Category: Astrology

Ascendant: Determining the Time of Birth

In astrological terminology, the methods and techniques of determining the precise time of birth are known as rectification.
The lack of knowledge about the exact time of birth may be a hindrance in studying astrology and in seeking professional astrological counsel. Astrology novices, who are not able to cast their own charts, may simply get discouraged from studying. Others, instead of visiting a professional astrologer, will turn to magazine or Internet horoscopes for Taureans or Librans or they will consult Internet astrologers, who often do not consider the accurate time of birth as absolute necessity.
It does not have to be this way. The following miniguide is dedicated to all those who have difficulty verifying their time of birth or the exact time of birth of those closest to them. The following text will also let more advanced students of astrology systematize their knowledge and learn a new useful technique.

Astrology, rectification

Miniguide to Chart Rectification

There is no horoscope if the Ascendant is unknown (the Greek word horoskopos means one who watches the time). A chart interpretation may occur if the birth time is known with the accuracy of +/- 15 minutes. Astrology is a precise branch of knowledge, though, which means that the more accurate the data, the more accurate analysis and conclusions will be. It is worth remembering that one does not rectify the Ascendant only, but the whole birth chart. The following are twelve steps leading to chart rectification (ours or somebody else’s).

1. Collect all the data that you might need
a) look for the wristband that all newborn babies receive after birth in a hospital or try to find newborn patients’ medical records, which are the most trustworthy sources regarding the accurate time of your birth;

b)  ask you mother, aunt, grandmother what time you were born (women usually remember better what time it was and father often remembers very little). Do not take no for an answer and pay no attention to comments like: “I don’t remember”; “Leave me alone”; “Are you crazy? Why do you need to know?”; “It was so long ago”. Push and ask further questions, which will enable you to narrow the search field: “Was it day or night?”; “Was dad going to work or coming from work?”; “Was there a shift change in the hospital?” The mother might remember some vital details, such as church bell sound or she may remember watching the news on TV just before going to hospital;

c) look up your birth time at General Register Office. If a clerk refuses to provide you with the information, submit a formal request for “a copy of birth certificate with birth time”. In some offices it is possible to obtain the information by phone; make sure you do not disclose any information on your birth time that you already have;

d) look up your birth time in hospital files; this might be tricky, however, as all the files are destroyed after 10 years at the most;

e) if you were born at home or in a small town, you can find your birth time (accurate or approximate) at the local parish;

2. Remember that:
a) mother and other family members usually remember only approximate time; so if you were born at 3.12 p.m., thirty years later they can only remember 3 p.m. or that it happened in the afternoon;
b) the time recorded at General Register Office, on the wristband or in the medical record also is often only approximate and is usually 10 to 20 minutes belated compared to the actual birth time (in hospitals,  for example, it is usually written some time after the delivery is complete);
c) the information that the birth time was either 6 a.m. or 8 p.m. should be treated with suspicion, especially if the source of the information are the hospital files. Often hospital shifts ended at these hours and the nurses just recorded the same birth time for all the children born during a given shift. Fortunately, such practices have been discontinued;

Those who are not familiar with astrology cannot go beyond the above points. The information gathered so far should be presented to a professional astrologer, who will try to rectify the chart. If none of the above have been successful, it will be sadly impossible to perform a professional astrology reading for you (see introduction).

The following guidelines are destined for those who practise astrology and would like to try their hand at chart rectification.
3. Print your chart. You might use a trial version of Urania – an astrological program which you can download from www.astrologia.pl (see Interesting Websites)
4. Based on the information that you have acquired, make a list of all possible combinations of signs and dvadasamsas (and in some cases planets) on the Ascendant, Descendant, Medium Coeli and Imum Coeli that occurred within the given time parameters.
This is the key moment of rectification. I recommend exploring all the possibilities thirty minutes before the time suggested by your sources and fifteen minutes after it. The rule might not apply in all cases. Note that the change of ASC/DSC dvadasamsas does not necessarily entail the change of MC/IC dvadasamsas; and vice versa. We are interested in all the possible combinations.
It is worth pointing out at this juncture that for the people born in Poland the dvadasamsas of the Ascendants in Leo, Virgo, Libra and Scorpio change every 14-15 minutes, and for the Ascendants in Aquarius, Pisces, Aries and Taurus the change occurs every 4-5 minutes. There are fewer people born with the signs of short ascension on the Ascendant and the rectification process for them requires more effort.

