Picking My Wedding Date – Electional Astrology

There are so many branches and types of astrology that you can practice, depending upon how you want to utilize this sacred knowledge.

There is astrology for understanding your birth chart; your latent predilections and personal timing. There are your transits, where you determine how the current position of the planets influences your particular curriculum i.e. your natal chart. You can look at the progressed chart, which is a long-term influence of each planet moving forward one degree per year for the entirety of your life. There are Hellenistic traditions that track your profections, zodiacal releasings and lunar mansions.

There is astro-locality, which can be useful for helping you to decide where to live on the planet. There is horary astrology, where you ask a question and use the chart positions as a divinatory technique. Mundane astrology, which deals with politics, countries and the charts of important governing bodies, businesses, currencies, etc. And finally, electional astrology. This is when you select an ideal month/day/hour/minute in order to do something.

My experience with electional astrology started before I was even professionally practicing. Called to study and learn astrology by our Kriya lineage teachers, I did a lot of free consultations for friends in my attempt to gain knowledge and understanding. A dear student whom I had helped several times with her chart came to me with several dates and a question. She was pregnant and preparing to be induced through a scheduled cesarean section. The doctor had given her these dates; which one would have the best astrology for the babe? She was especially concerned about the Moon, after her own difficult experience of having a Scorpio Moon herself, with plenty of challenging experiences, especially relating to her own mother.

I remember feeling very not qualified to help her make this decision, but here’s the thing – once you have helped someone, and they trust you; they really want you. So, despite my gentle protestations, we explored the charts and selected a date.

It felt a little odd to be “playing God” in this way, although I do truly believe it’s all part of the plan of that little soul to come through at the right time for their personal astrology. The baby was born healthy, and, last I heard, both were thriving.

Sometimes it’s something as simple as making sure the Moon isn’t void of course and, therefore, things have less “sticking” power. Other simple checks are to make sure your ruling planet or star of destiny (the planets that rule your sun sign and rising sign) are not retrograding, nor in their retrograde shadow. You might look for positive aspects from important planets, or check to see what the rising sign is for the particular hour you are choosing.

I’ve used electional astrology to select the date to launch my YouTube channel; to re-launch my website. And many other minor occasions and decisions. 

But picking my own wedding date? Yeah, no pressure there. Ha. Especially because this is my third wedding. Third time is a charm, right?

Right ….

I really wanted it to be a good date for this special day, with powerful potential and a minimum of difficult aspects.

And that proved to be challenging. It’s one thing when you are only considering one chart; but to add another chart in the mix adds another layer of complexity. What if it’s “good” for me but “bad” for him? And what is “good” or “bad” anyway?

Will that Saturn aspect add sticking power, or make it so there is more hard work? Since we are both “re” – marrying, is a retrograde okay? And, DANG, I should probably get this scheduled before Chiron hits my Moon, yet again.

Also; I only wanted it on a weekend, and it needed to take place earlier in the year. Adding up all of these factors felt like a big ask.

We ruminated and tossed dates around; yes, that weekend would work, but no, the following we already had commitments. Wait another two weeks, and Mercury gets in the shadow zone; wait until Summer and Venus begins her retrograde period.

Do I really want a wedding chart with Saturn barely in the untested waters of its new sign? Should we tie the knot with Pluto at the anaretic degree?

We finally settled on a date that felt like threading a needle. The Moon wasn’t void, but it was in Scorpio. But hey, that can be sexy, right? In the morning there was a beautiful Venus and Mars sextile; yummy. In the afternoon, a Mercury and Uranus sextile. Sparks! Synchronicity! The Moon aspect was a minor quincunx to Jupiter late in the evening.

We eloped at a beautiful bed and breakfast in the countryside. It rained the entire drive there. But the last half hour yielded a beautiful arching rainbow that escorted us the rest of the way.

The morning of the wedding was quite blustery and cold. The Sun peaked through racing white clouds, and we made a fire in the fireplace. When the time arrived, would we be able to be outside? We let go of expectation and enjoyed our morning together.

About an hour before the appointed time, the sky cleared and the wind laid. It was bright, beautiful, sunny and perfect. Our brief ceremony, champagne toast and photo taking had nothing but blue sky and gorgeous weather. Everything went according to plan, and the driver we arranged swept us up and took us around to various places to eat, drink and celebrate.

The next morning, we woke to bitter cold, and, later that day, the first snowstorm of the season. As the flakes fell down and we bundled up to go on a walk, we reflected on how perfect the date had turned out. Loads of time to just focus on ourselves and enjoy a romantic weekend.

There are times in your life when you feel like you’re in some type of magical zone. We were in the zone. And it was absolutely wonderful.

The following weekend, my new husband’s mother began the process of dying. It was not completely unexpected, and a relatively brief but painful few days as she slipped away. He held vigil for her with his family. The following weekend, we memorialized and buried her.

I’ve tried not to focus on what would have happened had I scheduled our wedding for those  following weekends, because life happens. But I also have had this practice of astrology time and time again show me, that there is a rhythm to life. A “rita” as we say in Sanskrit.

I’m grateful that, this time, I was able to step into the flow.

Shanti,

Jill

PS — Thank you Melanie for suggesting I write about this! xoxo