授課,以及不定期往不同城市如深圳、吉隆坡、台北講課。Jupiter先於英國占星學院Faculty of Astrological Studies修讀,其後於英國STA School of Traditional Astrology獲取卜卦占星證書,並成為其認證導師,獲授權翻譯其教材並教授STA之卜卦占星師證書課程。同時亦跟隨STA創辦人及國際著名占星師Deborah Houlding作古典占星之研究。
Jupiter於2014年開始翻譯STA卜卦占星師課程的教材,並於2016年開始於香港教授相關課程。
個人網站 Personal Website : www.magiclife.com.hk Email : jupiter@sta.co.

Fernanda

Fernanda Boaventura is a finance professional based in Bulgaria who dedicates herself to the study and practice of astrology in her free time. From an early age, she was drawn to horoscopes and explored other practices such as tarot, crystals, and numerology.

Her interest in astrology led her to study with the Faculty of Astrological Studies, shifting her focus to traditional astrology after a friend asked for help in choosing her wedding date. When attending one of Wade Caves's workshops in 2019, she fell in love with horary astrology and decided to pursue it professionally. In 2020, Fernanda received her certification as a horary practitioner from the STA. Since then, she has been working with the school and has developed her own astrological practice online, aimed at helping fellow Brazilians through horary consultations and astrological planning. Fernanda can be found on Instagram (@astrochoices), email at fernanda@sta.co and through her personal website www.astrochoices.com.

In her four decade development as an astrologer, practical application has been a persistent hallmark which has defined Lee Lehman. Lee has a Ph.D. in Botany from Rutgers University. She is author of The Ultimate Asteroid Book (1988), Essential Dignities (1989), The Book of Rulerships (1992), Classical Astrology for Modern Living (1996), The Martial Art of Horary Astrology (2002), Astrology of Sustainability (2011), Traditional Medical Astrology (2011), Classical Solar Returns (2012), The Magic of Electional Astrology (2014), and a translation from the French of Papus’ Astrology for Initiates, available for purchase here. Lee is the former Academic Dean of Kepler College, and has taught regularly at the Midwest School of Astrology and Avalon School of Astrology, as well as serving as a faculty member of the STA and Principal of the STA Medical Program. Lee has trained students in horary, medical and electional astrology all over the world, in both live and online formats.

An early adherent of the current neo-classical movement in astrology, Lee’s focus has been to speak the method of classical astrology in modern language, and to help encourage people to learn how to apply ancient knowledge in modern systems. Her Perennial Herbal takes ancient astrological herbalism onto the web.

Lee was the recipient of the 1995 Marc Edmund Jones Award, and the 2008 UAC Marion March Regulus Award in the category of astrological education.

María Blaquier

María Blaquier, born in Argentina, has been involved with astrology since 1987. She is the founder of the online astrology school Academia de Astrología Avanzada MB (at www.mariablaquier.com).

Maria is a graduate of the the STA’s Advanced Level Horary Diploma Course, and Medical Astrology Course and teaches the STA’s Practitioners Level Certification in Horary in both English and Spanish. Her broader astrological studies also include the fields of Psychological, Draconic, Hellenistic and Medieval Astrology. Her publications include numerous articles in various international journals, including The Astrological Journal, Stellium, IAMINFINITY, MidHeaven, astro.com; a book on Traditional astrology and Time Lord techniques (Astrología tradicional: Técnicas predictivas de los Señores del tiempo: ed. Kier, Bs. As.); and YouTube tutorials.

Maria teaches the STA horary course in the Spanish speaking world, and is part of the Spanish Speaking Satellite at OPA.

Morgan

A French native now based in the USA, Morgan has been involved with astrology since 2011. His main focus is on traditional techniques, with an emphasis on Medieval and Renaissance astrology.

With Venus conjunct Mercury, and his lord of the 10th house in a water sign, you will often find him working his calligraphy, lettering and watercolor skills. Aside from his passion for art, he also has a debatably sick obsession for Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and languages (he speaks 3 so far… French, English, Mandarin Chinese and dabbles in Spanish and Japanese). In the little time left in his week, he also translates ancient astrology texts from Latin to English, and from English to French.

