by Electional astrology is one of the most useful and immediately productive aspects of our art, yet it is also one of the hardest to learn. Join Kelly Surtees for an introduction to the most useful basic rules of this powerful practice. Once you know the rules, you can pick the right date or time to undertake almost anything. In the past, ephemeral elections were used to make talismans, seals and other objects, as well as choosing the right time for events like travel, war, marriage and filmmaking (muhurat shot).
The first thing you need to do is select the general significator for the topic of your election, for example Venus for romance or Mars for law. This is important, as a good planet here will indicate the overall potential of the endeavor. Next, evaluate its condition using the guidelines presented earlier. Finally, set the chart with that planet as ruler of the ascendant. As you do this, be sure to emphasize benefics and minimize malefics, ideally by bonifying them as much as possible.
Ideally, you want to find periods where the Moon is in a favorable applying aspect with its significator. You should also seek to amplify Jupiter and Venus, as these are benefics and they indicate spirituality, abundance, growth and learning. Finally, you want to avoid the hard malefics such as Mars and Saturn as much as possible, again ideally by bonifying them as much as you can.
