Page 13 - Talented Astrologer • Volume 1 Number 10 • June 2017

Everyone can agree that timing matters in astrology. Whether you’re asking a horary question, exploring an event, or interpreting a birth chart, the chart itself is meant to be a snapshot of the positions of the planets, viewed from a speci c location,
at the moment of inception. When working with horary questions or events, timing is usually straightforward: often you can simply glance at your watch to get an accurate time for the chart. Timing in natal astrology, however, can be quite complicated.
Most birth certi cates include a recorded time of birth, and families often keep uno cial birth records, such as a baptismal certi cate, family Bible, or baby book that note the time of birth. In the Rodden Rating system developed by Lois Rodden, these are the most reliable sources of data, rated “AA” for “Accurate accurate.”
Rodden also considers birth times quoted by family members from memory to be “A” rated for “accurate.”
ese birth times may be accurate enough for astrological research, but can you really know that the time is precise? Does “a little after 6 p.m.” mean 6:02 p.m. or 6:20 p.m.? And even the recorded times on birth certi cates may be suspect. Some hospitals routinely round the birth time to the nearest quarter-hour. For many
years, all births in the state of Illinois had to be recorded as Standard Time, even when Daylight Time was in e ect.
Timing has always been important in astrology, but consider that the ability to measure time down to the minute is a modern convenience. e word “horoscope” comes from the original Greek word for the Ascendant, horoskopos, which literally means “hour-marker.” Modern astrologers quibble over a few minutes, but ancient astrologers considered a one-hour window accurate enough for a chart.
Which brings us back to the original question, “How important is an accurate birth time.” e answer is, “It depends.”
It depends on how you plan to use the chart, and it depends on your de nition of accurate.
Timing matters the most in predictive natal astrology.
Predictive natal astrology looks at how triggers to the natal chart, such as transits, progressions, and directions, trigger the natal chart and activate its potential. Predictive natal astrology is extremely complex, and it doesn’t work the way most astrologers expect it to. e natal chart
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