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Subheadings:  The First Step in Rectification    Trial and Error    Finding the Time of Day of the Trial Chart    Finding the Exact Degree and Minute on the M.C.    The Truitine of Hermes    The Prenatal Epoch    Whether Moon and Ascendant or Moon and Descendant Should Be Used    Whether Gestation Is Shorter or Longer Than 273 Days    How Much Gestation Is Shorter or Longer Than 273 Days    Responsibility of the Astrologer to His Client

Supplemental:  Checking the Rectified Chart For Accuracy

Chart Examples:  David Belasco    Charts A and B

Chapter 8

Rectifying the Horoscope

A birth chart, according to the views presented in these lessons, is a map of the thought energies within the astral body of man, and the progressed aspects map the time and nature of the inner-plane weather which adds planetary energies to these thought energies. Thus natal astrology becomes a means of estimating the various forces within man’s finer body at any selected time.

These forces, like any forces of nature, if left to themselves, flow on in their accustomed channels. Thus does electricity flow, and the current of a stream, or the wind through the trees. Thus also does light from the Sun beat upon our earth. Yet all of these forces have been harnessed by man and diverted from their customary channels to perform work of his choosing.

And it has been one of the objects of this series of lessons in natal astrology to indicate not merely how the energies reaching the astral body of man may accurately be estimated as to volume and their natural trend, but also to indicate the methods by which they can be controlled, diverted, and employed to do the kind of work he most desires of them.

But if such estimation of their power is to be accurate, and if the instructions as to the manner in which they can be manipulated to perform a more constructive purpose is to be sound, the birth chart which forms the basis from which these matters are judged must be accurate.

Unfortunately, many people do not know the hour of their birth. It might be held that Nature should provide a sure and easy way to remedy this negligence upon the part of man. But so far as I have been able to discover no such easy and certain method is at hand by which we can offset the ignorance of those who have failed to realize the importance of accurately timing each birth. And in this Nature seems quite consistent; for it is her custom to exact dear payment for ignorance, no matter how innocent of wrong doing it may be.

I wish there were an easy method by which, when the day of birth alone is known, a birth chart might be rectified so that the sign, degree and minute rising might be known with certainty. Yet I have experimented with “progressing the house cusps,” the “noon-point method,” the “sunrise method,” the “tidal point method,” the “octagonal point method,” the “improved Egyptian method,” the “pointer method,” methods based upon horary charts and methods based upon the person’s name, without finding in any one the precision and certainty I desire.

The magazines hold glowing advertisements of those who will rectify a birth chart by some easy and sure method. Yet I find that when a birth which is accurately timed is sent to these individuals with only the day given, that the chart returned as the correct one all too often is entirely different than the one erected for the time given by the electric clock in the maternity hospital.

There are those who boast that they never delineate a chart, even when the time of day is given, unless they first rectify it.

In our research department we have found it better always to use the time of day given. The chart thus obtained may be a few degrees in error; but we believe the error introduced by using the approximate time as ascertained by a clock by someone present at the birth, is likely to be much smaller than the error commonly occasioned in trying to make the chart fit some theory. If a birth is accurately timed I consider it a great mistake to juggle it in any way. Theories should be made to fit facts, and the observed time of birth is the fact in this case that all theories should be made to fit.

The best solution of uncertain birth times in the future is to create a public sentiment that will insure all births being accurately timed and recorded. But in the meantime those who know the day of birth, but not the hour, need not be discouraged. If enough work is done upon a chart, with the collaboration of the person to whom the chart belongs, it is possible to rectify it, that is, to experiment with it until the sign, degree and minute on the Ascendant are precisely ascertained. But the work involved, while the benefit to the individual is worth immeasurably more than the labor expended, often is so great that the professional astrologer cannot afford to give it the painstaking care that is required. His time is worth something, and he cannot, for the compensation received, afford to spend several days perhaps, experimenting with a single chart.

But the astrological student himself can well afford to experiment with his chart until he is certain it is correct. Instead of a few paltry dollars, which the professional astrologer would receive as pay, it means to him, if he takes the pains to understand his chart, a far more successful life. It may mean all the difference between success and failure. He cannot afford not to have his correct birth chart, whatever the cost to him in time and labor.

