Rectification is the technique of finding the birth time when it is uncertain. In KP, K. S. Krishnamurti did this through the Ruling Planets, the rulers of the moment of the consultation: the correct ascendant is the point whose sign, star, sub and sub-sub are ruled by those planets (KP Reader VI, p. 138). Vedik does not offer rectification. This text explains how the technique works.
Why a few minutes matter
The ascendant is the degree that was rising on the eastern horizon at the time you were born. On average it moves one degree every four minutes of clock time, and the cusps of the other houses move along with it.
In KP, each nakshatra, one of the 27 stars of 13°20′, is divided into nine subs. The smallest measures 40′ of arc and the largest, 2°13′20″. The ascendant crosses a small sub in a few minutes, and the sub-lord of the cusp is a central piece of the reading. A time rounded to "8:00 sharp" can change the sub-lord of the ascendant.
Before thinking about rectification, check whether the difference comes from the time zone or from daylight saving time. That is a different problem, with a direct solution. The post on daylight saving time and time zones explains it.
The methods Krishnamurti examined
In Reader III, a reader asks how to find the exact moment for someone born with a margin of about 15 minutes either way. Krishnamurti presents the methods available in the tradition and leaves the evaluation to the reader (KP Reader III, p. 494). He goes through the count of vighatis from sunrise, the position of Mandi and the prenatal epoch, the supposed moment of conception.
Then he tests the prenatal epoch with two babies born in the same hospital, half an hour apart, on November 8, 1945. The calculation returns ascendants six minutes of arc apart, when half an hour of clock time moves the ascendant several degrees (KP Reader III, p. 498 to 502). For those who do not have the time, his conclusion is to use the Ruling Planets (KP Reader VI, p. 138).
The Ruling Planets method
The Ruling Planets are five rulers of the moment when the astrologer judges the question (KP Reader VI, p. 138):
- the lord of the day, counted from one sunrise to the next
- the lord of the Moon's sign
- the lord of the Moon's star
- the lord of the ascendant's sign
- the lord of the ascendant's star
The procedure in the book, in order:
- Note the moment of judgment and list the five rulers.
- Discard those that are in the star of a retrograde planet.
- On the day of birth, look for the stretch of the zodiac whose sign, star, sub and sub-sub are ruled by the planets that remain.
- If two or three stretches come up, ask whether the birth was in the morning, during the day or at night, and keep the sign that is possible on that date.
- Calculate the time when that stretch was rising on the horizon of the place of birth. That is the time.
Krishnamurti writes that many students tested the rule by asking about their own birth time, which they already knew, and that the result matched (KP Reader VI, p. 138 and 139).
An example from the book: Taurus or Gemini
A person wanted to know whether their ascendant was the last degree of Taurus or the first of Gemini. The consultation was at 9:05 a.m. on April 27, 1966 (KP Reader III, p. 503). At that moment the ascendant was in Gemini, ruled by Mercury, and the day was Wednesday, also ruled by Mercury. The Moon was in the star Punarvasu, ruled by Jupiter, aspected by Mars. The rulers were Mercury, Jupiter, the Moon and Mars.
The two options:
| Stretch | Sign | Star | Sub |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27°53′20″ to 30° Taurus | Venus | Mars | Saturn |
| 0° to 1°53′20″ Gemini | Mercury | Mars | Mercury |
Venus and Saturn do not appear among the rulers. Mercury and Mars do. The ascendant is Gemini. Since Jupiter was in the ascendant of the consultation, the sub-sub goes to it, and the birth time is the moment when that Jupiter sub-sub was rising on the horizon (KP Reader III, p. 503 and 504). Krishnamurti reports that 32 students tested the method on their own charts and their children's (KP Reader III, p. 504).
True time or clock time
Another case in Reader III will feel familiar to anyone born in Brazil in years with daylight saving time. During the war, clocks in India ran one hour ahead. A man born in November 1942 had his chart cast for 4:26 a.m. and wanted to know whether that was the true time or the clock time (KP Reader III, p. 505).
The rulers of the analysis, at 7:35 a.m. on April 7, 1966, were the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Venus (KP Reader III, p. 506). At 4:26 a.m., the day counted from sunrise to sunrise was Sunday, ruled by the Sun. The ascendant was in Libra, ruled by Venus, in the star Chitra, ruled by Mars, and the Moon was in the star Vishakha, ruled by Jupiter. All four match.
At 3:26 a.m. the ascendant would fall in Virgo, in the star Hasta, and Mercury and the Moon did not rule the analysis. At 5:26 a.m. the sign and the star still matched, and the tie was broken by the sub-sub: it needed to be Mars, the lord of the ascendant of the analysis, and only at 4:26 a.m. was it. The true time was 4:26 a.m., which on the wartime clock showed as 5:26 a.m. (KP Reader III, p. 507).
What Vedik does
Vedik does not offer rectification. It is work for an astrologer experienced in KP, done at the moment of the consultation.
What Vedik does is handle the time you have with care. The time is required for a new chart. You type the clock time and the city, and Vedik finds the time zone from the coordinates and applies the daylight saving time that was in effect on that date. If you have a rectification done by a professional, use the time that comes out of it and note where it came from.
If you have not found the time yet, start with the guide for those who do not know their birth time. The post on Ruling Planets shows these rulers in other questions.
With the time in hand, create your free reading.
