Electional Advice from Ali Aben Ragel

I have just received some very interesting material, several books from Ali Aben Ragel's Complete Book of the Judgment of the Stars. This is fascinating material, but it is in Spanish. This is one of many books of astrology translated from Arabic in the court of the Castilian king Alfonso X, known as El Sabio, "The Wise" Just like Picatrix!


People often ask if they can alter their fate with elections. The traditional answer seems to be that you must start with the natal chart, but that it can be worked with.

Here is an interesting section from Ali Aben Ragel's Complete Book of the Judgment of the Stars, Book VII, on Elections, chapter one,

For example, a man who in his nativity has manifest indications, firm and true, that he will not engender children, or if he has them they will not live or will not be able to feed, as [the nativity] has the astrological significations harming the children, or having in his nativity malefic significators for spouses, that is Venus and some other significator combust, or in its fall [usually includes detriment as well] or badly placed, with aspects to the significators of the nativity, or because infortunes dominate in the trajectory [?] of the house of birth in the radix and because the significators of an unfortunate house are the significators of the native.

If these significations are [found to be] malefic in the radix of the nativity, then elections for children or marriage or for a trip and or an election to generate children will not be successful or the election will not be of as much power [or will] be delayed, but you can hope that [the election] changes the signification of the planets in the radix of the nativity and indicates good fortune.

However the elections appear clear and are opportune if in the natal significations indicate that it is possible to have children, or if the significations are moderate or good, because if the election were good and the significations of the radix were medium or not very detrimental the election makes them good. Also, if the significations are good a good election will make them even better because the benefic effect of the elections helps the radical [i.e. natal] significations.


It is interesting to compare this to Ramesey's Astrologia Restaurata, page 122.

I like Aben Ragel's statement that if the natal indications are bad, well you can hope to make them better with an election and that a good elections increases even benefic natal indications.

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