Timing your wedding

Everyone knows how important "right timing" is for the successful outcome of anything. From cooking to project management, from asking your boss for a raise to telling your husband that you overspent shopping. So intrinsic is timing to harmonious and successful living that the ancients have used various ways and means to find the correct timing for events: defined as the most auspicious time, the most harmonious time, the lucky moment. Two ways were used: Through divination that made use of the medium’s prophetic or intuitive abilities; and the other, through astrological computations that watched the movements of planets in the heavens. These practices continue until today. People seek that perfect or best timing to move into a new home, start a business or get married.

Now, getting married seems to be one of the most important phases in a person’s life. Often planned as a one-time event in one’s life, the exact time of marriage is plotted, charted and studied in the ways of the ancient cultural practices which exist until today (like the Chinese and Indians).

Because marriage is the start of a partnership, this starting point should be able to bring in the best energies that would influence the outcome of the marriage. I think relationships all need the maximum benefit of universe’s help to start them off on their life together, aside from their free will and love to want to make their marriage work, as well as God’s grace to help make the marriage a heaven and not a hell! And the universe has laws and patterns that we can read and study about – like specific influences of the planets in our solar system that affect all aspects of our world, our consciousness and directions, while supporting our free will.

One planet to look at is the moon in its various phases. The best time to get married is when the moon is rising or waxing, moving from the new moon to the full moon – the second quarter phase being the best point. Getting married during this time allows a couple/relationship/marriage to expand and grow more harmonious and joyously. On the other hand, there has been an identifiable pattern that marriage vows taken during the waning phase (or the time from the full moon to the fourth quarter) are more painful and cathartic to the growth of the couple. More challenges are faced, and more crises are met in the growth process of the marriage. (This pattern is not just actually for marriage but is the same for starting any relationship, be it a love affair or a business venture.)

The moon moves through all the astrological signs and stays in a sign for approximately two days. You can find this out by asking an astrologer or checking out an ephemeris guide. Marriages made when the moon is in Fire signs (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) tend to make the couple more outgoing, active and dynamic in the marriage but can likewise bring a lot of egos and individualistic needs that may not work for the partnership. When the moon is in an Earth sign (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) the relationship will tend to be more practical and business like. Marriages are deeply emotional when it started in a Water sign (Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces) with Cancer making it clingy, Scorpio deeply passionate and intense and Pisces will bring forth the deepest emotions.

When the moon is in an Air sign (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius), it makes the marriage more mental with possibility of the couple detaching themselves emotionally in the long run. Of the two elements I would choose the water (emotional) and the earth (stable and practical) as the better moon positions when looking for a marriage date.

Another important patterns to watch out for is that of retrogrades planets. This is a normal occurrence when planets move backward in space. When the planets Mercury (planet that rules communication) and Venus (planet that rules love and marriage) move in a retrograde motion, this is not a good time to plan to get married. This is because energies of the two planets are not normal thus communication and love are not expressed properly. And we know of course that any successful marriage is a combination of the discipline of learning to communicate with love! For 2003, please do not plan to get married on the following dates because of the retrogrades motion of Mercury: August 28 to September 20 and December 18 to January 2, 2004.

To go in even greater detail, the day of the marriage must coincide beautifully with the respective planetarial positions found in the astrological birth charts of the couple. But this can often be known only when the astrological birth charts have been printed. (You will need to know the birthday, year, place and exact time of birth to be able to print the birth chart.)

Starting off any relationship, venture or endeavor is like planting a vision and beginning to ground that vision into reality. For such a major decision as marriage, it won’t hurt to check a farmer’s almanac or ask an astrologer for a good day even before you get into the swing of planning all other details.

E-mail the author at: jej1@easycall.com.ph