by Last Updated on November 28, 2022 by Avia
I got an email the other day about how to access a full astrology chart without a birth time. She explained that a birth time was not listed on her birth certificate. Furthermore, her mom wasn’t certain about her birth time. So, she asked me how she could get an accurate natal chart reading without this crucial bit of information. Fair question.
Why Birth Time is so Integral to Your Natal Chart
Picture your astrology chart (aka, natal chart) as a clock face with an hour, minute, and second hand. Now picture those hands of time as planets in your natal chart. With every tick of the hand, those planets move forward. Therefore, a few hours off here or there could mean the difference between having a Pisces or Aquarius ascendant sign.
Furthermore, muddled birth times can also result in big disparities with signs in your astrology houses. Understandably, this can kick up some hefty interpretation troubles. For instance, the moon is a fast-moving planet (well, technically it’s a luminary – but for the sake of astrological nomenclature, it’s called a planet). It stays in each sign for only about two and a half days. This means that if you’re a few hours off on your birth time, it could falsely place your moon in the wrong house.
Your Chart Could Change in a NY Minute (literally)
Let’s use my natal chart as an example. I was born at 6:00 p.m., which in my chart, places the moon in my fourth house. If I go into my astrology chart and change the time by just one hour to 5:00 p.m, the moon has already pushed into the fifth house. That might not sound like a big deal – I mean, what impact could one planet in one house make? The answer: A lot.
In this example, the moon in my fourth house talks about my relationship with my mother as well as my needs concerning home life. This planetary position and house also speak to my attitude about origins and family. Alternatively, if the moon is in my fifth house (the false time), it helps clarify my approach to pleasure, the way I express my feelings, and how I relate to childhood issues. You see the difference? Pretty big, eh?
What’s even more irksome about birth times in astrology charts is that the ascendant sign is the most mercurial sign in your natal chart. It changes in degrees every four minutes. So, even a birth time variance of 15 minutes can mean the difference between one ascendant sign and the next. This is a big deal too because your ascendant sign (aka rising sign) gives you an idea about what motivates you and this sign is also a direct line to your views on survival and self-preservation.
What is Astrological Rectification?
Now that we’ve established that birth times are a big, fat hairy deal to attain the most accurate natal chart information – don’t despair if you don’t have a birth time. Professional astrologists have a hack for this. It’s called Rectification. This is a long process that involves “backward forecasting.”
This involves going back through your life events and aligning them against corresponding traits in astrology. It’s an arduous process, and it can be taxing – but if you have a clear record of the history of your life, and are able to recall big events – you and your astrologist can get a fair idea of your birth time, thus getting the whole view of your astrology chart.
If you can’t or are unable to go through the process of rectification with a qualified astrologist to reconstruct your time of birth in your natal chart, don’t lose hope. You’ve got a few alternative options.
Try Your Own Rectification
When you understand that your ascendant sign is the heavy-hitter in your chart, you can do your own type of astrological rectification. Your rising sign determines the house cusps and midheaven in your natal chart, so it determines a lot about your personality as well as your life’s trajectory.
If you have a ballpark idea of when you were born, enter that into your astrology chart forecasting program (I use astro.com to cast my charts). The first thing to look at once your chart is cast is your ascendant. Do you match the personality shown for your ascendant sign? If not, start shifting your time in the astrology chart forecaster until your ascendant description matches your personality and life.
Admittedly, this might seem like a higgledy-piggledy strategy. No, it’s not ideal, but it is a viable way to do your own astrological rectification.
You might also observe yourself to get a general idea of your birth time. For instance, if you are a morning person, you might start your own rectification beginning in the morning. Conversely, if you’re a night owl – then start your homemade rectification with evening hours.
Keeping to this same “guessing game” about birth time, you can also pay attention to times of the day you’re most upbeat and energetic. Alternatively, be aware of that recurring time of day when you might experience a slump or burnout.
Why do this? Because some schools of thought believe these “trigger hours” might help you cop a clue about your time of birth, or past trauma. What does trauma have to do with your birth time? If you think about it, your birth is one of the most traumatic things you’ll ever go through. You’ve just entered a whole new world. That’s pretty intense.