5. In the time period that you are exploring check for any planet changing dvadasamsas (especially the Moon). If so, make a note of it.

6. If you have a list of all the possibilities, discard those that seem most improbable. If you are not confident in your complete understanding of astrological archetypes, you should ask a more advanced person for help at this point.

7. A planet positioned near an axis in the chart may be very helpful in rectification. If it is positioned on the Ascendant you might want to decide if it lies in the 12th or 1st house (in the case of MC the relevant houses are the 9th and 10th). As a rule, planets in conjunction with the axes make rectification more difficult because they introduce a whole new energy, yet they can be useful in the whole process. Some planets are easier to pinpoint, for example Mars in the first house is totally different from Mars in the 12th house. Neptune on an axis, however, may cause confusion, so any conclusions must be drawn with caution.

8. Strive to reduce the search area maximally by rejecting the least probable combinations.
When you are left with 2-4 possibilities, explore the connections between the ruling planets of the signs and the ruling planets of the dvadasamsas, and think how they play out in a given sphere of your life. By now you should be able to draw significant conclusions regarding the time of your birth.

9. Make use of the observations of cyclical transits of the Sun and Mars. For example, the Sun or Mars which transit the Ascendant every year and every two years respectively, boost vitality and activeness. Naturally, this refers to the transits of these planets across other axes of the chart as well. Such observations should be made constantly and they take time.

10. Explore the transits of generational planets (especially of Uranus and Pluto) across the axes. This may be merely a way of corroborating the previous suspicions about the right birth time. It is out of the question to try to rectify the time solely relying on these transits.

11. Do not rectify the chart with reference to the transits of planets through the inner houses, because they are always fuzzy. Besides, there are numerous systems of houses at use.

12. Never use a pendulum to determine the time of birth. It cannot bring you any dosage of certainty. The pendulum has different uses, and so do other “intuitive” or “visionary” methods.

The above text contains basic information on chart rectification. In most cases these guidelines should enable you to find and specify the time of your birth.
It is worth pointing out in the end that there are other methods, which are used by a number of astrologers. These include progressions, specifically the primary progressions of the Ascendant, the changes in dvadasamsas of secondary progressed planets or their conjunctions with the axes. Those are all valid methods, yet their discussion is beyond our scope here.
Another important factor in rectifying the chart is the appearance of a person. This cannot be of help unless you are an accomplished astrologers and there are very few of those.
Some astrological schools utilize Sabian Symbols and other esoteric approaches to Zodiac. They might be of use, but only as supplementary techniques; a sole reliance on them will produce faulty results.
„An astrologer is neither a baker nor a chemist,” says Professor Leszek Weres to his students. The rectified time does not have to be exact to a second. A rectified chart is one in which the signs and dvadasamsasof ASC, DSC, MC and IC are accurate. Naturally, you can always perfect your rectification, based on the information that you have. A precise rectification may take years. Be patient and the effects will come.
The Sun in Virgo, 2004; supplemented with the Sun in Taurus and Leo, 2007

The text was based on the materials owned by the Section of Humanistic Astrology.
Copyright (C) by Artur Święch
Copying and disseminating of this article or its part, both in the electronic and paper form requires author’s authorization.
Foto: sxc.hu

Humanistic Astrology

Humanistic astrology makes use of the knowledge passed on by generations of astrologers mainly for understanding the reality around us with all the richness of its constantly ongoing processes; it addresses the questions of our essential identity (who are we?), why are we the way we are?; can we change anything in our lives despite the inescapability of certain occurrences?; could we be different, and how to achieve it?

