Birth Time Rectification: How to Find Your Exact Birth Time

By Paul Manley

Birth Time Rectification takes you on a journey of precision to the exact birth time. In this groundbreaking book, you'll learn a step-by-step method using divisional charts to solve the problem plaguing many astrology lovers: an uncertain birth time. Using clues like a detective and armed with classic Jy

• Language: English
• Publisher: LOVA Institute
• Release date: Sep 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986988610

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

My Experiences with Birth Time Rectification

The Jyotish Puzzle

Birth time rectification has been a private hobby of mine for many years, ever since I began studying Jyotish in 1992. Some people like their crossword puzzles or math puzzles. This is the Jyotish puzzle that has fascinated me without end, and every opportunity to do birth time rectification I welcome, look forward to, and even get excited about. Why? Because every chart presents a fresh, unique challenge to solve. On the one hand, I get fired up by the challenge because I know it won’t necessarily be easy. On the other hand, I know l will learn something in the process and hone my skills further, which fuels me as well.

But there’s another reason, which is harder to describe and is the really fascinating part. Practicing birth time rectification is like being a graduate student and getting the keys to the laboratory where the high-powered microscope is (which is a divisional chart). When you walk into the lab, it’s so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Over in the corner is that special microscope, and you get up the nerve to peer through it. After adjusting the focus, you exclaim to yourself, There it is! Just like the professor said it would be! That’s it! Amazing! At that moment, you feel like you’re standing before a mystery of God’s creation, witnessing something magically perfect, as if communing with the divine mind.

Mathematical Harmony

Adjusting the birth time is like adjusting the high-powered microscope until events in the person’s life come into focus and line up in perfect mathematical harmony. Translated to the astrology chart, it might be that a slight tweak of the birth time suddenly puts Jupiter in the 5th house in the D7 saptamsha chart, while it was during their Jupiter dasha that they gave birth to their first child. However, it’s more than just one event in the chart becoming blindingly obvious. It’s all the events lining up in the divisional charts, which leaves me in awe of the perfection of it all. That’s the most exciting part of practicing birth time rectification.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes by Sri Yukteswar, the guru of Paramhansa Yogananda, who wrote the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi.

A child is born on that day and at that hour when the celestial rays are in mathematical harmony with one’s individual karma. His horoscope is a challenging portrait, revealing his unalterable past and its probable future results.

When quotes like this sink in, and you realize that the horoscope is the exquisite portrait of the soul’s karmic journey, it becomes apparent that the birth time itself is sacred. The unseen hand of the divine must undoubtedly be at play in its selection, and for this reason alone, the birth time deserves our respect, even reverence. It’s not something to be treated lightly and batted around like a ping pong ball. We wouldn’t grab the paintbrush from Rembrandt and frivolously make a change to his portrait.

My Jyotish guru, K.N. Rao, encourages students to be aware of this spiritual dimension of Jyotish and to treat it as a spiritual practice:

Astrology done as part of sadhana (spiritual practice) does immense good to the astrologer himself. He sees God’s laws working through the planets of a horoscope, in the dashas and yogas.

The Art and Science of Birth Time Rectification

Never has the concept of astrology being a spiritual practice become more relevant than when practicing birth time rectification. First of all, it’s done alone, without client interaction, making it a subjective, quiet, intuitive process. At the same time, it’s a research project, which is an objective, logical, analytical process. It’s both an art and a science.

Before diving into the fast-paced, logical process of analyzing events, I like to set the tone with a prayerful mindset, saying something like, Divine all-knowing presence, you know the exact time that this person was born, guide my efforts and lead me to that exact time.

The Journey of Precision

Birth time rectification is a journey of precision. Like any journey, we start at one place and end up at another. The method we’ll be learning takes us step-by-step to the precise birth time, which is the destination of our journey.

