In the last self-study module we started a dissertation on Venus, which was in a certain sense sidetracked ere well commenced; we continue:

   The intrinsic nature of Venus may be summed up in the ideas of Harmony and Rhythm; therefore, she has the tendency to draw together all who are in accord, to unite mankind in pleasant companionships of varying degrees which we call friendship and love. The department of our lives in which she will exercise her beneficent office is, of course, indicated by the house, and the quality or degree by her configurations with other planets. If well placed in the third house, which signifies brothers and sisters, we may conclude that we have earned the love of our relatives by devotion in a former life, and that their affection for us will brighten this earthly existence. From the angle of the 7th house she may draw to us a soul companion whose conjugal love would make this earth seem heaven-like, for true marriage, marriage of souls, is a song of ecstatic joy, a paean of praise by kindred spirits. It is taught by the angels in heaven to the tuneful accompaniment of the Song of the Spheres, and whoever succeeds in bringing even the faintest chord of that celestial harmony to earth has a song of joy in his heart, a source of gladness which no sorrow can diminish.

   From the 11th house Venus will attract kind friends whose affections we have won before — for the horoscope shows what we have earned — joy or sorrow. We have made our "luck"; the stars only mark the time to reap, as the Sun calls the harvest man. The kindness of friends today was enlisted yester-life by our helpful acts. Nor can we keep friends, life partners, relatives, in bonds of love unless we keep feeding the fires of love. We must continue brotherly and sisterly to retain affection from such relatives. It requires a friend to hold friendship, and we must act as lovers to merit continued conjugal affection, or the love light will wane no matter how well Venus is placed. The planets show only the trend of things; we have made the tendencies given by a well placed Venus and we can also mar them. If we do, an afflicted Venus in the horoscope of our next life will make it difficult for us to attract love. Let us so build that the Venus ray may be the brightest of all.

We have now mastered the preliminary points in astrology; we understand the importance of time and place, how they are determined by Longitude and Latitude; also the relation of Signs and Houses. Thus we are prepared to commence casting a horoscope.

   You have accessed a Simplified Scientific Ephemeris for 1912, which gives the planets' places as seen from the observatory at Greenwich each noon during the whole year. You will notice that on the right hand pages there is a column marked S.T.. That means Sidereal Time; and in that column we shall find our starting point for this self-study module.

   A technical explanation of what Sidereal Time is would have a tendency to confuse the average student at his present stage of astrological progress, and as it is unessential to our calculation, we therefore simply describe its use:

   The Sidereal Time at birth determines the sign (and degree), to be placed on each of the twelve houses.

   Be sure to get these three — Sidereal Time, Signs, and Houses — thoroughly connected in your mind, for they are the first factors in the calculation of all horoscopes. If you memorize each rule well you will master the next self-study module more easily.

  Our starting point of calculation is the Sidereal Time given in the ephemeris for the noon previous, to birth. Please note the emphasis we place on the word "previous;" there is a reason: A horoscope calculated by our system for a certain time and place will be exactly like one figures by any other truly scientific method, but the rules of other systems are complicated; to find the Houses involves subtraction in certain cases, addition in others. We endeavor to simplify the rules of astrology, and in this operation use only addition; but you must be sure to understand the term "the noon previous to birth." If you miss that and get the wrong starting point, all your calculations must necessarily be out of line.

   A few examples may serve to make the point clear. If a child is born on August 20th at 11:55 A.M. (five minutes to twelve), August 19, 12 Noon, is the noon previous birth. If the child were born August 20th at five minutes past 12:00 (0:05 P.M.), the previous noon would be that of August 20th, and we should use the Sidereal Time of that day, recorded in the ephemeris, as our starting point.

  To the Sidereal Time at noon previous to birth (given in the ephemeris), we add:

  1] A correction of 10 seconds for every 15 degrees of Longitude the birthplace is west of Greenwich.

  2] The interval between the previous noon and True Local Time of birth.

  3] Correction of 10 seconds for every hour of interval.