The purpose of astrological knowledge is not to satisfy our curiosity regarding the future. The details of what is to happen are not the most important; however, the information about what kind of developmental trends will be visible in our lives may be crucial for our inner work. The key to all this is the life process itself, the ability to recognize which phase of it we are currently in, how it originated and where it is going. Probably the only influence that we can have on the process is to understand it, learn about it and make it conscious as a result. Consciousness comprises not only the intellect (air), but is also emotional (water), sensuous, material and corporeal (earth) and involves action (fire).
Any different kind of understanding will always be faulty, partial; and it really will not be an understanding but merely its imitation and illusion. Only a recognition happening in those four dimensions leads to true consciousness. Feeling it, experiencing it, living through it will result in moments of insight. If we are able to go through life and experience those moments of insight more and more frequently, Consciousness is bound to emerge.
Humanistic astrology, which describes the human experience and the reality surrounding an individual, is an apt tool for developing consciousness.
Artur Święch
The Sun in Aquarius, 2008

On astrology

CARL GUSTAW JUNG (psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist)

In a letter to Professor Sigmund Freud of 12 June 1911:
“I dare say that we shall one day discover in astrology a good deal of knowledge that has been intuitively projected into the heavens. For instance, it appears that the signs of the zodiac are character pictures, in other words libido symbols which depict the typical qualities of the libido at a given moment.”

In a letter to Doctor L. Oswald of 8 December 1928:
“Astrology is not mere superstition but contains some psychological facts (like theosophy) which are of considerable importance. Astrology has actually nothing to do with the stars but is the 5000-year-old psychology of antiquity and the Middle Ages.”

In a letter to B. V. Raman of 6 September 1947:
“Since you want to know my opinion about astrology I can tell you that I’ve been interested in this particular activity of the human mind for more than 30 years. As I am a psychologist, I am chiefly interested in the particular light the horoscope sheds on certain complications in the character. In cases of difficult psychological diagnosis I usually get a horoscope in order to have a further point of view from an entirely different angle. I must say that I very often found that the astrological data elucidated certain points which I otherwise would have been unable to understand. From such experiences I formed the opinion that astrology is of particular interest to the psychologist, since it contains a sort of psychological experience which we call ‘projected’ – this means that we find the psychological facts as it were in the constellations. This originally gave rise to the idea that these factors derive from the stars, whereas they are merely in a relation of synchronicity with them. I admit that this is a very curious fact which throws a peculiar light on the structure of the human mind.”

In an interview with Andre Barbault of 26 May 1954:
“There have been many striking analogies between the astrological constellation and the psychological event or the horoscope and the characterological disposition. For example, there is even a possibility of predicting somewhat the psychic effect of a transit.”

In a letter to Upton Sinclair of 25 February 1955:
“Astrology is also one of those “accidental phenomena”, which the idol of mediocrity has abolished from everyday life. This is the idol everyone bows to, but which in essence is only an abstraction…”

WOJCIECH EICHELBERGER (psychologist, therapist)
(in: „Horoskop”; „Krótko mówiąc”, wyd. Santorski and Co, str. 55-59.)

“Astrology is a serious matter. And a professional horoscope is an individualized effort requiring vast knowledge, intuition and hard responsible work, which takes even the most proficient astrologer and a master of its domain several days. The rest, by which I mean horoscopes found in popular magazines, is tea leaf reading and mere fun at best.”

“A professional horoscope is one which describes precisely and clearly the principles of our individual game with fate; it informs us about our assets and also points to the lessons we have to learn. It tells us what potentials need to be developed so that we will profit best from the hand fate dealt us. “

“I was persuaded to accept astrology when I was faced with empirical proof. My arrogant rationalism had to bow down in humble defeat.”

“Having spoken to many astrologers and with the benefit of my own experience as well as the experience of the lives of others, I became convinced that the cosmic determinism is not absolute. Even the most difficult horoscope presents a certain way out, a path of development. On the other hand, even the best line-up could be wasted.”