The First Step in Rectification

The first step, as a general rule, is to find the rising sign. Quite frequently, as indicated in Chapter 3 (Serial Lesson 105), Course X-I, Delineating the Horoscope, planets in the first house, the sign in which the planet ruling the cusp of the Ascendant is found, the Sun sign and the Dominant planet, all have some influence over the personal appearance. Therefore, while occasionally the rising sign marks the person so clearly that there can be no mistake, more frequently the combined impress of these other influences is so strong as to make judgment from the appearance given solely by the rising sign unsatisfactory.

More commonly the personal appearance should be taken as but one of a number of indices pointing to the correct birth chart. It should be used in combination with these other factors, and to do this the more that is known about the person the better. The type of fortune he has had in each department of life is significant, and when the outstanding events relating to each occurred.

When the fortune which has already been attracted relative to any particular department of life is clear cut in its trend, it signifies that a planet rules the house governing that department of life which by its Keyword and the Keyword of its aspects is characteristic of that fortune.

A house may be ruled by a planet which is not in that house, it is true. But by making inquiry in reference to the events, or conditions, that the life has experienced in relation to each of the 12 houses, with a trial chart showing the aspects before one, it often quickly becomes apparent just how the planets must fit into the various houses to produce the known effects.

This is very much like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. And to start with, if no opinion is entertained as to the rising sign, it is well to use a Natural Chart. That is, to use a chart with no-degrees Aries on the Ascendant. This trial chart may then be manipulated, by turning it around gradually, until it reaches a place in reference to the house positions of the planets, and the planetary rulership of the houses, which fits the known facts of the life. And, like a jigsaw puzzle, when the proper relations are established, it is clear that the correct combinations have been obtained.

A Natural Chart is one with Aries on the cusp of the 1st house, with Taurus on the cusp of the 2nd house, with Gemini on the cusp of the 3rd house, and so on; with the planets inserted just as they appear in the ephemeris at Greenwich on the day of birth.

This is the best of all charts to use when the hour of birth is not even approximately known, and there is no incentive for doing the great amount of work necessary to careful rectification. That is, it is better to give judgment from such a chart than to hazard a mere guess at the rising sign.

From such a Natural Chart no attempt should be made to predict the department of life influenced by each planet. It is enough in such cases to know the general significance of the planets in a house as given in Chapters 3 (Serial Lesson 47), Course II, Astrological Signatures and Chapter 7 (Serial Lesson 116).

Starting with such a Natural Chart, which can be copied from the ephemeris for the day of birth in a few moments, the eye should follow down the page of the ephemeris and the chief aspects that form between the planets as there shown—the Major-Progressed Aspects to the Progressed Planets—and the chief aspects that form between the planets in the ephemeris and the birth-chart planets—the Major-Progressed Aspects to birth-chart planets—noted.

Even without setting up any chart, a person of ready wit can give quite a startling demonstration of astrology from a public platform with nothing to aid him but a set of ephemerides.

He asks someone in the audience to give the day and year of his birth. This date he finds in the ephemeris and marks it with his finger.

Then he runs his eye down the column of the ephemeris, or even through several pages of it if the person receiving the reading is elderly, and picks out the more spectacular aspects between the Major-Progressed Planets, and from them to the birth-chart planets which he has marked with his finger.

Counting ahead as many years as days have passed in the ephemeris since the birth date to the day when the aspect is formed, he then tells the audience that in such a year the individual had much trouble, that there were obstacles to overcome, that there were disappointment and loss, etc. He informs those present that in another year, which he names, the individual had good fortune, that affectional matters prospered, or that fine opportunities for advancement were present.

The general nature of the planet indicates the conditions accompanying the event, and the Keyword of the aspect, as given in Chapter 6 (Serial Lesson 108), Course X-I, Delineating the Horoscope, indicates the nature of the fortune or misfortune attracted into the life. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 (Serial Lessons 112-114) give still further information as to what is commonly attracted under each Major-Progressed Aspect to each of the ten planets.

A student quick to note aspects and count ahead the number of days that have elapsed when they occur, can thus locate the years in which many of the chief Major Progressions form temporary stellar aerials across the astral body, and do it about as fast as he can talk in giving such a reading from the rostrum.

By picking only the most pronounced Major-Progressed Aspects in each case, he can insure that the event he describes in general terms did take place within the designated year. He cannot, of course, give detail, or determine the department of life affected by the progressed aspect, as this requires that the house positions of the planets be known. But following such a method he can point out to a large number of persons in an audience during a single evening the most pronounced events of their lives, and designate the years in which they occurred.

