Beginning Lessons in Uranian Astrology: Introduction: Basic Principles of the Astrological Chart © Ruth Brummund, Dipl Psych Translation from German by L Blake Finley

In some cases, people still need to set up an astrology chart without a computer on hand, and must therefore learn how to calculate the planetary positions. Current ephemerides list the positions of most planets each day at a certain time. The positions are usually calculated for Greenwich or Universal Time, i.e. for 0° longitude, yet we must also clearly determine whether the individual ephemeris we are working with gives the positions for Noon or Midnight, Greenwich Time.

During the course of the daily rotation of the Earth, the Sun is at its highest point in the sky at a different time at each different geographic location. These differences are accounted for by the various Time Zones. Each 15° to the East or to the West of Greenwich accounts for one hour difference in time.

With older dates, prior to the use of time zones, the local sun time must be used. For example it was not until the 1^st of April 1893 that Central or Middle European Time (CET or MET) was legally designated as a standard time zone for Germany. Since that time, one hour is added to Greenwich time before the planetary positions are calculated. In dealing with time zones, there is also an adjustment for Summer Time (Daylight Saving Time) which must be taken into consideration. It is therefore essential to first determine both Time Zone and Summer Time factors for the date of birth before the chart is calculated.

We should be clear that there are numerous children born at any given minute all around the globe. They are all affected by similar underlying cosmic tendencies. During the day, the slow-moving planets vary very little in their positions -- however, the faster-moving planets such as Venus, Mercury, the Sun, and above all, the Moon may differ significantly. In a 24-hour period, the Moon may move anywhere from 12 to 15 degrees along the ecliptic. Thus the Moon varies the most of any planet during the day; and it often, but not always, remains within the same sign of the zodiac all day long.

Due to the rotation of the Earth, the rapidly-changing Midheaven and Ascendant are calculated according to the geographic coordinates of the birthplace, and they are therefore considered the most personalized points in the chart.

To determine individual differences among the charts of those born on the same day, we need to consider the MC, determined by the longitude of birth, indicating the Ego, the inner center, the culminating point of life. The latitude of the birthplace serves to help us determine the Ascendant, a major indicator of our interactions with others. In the literature much is written and clarified on this subject. There are various interpretations for the MC and AS, and these can be found in the Brummund Rulebook by Ruth Brummund.

The calculation of planetary positions are today usually undertaken by computer. With a good program we find all the prerequisites needed for our working methods. Yet we should understand clearly that most computer programs are only tools for helping us do astrological work. They can help us minimize mistakes in calculating both planets and midpoints, and additional investigation can be done using the movable dial.

(ed:  Note that the new Special Uranian astrology program includes a high-technology on-screen moveable dial that greatly facilitates this work, and also creates extrordinarily clean high-resolution printed charts for manual use with the hand-held 90° dial.)

The 360° dial developed by Alfred Witte is complemented by the 90° dial developed by Ludwig Rudolph. The 90° dial has the advantage of indicating, within a more precise range of time, questions arising about specific periods in life. One of the best examples is how one can determine the start and the end of educational pursuits. The degrees are shown starting with 0, in increments of 5°, so that the midpoints can be found easily.

An explanation of the 90° dial can be found by clicking here.

Even further knowledge can be gained by use of the 22.5° angle. This is the 16^th harmonic of the circle and its significance correlates symbolically with the 23°27' of longitude that accounts for the difference between the Ecliptic and the Equator. Who among us is not aware of the solar eruptions occurring in cycles of about 11 years, corresponding with the midpoint of 22°30'?

If we survey major turning points and events correlating with the 22 to 23 year cosmic rhythm in our lives, then we now, in the year 2001, look back to the years 1978 and 1979. What occurred then? 1973 and 1974 corresponded with the Oil Crisis, and the world economy was barely able to recover. In 1995 and 1996 we saw the beginning of banking problems in Asia. Is this due only to chance, or to cosmic laws?

Some other examples to investigate in studying this rhythmic pattern, starting with 1929:

1929 Stock Market Crash in Washington

1951-52 Post-war economic depression in Europe

1973-74 Flaring up of the international Oil Crisis

1995-96 recurrence of the pattern correlating with the events mentioned above.

The next turning point in this cyclic pattern would therefore be in 2018.

This type of prognosis will show up in the course of one's education and might bring many to consider the usefulness of the methods of Uranian Astrology.

For those interested, further guidelines for beginners can be found in the Brummund Technique Book by Ruth Brummund.

-- Hamburg, 05 Jul 2001

The only software program which effectively calculates the examples printed in these lessons is the 'Special Uranian' astrology program by Aureas Software of Paris, developed in cooperation with Ruth Brummund and Blake Finley  (Click here for further information.)

> to Lesson 1: Planetary Pictures

Whoever has questions should direct them to:

  Ruth.Brummund@web.de