JERZY PROKOPIUK (a Gnostic heretic)
(Astrophysical gnosis paradigm: on the cosmic dimension of the human being – preface to Homo Zodiacus by Leszek Weres, published by Cirpo International in 1991)

“…Astrology is without a doubt one of the oldest and most complex systems of knowledge. This system is more internally, and, above all, empirically coherent and logically viable than most of its critics and the ‘experts’, who talk at length about what they imagine to be the characteristics of zodiac signs, would dare to assume. We can cite premises and even present empirical proof that both its critics and self-professed authorities have only a very vague notion of what astrology really is. They usually remain unaware of the fact that the zodiac is but a small part of astrology and that it has a much deeper significance than one can assume from reading most of the publications available on the market.”

“Regarding astrology solely as fortune-telling, exemplified by the horoscopes found in daily papers and magazines, is a simple misunderstanding. Based on a simplified and vulgar version of the zodiac, those horoscopes are rightly the most frequent target of criticism. This criticism undermines those “horoscopes” but it cannot undermine astrology, which eschews and denies any sort of kinship with this figment of journalists’ imagination.”

“It is not the stars that determine our fate; neither do they decide about our actions. Their presence makes us realize that, as children of the universe, we are ruled by the laws of nature and by cosmic laws. Astrology is thus a study of how the Earth relates to its cosmic environment;  it employs the language of psychological mathematics, which is based on astronomical calculations.”

PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA (a spiritual teacher, an Indian yogi)
(in: Autobiography of a Yogi)
“All parts of creation are linked together and interchange their influences. The balanced rhythm of the universe is rooted in reciprocity,” my guru continued. “Man, in his human aspect, has to combat two sets of forces – first, the tumults within his being, caused by the admixture of earth, water, fire, air, and ethereal elements; second, the outer disintegrating powers of nature. So long as man struggles with his mortality, he is affected by the myriad mutations of heaven and earth.”
“Astrology is the study of man’s response to planetary stimuli. The stars have no conscious benevolence or animosity; they merely send forth positive and negative radiations. Of themselves, these do not help or harm humanity, but offer a lawful channel for the outward operation of cause-effect equilibriums which each man has set into motion in the past.”
“A child is born on that day and at that hour when the celestial rays are in mathematical harmony with his individual karma. His horoscope is a challenging portrait, revealing his unalterable past and its probable future results. But the natal chart can be rightly interpreted only by men of intuitive wisdom: these are few.”
“The message boldly blazoned across the heavens at the moment of birth is not meant to emphasize fate – the result of past good and evil – but to arouse man’s will to escape from his universal thralldom. What he has done, he can undo. None other than himself was the instigator of the causes of whatever effects are now prevalent in his life. He can overcome any limitation, because he created it by his own actions in the first place, and because he has spiritual resources which are not subject to planetary pressure.”

OSHO (a spiritual teacher)
(in: Hidden Mysteries)

“The deepest realization of astrology is that your past must be unlocked, because if you become aware of your entire past then you will be aware of your entire future; your future will emerge out of your past.

Astrology says a more scientific thing. It says that everything is available within the seed. Astrology says that if we study the seed, if we can discover the language of the seed and if we can decode this language — if we can ask the seed: “What is your intention?” — then we will be able to draw up the complete blueprint of a human being too. Scientists have already begun to draw up such blueprints for plants.

Astrology investigates many things. It lends a cooperative hand to whatever is inevitable. It does not unnecessarily struggle against whatever is to be. It does not demand or reach out towards whatever is not to be.”

