How to calculate a Horoscope
Calculating Times and Degrees for:
A : The Planet Positions
B : The House Axes
C : House System adjustments for new places of living
To start the whole process you need your birth data in front of you. To make understanding as easy as possible, i will use for all coming examples the following - fictive - birth data: 1955, July, 14., 02h 05m, 8º40' e., 47º30' n.
1. Calculating the [Planet Positions]]
Now, the first thing to check out is the global Time Zone in which a birth took place. (The Table "Global Time Zones and their Prime Meridians" can be found on page W 31 - or chapter 4 on excerpts).
Every Time Zone has got a Prime Meridian (that's the longitude on which that Time Zones time is precise by hour and minute. Prime Meridians start from 00º00' (GMT) on, than every 15º east or west.
You need to know this, because the planets positions (recorded in the Ephemeris), are all calculated to the GMT Prime Meridian on 00º00'!
If you are born exactly on 00º00' you don't need any calculations, because your birth time is automatically local meantime too, and of course also already the right planet time.
In any other case, you start first to calculate your local meantime, because your registered birth time is just the official time for one whole Time Zone, which expands over 1 hour.
So, if you are not born precisely on a Prime Meridian, your birth time will have actually been a couple of minutes before or after the official time. (Check for easier understanding also the graphic on page W 33 -not available on excerpts).
If your birthplace is east of your Time Zones Prime Meridian, you need to add 4 minutes for every degree in distance (24 hours devided by 360º = 4 min.).
If your birthplace is west of your Time Zones Prime Meridian, you have to subtract 4 minutes for every degree in distance.
Example A :
Birth Time 02h 05m
Prime Meridian (Central European Time) = 15º00'
Birthplace = 8º40'
Difference = 6º20'
Birthplace is west of Prime Meridian = 4 x 6 20 = minus25m
Real Local Meantime = 01h 40m
If your local meantime is in any other Time Zone than GMT, you will have to subtract (for Time Zones east of GMT) or add (for Time Zones west of GMT) the difference in time to GMT, to get the right planet time.
For Example A:
Local Meantime 01h 40m
Central European Time is 1 hour east (or plus) GMT = minus 01h
Time on the GMT Prime Meridian = Planet Time (or P.T.) 00h 40m
Example B :
Same birth time 02h 05m
Other birthplace 20º 30' east, still Central European Time.
Prime Meridian 15º 00'
Difference = 5º 30'
Birthplace is east of Prime Meridian = 4 x 5 30 = plus22m
Real Local Meantime 02h 27m
Central European Time is 1 hour after GMT = minus 01h
P.T. = 01h 27m
Example C :
Same irth time 02h 05m
Prime Meridian 75º 00' west ( for E.T. USA)
Other birthplace 74º 00' west (Eastern Time, USA)
Difference = 01º
Birthplace is east of Prime Meridian = 4 x 1 = plus 04m
Real Local Meantime 02h 09m
Eastern Time USA is 5 hours before GMT = plus 05h
P.T. = 07h 09m
Notice : In case your calculation ends with a figure above 24h 00m, you simply have to subtract 24h 00m from it, but using still the same birthday!
If your P.T. is not approximately 00h 00m, you will have to write down 2 planet positions.
One for the very beginning of your birthday, the other one for the very beginning of the next day, because the Ephemeris are usually written for 00h 00m each day.
The difference is the movement of each planet, within the 24 hours around your birth time. (For the slow moving planets such as Pluto, Neptune and Uranus, the difference is virtually none, while the Moon -as the fastest moving planet- usually moves about 12 degrees within this 24 hours).
This calculations are basic mathematics and shouldn't be difficult to conduct.
To show the process and the results, here the regular example for 1955 July 14. 02h 05m, Planet Time 00h 40m :
...not available in excerpts.
2. Calculating the House Axes
While you where reading the planet positions in the Ephemeris, you came across one more line: The Sidereal Time! That time, calculated like the planets for your birth time on GMT, will be necessary for the coming calculation.
The process is very simple. All that is to do, is to add this Sidereal Time to your local meantime. (Not your P.T.)!
With our regular example it looks like that:
Local Meantime 01h 40m
Sidereal Time 14. July 00h 40 rounded up and added 19h 25m
House System Time H.S.T. = 21h 05m
Notice : Again, if you should get a number above 24h 00m, you take 24h 00m off, because the time system doesn't have more than 24 hours.
The next step would be to check the "Birthplace Table of Houses" (see example page W 37 -not available on excerpts).
If your House System matches exactly one of the times indicated on the left hand side of the MC, you have it easy. Just go down along the latitudes to the one of your birthplace, and if you're born exactly on a full degree, you have it again easy, you just read the line.
All others have to start calculating the precise figures in between the full degrees.
In terms of our regular example that means:
H. S. T. 21h 05m
Nearest figure in tables 21h 05m 52s
that is roughly a quarter more than 14º Z, so it is correctly MC 14º 15' Z
For all the other 5 house axes we have to add this quarter.
Since the northern latitude for our example is exactly in
the middle of 47º and 48º, we have to calculate also there
first the middle figure.
