Ok here are the mistakes I made (so others can learn from them)
The first mistake I made is to assign the querent to my friend.
My rationale was "Though my question is why is M undertaking such a long journey to visit me, my real concern is about her journey, so this question is actually just "Why is M making such a long trip?" . In which case it makes sense to assign M to the 1st, and examine the 9th house Lord as the quesited significator.
But in retrospect this is wrong. The reason I'm concerned about M's visit is that she is coming to visit *me*. As a thought experiment, if she were coming to India for a few days of trekking in the Himalayas, I wouldn't even ask this question.
As Minderwiz said in another thread
"Turning the chart is best kept to a minimum or avoided if possible, that's why we give X the first house in a question about X's relationship with Y, even when we have asked the question, providing we are not a direct participant in the question."
but here I *am* a direct participant in the question, since she is visiting me.
Hence it makes sense to have me as querent and her as quesited and since she is a good friend, and we've known each other for decades, she obviously gets the 11th.
Lesson learned: Think about the question, but don't overcomplicate it. If the question involves me, I'm the querent. If I were to ask "why is M really traveling to Machu Pichu?" then she'd be the 1st House and 9th house Lord would be quesited. Ok got it.
Most importantly, as Minderwiz's analysis shows "why" questions *can* be answered by horary, at least to the extent that you can correctly decode the planetary symbolism. Hooray! (This is mindboggling. Much to think about)
some thoughts
Minderwiz said
"You are signified by Saturn. Saturn is in the eleventh house of friends, so you are concerned with a friend (True)"
So essentially one is taking the querent's significator (here Saturn) and using its house location (11th) to confirm the question. Wow! Is this a standard technique? In which case, at least in theory, we can deduce the question itself from the moment it is asked in? Whoa!!
"She is signified by Jupiter ruler of the eleventh house (Sagittarius) and Jupiter is placed in the ninth house of long distance travel (Something that concerns you, given the shortness of her stay).
"
as above. More 'confirmation' form the chart.
"Jupiter is in Libra and that indicates her concerns. We could look at this from two perspectives. The first is yours, as you asked the question and we have to take the chart from that perspective, unless there's good reason to change it."
I think I understand this, but not completely
What is happening here is that since that I have the first house and since we are intepreting Jupiter in the 9th in Libra, we conclude that her first concern is travel. I get this.
What I don't get is, how to look at the chart from *her* perspective.
My best guess. Make her house the first, see where my significator stands relative to that house and that is the central issue chart from her pov. So since she is in the 9th, and I am in the 11th, from her pov the central concern is a 3d house one. (this is tricky in a quadrant house system like I use (Placidus) , but easy in a whole sign house system like Minderwiz uses). So something about communication, or any other 3d house signification. Did I get this right?
"And this is where it gets a little interesting. The ruler of the ninth is Venus and its placed in the eleventh house of friends. What is more Venus is closely applying to a conjunction with Saturn (you). "
Ahh this is interesting. After we examine the house occupied by her significator, we now look at the lord of that house. Here Venus. who happens to be in the house of friends *and* applying to conjunct my (querent) significator. With enough prodding, I'd probably have noticed this in time, but I would be at a loss at how to interpret this.
Which Minderwiz does easily.
"So you figure first in her motivation."
Very interesting. and very obvious *once Minderwis said it* ! ha!
"And now it gets very interesting. The exaltation ruler of Libra is Saturn (you) and this would show her second priority. So number one is travel, number two is you."
whoa hold on where did Libra come from? (looks at Chart). Ahh we are shifting from the *house* her significator occupies (9th) to the sign (Libra).
Minderwiz instantly sees another connection. The exaltation lord of Libra (and so Jupiter, who is in Libra) is Saturn, who is the querent's significator.
"
The triplicity ruler in a Day chart is Saturn - you again.
"
yet another connection.
"Jupiter is in the Face or Decan of Saturn - you again. It's very, very important that she sees you."
I think the 'very important' comes from the fact that this is the third connection to Saturn, and not so much the 'decan'.
So to summarize if we look at the house the quesited significator(here Jupiter representing my friend) is in,the domicile lord (and any aspect to it- here Venus applying to conjunction with querent significator), then the other essential dignities of the quesited significator, the repeated connections to the querent significator jump out at you.
Lesson Learned: Even If I had chosen the 11th as the quesited house, I'd probably have turned the chart to get "my friend's(11th) journey's (9th from 11th) purpose (10th from 9th from 11th) . All this is unnecessary.
What is needed is to look at the essential and accidental dignities, and any important aspects and *interpret correctly* (here in terms of 'why')
Minderwiz identifies Mercury (Term Ruler of Jupiter) as cazimi, but this is because I didn't give him the correct date (25th) and he assumed 27th (which is when I started this thread). Mea Culpa.
In the original chart, Mercury is combust, not Cazimi. I'm not sure how much this affects the reading. Probably not much, since term is a relatively minor dignity.
However Mercury being Lord of 8th and being in combustion *is* significant. I'll PM Minderwiz about this, since it is not something I want to discuss in public.
"It's also worth noting that Jupiter is in a mutual reception with its ruler, Venus and in an almost exact sextile. Now that means that Jupiter is also applying to a sextile with Saturn but as Venus is further on in the zodiac, if only by just over half a degree, and also faster that Jupiter, it suggests that she needs to see you urgently and travel is the only way.
Apart from the Moon, all significators are well placed, fast and direct. I've also noticed that the Moon is on the Antiscion (that's similar to a conjunction) of your Lot of Spirit - how you affect and influence the environment. So I suspect there's something that she wants you to do for her, or some advice she needs from you."
This is completely amazing.
I realize now that I don't know how to interpret an astrological factor (antiscion, Venus is farther and faster than Jupiter etc) even if I notice it.
A long way to go, much to learn.
Back to Lilly with a vengeance.
Thanks a million Minderwiz. Very educational!