G. I. GURDJIEFF, a spiritual teacher, exponent of the Fourth Way
(in: P. D. Ouspensky, In Search of the Miraculous, part 7)

“As we left the park G. stopped talking and was going a few steps ahead of us. We five walked behind him talking together. In going round a tree G. dropped the stick— ebony with a Caucasian silver handle —he was carrying and one of us bent down, picked it up, and gave it to him. G. walked on for a few steps, then turned to us and said:
“That was astrology. Do you understand? You all saw me drop the stick. Why did
one of you pick it up? Let each of you speak for himself.” One said he had not seen G. drop the stick as he was looking another way. The second said he had noticed that G. had not dropped the stick accidentally as happens when a stick gets caught in something, but that he had intentionally loosened his hand and let the stick fall. This had excited his curiosity and he had waited to see what would happen next. The third said he saw G. drop the stick, but was very absorbed in thinking of astrology, particularly trying to remember what G. said once before, and did not pay sufficient attention to the stick. The fourth saw the stick fall and thought of picking it up, but at that moment the other picked up the stick and gave it to G. The fifth said he saw the stick fall and then he saw himself picking it up and giving it to G. G. smiled as he listened to us.
“This is astrology,” he said. “In the same situation one man sees and does one thing, another—another thing, a third—a third thing, and so on. And each one acted according to his type.”

As you can see, there are many approaches to and understandings of astrology. One thing is certain, though: “horoscopes” found in popular magazines, on the Internet, received via e-mail or text, computer printouts generated by astrological programs have nothing to do with professional astrology.
If the previous quotes have struck your interest, why don’t you enrol on an astrology course? Why not join a group of practitioners of genuine astrology?

Astrology Mini Dictionary

Here is a list of the basic concepts with their definitions, which are currently used by astrologers.

Application – a diminishing distance between planets; an aspect which will become more exact in the future (e.g. in progressions)

Arabian parts – points on the ecliptic calculated by referring to the position of two planets or of the Ascendant and Midheaven. They are rarely used nowadays because their working has not been corroborated.

Ascendant (Asc.) – the cusp of the first house of the chart; the point of intersection of the ecliptic and the horizon in the eastern part of the sky. A sign degree ascending on the Eastern horizon at the moment of birth. It is marked with a red arrow on the chart. The opposite sign degree is the Descendant (Dsc.)

Aspect – angle between two planets (or a planet and an axis or another point) in the chart. The most significant aspects are the conjunction (0°), the semi-sextile (30°), the sextile (60°), the square (90°), the trine (120°), the inconjunct (150°) and the opposition (180°). The aspects are divided into harmonious, flowing ones (60°, 120°) and inharmonious, challenging ones ((90°, 150°); the conjunction (0°) and the opposition (180°) are harmonious or inharmonious depending on the nature of the involved planets; the semi-sextile is ‘neutral’ and it has a differentiating quality.

Aspect figure – three or more aspects which form a particular pattern in the chart. The planets involved in the pattern have a modifying effect on one another. The most significant aspect figures are: stellium – at least 5 planets in a conjunction (4 in the case of luminaries); Grand Trine – in which three planets are situated at angles of 120 degrees; Small Trine – at least 3 planets, two of which are in trine to each other and they both form sextiles to a third planet; Kite – at least 4 planets: Grand Trine, in which two planets form a sextile with the fourth planet; Yod (Finger of God) – at least 3 planets where one planet is linked by two quincunxes to two planets which in turn are linked by a sextile; Mystic Rectangle – at least 4 planets forming two trines and two sextiles; Grand Cross – at least 3 planets forming four squares and two oppositions; T-square – at least 3 planets forming one opposition and two squares; an aspect figure may also involve the Ascendant or Medium Coeli instead of a planet, but such a figure is usually weaker.

Aspect pattern – a shape formed by several aspects in a chart. The most important aspect patterns are: splash shape – the planets fairly evenly spread around the horoscope; splay – the planets evenly spread around the horoscope with one cluster of minimum four planets (three if there is a luminary involved); locomotive – all the planets contained within 240 degrees; bowl –  all the planets located in one hemisphere of the horoscope; bundle – planets grouped together within the space of 120 degrees; bucket – the bowl with minimum one of the planets in the opposite hemisphere to all the others, in the opposition to the midpoint of the other planets; see-saw – the planets forming two groups on opposite sides of the chart, the groups no less than sixty degrees apart; tripod – planets in three clusters, situated at least 60 degrees apart, the model tripod being the Grand Trine.