Ascendant on 14º for 48º = 15º 19' on 15º for 48º =16º 24'
for 47º = 14º 11' for 47º =15º 17'
difference = 1º 08' difference = 1º 07'
middle of both = 34' = 15º 51'
14º 45' for 15º
for 14º
difference = 1º 06' a quarter of it =16' makes Asc. 15º 01'
The same procedure for the other Houses =
II. House 7º 40'
III. House 26º 38'
XI. House 28º 39'
XII. House 13º 40'
This are the precise positions. The other 6 ends of the axes are of course exactly on the opposite positions. People who are born on the southern Hemisphere simply go along their MC line backwards, to the opposite MC line (6º instead of 6º f.ex.) and read their southern latitude on the same place where the normally northern latitudes stand, take that figures, but reverse the signs to the opposite.
The MC remains always the same. (f.ex. MC = 6º , not 6º , Asc. = 28º , not ).
For the information about the meaning of each degree, as can be found in the chapter "The 360º of the Zodiac", the precise figures may be rounded down or up.
That means; from -25' to +25' it is always one particular degree, but with figures between 25' and 35', both degrees have to be considered. (Example 22º 33' = 22º and 23º ).
With our regular example we would have to read:
MC 14º
Asc. 15º
II. 8º
III. 27º
XI. 29º
XII. 14º
The same way of rounding down or up is to use of course with the planets!
3. House System adjustments for new places of living
Not everybody remains living at the place they where born.
This change of place - and therefore of the environment - has to show up in a Horoscope, otherwise every updated interpretation - mainly of course also the Transits - would simply be completely wrong, and in Astrology nothing is worse than wrong information!
The process is simple. With your House System Time you found your MC in the Table of Houses. Besides of the time you've seen also a degree figure in that same top line, right of the MC..
The difference between the longitude of your birthplace and the longitude of your new (or any future planed) place of living has to be added (if you moved - or plan to move - east), or subtracted (if you moved - or plan to move - west) from that figure next to your birthplace MC.
In our regular example that would look like this:
...not available in excerpts.
That was already all the calculating work.
If you could follow so far, here a little advice: Practice first a while, and try to Double check your Calculations, also with other Astrologers, or a computerized calculator, because mistakes can have very bad effects!
The Aspects
180º = = Opposition Inner tension, but awareness for others potential.
120º = = Trine Easy, advancing awareness, fortune, success, harmony.
90º = = Square Hardship, loss, misfortune, victims of force.
72º = = Pentagon Special talents, easy achievements.
60º = = Hexagon Refining, fortunate opportunities, uplifting, harmonious.
0º = = Conjunction Difficult or positive, according to planets involved.
Some People use even more aspects, but they haven't proved to be of any significance for me, throughout 12 years of research. The 6 aspects above are the logical essence, because they build 1/1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6 of a circle.
To read the different aspects easily, you may use the following way to draw them into your Horoscope
= --------------------- Full line between two positions
= ------ ------ ------ Three stripped line between two positions
= ---- ---- ---- ---- Four stripped line between two positions
= --- --- --- --- --- Five stripped line between two positions
= -- -- -- -- -- -- Six stripped line between two positions
= Half circle around two, or multiple, positions
The Orbs of Planets, Asc. and MC
Seldom enough you come across an aspect that is exactly 90º, or 0º, for instance.
Each aspect has got a flexibility zone. How much that is depends on the planets that are involved. Also the MC / IC and Asc. / Desc. axes have their particular orb.
To get the right amount of acceptance for an aspect precisely, you need to take the middle of the allowed orb of the two ends of a certain aspect.
+ each 10º plus or minus
, + each 8º plus or minus
+ each 6º plus or minus
Asc., MC + / each 5º plus or minus
(this counts also for the other houses, mainly to determine into which house a planet actually belongs).
, + each 4º plus or minus
Example : = 10º, MC = 5º, makes 15 : 2 = 7º 30' plus or minus between does two positions, for instance: on 7º 13' in a to the MC on 14º 43' . This would be an aspect at the very edge of its possible acceptance. It is clear, that an aspect like that would be less strong, or important, than an other aspect with very little of used orb.
Transit Aspects
The most important issue here right up front:
All Transit aspects have an orb of no more and no less than exactly 1º !
Example : Transit in a aspect to the Radix on 11º 15'.
This Transit will be active from 26º 15' to 28º 15' (for instance), that's usually around 48 hours.
Notice : To interpret Transits 100% right, you will have to check the house out of which the transiting planet builds the aspect, as well as the house in which the aspected planet stands.
And before all of that, you will have to check the degrees that are involved on both ends of the aspect!
To watch the transits is basically much more interesting than just to study a Horoscope, because many people know them self's pretty well without the help of Astrology, but they cant predict their future!
As for you, if you could follow the whole process so far, you can! (Of course, Transits can be checked as well for any past time).
To predict the general quality of any future time -independent from a particular Person- you only check the planet positions, their degrees and their aspects for the chosen time. That's called Global Time Quality.
Source
http://astrolog.swifthost.net/astrology_book_script/astrology_how_to_calculate_charts.html