Trial and Error

It is because events can thus be described in general terms, and in approximate dates, without house positions, that the student must carefully distinguish between the general influence commonly exerted by a planet, and the department of life affected, in the process of rectification.

The Brotherhood of Light Astrological Reports will be found of much assistance in this trial and error process of rotating the chart until the signs and planets occupy the correct houses. The Birth-Chart Constants for the various vocations may furnish valuable hints. Likewise, the Birth-Chart Constants and Progressed Constants for the diseases from which the client has suffered, as set forth in Course XVI, Stellar Healing, may be employed.

Referring to these B. of L. Reports, we find that people marry, separate, or divorce, for instance, only when there is a Major-Progressed Aspect to the ruler of the 7th. If legal action is taken, in obtaining a divorce or in other affairs, there is a Major-Progressed Aspect at the time to the ruler of the 9th.

People lose their children through death only when there is a Major-Progressed Aspect to both the ruler of the 5th and the ruler of the 8th. Mothers die only when there is a Major-Progressed Aspect to the ruler of the 10th and another to the ruler of the 8th. Fathers die only when there is a Major-Progressed Aspect to the ruler of the 4th and to the ruler of the 8th. Brothers or sisters die only when there is a Major-Progressed Aspect to the ruler of the 3rd and to the ruler of the 8th.

People make or lose money only when there is a Major-Progressed Aspect to the ruler of the 2nd. They are ill only when there is a Major-Progressed Aspect to the ruler of the 6th and a Major-Progressed Aspect to the ruler of the 1st. They get employment, or lose it, only when there is a Major-Progressed Aspect to the ruler of the 10th and another to the ruler of the 6th.

These Progressed Constants, and others which are given in the B. of L. Astrological Reports, as well as the department of life ruled by the house which an outstanding event chiefly influences, all can be used as indices to the relation of the houses to the signs and planets in the correct birth chart

When a chart is obtained through this trial and error method that seems to be close to the correct one, each house in turn should be given due consideration as to the events that have occurred in the department of life signified, to ascertain if the planet in it, or ruling its cusp, indicates such fortune or misfortune. Likewise, the chief Major-Progressed Aspects of the planet ruling the house should be calculated to determine if the events attracted at the indicated times are such as should be expected.

Minor Progressions also are of great value to the individual who is attempting to rectify his own chart, or who is attempting to rectify the chart of some person with whom rather closely associated.

One seldom has long to wait until there is some new Minor-Progressed Aspect formed of significance enough to attract some well defined Minor Event. Such events are seldom of importance enough to be marked strongly in the memory. But as they occur they are easily observed. And, quite as much as Major Progressions, they tend to attract events that relate to the departments of life ruled by the houses which the aspecting planets rule or occupy. And as they occur so frequently, it is possible to observe enough of them within a year or so, to quite thoroughly check the accuracy of the selected birth chart.

Thus if the individual is invited to some social event where he has a particularly good time, he may look up the Minor-Progressed Aspect coincident with it. If a small debt which he never expected to be paid is collected, let him look up the Minor Progressions on that day and ascertain how they coincide as to house position in the selected chart with such collection. Or if he makes an enemy, takes a little trip, or any other of the numerous Minor Activities that make up the common run of life, let him observe how the Minor Progressions at the time, through their relation to house positions, bear out the chart he has decided upon.

Finding the Time of Day of the Trial Chart

Such a trial and error chart must have approximately some degree of some sign on the 10th house. From a Table of Houses copy the other signs and degrees upon the various house cusps that are given when this sign and degree are on the 10th. Then observe in the Table of Houses what Sidereal Time corresponds to this position of sign and degree on the cusp of the 10th. Turn to the day of birth in the ephemeris and note the Sidereal Time at Noon there given. The difference between the Sidereal Time for noon as given in the ephemeris and the Sidereal Time of birth as determined from the sign and degree and on the cusp of the 10th, gives approximately the LMT Interval from Noon on the day that birth took place.

The student should note that this Interval cannot be greater than 12 hours without passing into another day, and this is not permissible; for people usually know the day on which they were born. Consequently, when the difference appears greater than 12 hours, 24 hours should be added to the less Sidereal Time, and the other Sidereal Time should be subtracted from it to find the Interval from Noon.