Morgan started reading tarot and interpreting the I-Ching pretty young, but quickly focused most of his time studying astrology. He took the STA’s Horary Practitioners Level course in 2017 and now holds the Masters Level Horary Diploma. In addition to his horary learning, he also studied psychological astrology with Maison 9 (a French online astrology school), traditional delineation and predictive techniques with Helena Avelar and Luís Ribeiro (Academy of Traditional Astrology), magical elections with Christopher Warnock and later with Nina Gryphon, medical astrology with Dr. Lee Lehman and primary directions with Dr. Martin Gansten.

Morgan can be contacted via email at morgan@sta.co.

Morgan

Nina Gryphon is an astrologer, teacher, and writer who has been practicing horary and traditional astrology for over 20 years. She received her Practitioners and Masters Level Diploma in Horary from the STA, as well as completing John Frawley’s Horary Apprenticeship. Nina is an instructor for the STA Practitioners Level Horary Course.

In addition to horary, Nina has a special interest in astrological magic and remediation, having taught the popular Magical Elections course at Kepler College 2019-2021, and now offers the expanded, updated STA Magical Elections course. Nina is a passionate advocate for astrological magic, and writes a monthly ebook of the most auspicious magical elections, including detailed magical guidance for creating astrological talismans, for her patrons at Patreon. By day, she is a corporate lawyer living in Los Angeles.

Wade Caves, based in New York, USA, is an astrological consultant and educator specializing in horary, electional and classical astrological technique. Wade was certified with honors from the Mayo School of Astrology in London and the School of Traditional Astrology, and has expert knowledge of both traditional and modern psychological methods of chart delineation. Wade's passion is in understanding the historical and philosophical origins of astrological symbolism, whilst finding new and reliable ways to put this information to use in a consultation setting. He is the editor and annotator of the 300th anniversary edition of William Lilly's History of his Life and Times (Rubedo Press, 2015).

Wade received his certification as a horary practitioner from the STA in 2013, and now serves as a faculty member. He began tutoring for the STA in October 2015 and delivers the Practitioners Level Horary Course as an intensive attendance program and online. He also serves as principal of the STA's Astronomy for Astrologers program.

Wade publishes his work on world astrology at Skyscript's In Mundo publishing desk and hosts the World Astrology Summit, a conference dedicated to the advancement of mundane technique for diverse audiences. Wade's personal website is at www.wadecaves.com. In Mundo: www.skyscript.co.uk/inmundo Wade can be contacted via email at wade@sta.co.

Vasilios Takos, who resides in Greece, has pursued a fascination with astrology since an early age. He has a long-standing interest in researching ancient Greek astrological texts (including the works of Ptolemy, Dorotheus, Theophilus, etc.), with a particular interest in exploring how the techniques in these works continue through to later Persian and Arabic astrological texts (such as the works of Ibn Ezra, Masha'allah, Abu Ma'shar, etc.).

Vasilios (also known as ‘Bill’) is an astrology teacher and he, also, runs a multi-lingual astrological consultation service in Greece. Vasilios teaches the Practitioners Level Horary Course, on behalf of the STA, in English as well as his native Greek language. He graduated from the following astrology schools: Highest honor graduate of Master’s Degree Certification Course by Noel Tyl, Hellenistic Astrology by Chris Brennan, Horary Practitioner of School of Traditional Astrology by Deborah Houlding, Horary DipH of School of Traditional Astrology by Deborah Houlding, Medical Practitioner of School of Traditional Astrology by Lee Lehman.

Vasilios Takos is the author of the brand new Principles of Basic Astrology course, which is now available in English! For more information visit vasiliostakos.com/basic_astrology_course.php. Vasilios has his personal website at vasiliostakos.com and and his Greek website vasiliostakos.gr and can be contacted by email at bill@sta.co

Book a Course:

Format Zones/location Start Language Main Tutor Availability
6-month online Americas, Europe 29 June 2024 English W. Caves, D. Houlding View details
20-week online Spain, Latin America 3 August 2024 Spanish María Blaquier View details
Attendance Brooklyn, New York 3 August 2024 English Wade Caves View details
20-week online Greece, Europe 21 Jun 2025 Greek Vasilios Takos View details

Click through the links of our available courses for details of cost and booking conditions.

