“Make an image in the form and likeness of the one to whom you wish evil, in the hour of Mars, with the Moon in Scorpio; and if you are able, make the ascendant unfortunate, putting an infortune in the ascendant or forming a bad aspect to the ascendant, and put the infortune in aspect with the lord of the ascendant; and make unfortunate the lord of the ascendant and the lord of the fourth house, and make them aspect each other, or make unfortunate the lord of the ascendant in the fourth house, or have it received by a malefic in fourth house or ascendant.” The Picatrix, Book I, Chapter 5 transl. John Michael Greer & Christopher Warnock
Since we seems to be approaching the season of the malefics, let’s take a look at one of the more malicious uses for the electional astrology of the Picatrix.
Electional conditions
For this election, we need the following conditions:
1. Hour of Mars
2. Moon in Scorpio
3. The ascendant unfortunate with either i) an infortune in H1 or ii) forming a bad aspect to the ascendant, and we want the infortune to aspect L1
4. L1 and L4 unfortunate and: i) L1 and L4 aspect them each other, or ii) L1 unfortunate in H4, or iii) have L1 received by a malefic in H4 or H1.
Reasoning and rationale for the election
The Ascendant, the Lord of the 1st and the 1st house are significators of the influence we wish to be attracted to our enemy. We therefore want these significators weak and/or unfortunate to weaken and/or make unfortunate the one we wish to harm. The presence of a malefic in the first house acts as an affliction to our enemy, an infortune aspecting the ascendant weakens our enemy, and a debilitated or malefic Lord of the Ascendant is a debility to our enemy.
The Lord of the 4th house represents death and affliction. Although it is the 8th that is commonly associated with death, traditionally the 4th house also represented the “end of the matter” and death, since it is the immum coeli, or the “bottom of the heavens”, the nadir, where the Sun, the source of light and life, is at its lowest point beneath the earth with respect to the ascendant.
The planetary ruler of the hour is Mars since Mars rules bloodshed, violence and war. The Moon is in a sign of Mars for the same reason, and it is debilitated in the sign of its fall.
Our election
The election was set for London, UK at 3.26AM on 7 March 2018. Yes, the time has already passed because I wasn’t sure I wanted to be responsible for anyone misusing it.
Mars is the planetary ruler, and the Moon is in its fall in Scorpio.
We have a strong malefic ruling the 1st house, Saturn afflicts the 1st house by its presence and the ascendant by conjunction.
Venus is Lady of the 4th house, and She is unfortunate by virtue of being in her detriment in Aries, the sign of her natural enemy, the malefic Mars. Lilly says that Venus ill dignified signifies someone who is given to the “lewd companies of women” and “spending his means in ale houses, taverns and amongst scandalous, loose people”. The Lady of the 4th afflicts the Lord of the Ascendant by square aspect which is an aspect of “moderate hatred” according to the Picatrix. As a bonus, it is also afflicted by a square aspect from Mercury who is the Lord of the 6th, the house of illness, and the ruler of Virgo who is intercepted in the 8th house of death.
The election is quite clearly meant to destroy an enemy, that is, to cause his or her death and downfall. In this instance, if we were to use the election, we might expect unpleasant effects to come about either through Saturnine diseases or causes, or by affliction through something associated with a debilitated Venus, e.g., venereal diseases, dangerous and jealous lovers, or destruction via illicit pleasures such as drug or alcohol abuse.