Precision is expected from a classical system. For instance, when you go to a classical music concert, like a symphony, you expect that every instrument in the orchestra will be tuned precisely. Some musicians tune their instruments by ear, a subjective art, while others tune them using a tuning device, an objective science. Once, when I was at my son’s violin lesson, the ring tone sounded on my cell phone, and his teacher said, That note’s trying to be a G, but it’s slightly off. That’s how precise her tuning ear was! In contrast to classical music, folk or pop music is more casual and doesn’t have the same expectations for precision.

Jyotish is a classical system with the same expectations for precision. It’s renowned for its accurate predictive systems. However, predictive accuracy is dependent on a precise birth time, just like an exquisite piece of classical music is dependent on the precise tuning of all the instruments. There’s no need for an exact birth time if you’re only interested in pop astrology. Just knowing your Sun sign is enough to read your horoscope in the newspaper. Classical systems are different from folk or popular systems, with different requirements for precision.

Adjusting the birth time is like tuning the instruments in an orchestra until they’re in harmony with one another. The various instruments in Jyotish are the various divisional charts. These each need to be tuned up and polished with correct ascendants so that the dashas harmonize with the person’s life events and line up perfectly. That’s when the best music happens, and the most accurate predictions are made. When you’re receptive and quiet enough, you can feel this harmony, like the subjective experience of tuning an instrument by ear.

I once spoke with a yogi from India named Yogi Karve, who told me my exact birth time and birth date after I’d only given him my name. He couldn’t even see me since we talked by phone during one of his trips to the US. Yet, he could see my birth time and the entire chart using only his inner vision! One by one, he named the sign position and degrees of each of the planets. I was stunned by his spiritual power, or siddhi, that allowed him to have such an extremely refined intuition and accomplish this feat.

Unlike Yogi Karve’s mysterious yogic techniques, we’ll be learning methods that are more akin to tuning an instrument using a tuning device. That is to say that we’ll be learning to fine-tune the birth time, using objective, logical analysis. However, before going into the methodology of birth time rectification, we first need to discuss the birth time problem.

Jyotisha is the fusion of the divine with the mundane, the metaphysical with the scientific methodology, a divine chorus of the music of the heavens, and the dance of the stars. It is that divine ballet, Jyotisha, which is at once both a divinity and a science that we are presenting.

- K.N. Rao

CHAPTER 2

The Birth Time:

A Prevalent Problem

The Only System with a Birth Time Problem

What we typically consider as Vedic astrology or Jyotish is really a system of birth or natal astrology. Traditionally, it’s called Jataka, which is just one of the six systems that encompass Jyotish:

•Jataka: Birth or natal astrology. Interpretation of planetary positions at the time of birth

•Prashna: Interpretation of planetary positions at the time of a question

•Nimitta/Shakuna: Interpretation of omens

•Muhurta: Selecting favorable times for events

•Ganita: Mathematics of astronomy and astrology

•Gola: Observational astronomy

Of these six systems, there’s only one with a birth time problem: Jataka. This is because it’s the only one that relies on the moment of birth for its accuracy. By contrast, Prashna depends on when a person asks a question as the birth time since it’s the birth of the question. The chart is then created and used to answer the question. Nimitta, also known as shakuna, interprets omens and is often practiced alongside Prashna. Muhurta selects a time beneficial for starting an important event, like a wedding. The chart becomes the marriage chart since it’s the birth of the marriage. Ganita uses mathematical calculations to list the planetary positions for an ephemeris. Gola uses physical structures, like sundials, to observe planetary motion. Therefore, only three systems use birth times: Jataka, Prashna, and Muhurta.

Jataka’s Inherent Problem: Rounded Birth Times

Precision is the name of the game in astrology. If it’s not accurate, why bother? Anyone interested in getting an astrology reading expects the reading to be spot-on accurate. However, they often come with a birth time that’s vague and ambiguous, like 12 o’clock noon.

Rounded, inaccurate birth times are the inherent problem of Jataka or natal astrology, which depends entirely on the birth time for its accuracy. That’s its significant disadvantage, which is why birth time rectification is an essential skill for astrologers.