Astrological archetypes – the basic building blocks of the psyche; each Zodiac sign represents one of the prototypes, which constitute our reality. An individual (microcosm) and the surrounding world (macrocosm) are expressions of all archetypes.

Astrological program – a computer program which makes astrological calculations, chart drawings; in Poland the most popular programs are Urania, Mandala, Astrolog, Capella.

Astrology – a system of knowledge which studies the influence of planetary cycles on the life on the Earth. It is the oldest and the most precise of all the known typologies of personality. Within the discipline, which is a cross between art and science, exist different branches with different methodology, subject matter and different levels of astrological expertise. See also: subdivision of astrology and Humanistic Astrology.

Chart ruler – the planet that rules the Ascendant in the natal chart.

Cosmobiology – a scientific term describing a discipline which deals with the influence of cosmic energies on life on the Earth.

Cosmoecology – a discipline which studies the relations of the cosmos and the outcomes of human life on the earth. The most advanced subdivision of cosmoecology is cosmoecology of culture which studies the incidence of astrological archetypes in artistic creations, mainly in film, literature, painting and music.

Cosmogram – synonym for horoscope. However, since the word horoscope is so abused by the media, the word cosmogram is increasingly popular among professional astrologers. A cosmogram in its basic meaning is a chart, from which an astrologer obtains the information. It is a sky map which symbolically depicts a given time and space.

Decan – threefold division of each sign of the zodiac into 10 degree segments (there are 36 decans); the first decan of any sign has the characteristics of the first sign of a given element (e.g. the first decan of Aries has Arian qualities, the second – Leonine, the third – Sagittarian).

Descendant (Dsc.) – the cusp of the 7th house; see also: Ascendant (Asc.).

Dominant – the most prominent zodiac sign in the chart, whose dominance is built by a number of planets in this sign, also by the planets in the corresponding house; other important factors are the significant position of the ruler of the dominant sign, and the important aspects it receives, which are significant in chart interpretation. Usually there are a number of dominants in a chart, which also change with time.

Directions (progressions) – an astrological technique which focuses on symbolical (rather than actual) movement of the Sun around the zodiac.

Dvadasamsa – 1/12 division of each Zodiac sign (2°30′); within each Zodiac sign the first dvadasamsa has the characteristics of this particular sign, the second dvadasamsa – of the following sign, and so forth (e.g. within the sign of Pisces the first dvadasamsa is Piscean, the second – Arian, the third – Taurean, etc.). There are 144 dvadasamsas on the Zodiac wheel.

Dynamic zodiac – an advanced technique of astrological interpretation, which allows for describing each zodiac sign via its relations to other signs on the zodiac wheel (e.g. for the sign Leo: Leo is Taurus for Cancer, which is Pisces for Leo and at the same time Leo is Pisces for Virgo, which in turn is Taurus for Leo). This technique is useful in interpreting –> Mandalas of the zodiac (dynamic mandalas of the zodiac).

Ecliptic – the path travelled by the Sun on its apparent path around the Earth.

Elements – four basic building blocks of the universe: Fire, Earth, Air and Water; in astrology it is assumed that a person, as a part of the universe, has got inside all the four elements, which express themselves with differing force and ways in his existence (both in its physical and mental aspect); the twelve signs of the zodiac are divided into four elements: Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) and Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces).

Ephemeris – a table with daily positions of the celestial objects; older ephemerides often showed the positions at noon; modern ephemerides show the midnight positions of the planets

Equinox – the point of intersection of the ecliptic and the celestial equator; the spring equinox corresponds to 0 degree Aries and the autumnal equinox corresponds to 0 degree Libra.

