Electional astrology

Electional astrology, also known as event or electional astrology, is a branch found in most traditions of astrology in which a practitioner decides the most appropriate time for an event based on the astrological auspiciousness of that time. It is distinct from horary astrology because, while horary astrologers seek to find the answer to a question based on the time the question was asked, electional astrologers seek to find a period of time which will result in the most preferable outcome for the event being planned.

Historically being used primarily to plan battles, electional astrology has been used by its proponents to plan a number of events, including weddings and trips.

In electional astrology, an astrologer is given an event the querent intends to plan. The astrologer then finds a date and time most auspicious for the event to take place, around which the querent bases the following plans. The method of coming to these conclusions is based on the relative positions of stars, planets and other celestial bodies at various times. Each celestial body's placement means something particular to the tradition the individual astrologer is using, in combination with the natal chart of the querent.

Although astrology is not inherently connected with magic, ephemeral elections have been used in ancient and modern times to make talismans and seals. These items were seen to be imbued with the qualities of the auspicious date during which they were made, and their instruction is commonly found in medieval literature.