16
Hi all,

I agree picking Mercury as the natural ruler of spells as for most spells you will need words (Mercury) and an intelligent mind (Mercury) or at least a foucused mind (Mercury).

What about Saturn? That old planet (Saturn/Pan) has been asscoiated with magic esp. black magic. Mercury-Saturn as Profession planets give managers of others affairs, divination and interpreters of dreams (Ptolemy). Saturn as almutem figuris makes one lover of arcane arts, magic or philosophy (Zoller quoting Agrippa). Liber Hermetis also connected Saturn with the Craft.

Taking 1st as significator? What if the spell is not done by the querent but by somebody asked by the querent to do it for him/her?

Lastly, if spells/incantations are connected with words, the third house should be considered (which happens to be the Joy of moon, house of goddes, etc. - see previous message). Many spells are also written on scrolls/parchments and collected in Grimoires (aka Book of Shadows)...all of which suggests Mercury (naturally) and 3rd H (accidentally).

17
I vote 11th house. Aquarius rules astrology; Uranus is electricity(ether/spirit), and Saturn is Kronos. The aloof quality of distance combined w/involvement beyond the casual further reinforces the point. Then there's the radical notion of individualization/departure from the establishment to initiate the act, to say nothing of intuition, innovation and all things paranormal.-Is that two cents yet?

18
There could be another approach, and that is to not look for a particular house for the place of spells at all. If we had an actual chart in front of us, say a question where someone had tried a spell to get a better job, I'd just look at the ASC and the 10th house. Or where someone had tried a spell for love and romance, I'd look at the ASC, 7th house and maybe the 5th house too.

Once I thought of this, I see how the ASC is the common house is any and all of these situations, so maybe the ASC is the house of spells after all.

But I'd also look to the 9th house if it was a good spell, and the 12th is someone was so inclined to cast a dark spell. I assume that in a chart in any real situation, you may or may not have these house rulers play a part. They may be incidental to the actual action of the ASC ruler and the significator of the thing the person wants to get from using the spell.

I guess I really don't think there is a specific house for spells though. I wouldn't add that description to the list of things that are ruled by the ASC. I'd just say that reading a chart where someone has used a spell to help the situation along is not any different than reading a chart where they haven't. I'd first look to the ASC and the significator of what they want. That is where the action will be.
Mark F