CHAPTER II

TO ERECT A FIGURE OF THE HEAVENS Take the Sidereal time at noon on the day of birth, and add to it the hours and minutes after noon at which you were born, or if before noon, subtract from it the interval between the birth and noon. This will give the approximate Right Ascension of the Midheaven at birth. Thus, suppose a person to be born on May 1, 1890, at 3h. 30m. p.m. in London-- The Sidereal time, noon, May 1, 1890, is 2h. 36m. 28s. To which add time p.m. 3 30 0 Acceleration at 10″ per hour 0 0 34 --------------- Right Ascension of Midheaven at Birth 6h. 7m. 2s. With this Right Ascension of the Midheaven you then refer to Tables of Houses for London (see Chapter III.), and against this quantity of Sidereal Time you will find, under the column marked 10, the sign and degree which corresponds to it, namely, the 2nd of Cancer. This is put at the head of the figure, and the rest of the signs are placed around the figure in their order as shown in the Table. Only six of the Houses are given in the Tables, because the opposite Houses will have the _same_ degrees of the _opposite_ signs on them. Thus we read against the Right Ascension 6h. 7m. 28s. the following:-- 10 11 12 Ascen. 2 3 Cancer 2, Leo 8, Virgo 8, Libra 1.33, Libra 26, Scorp. 26. This means that the 2nd degree of Cancer was on the cusp of the Tenth House (the Midheaven) at the moment of the birth, Leo 8th on the cusp of the Eleventh House, Virgo 8th on the cusp of the Twelfth, Libra 1.33 on the Ascendant or Eastern Horizon, and so of the rest. On the cusp of the Fourth House we place Capricornus 2, because the Fourth House is opposite the 10th and the sign Capricornus is opposite to Cancer. On the cusp of the Fifth House we place Aquarius 8, because the Fifth House is opposite to the Eleventh, and Aquarius is opposite to Leo. When completed we find the cusps of the Houses as follows, opposite to those in the Tables:-- 4 5 6 7 8 9 Capric. 2, Aquar. 8, Pisces 8, Aries 1.33, Aries 26, Taur. 26. It is then only necessary to place the planets in the figure, as explained in the preceding chapter, and the figure of the Heavens is complete. To Draw a Figure of the Heavens. Take a pair of compasses, and with a radius, of about 2-1/2 inches, describe a circle. Within this, and with a radius of about 2 inches, describe another. With the radius of this latter mark off six equal divisions, and then equally divide these so as to make twelve. Within the figure draw a small circle, concentric with the others, to represent the Earth. From the points of division already obtained draw straight lines to the centre of the figure until they touch the circle of the Earth. You then have a figure which represents the Houses of the Heavens, being a twelvefold division of the Prime Vertical. The lines extending from the outer circles to the Earth are the cusps of the Houses (see fig. Section IV., chap. 5). The degrees of the Zodiac which are upon the cusps of the Houses, as found in the Tables opposite a given Sidereal Time, are written over the several cusps in their order between the two outer circles. Reference to the Ephemeris for May 1, 1890, shows the Sun at noon in Taurus 11 degrees 2 minutes. Three and a half hours later it will have advanced about 8 minutes in longitude, so that its position will be in Taurus 11 degrees 10 minutes. This longitude falls in the Eighth House, and we therefore place the symbol of the Sun in that division of the Heavens and place against it the figures 11.10, so that as Aries 26 is on the cusp of the Eighth and Taurus 26 on the cusp of the Ninth House, the Sun’s position in Taurus 11.10 will fall between these cusps, _i.e._, in the Eighth House. The rest of the planets are placed in the figure according to their respective longitudes.