covenrochester | Astrology, Prediction

A female querent, mid-20s, asked me when she and her future spouse would have their first child. And so I cast a chart of the heavens at the time to answer her question.

When one is taking questions like this, it is important to make sure that the Querent is asking what she truly wants to know. Even with a question as simple and straight-forward as: "When will we have our first child?" the Querent may be obfuscating the true inquiry. Here are some examples of how querents will think:

(1) Oh my stars! I am five days late in my menstrual cycle. I hope I'm not pregnant right now. I will call an astrologer and ask when I will have my first child. If it is a long way off, then I'll know I am not pregnant! So, the querent calls and asks when she will have her first child. Her REAL question, though, is: "Am I pregnant right now?" That is the question the chart will answer, even if she has obfuscated the matter. Hiding the true question will very likely lead the astrologer into error.

(2) I've been a ballet dancer since the age of 9. I've been vegan since the age of 13. My menstrual cycle is fairly intermittent. Sometimes I will not menstruate for months at a time. I average approximately 2 or 3 light periods per year I'm 26, no longer dancing, but I'm still vegan, and my period is still infrequent. My husband and I want to have a child. "When will we have our first child?" The REAL question here is whether the Querent can return to a normal menstrual cycle and thereafter have a child. The question should be more along the lines of "Will I ever have children?" In a situation such as that, I would probably poke around and look at medical issues, too.

There was no indication in this case that there was some other real, hidden question underlying a pretextual question. So, let's determine an answer:

The Querent and her fiance are in their 20s. We can look around the chart to briefly assess their fertility potential together.

Lord 1: Mars in NEUTRAL Sagittarius
Lord 5: Moon in BARREN Leo. We will also double count the Moon, as the natural ruler of pregnancy and babies.
Lord 7: Venus in NEUTRAL Libra
Lord 11: Saturn in FERTILE Pisces

1 Fertile, 2 Neutral, 2 Barren. For two people in their 20s without any known medical or infertility issues, the above is enough fertility potential.

Next, we bring together Mother/Lord 1/Mars and Baby/Lord 5/Moon. There is no immediate aspect, but we can push the applying Moon into the next sign in order to find a timing, as long as (a) neither planet goes retrograde before perfecting an aspect or (b) neither planet perfects a conjunction with the Sun.

The Moon will square Mars at 7 Sagittarius 24. The Moon has to travel 12 degrees and 2 minutes of arc to make that conjunction. That would give a timing of about 12 months. But the Moon is moving more than a degree slower than average, so I would tack on a month, and say 12 to 13 months, or December 2024 to January 2025. A chart for this type of question usually shows the time of conception, by the way, unless there are strong indications otherwise.

A bit of sightseeing to confirm that timing. The antiscion of Pluto is at 1 Sagittarius 26, and the Moon will square it before going on to perfect the square showing the pregnancy. Ordinarily, we wouldn't be concerned with a square to any antiscion. But here, it happens to fit the flow of events represented by the Moon. The Querent will marry (Pluto) first, and then become pregnant 5 to 6 months after that.

I will note that the antiscion of the Sun is conjunct the 11th house and in opposition to the 5th house. Whether that is a benefit to the 11th (the Sun has dignity of triplicity) or an affliction to the 5th, I cannot say at present.