Chapter One
doing the groundwork to verify birth times
Even though births in the United States have been reliably recorded since the mid-twentieth century, one cannot assume the same accuracy in birth records from other countries. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, many countries still do not record birth times precisely, if at all, so the astrologer's work still can be quite difficult. Many states and countries that do record specific birth times also have laws regulating to whom access is granted-most often restricted to immediate family members. Therefore, in the absence of a timed birth certificate, it is much more efficient if the client does the initial groundwork by searching though family records such as letters, baby books, or the family bible.
Other complications can impede the search for birth records. Early in the twentieth century some states did not record birth times, but later legislation required them to do so. Knowing the local recording procedures and dates of any changes is quite important. The Doris Chase Doane reference works Time Changes in the U.S.A. and Time Changes in the World, published by the American Federation of Astrologers in Tempe, Arizona, are important books to own for astrologers still doing hand calculations. Fortunately for computer users, U.S. and world time variances have been incorporated into all of the major chart calculation programs, saving a huge amount of search time and greatly reducing the possibility of error.
Of course, accurate clock time is dependent on a reasonably good timepiece being accurately set in the first place-a huge assumption. We all know of the infinite variations of consistent time from communities refusing to observe daylight saving time, to clocks and watches running too slow or too fast. Just experiment by asking the time in a group of people and you will likely get as many variances. Of course, atomic clocks commonly in use at the turn of the twenty-first century may narrow the time variables for future generations. Even the cell phone, which most everyone carries, is set to atomic time and changes itself automatically as one travels across time zones or time changes from "standard" to "daylight" or "war time." Accurate birth time is a major concern for all astrology forecasting work whether researching, consulting with clients, or writing for the astrology market. Even though rectified charts are not proper to use for research, or publication without appropriate disclaimers, knowing the principles of rectification may make the difference in accurate forecasting for the client-especially for clients returning each year for an update, as is usually the case.
People must be aware of the variety of resources for locating a birth time, or at least an approximate birth time, to make the rectification task easier and more affordable. Assuming that the client does not know his or her birth time, others who were present or notified of the birth may remember or may have made record of the birth in some way. It is important to make contact with relatives, friends, and community connections to determine if some sort of record exists to narrow the search. The following list provides some suggestions for good resources to check:
- 1. Relatives and friends who were present at the birth may remember the time, or if they received an announcement, they may have saved it.
- 2. The family bible often has birth times listed.
- 3. Family correspondence at the time frequently mentions the birth details.
- 4. Local newspapers list all hospital births from the previous day, and some even list the birth time.
- 5. Baptism records may be found at the family's church.
- 6. Baby book entries by the mother very often reveal birth details.
- 1. Even saved hospital ID bracelets may have the birth time recorded.
- 2. An official birth certificate from the state or country of birth usually will have the time.
Having completed the survey of family members for the birth data (month, day, year, city, state, country, and birth time), one must be advised not to proceed unless all variables are known except the time. "If more than one factor in the needed data is missing, the variations become staggering, and the task [of rectification] is almost impossible."1 Dr. Dobyns recognizes the importance of birth time in setting a chart, but implies that if one has the birth time but is missing the birth date or the birth location, then either of those may be inferred by working from the other two. That is not the case. The birth time provides the angles at any given location in the world, but even with the birth time the angles cannot be determined without knowing the location and the date. Dobyns is correct that the birth time is critical, but with any other factor missing the rectification task is impossible.
Begin by compiling a list of a dozen or more major life events with dates
Once other resources have been exhausted and rectification of the birth time becomes necessary, the next step is to gather a list of specific life events with dates and times, as many as possible. To begin a rectification search of any range, one must ideally start with a dozen or more dates of major life events to make the search reasonably reliable and worthwhile. Major challenging events provide the most prominent indicators for a search because many personal planets and angles are activated for the major events. It is much easier to detect a high peak of several long-and short-term moving factors to natal chart planetary positions when they simultaneously activate the chart by "stacking up," rather than wading through the more ordinary life events described by fewer activated chart factors. Some astrological software is designed specifically for research and rectification searches. Bernadette Brady and Graham Dawson's Jigsaw 2.0 program, marketed by Astrolabe in Massachusetts, is one very good rectification search program, though the Kepler 7.0 program, Solar Fire Deluxe, and Win*Star 2.0 programs include good search features as well.
The major life events most useful in the rectification search are the most painful and dramatic losses in life and may include the following:
- 1. Death of a young child
- 2. Separation from a loved one through divorce or break-up
- 3. Death of a parent or older child
- 4. Surgery or major illness
- 5. Loss of a job or job change
- 6. Accident with serious injury
- 7. Abuse of any sort
- 8. Victim of serious crime
- 9. Perpetrator of crime with arrest and/or incarceration
- 10. Bankruptcy or sudden financial loss
- 11. Extreme stress from any source (parents, marriage, job, children, etc.)
Here are some events that are important to note but generally are less useful in the rectification search:
- 1. Moving to a new location
- 2. Job promotion or sudden financial gain
- 3. Marriage
- 4. Birth of a child or grandchild
- 5. Honors or recognition
- 6. Retirement
- 7. Spiritual milestones marked by intense preparation
- 8. Travel
- 9. Purchase of a home or vehicle
The more painful events rate a much higher priority than the generally pleasant or joyful events. How much more? It may differ, but events from the first list may be four or five times as helpful in the rectification search, as a reasonable estimate. In the case of an unusually dramatic loss at a young age, the impact may be more than ten times more prominent than a pleasant event. For instance, the loss of a parent is a very powerful loss for anyone, but the individual is affected differently by the loss at various times of life. If the parent dies at age ninety-five and the client accepts the natural transition, the loss will not be nearly as powerful as the loss of a parent for a young child who is scared and confused, even traumatized, by the event. Ideally, the list the client provides for the birth rectification search will have many combinations of these events to provide a dozen or more with specific dates and, where possible, specific times. Certainly, the search may be attempted with fewer than a dozen events, but the result may not be as reliable. Also, rectification is an extremely difficult task to attempt for young people without several challenging and/ or life-changing events to use as time markers.
Limit early searches for aspect hooks
In modern astrology, the techniques commonly used for the process of rectification provide varying degrees of success. Indeed, the process is so complex that few astrologers attempt the task because the time involved is extensive and few clients want to pay the fee for an extended search. As a practical result, very little has been written on the topic, and therefore few astrologers feel well-enough schooled in the art to offer birth time rectification as a service.
Now that the groundwork of listing the dates of important life events is done, the next step is to search the natal planetary placements for close hard aspect connections within 1 degree. The premise is that when planets or the Moon's nodes are in close natal aspect, or when one of them is activated by direction, progression, or transit, so are the other planets or points in the configuration. Therefore, one should list all of the 1-degree close aspect networks of the chart in order of closeness of orb. Orbs beyond 2 degrees are less helpful as the "hook" upon which to begin the rectification search. Of course, it is possible that the natal Moon or an angle may also be involved in the close hard aspect network, but that cannot be determined with reasonable certainty until later in the rectification process.
Astrology software is best for rectification sear...