Thus suppose we have a chart for Nov. 30, 1920, with 00 Taurus 00 on the M.C. The Sidereal Time of birth is 1h 51m 37s. Now if we subtract 1h 51m 37s from 16h 36m 13s, it gives us an Interval of 14h 44m 36s. As the Noon Sidereal Time is 16h 36m 13s and we subtract this Interval to get 1h 51m 37s, it signifies that to get the time of day we must subtract 14h 44m 36s from Noon. But this carries us back into the previous day, or Nov. 29, which as the birth was on Nov. 30 is not permissible.

Instead of doing this, therefore, we add 24h to the 1h 51m 37s, giving us 25h 51m 37s. And from this we subtract the 16h 36m 13s, which gives us 9h 15m 24s. And as to the Sidereal Time at Noon we must add this 9h 15m 24s to get the Sidereal Time of Birth, we know that this Interval is After Noon. The time of birth, consequently, is Nov. 30, 1920, 9:15 p.m. LMT minus or plus the correction of 9.86 seconds per hour for EGMT Interval.

Finding the Exact Degree and Minute on the M.C.

When the student has the chart of birth as closely rectified as possible by the trial and error method, he should next endeavor to ascertain the exact degree and minute on the M.C. In this work he can apply either one or both of two methods. One is the Prenatal Epoch Method, and the other is to make use of progressions of, and progressions to, the Ascendant and Midheaven.

The method of using Major and Minor-Progressed Aspects to and from the Asc. and M.C. is feasible only when there are events in the life that cannot adequately be explained by the progressions of the planets.

Progressed aspects to the Asc. and M.C., and from the Asc. and M.C., are quite as effective in forming temporary stellar aerials which pick up energy and attract events into the life as are similar aspects to and from the planets. Consequently, if there have been strong Major-Progressed Aspects to or from these Angles in the birth chart, they should have been marked by characteristic events.

The difficulty encountered in using progressed aspects to or from the Asc. and M.C. as a basis of rectification lies in the fact that more often than might be expected there is at the same time one of these progressed aspects is in force, also a progressed aspect between planets. It is not a simple matter, by any means, to determine under such circumstances just what part in attracting the event was taken by the Asc. or M.C., and what part was taken by the Major-Progressed planets.

Yet we may be sure of this, that when the Major-Progressed Asc. or the Major-Progressed M.C makes outstanding aspects to the planets, or the Major-Progressed planets make outstanding aspects to the Asc. or M.C., events of considerable importance enter the life. If the Asc. is involved, these relate to personal matters; but if the M.C. is part to the aspect the honor and business are affected. If it is discovered, therefore, that no such circumstances were present when these heavy progressed aspects formed in the trial chart, it is quite certain that it is not yet precisely correct.

A good method is first to compare the events of life that have occurred with the Major-Progressed Aspects of the planets at the time of each, to discern if each event is thus properly accounted for, and if not whether a progression involving the Asc. or M.C. would better account for it. With this done, take up the Major-Progressed Aspects from and to the Asc. and M.C., starting with birth and tabulating each up to the time rectification is attempted.

If the chart is correct as to the exact degree on the Asc. and M.C. the time of each progressed aspect thus tabulated will correspond to a characteristic event in the life. If events do not closely coincide with the time of these progressed aspects, the chart needs further manipulation; and in this case, if it is close to being correct, the amount of movement forward or backward required to make the Asc. and M.C. properly fit with events often is clearly indicated. As a further check, the Minor-Progressed Aspects to and from the Asc. and M.C. may be employed.

This trial and error method requires persistent work and careful checking, but if carried out thoroughly gives a chart that may be relied upon more implicitly than one rectified by any other method about which I know.

The Truitine of Hermes

Under normal conditions there seems to be an interchange of positions between the horizon at the moment of a child’s conception and the place of the Moon at the moment of birth; and an interchange of positions between the place of the Moon at the moment of a child’s conception and the horizon at the moment of a child’s birth.

Where sympathetic relations between earth and sky are not interfered with by artificial conditions or untoward events, the degree of the zodiac on the Ascendant or Descendant at conception becomes the degree of the zodiac occupied by the Moon at birth; and the degree of the zodiac occupied by the Moon at conception becomes the degree of the zodiac on the Ascendant or Descendant at birth.

This law handed down from a remote past as the Truitine of Hermes has been amplified by modern astrologers, who have added other valuable factors. The application of this ancient law in connection with modern factors and a vast amount of detail has given rise to an elaborate theory called the Prenatal Epoch.