Places on our courses are restricted to ensure that the study groups are friendly and supportive, with everyone able to receive the personal attention they need.

Policies, Requirements and Recommendations

  • Whilst previous experience of horary is not required, this course is designed to offer professional level training. It is not suitable for anyone inexperienced in casting charts or just beginning to gain an understanding of astrology. Participants must have a good, solid understanding of general astrological principles, including an easy familiarity with the main symbolic and theoretical principles of planets, signs, houses, aspects and transits (for more on this, see the last point below).
  • Participants must be at least 18 years old. Since horary deals with life-problems and emotional concerns, it has various ethical dilemmas and sensitivities attached to it, which need to be considered as part of our subject exploration. Some case studies touch on issues concerning emotional distress, violence, trauma or death. Anyone in a vulnerable or delicate emotional state, who may be negatively affected by exploring such issues, is advised to consider carefully before enrolling on this course.
  • This is an English language course, with over 400 A4 pages of accompanying text notes, and over 40 hours of live, interactive instruction. The main tutors of this course are American, Australian and British (with accompanying accents) so it essential that students have a fluent understanding of the English language.
  • Students should expect to commit approximately 6-8 hours per week to the study of this course. Our qualifying certificate is only issued to students who demonstrate their study and understanding of the material by successfully completing our set assignments. (Students who fail to do this within two weeks of the completion of the course are allowed a 6-month period to revise or catch up with any missing assignments for an extra fee).
  • Course materials are provided in a serialised form throughout the course as PDF downloads. Our textbooks, diagrams, and all materials used in the delivery of the course are strictly copyrighted and provided for personal study only – no element of them whatsoever may be reproduced or recirculated in any form. Our video tutorials are not available for personal download and can only be accessed by logging in to our secure teaching course portal. We allow graduates continued access to these videos and all other resources on the course portal for 12 months subsequent to the completion of the course, but do not continue to provide tutorial support, which ceases two weeks after the course ends.
  • The course materials are accessible on all modern computers, but all elements of the course assignments are not guaranteed to be accessible through mobile phones or reduced capacity tablets. It is assumed that students have access to a printer, and it is necessary to have stable internet access, as all coursework is done online through the STA Course Portal. Students are required to use the free video conference program, Zoom, to enable interactive online sessions with tutors and fellow students (www.zoom.com).
  • In the two weeks prior to commencement, students are required to read our Welcome Pack and watch a short (30 min) video which demonstrates how to enrol and access materials, navigate through our teaching site, communicate with tutors and submit assignments, etc.
  • In the unlikely event that the course is cancelled or postponed, STA will refund all course fees but will not be liable for any other additional costs personally incurred by participants.
  • If a student pays for the course and then changes his or her mind for any reason, a cancellation will be arranged and the refund of any particular payment is provided within 30 days of that payment. No refunds are allowed after this 30-day period or after the delivery of any formal course material has commenced. This is due to the fact that places on our courses are strictly limited and once a course is full we prevent further enrolments: therefore deposits paid to secure and hold a course placement are non-refundable and non-transferable after the 30 day ‘cooling off’ period has expired.
  • Places held by a deposit must be paid in full before the agreed deadline. If the full payment is not completed by the advertised deadline we reserve the right to offer the placement to someone else.
  • Chart calculation is not taught as part of this syllabus, except for techniques that are specific to horary (such as planetary hours and the calculation of planetary orbs or dignity scores, etc). Participants are expected to have previous experience of drawing up and interpreting astrological charts. See the chart below for an example of the format applied to charts throughout the course. Applicants should be able to see, just by looking at the chart, that the Moon is separating from a trine with the Sun and applying to a square with Mars (which perfects in 1°50'), and that it is placed within 1° of the 9th house cusp. It should also be understood that Venus is cadent but in its own sign of dignity, and that if Venus were placed in Aries it would be in its sign of detriment. (Anyone not able to confidently follow that level of astrological narrative is recommended to gain more experience before undertaking this study of horary astrology.)
  • Students can be removed from the course at the discretion of the administrator or the STA board if anything about their behaviour on the course, or their public conduct off the course is deemed disrespectful to other astrologers or brings disrespect to the study of astrology.
STA: Example chart format