Finding Your Time of Birth

In Astrology, timing is everything. While it’s still possible to have an astrological consultation if you don’t know the exact time you were born, it will limit the options of what you can reasonably cover in the consultation. For deeper, specific and accurate insights into personality and life patterns or any kind of predictive astrology at all, an accurately-timed birth chart is essential. 

The gold standard for birth time is the time of birth reported on an original birth certificate. If you don’t happen to have a birth certificate lying around, for most people, it's pretty easy to obtain one. Birth certificates are public records and are usually maintained by the local equivalent of the Vital Statistics Agency. 

When I first launched this site as Astrological Horoscopes & Forecasts way back in 1996, I provided some guidelines for how one can obtain a certified copy of their birth certificate with time of birth. I based these guidelines on an old book in my personal astrology library, Astrological Life Cycles by John Townley. Townley did quite a bit of research and provided addresses and information for every Vital Statistics Agency in the United States and outlying territories, including helpful information about the fees for a birth certificate (around $3). 

I used to have an eMail request form where people could write me and I'd write back and give them the information I had. As I was preparing to migrate to the new site, I received a request from someone born in Louisiana. The office address was in New Orleans, and I had to wonder if it was still accurate, given the state of the city post-Katrina. Then I realized that this book was published in 1980. More than the fees were probably out of date. 

So rather than offer outdated information, I did some research of my own, and have provided web links to the appropriate offices in the United States. As far as I can tell, every one of them has the ability to request a birth certificate online (although a few require that you download a form and submit it by mail). The only advice I have is to make sure that when you request the birth certificate that you specify that it includes the time of birth. 

This was quite a bit of work, so the Vital Statistics Agency Links are only available to registered members. Joining is easy and it's free—plus, you'll get access to more exclusive content, special offers, and all of the Goodies. 

REGISTERED MEMBERS CLICK HERE TO ACCESS VITAL STATISTICS AGENCY LINKS

What To Do When You Can’t Get a Birth Certificate

If you’re not able to obtain a birth certificate with accurate time of birth, there is another option. You can have your birth chart rectified. Rectification is a very complicated process, and while many professional astrologers know how to do it (it's a requirement to become a Level IV NCGR PAA Astrologer) few offer it as a service. 

The idea of chart rectification is this: you work with a set of charts from a series of major events in an individual’s life (births, deaths, marriages, divorces, accidents, surgeries, etc.) and compare these events to the natal chart. You then adjust the natal chart so that these events trigger the chart in ways that one would expect. If the process is done right, the result is a birth chart that responds in a reliable, predictable way to transits and progressions. It may not be the actual time of birth, but it's a chart that will work for interpretation and predictive purposes. 

I do offer chart rectification as a service. My fee is $150 for the rectification. This does not include any interpretation or counseling. You will receive the rectified chart data at the end of the process, which usually takes me about two weeks to complete. 

In order to rectify a chart, I will need a list of about 10 major events with date and location of the event. At least five of those events must have accurate, specific times as well. The birth of children or siblings work very well for this. 

If you would like to have your chart rectified, click the link below and fill out the form. 

Birth Chart Rectification Request