The Prenatal Epoch

The prenatal epoch is of great value in rectifying horoscopes, but in my opinion, which is not shared by all astrologers, is quite valueless in rectification unless the time of birth is ascertained within half an hour of the correct time by some other method.

To apply the method it is necessary to know approximately the sign and degree occupied by the Moon at conception, and to ascertain this it becomes necessary to know approximately the sign and degree on the Ascendant at birth.

The word conception as used in this connection is not coincident with any physical act, but denotes the moment when, through the union of ovum and spermatozoon, the astral body of the child to be born becomes attached to the ovum thus fertilized. In my opinion, which is not shared by all, this attachment is never previous to the physical relations of the parents. The fertilization of the ovum and the attachment of the astral form to it, however, may occur any time during several days after the union of the parents.

With the time of birth approximately known, and the number of days of gestation definitely known, it is a simple matter to calculate the time of conception closely; for the degree occupied by the Moon in the birth chart represents the degree on the horizon at that time, and the Moon must be in a degree of the zodiac not far removed from the approximately known horizon of the birth chart.

From the degree and sign on the horizon at conception the time of day at the moment of conception may readily be calculated, and from this time the degree of the Moon at conception may be ascertained, as in any birth chart. The degree of the Moon at conception, thus found, represents the exact degree on the horizon of the birth chart.

Unfortunately for the infallibility of this method, in some cases it is very difficult to determine the exact number of days of gestation.

The enthusiastic advocates of the method have formulated some very complex Laws of Sex, based upon the supposed value of the quadrants, and the supposed sex value of certain degrees of the zodiac. Unless the chart erected for the epoch—as the true moment of conception commonly is known—by the value of the area occupied by the Moon and Ascendant confirm the sex of the child, the epoch is regarded as fictitious, and an epoch for a different day is sought.

While the Truitine of Hermes certainly seems to formulate a natural law, this “Paramount Law of Sex,” as it is called by its advocates, seems to me to be too artificial and theoretical to be relied upon implicitly. Yet it does deserve investigation and critical study, as it is a serious attempt, at least partially successful, to solve one of the most difficult situations met within the practice of natal astrology.

Those who wish to do so can find a full exposition of the various ramifications of the “Paramount Law of Sex,” in connection with the Prenatal Epoch in a book of considerable size by E. H. Bailey, bearing the title, The Prenatal Epoch.

In my own investigations, and those of our research department, as near as it is possible to decide so uncertain a matter, we have found that without recourse to the “Paramount Law of Sex,” when the birth time is approximately known, the birth chart may be rectified to the correct degree and minute of the rising sign by the Prenatal Epoch in about seven charts out of ten. About 30% of all charts, apparently, do not yield to the regular method of treatment, because the duration of gestation, due to instrumental deliveries, to artificial environment, or other conditions, does not conform to the regular rule.

There are rules given by Bailey for calculating these variations, but they soon lead into bewildering complexities that make them not entirely satisfactory. Consequently, unless the student has the time and inclination to give a very thorough and detailed study to the Prenatal Epoch, when he finds that rectification by the Prenatal Epoch gives a birth time beyond the probable error of observation, it is better for him to make the rectification by the other previously mentioned methods.

Whether Moon and Ascendant or Moon and Descendant Should Be Used

In applying the Prenatal Epoch the first essential knowledge is whether the interchange of places occurs between the Moon and Ascendant or between the Moon and Descendant. In determining this, as well as in determining whether the period of gestation is shorter or longer than the average, the other of the three most important birth-chart factors, the Sun, must also be considered.

RULE XIX. When in the birth chart the Moon is Increasing in light, its position is the degree on the Ascendant at the epoch, and the position of the Moon at the epoch is the degree on the Ascendant in the birth chart.

RULE XX. When in the birth chart the Moon is Decreasing in light, its position is the degree on the Descendant at the epoch, and the position of the Moon at the epoch is the degree on the Descendant in the birth chart.

Whether Gestation Is Shorter or Longer Than 273 Days

The average period of gestation is considered to be ten lunar months, or nine calendar months, or 273 days. To know whether the period of gestation was longer or shorter than 273 days the following rules have been formulated:

RULE XXI When in the birth chart the Moon is Increasing in light and Below the earth, or is Decreasing in light and Above the earth, the period of gestation is more than 273 days.

RULE XXII. When in the birth chart the Moon is Increasing in light and Above the earth, or is Decreasing in light and Below the earth, the period of gestation is less than 273 days.

