Here’s a puzzling horary: a property sale question that looked to be Yes at the time, but turned out to be No. What got in the way?
The querent was hoping to sell a condo she’d been renting out. The realtor had contacted her to say she had clients perfect for the unit. Her tenants had also expressed interest in the property, as had a couple who already owned another unit in the building. Her question was, “Will the buyer purchase my condo at a price acceptable to me?” March 24, 2014, 8:29 a.m. Milwaukee, WI; 14 Taurus Asc. She was open to making a deal with any of the three.
The querent is signified by Lord 1, Venus, ruler of Taurus on the Ascendant. The prospective buyers are signified by Lord 7, Mars, ruler of Scorpio on the Descendant. The property itself is signified by the Moon, ruler of Cancer on cusp four, and the price is signified by Saturn, ruler of Capricorn on cusp ten.
Venus is in Aquarius, Saturn’s sign, reflecting the querent’s concern about the price. The buyer, Mars, is in Venus’s sign, suggesting they are disposed to make a deal. The buyer also exalts Saturn: they like the price a lot. Venus and Mars are applying to trine and the trine perfects, when Venus reaches 22 Aquarius and Mars reaches 22 Libra (moving retrograde). However, Saturn also squares Venus at 22 Scorpio, and this happens at the same time as the trine with Mars.
I had judged that the sale would go through, although not at the querent’s ideal price (because Saturn takes Venus into detriment). In reality, however, there was no sale: not with any of the three potential buyers. The only couple to put in an offer was the neighbors, but the offer was low, and the querent rejected it.
So what’s the explanation, astrologically? It seems that the trine between Venus and Mars was not enough by itself to effect a sale. The querent (Venus) had identified the price (Saturn) as the most important factor for her. Therefore, Saturn being in Venus’s detriment is a strong negative testimony. This turns out to have held sway over Mars’s trine to Venus with positive reception for her. It’s something to keep in mind if you ever see it, or something like it, in the future.
The photo above is "For Sale" by Diana Parkhouse, from Flickr (used under a Creative Commons license).