Calculating the Chart by Hand

[holly]

Hi,

I am very interested in calculating a birth chart from scratch. I've used Julia and Derek Parker's Guide to Astrology, which contains some rather vague step by step instructions on how to do this. I have found this book to be filled with ambiguity and error, and have had to solve a lot of mathematical problems along the way.

I find this book to be too inaccurate for me to use, as it doesn't allow me to calculate the mintues and seconds, only the degrees. The fault is in the tables (I've done the necessary calculations to come up with the minutes and seconds, but it is impossible to be accurate with the little information the authors give you in their tables.)

I'd like to know if anyone else calculates charts by hand, and if they can recommend a 'tutorial' of sorts so that I can learn how to do it? As a perfectionist, I need it to be accurate down to minutes and seconds, as I won't settle for the nearest degree. I want the chart I produce to match the level of accuracy found in computer generated charts. Surely this must be possible?

Any help or thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

[Frisiangal]

Hi Holly,

I don't know if it's even possible to get a chart right down to minutes and seconds of time as well as space. Does anyone know to the exact second the time they were born or to the exact inch where? Time zones also round off places of birth that are usually given as coordinates of the whole town/city.

I can remember when calculating charts by hand, I still had to use mental arithmatic to calculate intermediate house cusps (unless you use Equal House) imbetween 2 separate degrees in The Table of Houses, which made 'to the second' nigh impossible, although the to-5-digit logarithms did the majority of work with planetary positions! The calculations seldom matched the later to-the-second computerised tables that have extra in-built calculations that almost take in wind speed and direction! But house cusps were never more than a few minutes of a degree out, and the planets were usually to the minute. Even with Virgo Ascendant, I settled for that accuracy:).

As much as Parker's Guide may not give you an exact to the second position, it does at least give you an indication of WHAT is occuring to produce HOW the points and positions are calculated in relationship to Earth and the zodiac. That in itself is an eye opener of which many who simply consult ready-made computed charts are never aware.

I've never looked to see if there is a web site that provides instructions to hand-calculate charts. If not, treat yourself to a decent planetary ephemeris ( making sure whether it's Noon or Midnight calulated) and a Table of Houses, which provide so much more information than the astrology guide. The latter should even provide instructions for hand calculation of charts. My first astrology book was the Parker Guide, then entitled differently, and I could never follow its instruction, possibly because it worked from Noon. I found midnight calculations easier.

You can also calculate 'when' a hand calculated chart will take effect progressively by taking the GMT and converting this into months/weeks/days before birth, as per 4 mins= 1 day! It makes the relevance of the birth time even more interesting.;)

F.

[holly]

Frisiangal,

How do computer generated charts reach their level of accuracy? Did professional astrologers, before the advent of computers, only calculate their charts to the nearest degree?

Calculating charts by hand is much more personal than just looking at a print out. When you calculate by hand, the chart unravels before your eyes! I find it almost magical - and heaps of fun!

Thanks for the suggestions, I will look into it.