Frequently Asked Questions about Birth Charts
- What is a birth chart?
- What's the difference between the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs?
- Can you explain the House System Choices?
- What birth chart preferences do you recommend?
- Can I order a birth chart by Mail?
A birth chart is a snapshot of the planet positions at the time of your birth.
The planet positions are relative to the place of birth and time of birth.
That's to say, two people born at the same place but not at the same time will not have the same birth chart.
That's because the planets have moved between the two births. Likewise, two people born at the same time but
in different places will not have the same birth chart because they have a different reference point.
Astrologers use a birth chart to reveal personality traits about a person.
And, as all Astrology begins with the birth chart, astrologers will use your birth chart to do predictive work.
Here's the short answer. The Sidereal zodiac is a physical reality depicting commonly
acknowledged pictures made up of groups of stars used by astronomers, Vedic and
Sidereal astrologers. The Tropical zodiac is a mathematical construct used by
astrologers only.
Click here to view the long answer and to learn more about this "hot topic."
Astrologers divide life into twelve areas. Houses are the name given to these
areas of life by modern astrologers. These areas range from the very personal
filter we use to experience the world to how we make our way in society. There
is always twelve houses in a birth chart that have a combined total of 360
degrees.
When astrology was devised by Ptolemy, Valens and a handful of the best and
brightest of their time, the Whole Sign house system was used.
It is simple, holistic, and organic in it’s approach.
The Whole Sign houses start with the constellation
rising in the east at the time of birth. The first area of life is filtered
through that constellation and the transiting planets therein. The second area
of life is filtered by the following constellation, with its transiting planets,
and so on, until all twelve constellations are represented. All houses will start
at 0 degrees of a constellation. There are no houses with more nor less than the 30
degrees of each sign.
There are dozens of house systems in use today. The Equal House system is the
simplest of these. It marks the beginning of all twelve houses with the same degree
as the degree on the horizon at birth. So each house has just
30 degrees, but two constellations usually occupy each house.
Placidus and Koch, systems also start the first house
with the Rising degree of the constellation in the East at the time of
birth. The remaining house divisions are determined by complex mathematical
formula that may have houses with as much as 90 degrees and four constellations within.
Other houses can be as small as 3 degrees.
Complex does not equal accurate. Deborah Dillard has discovered for herself in
more than a quarter of a century practicing astrology, that the simplest and oldest system
of house division, Whole Signs, works best for predictive astrology.
We recommend you have your birth chart calculated using the Sidereal zodiac and
the Whole Signs house system. (These are the chart preferences our astrologer, Deborah Dillard,
uses simply because she has found they work best for predictive astrology.)
The Sidereal zodiac depicts the physical reality commonly acknowledged by astronomers,
Sidereal and Vedic astrologers. The Whole Sign house system is simple, holistic, and organic in it’s approach.
Yes. To order by mail fill out the order
forms as you would for an internet order. Except, when you get to
the "Review Order" page, do not click the PayPal button. Rather,
print the page on your printer, and mail it to the address shown on our "Contact Us" page (the link is at the bottom of each page).
Make sure to include payment by check or money order. If you do not have a printer, or have
difficulties printing your order, please visit our "Contact Us" page and we'll work out a way to take your order.
|