Trying to give an astrology reading from a rounded birth time is like a sculptor trying to carve a masterpiece without his standard set of tools and only using a butter knife. It’s frustrating because the astrologer can’t be on their A-game even though they’re sincerely trying to be accurate and helpful to clients. Their hands are tied because the predictive tools of Jyotish, like the dashas and divisional charts, can’t be used to their full potential, with their expected precision.

The Shastiamsha Clue

The following quote gives us a clue that the birth time was traditionally expected to be accurate to within two minutes. Why? Because the ascendant in the D60 shastiamsha chart would then be correct. In the classic text, Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, it says:

There is no doubt in the destruction of that house whose lord is in a malefic shastiamsha, so say Garga and others.

– Maharshi Parashara

The shastiamsha, or the D60 chart, is the most refined of the sixteen classical divisional charts, with the ascendant changing about every two minutes. By contrast, the ascendant in the natal chart, or D1 chart, changes about every two hours. Only if the ascendant is correct in the shastiamsha would we know which planets were the correct lords of each house and thereby know whether those lords were placed in a malefic position. The ascendant must be correct first before we can use this quote. However, it certainly wasn’t written to be nonsensical, which means that the birth time was initially intended to be accurate to within two minutes.

Bypassing the Birth Time Problem with Prashna

Some astrologers feel so hampered by the birth time issue in natal chart astrology that they prefer to use Prashna instead, which allows them to have total control over the birth time. The only thing they have to do is note down when a person asks a question. Simple. Reliable. Accurate.

With Ranganatha Rao in Mysore, in April 1993.

One such astrologer was Ranganatha Rao, with whom I studied Prashna for two months in Mysore, India, in 1993 while studying Ashtanga Yoga with Pattabhi Jois. I met him on the sidewalk near the Mysore Palace where he practiced Prashna, often with a steady stream of clients waiting in cue. Immediately I was attracted by his calm, humble, sincere demeanor. He never charged a fee but would often receive about 200 rupees per day ($5 US) by donations from clients, which was enough to take care of his wife, two kids, and himself.

He told me that he rarely practiced Jataka or natal astrology because Prashna was easier for him. First of all, he didn’t have to do all the manual calculations necessary to create the natal chart for each client, including divisional charts, dashas, etc. He never used a computer. Most importantly, he didn’t have to worry about the accuracy of the birth time, which was a big problem because many of his clients were tourists, with only vague recollections of their birth times. Even the birth times of local clients were often unreliable.

Practicing Prashna on the street required only four objects: a notebook, pen, local ephemeris, and nine cowry shells. Every morning he’d draw up the chart with the planetary positions for the day in his notebook using his local ephemeris and then manually calculate the time ranges for each ascendant. When a client came and asked a question, he’d check his watch and know which ascendant was running at that moment. He’d then have them throw the nine cowry shells. The number of shells that faced up represented one of the nine planets, which became a key planet for answering the question. In addition, he’d notice everything, with an astute eye like Sherlock Holmes, and interpreted omens that appeared during the session using Nimitta or Shakuna.

At one point, he moved his astrology practice into an office in a hotel, which was given to him by a client who was the owner. Once during one of our lessons, a client frantically rushed in, exclaiming, She’s left me again! Will she come back? Ranganatha quietly said, Let’s see. Throw the cowry shells. I was amazed to witness how one cowry shell rolled off the table, across the floor, and out the door! My teacher glanced over to see if I picked up the omen. Then he said, This time, she’s not coming back, but don’t worry, it will work out in your favor.

Ranganatha Rao bypassed the birth time issue entirely by practicing Prashna along with Nimitta.

The Mission Critical Task

I once asked my Jyotish guru K.N. Rao, "What determines the exact birth time? Is it when the baby first appears? Is it when the umbilical cord is cut? Is it when the baby takes its first breath? He said, It’s when a baby takes its first independent breath. It’s not when the umbilical cord is cut because the baby can breathe even while it’s still attached. It’s also not when the baby first appears outside the womb. However, this is very close to the exact time. Why? Because the baby takes its first independent breath within the first minute and usually within the first 10 seconds after it emerges. You will know that it’s the first breath if it sounds like a gasp, which is the infant reacting to the sudden change of environment and temperature.