How Much Gestation Is Shorter or Longer Than 273 Days

To find the number of days that the period of gestation was more or less than 273 days the following two rules customarily are used:

RULE XXIII. When the period of gestation is shown to be more than the average length, find the number of degrees in the birth chart between the Moon and the Horizon to which it is approaching by the diurnal rotation of the earth, and divide this number by 13 (the average daily motion of the Moon), which will give the number of days in excess of 273 occupied by gestation.

RULE XXIV. When the period of gestation is shown to be less than the average length, find the number of degrees in the birth chart between the Moon and the Horizon last crossed by it due to the diurnal motion of the earth, and divide this number by 13 (the average daily motion of the Moon), which will give the number of days less than 273 occupied by gestation.

Theoretically, counting back in the ephemeris as many days as is indicated by the above rules, the Moon should be found in the same sign and near the exact degree occupied by the Ascendant or Descendant, as determined by the above rules, in the approximate birth chart.

Unfortunately this is not always actually the case, but is usually near a day in the ephemeris in which the Moon is in such a sign and degree, and in this case that latter day should be used. In applying the Law of Sex there is a variation to the rule given by which a still further 14 days are added to the period of gestation when it is more than 273 days, or 14 additional days are subtracted when the period of gestation is shown to be less than 273 days. Further, there are supposed to be Three Irregular Epochs that because of the Law of Sex require special treatment.

Complexities begin to multiply. I believe, however, that about seven out of every ten birth charts can be rectified by the Prenatal Epoch when the time of birth is approximately known without reference to any of these elaborate and special considerations which are not held in favor by all astrologers. Let us, therefore, apply the regular Prenatal Rules to two example charts:

Example 1. A child was born in New York City, November 22, 1920, at approximately 5:00 a.m., Local Mean Time. What was the exact degree and minute rising at the true moment of birth?

First we erect a trial chart for the time of birth, inserting only the Sun and Moon (Diagram A at front of this chapter).

As the Moon is Increasing in light—moving toward the opposition with the Sun—the place of the Moon in the birth chart, 11 Aries 41, is the Ascendant at the epoch (Rule XIX). Also (Rule XXI) the period of gestation is more than 273 days.

From 6 Scorpio to 12 Aries is 156 degrees. Divide this by 13 and it gives 12 days more than 273 as the period of gestation (Rule XXIII).

Counting back 9 calendar months brings us to Feb. 22; and as we desire to find 273 days, or 10 lunar months, we look to see on what date near this day the Moon is in 12 Aries, as at birth. This is Feb. 23, 1920.

Counting 12 days back from Feb. 23 gives us Feb. 11. Here we find the Moon in 17 Scorpio. But as we have reason to believe the birth was timed within half an hour or less of being correct, we drop back another day to Feb. 10, with the Moon in 5 Scorpio 28. This then is one of the many cases in which the rule for finding the length of gestation brings us close to the correct day but does not give us the exact day.

As the Ascendant on this day of conception, or Epoch, was the place of the Moon in the birth chart, we must find at what time 11 Aries 41 was on the Ascendant on Feb. 10, 1920. The Table of Houses for New York shows that when 11 Aries 41 is on the Ascendant the Sidereal Time is 18h 27m 00s. The Sidereal Time at noon on Feb. 10 was 21h 17m 06s. Subtracting 18h 27m 00s from 21h 17m 06s gives an Interval of 2h 50m 06s before noon. To this add the correction of 9.86s per hour for the plus 2h 06m EGMT Interval (equivalent to subtracting it from the S.T.) and it gives 2h 50m 27s as the minus LMT Interval of the Epoch at New York. This means 9:10 a.m. LMT New York or plus 2h 06m EGMT Interval on Feb. 10, 1920.

The place of the Moon on Feb. 10, at plus EGMT Interval 2h 06m (9:10 a.m. LMT New York) is found to be 6 Scorpio 31. Therefore 6 Scorpio 31 was on the Ascendant at birth.

The Table of Houses for New York shows that when 6 Scorpio 31 is on the Ascendant the Sidereal Time is 9h 05m 07s. The Sidereal Time at noon on November 22, 1920, is 16h 04m 40s. Subtracting 9h 05m 07s from 16h 04m 40s gives an Interval of 6h 59m 33s before noon. From this subtract the correction of 9.86s per hour for the minus 2h 04m EGMT Interval and it gives minus 6h 59m 12s LMT Interval. Subtracting this from noon gives the LMT time of birth at New York as 5:01 a.m.