Horoscope – the graphical portrayal of the natal chart, i.e. the graphical portrayal of the planetary positions at a given time as viewed from the location at which it occurs. To cast a horoscope the exact time (date and hour) and place of an event are required; in a broader sense, the term horoscope also implies the interpretation of the natal chart.

House cusp – the point defining the beginning of a house, which is its most active part; however, as there are numerous house systems, it is very hard to specify the house cusps of succedent and cadent houses, while the house cusps of angular houses, i.e. Asc, IC, Dsc and MC are clearly marked.

Houses – twelve segments of unequal size into which the horoscope is divided; the division into houses is connected to the Earth’s rotation; in order to obtain the accurate houses the exact time of birth or the beginning of an event must be known; there is an analogous relationship between the houses and the signs of the zodiac (1st house – Aries, 2nd house – Taurus, etc); the first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses are termed angular houses, the second, fifth, eighth and eleventh are termed succedent houses, and the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth are termed cadent houses; there are numerous house systems used by astrologers today, the most popular being those of Placidus, Koch, Porfiry and Regiomontanus; the houses symbolize spheres of individual experience.

Ingress – a planet’s entry into a new sign of the zodiac.

Imum Coeli (IC) – the cusp of the fourth house. See also Medium Coeli (MC).

Luminary – the Sun or the Moon

Mandalas of the zodiac – a technique which makes it possible to explain every concept or process, which may be classified as belonging to one of the twelve →archetypes of the zodiac. The basis for interpretation of a given mandala of the zodiac is the zodiac circle with a given archetype (a zodiac sign) as the rising sign, with the other sign in appropriate, subsequent houses. The technique employs two points of reference: the houses and the signs of the zodiac. The most acclaimed mandala of the zodiac is Mandala of Authority (Capricorn), discussed in detail by Professor Leszek Weres in a monthly magazine Nieznany Świat (nr 4/97 – 9/97). See also: Dynamic Zodiac

Medium Coeli (MC, Midheaven) – the cusp of the tenth house of the chart; the highest point of intersection between the meridian and the ecliptic; the polar opposite of the Imum Coeli (IC).

Midpoint – a point on the ecliptic situated between two planets or two other horoscope factors; as a rule the midpoint situated directly between the factors is considered, and not a far midpoint situated 180 degrees opposite.

Minor aspects – the angles between planets whose significance has not been confirmed (the quintile, the biquintile, the semi-square, the sesquiquadrate, etc).

Node – point of intersection between the planet’s orbital path and the ecliptic; in astrology mainly lunar nodes are considered.

Orb – the margin of deviation allowed for an aspect to remain valid; natal astrology tends to use orbs up to 10°, depending on the nature of the aspect and the planets involved; a five-degree-orb is usually used in synastry and 2°30′ in transits and progressions.

Planet – in astrology a planet is a celestial body which appears on a chart drawing; the Sun and the Moon are thus counted as planets, and so are the asteroids and the lunar nodes in vedic astrology. Each planet represents one of the archetypes – a sign of the Zodiac and a sector of the chart.

Polarity – the division of the Zodiac into positive (masculine, active, jang) signs, namely Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, Aquarius, and negative (feminine, passive, jin) signs, i.e. Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces; the fire and air signs are active, and the earth and water signs are passive. The polarity of the Zodiac epitomizes the basic polarity of the Universe.

Progressions – see: Directions

Quadrant – the division of the signs of the zodiac or the houses into four sectors; each quadrant encompasses three houses (quadrant 1 – houses 1-3; quadrant 2 – houses 4-6; quadrant 3 – houses 7-9; quadrant 4 – houses 10-12).

Qualities – the division of the zodiac into cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn), fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), and mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces).

Reception – a link between two planets which are in each other’s domicile, i.e. in the sign ruled by the other planet (e.g. Mars in Gemini and Mercury in Aries).

Retrograde motion – an apparent backward motion of a planet through the zodiac.

