I asked this question early Saturday morning, after being up most of the night formatting my hard drive, and reinstalling & tweaking software for the third time in two days. The Zip disk contained important software that I needed to reinstall, and I didn't want to have to download it all again. I was tired and cranky, and cast the chart for the moment when I threw up my hands and, so to speak, cried, "Enough, already!"
Scorpio rising, and Mercury in its detriment conjunct Pluto in the first house describe me well. I was very agitated, tired, fed up, and in a powerfully ugly mood after wrestling with computer problems for the last 36 hours.
Often, I find that the location of the Sun and/or the Moon in the chart accurately describes the question, and thus confirms the validity of the chart. In this chart, both lie in the 2nd house of lost items.
The planetary hour is Venus, natural ruler of moveable possessions. The chart accurately describes the situation, and is thus fit to be judged.
Generally, a postive aspect between the first house ruler (or Moon), and the 2nd house ruler, or the retrogradation of the 2nd house ruler or a planet in that house, would indicate that the missing item will indeed be found. I wasn't particularly concerned when I didn't see any of these indications in the chart; I knew that the Zip disk had to be somewhere in the house, as I'd used it about twelve hours ago. Later, though, I noticed that there were indeed some indications that I would find the missing disk. The next planet that the Moon passes over is Venus, natural ruler of the missing disk. Also, Mars (me) and Jupiter (the disk) receive each other by term; Mars receives Venus (natural ruler of personal possessions) in Libra. [Click here to see a table of Ptolemaic dignities for this chart.]
I studied the chart closely later in the day. Jupiter is angular, in the 4th, showing that the disk is probably where it should be. Jupiter in Pisces indicates that the disk is probably near water, and low to the ground. In The Only Way to Learn Horary and Astrology, Joan McEvers says, "If the planet ruling the lost item is in Virgo, Pisces, the 6th or 12th house, it is usually not visible and may be found in a drawer, cupboard, pocket or some other enclosed place" (81). McEvers also relies on the Part of Fortune to find missing items. I use a day/night Part of Fortune, which in this chart places it in the 12th house, in Scorpio, confirming that the disk is out of sight, and near water . . . or in the garbage.
There might be cause for concern--Has the disk been accidentally thrown out? Has it been damaged by water?--but using Lilly's point system, Jupiter is ranked as the strongest planet in the chart. The disk is in good condition.
Jupiter in the 4th suggests that the disk is "where it ought to be." It ought to be in my study, which is where I've already looked for it--repeatedly. I looked for more precise directions to tell me where in the study (or house) it might be. I used Lilly's system for finding lost objects.
| Indicator | Sign/Planet | Direction |
| 1. Sign on the Ascendant | Scorpio | NE |
| 2. Sign of the Ruler of the Ascendant | Libra | W |
| 3. Sign on the cusp of the 4th House | Pisces | NW |
| 4. Sign of the Ruler of the 4th | Pisces | NW |
| 5. Sign of the Moon | Capricorn | N |
| 6. Sign on the Cusp of the 2nd House | Sagittarius | SE |
| 7. Sign of the Ruler of the 2nd | Pisces | NW |
| 8. Sign of Pars Fortuna | Scorpio | NE |
The preponderance of indicators points to a north/northwesterly location.
To summarize, the indicators suggest that the disk is hidden from view, in, or near a place it ought to be, low to the ground, and towards the northwest.
I found the disk in my study, which is where it is supposed to be. It was not close to the ground, but about three feet off the ground, in a utility trolley basket that I use as a catch-all. The basket sat against the northern wall of the study, in the northwest portion of the room, against the wall shared with the bathroom; the bathtub and plumbing were no more than two feet from the disk, beyond the wall. The disk was hidden under a stack of papers, out of sight.
The most commonly used of the Arabic Parts, Pars Fortuna, or the Part of Fortune, is a point in the chart, not an actual plant. In day charts, it measures the point the Moon would be at if the Sun were on the Ascendant.
William Lilly and most modern astrologers calculate the POF as for a day chart, whether or not the chart is in fact a day chart. Ancient astrologers calculated two different POFs, one for day charts, and another for night charts. They reasoned that the Moon rules the Night, as the Sun rules the Day, and, therefore, a nocturnal POF should measure the point where the Sun would be if the Moon were on the Ascendant. I calculate two different parts, depending on whether the chart is nocturnal or diurnal.
The formulae for the POF are:
DAY CHARTS. POF = Ascendant + Moon - SunNIGHT CHARTS. POF = Ascendant + Sun - Moon
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