What if I don’t know my birth time?


The natal chart is cast for the date, time, and place of your birth. Using an accurate birth time is important because it will affect the rising sign and as well the placement of each planet. The Moon, for instance, moves about 12 degrees a day and could change signs at some point within the day.

The most accurate source will be the birth certificate. Surprisingly, many mothers don’t remember the exact time (even though we like to this our birth is the most momentous event of her life!), so asking might not produce the right time- unless you can confirm it with other sources (the doctor, husband, partner, etc.). Other sources include baby books or hospital records.

If you do not know your birth time there are two options available to you:

  1. Solar Chart. This method puts the Sun on the eastern horizon and we are able to read the planets in signs and most aspects. There is still a good amount of information that can be gleaned from a solar chart although more specific information about the houses cannot be interpreted.
  2. Rectification. This specialized technique backs into an approximate birth time by examining a number of important events (marriages, new jobs, new house, etc.) as compared against a birth chart.

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