Ruler (of a sign or a planet) – a planet assigned to and expressing the nature of a given sign and house (e.g. Mars as a ruler of Aries and the first house); when a planet is situated in its “own” sign, it is thought to express its inherent qualities in their purest, most archetypal form.

Separating aspect – an aspect which, although still in orb, has passed the point at which it was exact; this aspect will go out of orb in progressions.

Significator – a planet which stands for a particular element of chart interpretation, e.g. traditionally the Moon is the significator of mother, and the Sun and Saturn of father.

Stationary phase – the transitory phase when the planet moves from direct motion to retrograde motion and vice versa.

Sub-dvadasamsa – 1/12 division of each dvadasamsa, corresponding to the 12 signs of the zodiac.

Systematization of astrology:
1.    Natal astrology
2.    Comparative astrology (synastry and composite)
3.    Predictive astrology: transits and progressions
4.    Electional astrology (determining the best time to begin a specific activity)
5.    Horary astrology
6.    Mundane astrology (political)
7.    Medical astrology
8.    Astrocartography
9.    Astrological feng-shui
10.    Astrometerology

Transit – a moment when an actual moving planet forms an aspect to a horoscope factor in the natal chart.

Zodiac – the band of the sky along the ecliptic; it is sometimes thought to encompass the whole celestial sphere; it is divided into twelve signs. Astrology works with the tropical zodiac, which begins at the spring equinox (0 degrees Aries); the signs of the zodiac are not identical to the constellations of the same names (in the sidereal zodiac, not used in astrology, the signs of the zodiac are identical with the star constellations).

Zodiac sign – a segment of the Zodiac equal to 30 degrees. Signs are determined from the point where the Sun crosses the celestial equator at zero degrees Aries around March 21st of each year.

Artur Święch
The Sun in Aquarius, 2008

Astrologer – Job Description

In accordance with the Ministry of Labour’s classification of jobs and specializations
Name:

Astrologer

Code:
514901

Synthesis:
– studies the influences of the planets of the solar systems and of fixed stars on Earth’s environment;
– defines and analyzes both physical and mental spheres of the phenomena caused by the influence of specific stellar and planetary alignments with the purpose of obtaining information concerning mostly human beings – their health, psyche and fate, as well as the data useful in other spheres of life, such as meteorology or growing plants.

Professional Tasks:
– preparation of birth chart, which is a psychological and mental portrait of a person guiding him/her to self-knowledge, defining his/her scope of potentials and directions to be taken in life;
– casting prognosis relating to selected matters, problems, aptitudes and events relating to an individual or a collective, a given moment, year or century;

– counselling relating to specific spheres, such as health, choice of a partner in love and marriage or in business, a propitious moment for making a transaction, making use of one’s aptitudes and job opportunities.

Additional professional tasks:
– offering guidance on individual personal development;

– conducting research and statistical calculations with the use of twenty-first century tools, new technology and scientific terminology.

Astrologer’s job description comes from the International Standard Classification of Occupations ISCO-88.

Library

There is no way to peace; peace is the way.
Mahatma Gandhi

It’s not heroic to die, it’s heroic to live
In the sun and among fragrant flowers
Anyone can rot in the ground
– It’s not heroic to die, it’s heroic to live
Follow this rule,
And death will catch you anyway.
It’s not heroic to die, it’s heroic to live
In the sun and among fragrant flowers.
R.Kwiatkowski
(in: “Spotkania z podświadomością” Maria Szulc, Wyd. Wiedza Powszechna, 1981)

There are a lot of books worth reading, which help us discover the knowledge which we already have.
The books that keep inspiring me are listed below. If you have not read them, I recommend that you do. Perhaps you will also be inspired.

Leszek Weres, Homo Zodiacus

Piotr D. Ouspensky, Fragments of an Unknown Teaching

Jiddu Krishnamurti, The Urgency of Change

Leszek Weres, Rafał T. Prinke, Mandala of Life: the best book for beginners, and not only

See also Astrology Mini Dictionary containing basic astrology terminology and read the essay on humanistic astrology.