  The sum of these is the Sidereal Time at birth; but sometimes the sum is more than 24 hours, and as that is the ultimate length of a day, we simply subtract 24 hours and work with the remainder in such cases.

  When you calculate a horoscope for a birthplace east of Greenwich, subtract the corrections for longitude instead of adding.

  We will try first to find the Sidereal Time of birth occurring in London, England, Sept. 15th, 1912, at 2 A.M.

   Turn to the month of September in the ephemeris and note the Sidereal Time recorded opposite Sept. 14, which is the noon previous to birth. This S.T. is 11 hours, 32 min.. There is no correction for Longitude, as London is very close to Greenwich. The interval from the previous noon, Sept. 14, to birth, Sept. 15 at 2 A.M., is 14 hours, and the correction for that interval at 10 seconds per hour is 140 seconds, or 2 min. 20 sec.:

These we tabulate and add:

   In calculations for places in England the correction for Longitude is so small that it is negligible, but it makes quite a difference in America or Asia.

   Our next imaginary child is born in New York, July 23, 1912, at 5:56 A.M. Standard Time, equals 6:00 A.M. True Local Time (See Astrology Independent Study Module No. 3). In the ephemeris we see that the Sidereal Time on July 22nd is 7 hours, 59 minutes at Greenwich. But New York, the birthplace, is 74 degrees of Longitude west of Greenwich, and our rule requires us to add a correction of 10 sec. for every 15 degrees of West Longitude; 74 divided by 15 gives 4, with 14 deg. over, and 4 times 10 sec. gives 40 sec.; for the 14 deg. over we allow 9 sec., which is added to 40 making 49 sec. We must add the interval from previous noon to birth. Previous noon is July 22nd, at 12 o'clock, and from that time till birth, 6 A.M., July 23rd, gives an interval of 18 hours. Our last addition is 10 seconds for each of the 18 hours interval, 180 sec., which equals 3 minutes, as there are 60 seconds in a minute. Now we will tabulate these figures properly, and add:

   We next calculate the Sidereal Time of a birth occurring at New York, July 23rd, at 9:56 P.M. Standard Time, 10:00 P.M. True Local Time (See Astrology Independent Study Module No. 3). The previous noon is July 23rd, at 12 o'clock, and the Sidereal Time given in the ephemeris for that day is 8 hours, 3 min.. The correction for Longitude of the birthplace is the same as in the previous example, as both are supposed to be born in New York. The interval from previous noon, July 23rd, to 10 P.M., the hour of birth, is 10 hours, and the correction of 10 seconds for each hour of that interval is 100 seconds, or 1 minute, 40 seconds. These figures we tabulate and add:

   The addition of 49 and 40 seconds makes 89, but as there are 60 seconds in a minute we convert the 89 seconds to 1 minute and 29 seconds.

   Our final example will demonstrate the method of calculating Sidereal Time for birthplaces in east longitude; and to obtain both comparison and contrast we will figure for a birth occurring at Madras, India, on July 23rd 1912, at 10 P.M.. Madras is about 80 degrees East Longitude; New York is 74 degrees West, and as the birth times are the same, all the factors of calculation will be identical, but the subtraction of correction for longitude will give a different result. We tabulate as follows:

   Thus you see that there is a difference in the Sidereal Time at birth, between that of a child born in New York and that of another born in Madras at the time the clock pointed in each place to 10 P.M.; and though it is not as great a variation as in the solar time, it may bring a different degree of the Zodiac on the houses.

  (You are welcome to e-mail your answers and/or comments to us. Please be sure to include the course name and Independent Study Module number in your e-mail to us. Or, you are also welcome to use the answer form below. You will find the answers to the questions below in the next Astrology Independent Study Module.)

1. What is the use of Sidereal Time? [optional]

2. What is the noon previous to: (a) March 25, 5 A.M.? (b) June 17, 1 P.M.? (c) August 2, 1 A.M.? [optional]

3. Below you will find a tabulation form. Please calculate the Sidereal Time for birth date there given. [optional]

Figure the Sidereal Time of a Birth occurring in Denver, Long. 105 West, at 4 P.M., Standard Time, June 6th, 1912.