Example 2. A child was born in New York City, December 3, 1920, at 3:08 p.m., Local Mean Time. What was the exact degree and minute on the Ascendant at the true moment of birth?

First we erect a trial chart inserting the Sun and Moon only (Diagram B at the front of this chapter).

In this chart for the time given the Moon is seen to be Decreasing in light—going toward the conjunction with the Sun. Therefore (Rule XX), the position of the Moon at birth, 25 Virgo 41, was the Descendant at conception. Also (Rule XXII), the period of gestation was less than 273 days.

Applying Rule XXIV, from 26 Virgo to 17 Scorpio is 51 degrees. Divide the 51 by 13 and it gives 4 as the number of days the period of gestation was less than 273 days.

Going back in the ephemeris 9 calendar months and looking for a day close to this time that shows the Moon again in 26 Virgo, we come to March 5, 1920. However, as seen, the period of gestation was 4 days less than this average time, so we come to March 9 as the day of the Epoch.

Next we desire to know the time of day at New York when 25 Virgo 41 was on the Descendant, which is the same as when 25 Pisces 41 is on the Ascendant.

A Table of Houses for New York shows us that when 25 Pisces 41 is on the Ascendant the Sidereal Time is 17h 50m 05s. The Sidereal Time at noon on March 9, 1920, was 23h 07m 29s. Subtracting 17h 50m 05s from 23h 07m 29s gives us an Interval of 5h 17m 24s. From this subtract the correction of 9.86s per hour for the minus 21m EGMT Interval and it gives us 5h 17m 20s as the minus LMT Interval of the Epoch at New York. This means 6:43 a.m. LMT New York or 11:39 a.m. Greenwich, March 5, 1920.

Then we calculate the position of the Moon on March 9, 1920, at 11:39 a.m. Greenwich and find it was 13 Scorpio 01. Therefore, in the birth chart 13 Scorpio 01 was on the Descendant, which gives 13 Taurus 01 on the Ascendant at the true moment of birth.

The Table of Houses for New York shows that when 13 Taurus 01 is on the Ascendant the Sidereal Time is 19h 45m 55s. The Sidereal Time at noon on December 3, 1920, is 16h 48m 02s. Subtracting 16h 48m 02s from 19h 45m 55s gives an interval of 2h 57m 53s after noon. From this subtract the correction of 9.86s per hour for the plus 7h 54m EGMT Interval, and it gives 2h 56m 35s as the plus LMT Interval. This gives the LMT time of birth at New York as 2:57 p.m.

It will be seen from the above two typical examples that rectification by the Prenatal Epoch, except when unusual conditions are present, offers no greater mathematical difficulties than are ordinarily present in the erection of a birth chart.

Occasionally a birth is encountered which does not yield to the simple rules illustrated above, and then the astrologer’s resourcefulness may be taxed to the limit. In these complex cases results are more satisfactory if other methods than the Prenatal Epoch be used to check the accuracy of the birth chart obtained.

Responsibility of the Astrologer to His Client

Telling the fortune of his client plays a very small part in the work of a reputable astrologer. Instead, his work largely consists in a careful appraisal of the possibilities open to his client as revealed by a study of his birth chart and the progressed aspects, and in offering advice and instructions that will enable him to take the utmost advantage of such possibilities.

There may be, and often are, conditions arising from the trend of national events and the activities and fortunes of other people, over which the individual has no control. And if he is informed of the nature of these events, when they will happen, and the bearing they will have upon his life, it will give him a certain advantage. With this knowledge he is able to shape his affairs in advance to conform to these conditions as they present themselves.

Yet the astrologer should be at some pains to impress upon him that most events affecting his life are not inevitable. They are attracted to him only because he has within his astral body thought-cells organized in a definite manner. It lies within his power to change the thought organization of his astral body, and to divert the energy of progressed aspects into channels that will enable only such groups of thought cells as he chooses to become more than normally active.

The birth chart should be viewed by the astrologer as mapping the natural tendencies and qualifications with which the individual was born. It is a map of the effect of previous experiences of the soul. It is not a map of unchanging conditions, but merely of the character, and power to attract conditions, as they exist at birth.

Yet even so, it reveals the raw materials, so to speak, with which the life begins. From it the astrologer should be able to discern the avenues of endeavor which will yield the most satisfactory results from effort expended. And he should advise his client and instruct him how to proceed, utilizing the raw materials he has, to make the most of his life.

