I consider the electional astrology as the art of "sculpting" a astrology chart, that is the art of finding and showing

a marvelous chart out of a continuous flow of moments of time (each with different characteristics and potential), just as the sculptor's job is to imagine and then unveil the sculpture from the amorphous rock, by removing the unnecessary material. First of all, electional astrology, while it is a way of enhancing free will, it doesn't ensure that the sought matter will be succesful. Each moment of time is unique, and when it has passed, it'll never come back. So it is with opportunities. Many times our past erroneous decisions will affect our future options, and some opportunities may be lost in the process. This is why, when you can't find what you're looking for in terms of the perfect electional chart, maybe that perfect chart doesn't actually exist as (internal/external) conditions do not allow that to happen.

The importance of the specific election

One most important rule of electional astrology is to elect SPECIFICALLY to the matter. If you look at the most successful ventures out there, some their inception charts are only modest in terms of planetary dignity or even aspects. Sure, they have some very good astrological elements, but the most important thing is that they are SPECIFIC to the matter. In real life, that translates to someone who knows what he/she is doing and is really into the matter. Specific, means, in the first place, the right planet in the right sign. The natural significator of the matter in the right sign. Consider marriages for instance: no, Venus is not in always in the right place in Taurus, Libra or Pisces. Some marriages are just not that way. Ask the client how he/she really wants the marriage to be like (and what he/she really wants in the marriage) and elect the Venus' position by sign accordingly. The client will be most happy about it. Obviously, the "ideal" marriages have Venus strong. For instance "Gone with the Wind", the movie, was a phenomenal success, possibly one of the greatest love stories of our times, and was premiered on December, 15, 1939, when Venus was in Capricorn square Saturn and trine Uranus. Would you have elected a such premiere date for this movie? I doubt that I would have done it... Remember though that this was a drama romance film that ended badly, and as such, the aspects HAD to be very specific. This is why the study of event charts (inception charts) is very useful for the electional astrologer. My advice when electing a chart for a venture you don't know very well is to prepare the actual electional reading by studying the charts of successful similar ventures (that started spontaneously), in order to identify what they have in common and what made them successful, then just emphasize and harmonize those features, using the traditional astrological techniques.

The Moon in electional astrology

I'd like to also emphasize the utmost importance of the Moon. The Moon represents the inner substance or "the feel" that people get of a certain situation or entity. This is actually very important so that inner resources might be in tune with the outer actions. Vivian Robson in his electional astrology treatise underlines the importance of the Moon's applying aspect to the specific planet (such as Jupiter for a rich man or Venus for one's sweetheart). But then you can't base an entire election on the Moon only, unless it's an ephemeral event. The Moon moves quickly and so the magical energies of the election disappear into thin air. I once started a website based on some most powerful Moon's aspects and position. It was a huge success at the beginning but then it faded away into oblivion as the Moon secondary progressed into the next sign. However, if your interest is just to create a magical moment for a successful one-time event, focus on the Moon. For instance, when performing astrological magic, the recommendations are to place the sought for astrological element at the Ascendant with the Moon applying to it by a harmonious aspect. Similarly, when just looking for the best moment to make love to a girlfriend you only occasionally meet, have the Moon conjunct/sextile/trine Venus (in overall decent astrological weather) and there you'll have it. Even your wife will appreciate more your efforts at those times... Okay, stopping the rant, back to the theory, now about the importance of the Moon's phase and positioning by sign. For instance, should the client want a chart to start a website as a placeholder to display his/her articles or ideas, the disseminating phase of the Moon is the right choice, instead of a phase during the waxing Moon. The tendency of growth (waxing Moon) is not the answer in all circumstances. The positioning by sign is also very important, especially where public involvement is expected. For instance, the Moon in Gemini is perfect for a discussion forum. The "Astrologers' Community" forum on this website was started with the Moon in Gemini, people proved to be talkative and the forum grew beyond expectations.