Conflict Charts in Geomancy
Feb. 11th, 2020 01:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
barefootwisdomIn The Art and Practice of Geomancy, John Michael Greer presents a useful technique for judging the geomantic house chart in questions involving conflict or competition. He outlines the basic format beginning on page 135: the querent (or the side/party favored by the querent) is in the first house, the opposing individual/side/party is directly opposite, in the seventh house, and the object for which the are competing is located in the house appropriate to that item. Examples: in a literal war for the control of territory or a battlefield the goal is in house IV; victory in an election or political contest is in X; etc. Whichever of the first two signifiers (the querent or the opponent) perfects to the goal will be successful. In my experience, this has proven to be an effective technique.
Later in the text (pp. 155–156), JMG suggests an application of the same technique to the decision about whether or not to move to a new home. On his telling, the querent is (of course) in house I, the current home is IV, and the potential new home is VII. Here, the last piece does not make sense. The potential new home belongs not in the VII, but in the X. Let me explain.
In the chart for a literal war, the opponent (VII) is opposed to the querent (I) and striving for control of the land. Thus, the signifiers of the two contending sides are configured by an opposition in their natural houses, while the goal is somewhere else in the chart. In the case of relocation, the goal is the querent himself, while the two homes are competing for him. Thus, the potential new home should have its natural house not opposite the querent, but opposite its “adversary” the old home. In other words, the old home is in IV, while the new home is in house X. Whichever of these perfects to the first house (of the querent) is the better choice. If both perfect, then the querent has two good options, and the further details of the chart may provide useful guidance as to why, exactly, he stands to benefit from each. If neither perfects, then perhaps it’s time to look for a third alternative: neither staying in the current location, nor moving to the proposed site, but finding somewhere else to go.
This technique can be extended to many other cases where the querent is deciding between two (groups of) options. For example, in deciding whether to leave one’s current job for a new position, the current job is in X, while the potential new job is opposite this in IV.
The technique is limited, of course, in that it will not work for questions involving the VII house, since the opposite house is I, already taken by the querent. (A parallel limitation occurs in JMG’s version.)
We thus have two techniques for what I have taken to calling “conflict charts”: The method described in the first paragraph here (and by JMG) is used when the querent himself is a party to a conflict or competition, or is emotionally invested in a competitor. The method I present in the third paragraph is used when the querent is trying to decide between opposing options for himself; that is, when the two options are the “competitors” and the querent is the prize.
Later in the text (pp. 155–156), JMG suggests an application of the same technique to the decision about whether or not to move to a new home. On his telling, the querent is (of course) in house I, the current home is IV, and the potential new home is VII. Here, the last piece does not make sense. The potential new home belongs not in the VII, but in the X. Let me explain.
In the chart for a literal war, the opponent (VII) is opposed to the querent (I) and striving for control of the land. Thus, the signifiers of the two contending sides are configured by an opposition in their natural houses, while the goal is somewhere else in the chart. In the case of relocation, the goal is the querent himself, while the two homes are competing for him. Thus, the potential new home should have its natural house not opposite the querent, but opposite its “adversary” the old home. In other words, the old home is in IV, while the new home is in house X. Whichever of these perfects to the first house (of the querent) is the better choice. If both perfect, then the querent has two good options, and the further details of the chart may provide useful guidance as to why, exactly, he stands to benefit from each. If neither perfects, then perhaps it’s time to look for a third alternative: neither staying in the current location, nor moving to the proposed site, but finding somewhere else to go.
This technique can be extended to many other cases where the querent is deciding between two (groups of) options. For example, in deciding whether to leave one’s current job for a new position, the current job is in X, while the potential new job is opposite this in IV.
The technique is limited, of course, in that it will not work for questions involving the VII house, since the opposite house is I, already taken by the querent. (A parallel limitation occurs in JMG’s version.)
We thus have two techniques for what I have taken to calling “conflict charts”: The method described in the first paragraph here (and by JMG) is used when the querent himself is a party to a conflict or competition, or is emotionally invested in a competitor. The method I present in the third paragraph is used when the querent is trying to decide between opposing options for himself; that is, when the two options are the “competitors” and the querent is the prize.
Conflict Charts vs Special Questions
Date: 2020-02-15 02:50 pm (UTC)Thank you for considering the question I posed on JMG’s Magic Monday this week. As your blog entry is in direct reaction to JMG’s response to my question, and you linked from there to here, I’m happy to continue the conversation you’ve started.
I see you agree with my interpretation of Special Questions in the fourth house, detailed in Art and Practice on pp155-156, as a modified conflict chart with the querent as the “castle”. It’s worth pointing out that JMG didn’t create this technique out of whole cloth; if I understand him correctly, he more or less simply just collected various writings he had collected, translated, and tried, and put them in the book. Thus there is the possibility that our framing of this Special Question as a modified Conflict Chart may not be objectively correct; or even if it is, it’s possible that your “correct” theory for why the 4th House Special Question shouldn’t work doesn’t apply here for other reasons. If it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. There are often factors at play that we’re not aware of.
All that said, whatever the most effective way to cast “Querent as the Prize” conflict charts would be extremely useful to know. If the method you believe to be correct is something you already use to good effect, I’d very much like to know! Is it something you’ve tried already, with accurate results?
I’ve only tried once so far. Unfortunately It doesn’t perfect, regardless which approach is applied, so it’s not helpful as experimental evidence one way or the other.
Re: Conflict Charts vs Special Questions
Date: 2020-02-24 09:47 pm (UTC)Thanks for continuing the conversation!
In short, yes, I've worked with this, and over the charts I've cast (some relocations, and a few other questions using this technique), I've found the method I advocate here to give more accurate results.