Classical Considerations (Lilly's List)

Lilly lists a series of traditional warnings to examine before judgment. They are not automatic rejections but signs that tell you to pause and think: when one appears, do not discard the chart; judge cautiously and ask why the symbolism is there. Below you will see these warnings one by one.

A flag, not a locked door

Lilly calls these items "considerations". When Barbara Watters later renamed them "strictures", modern readers took them as an order to reject the chart. In truth they are not strictures that block judgment but a selection of aphorisms drawn from powerful symbolic testimonies: not a closed door, but a flag that asks for attention.

The Moon in the final degrees of a sign

Lilly says that it is not safe to give judgment while the Moon is in the final degrees of a sign — especially in Gemini, Scorpio or Capricorn. This too is not a rejection but a caution: give your judgment carefully.

Saturn in the 1st house (rising)

When Saturn is rising (in the 1st house), especially when moving backwards (retrograde), Lilly says that the matter of that question seldom or never comes to good: it is a testimony that obstructs and delays the matter and undermines the querent. Even so, on its own it is not an absolute rejection but a caution.

The significator combust or retrograde

When the querent's significator (the planet ruling the 1st house) is very close to the Sun and combust, Lilly says that neither the question holds nor the querent's course prospers: the situation is weak, the querent is afraid or cannot see the truth clearly. A retrograde significator is likewise a sign of lost strength.

An afflicted 7th house (a sign for the astrologer)

When the question does not concern a 7th-house matter and the cusp (the starting edge of a house) or ruler of the 7th is afflicted, this is a sign for the astrologer: the judgment may give little satisfaction, because the 7th house generally signifies the astrologer. Saturn in the 7th may impair the judgment.

Sample question: "Will my lost ring be found?" If the Moon is void of course, the classical consideration comes into play: most likely no notable development will occur — the chart says the situation is not moving forward.

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