Making Amends With Inaccuracies
But I digress. At the very least, you can enter your birth time at noon (12:00) in your chart casting program. This way, you can get your natal chart, but it will be off by 12 hours. It’s a bummer you won’t be able to get all the information accurate, but with a little niggling, you might be able to make adjustments (paying attention to your ascendant traits and adjusting your time such as in rectification).
The major aspects of your astrology chart that are influenced by your birth time are: Your moon placement, your ascendant and the houses might not be in the exact position without an exact birth time. Nevertheless, your planets should be correct, even with a wonky or non-existent birth time.
And, if you consider the planet placements in your natal chart have a tremendous impact on your personality and life – you’re still getting a power-packed insight into your deeper astrological dispositions.
Some Consolation About Birth Times
I know. It’s frustrating and even disappointing to have an accurate natal chart out of reach when you don’t have a birth time. However, it might lift your spirits to know that most people might not have their exact time of birth (even if they think they do).
To explain, doctors often round off birth times to the next whole numbers. This was especially true in the past. So you might have been born at 5:55, but your birth certificate says 6:00. Recorded birth times on birth certificates are way more accurate today, thanks to technology. So if you’re younger, be grateful, because your time of birth is probably spot on.
At any rate, there is consolation in the fact that, as mentioned, your date of birth and place of birth still render mind-boggling information about your astrological makeup. For instance, your sun sign is the basis of your daily horoscope. And if you read your horoscope (from a qualified astrologist), you can see that it can reveal a ton about you and can be eerily predictive too.
Suggestions to Getting Your Birth Time (or at least a good estimate)
Of course, the best, no-brainer way to get your most accurate time of birth is to get your birth certificate. But maybe you were born in a generation that didn’t put a lot of stock in birth certificates. Or perhaps you were born outside of a hospital and a birth certificate wasn’t even issued to you. That’s a drag, but you still have options for obtaining your approximate birth time. Here are a few ideas.
Ask your family
Inquire with your parents, your siblings (if you have any) aunties, uncles, or close family friends. People who were actively involved in your life from a young age might help you pin down your birth time. Heck, even if these folks don’t know your time at birth – at least you can call them to catch up on their lives!
Call the hospital in which you were born
Yes, I realize this might be a long-shot, but it doesn’t cost anything to make a phone call. And honestly, aren’t you (and having an accurate astrology chart) worth a call to slake your curiosity about your birth time? Oh, and if you weren’t born in a hospital, you can try calling the doctor or midwife who helped bring you into this world.
Consult with a crackerjack astrologist
As mentioned, a professional astrologist who has an in-depth knowledge of natal astrology can help you go through the chart rectification process to nail down a good estimate of your birth time.
Go to an ancestry service
Genealogy websites such as Ancestry.com can be a vast resource for obtaining vital birth statistics. Some of these sites also feature community boards in which relatives contribute information about their perspective family lines. Be aware, access to your birth information through these websites may come with a price, but I think most of them offer a free trial period.
Dig through old family records
Many families have an attic full of old, historical relics. This could be your jackpot. For instance, it isn’t uncommon to record the date and time of a new birth in the family Bible. Or, perhaps your parents sent out birth announcements that recorded your birth time. You might even get lucky with an old family scrapbook with your baby picture in there notating your time of birth. Hey, it’s worth a shot – and you’ll get to take a walk down memory lane while you’re hunting down your time.
The Last Word on Getting Your Astrology Chart Without a Birth Time
While astrology is elegant, fascinating, and can be eerily accurate – it’s not perfect. Nothing is. That’s why it shouldn’t rattle your cage too much to have a slightly wonky astrology chart without a birth time. I know it’s dismaying, but remember you’ve still got a slew of other insights available when interpreting your astrological birth chart – even if your birth time isn’t available. Hopefully, these tips on getting your birth time for your natal chart are helpful to you. As always, thanks for reading!
Mighty brightly,
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