There’s no implication of blame on anyone for not getting the exact birth time recorded. After all, there’s no requirement for doctors or nurses to be precise as they register the birth time at the hospital. It’s also understandable that recording the exact birth time doesn’t make it to the top of the to-do list for parents while giving birth! If you think about it, the mom’s sweating it out from being in labor for hours, while the dad’s sweating it out from anxiety. Who in their right mind is thinking about recording the exact birth time? Just arriving at the finish line with a normal, healthy child is quite enough for most people. Besides, why does anyone need the birth time to be so exact anyway? A rounded, vaguely accurate birth time will do just fine. This must be the standard narrative in the minds of most parents.

Unless that is, the parents want their child to have an accurate natal chart with which to navigate through life. Then it’s a different story. Then getting the exact birth time is mission-critical.

There is no better boat than a horoscope to help a man cross over the troubled sea of life.

– Varahamihira, author of Brihat Jataka

The Six Birth Time Problems

What are the birth time problems astrologers typically encounter? What I’ve been able to determine is that there are six common problems:

•A Cusp Problem: The birth time places the ascendant within one degree of the cusp between two signs at either 1 degree or 29 degrees.

•A Rounded Birth Time Problem: The birth time is rounded to the hour, half-hour, or quarter-hour. This is not necessarily a birth time problem because some people have to be born precisely on the hour, half-hour, or quarter-hour, like at 10:00 am, 10:30 am, or 10:45 am. It’s a suspicious birth time, which is likely to be rounded and inaccurate.

•A General Birth Time Problem: The birth time is broadly believed to be sometime in the morning, afternoon, or evening.

•A Two Birth Time Problem: The birth time recorded on a birth certificate differs from the birth time that a parent or relative remembers.

•A Mistakenly Recorded Birth Time Problem: The birth time is a clerical error with the wrong time. For instance, the birth time was 1:16 am, but it was recorded as 1:16 pm.

•A No Birth Time Problem: No birth time was recorded or remembered by anyone.

There are two broad categories of birth time problems: red alert and yellow alert. A red alert problem is a birth time that gives uncertainty about the person’s correct ascendant. For instance, a cusp problem gives two possible signs that the ascendant could be. The ascendant is at either 1 degree or 29 degrees of a sign, which means that only a few minutes change in the birth time will tip the ascendant to a different sign. This becomes an urgent problem to resolve before a reading can be done. Why? Because each ascendant will give a dramatically different interpretation. If there’s ambiguity about which ascendant is correct, then there’s no guarantee that the reading will be accurate at all.

By contrast, a yellow alert problem is less severe because it’s unlikely that the ascendant will change to a different sign. However, even though this may be the case, the ascendant in a divisional chart will likely change. Therefore, if the astrologer relies on the divisional charts for predictions, then the yellow alert problem must be resolved so that the ascendants in the divisional charts are correct.

Having a rounded birth time, having two birth times, or having a mistakenly recorded birth time, could be either red alert or yellow alert problems, depending on the situation. However, having a general birth time, like some time in the morning, or having no birth time at all, are red alert issues of a higher magnitude with many possible ascendants in the natal chart.

My Son’s Surprising Birth Time

By the time we were expecting the birth of our son, Jai, in the winter of 2008, I had already encountered each of the six birth time problems many times over. I had been practicing Jyotish for about fifteen years, which gave me ample opportunity to become keenly aware of the pain points that accompany an incorrectly recorded birth time.

As a parent, admittedly, I was over the top. I had acquired a superhero like determination to fulfill my mission-critical task of recording his exact birth time. This would be my first gift to my son, and there would absolutely be no wiggle room for error. I bought a watch that synchronized with the US Naval Observatory Master Clock, which was the best I could do at the time. Smartphones were synced as well, but they had only just come out on the market a year earlier.

I planned to hover over him,