From the birth chart the astrologer thus should analyze each department of life, and discern the normal trend of the events attracted as they relate to each of these twelve departments. This information not only should be used, as indicated, to determine the line of effort into which the energies should be directed to make the most progress, but also as a basis for advice which should be given the client on how to remodel the thought organizations in the discordant departments of life so that they will cease to attract misfortune.

Progressed aspects should not be regarded as implying inevitable events, but as temporary stellar aerials stretching across the astral body that pick up, radio fashion, new energy, which if not manipulated by the individual, is added to the thought cells in his astral body at their terminals.

If the thought cells, working from the inner plane, are to accomplish much, that is, if they are to attract events of consequence, they must be supplied with energy. Any progressed aspect maps an aerial that supplies additional energy and thus enables the thought cells of the astral body to do more work. They can attract events of an importance comparable to the amount of energy thus reaching them. Any progressed aspect, therefore, offers possibilities for attracting events that otherwise would not be present.

The problem is, not to prevent the energy picked up by even a discordant temporary stellar aerial from reaching the astral body, but so to divert, manipulate, or control it that the resulting activity of the thought cells it reaches will be harmonious enough to attract fortunate events instead of disaster.

Even the most discordant temporary energy added to thought cells in the astral body which, as shown by powerfully fortunate aspects of the planets mapping them in the birth chart, are themselves basically fortunate, is not difficult to divert, by the mental attitude or by harmonious Rallying Forces which may be present, into channels that will attract considerable good fortune. The astrologer should thus not be hasty to discourage effort under such conditions; but rather make a careful analysis of how advantage may be taken of the additional energy.

A more difficult problem is when, from the birth chart and progressed aspect, it is clear that the energy if left to itself will attract misfortune. But even in such cases possibilities are open for changing the quality of the new energy through the mental attitude. Just what those possibilities are, and to what extent his client should as completely as possible avoid certain activities and certain kinds of environment, requires keen judgment upon the part of the astrologer.

As the harmony or discord of the thought cells determines the fortune or misfortune of the event attracted, to the extent the thought cells in a given department of life are given greater harmony, to that extent are the events attracted more fortunate. Such harmony can be imparted either through the proper application of a Mental Antidote, or through Conversion, in either method the composition of the thought cells being changed; or through the application of harmonious Rallying Forces, by which process harmonious energies are so completely tuned in on that they reach all temporary stellar aerials mapped by progressed aspects at the time, and thus find their way to the stellar cells governing various departments of life.

It thus becomes the work of the astrologer, among other things, to appraise the possibilities offered by progressed aspects, and to instruct his client how the thought structure of his astral body can be changed, and the new energies mapped by progressed aspects manipulated to the best advantage.

Life presents a series of problems to each individual, and the astrologer should be an expert in assisting people, with his knowledge of astrology and the working of the unconscious mind, to solve these problems in the most advantageous manner. There is a best course of action and a best mental attitude under any condition that may arise; and it is the function of the astrologer to discover these for his client, and to make them plain to him.

When pointing out to his client the trend of developing conditions which make a course of action and mental attitude advisable, he should ever bear in mind the power of suggestion. Instead of instilling the feeling of fear, he should point out the path of constructive endeavor. His outlook should be that something always can be done, even under the most adverse conditions, to make them better than they otherwise would be.

To the extent the astrologer is able to assist people, through his advice, to overcome the limitations otherwise imposed by their birth charts, to escape the afflictions otherwise attracted by the temporary stellar aerials mapped by progressed aspects, and to attain usefulness, happiness and spirituality, is he justified in considering himself successful in his calling.

Thus will he assist others, as well as himself, to CONTRIBUTE THEIR UTMOST TO UNIVERSAL WELFARE.

Birth Charts

David Belasco July 25, 1853, 11:40 p.m. L.M.T. 122½W 38N. Famous (ruler of 10th in 1st, trine M.C.) theatrical producer Venus conjunction Mercury in 5th, house of the theatre, trine Moon, sextile Mars; Mercury trine Pluto, sextile Mars. Abundant money from the public; Jupiter in 8th, trine Sun, trine Moon. Dramatic ability: Neptune elevated, sextile Asc., semisextile Moon. Originality: Uranus conjunction the Asc. Cooperation with others. Pluto square Sun, trine Mercury. Organization, system, perseverance: Saturn in 1st, sextile Sun.

Charts A and B

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