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About This Method
by Sandra Weidner
sleeweidner@gmail.com

The Basics About the Astrospect, the Chart of This Method
A chart is usually cast in the form of a wheel. It is a diagram representing the position of the planets, relative to a location on earth, at the time of birth. It can also be imagined to be the face of a clock--a 24-hour clock, with the sun, moon, and planets distributed around the dial. Viewed as a clock, it has noon on the top at the 12 o'clock position of the clock, and midnight on the bottom (the 6:00 o'clock position on the clock). Sunrise, then, is around 6 a.m. and sunset, around 6 p.m.(the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions on the clock, respectively.) Traditionally a chart contains positions of sun, moon, the eight planets, and the nodes of the moon, all by degree and sign.

In this system, two clocks, i.e., charts, share the same axis. One is based on conception; the other, on birth. But before I go into how the clocks (charts) are related, below I anticipate several frequently asked questions about conception.

Why do I use conception charts? Ironically, in my first years as an astrologer, whenever the subject came up, I tended to think a conception chart an example of astrologers having gone too far conjecturally. I first heard about conception charts from an astrologer, Charles Jayne. He used various conception charts--different from the ones used here-- based on his own hypotheses about conception. The second time I heard, or actually, read about conception was in G.I. Gurdjieff’s book, All and Everything, in which he wrote about “the moment of his [i.e., any individual’s] conception.” (The specific reference is to pages 288-289 of both the one-and three-volume editions: the book is cited below under "Bibliography.") Gurdjieff never used the words “conception” and “chart” together, and he never gave a formula for conception’s derivation. But, by then I said to myself, if conception has a distinct moment, then a chart can be cast for it.

George Ivanovitch Gurdjieff
Picture from allisnow.com

Gurdjieff also wrote that ancient astrologers made frequent and valuable use of information of their knowledge of conception. That implied to me that astrologers then had a reliable way to find conception. Therefore, conception could not have been based on ”knowing” conception had taken place, an experience relatively few mothers have. It could not have been based on when the egg was fertilized because that can happen hours after sexual intercourse. No reliable chart could be based on that. It could not have been based on “quickening” because its actual occurrence as well as its relation to birth has remained controversial. The formula for conception had to have been based on something very reliable, something observable by an ordinary human being. The only really knowable piece of information between birth and conception is the moment of birth. Although not always later known, at the time it happens birth is very knowable. Therefore, conception time had to be related to, and derivable from, birth time.
How did I find conception? Also in the above-mentioned book, considerable space was devoted to exposition of the law of seven, which, it turned out, was called “the Law of Ninefoldness.” It was also called Heptaparaparshinokh. Seven and nine also occur frequently in religion, myth, song, fairy tale, and rhyme, from the most sophisticated to the most "primitive" cultures. That gave me two numbers--7 and 9. The third number, 40, also occurred universally in the religious and cultural productions of mankind. Using those three numbers--7, 9, and 40--in a particular astrological application, I found the “formula” I use for conception.
A number, it appears, is esoteric if its application to a subject reveals previously hidden relationships. In this instance, 7, 9, and 40 yielded the previously unsuspected connection between birth and conception.
After working with birth and conception charts for some time I better realized conception fit a familiar pattern. For example, just as parts of the human body and face are related proportionally, so birth and conception are proportionally related. They are functions of each other. If you have one, you can find the other.

There is a link at the bottom of this page that will take you to instructions for how to derive conception.

A second link at the bottom of this page contains the definitions and rules, derived empirically over the years since 1983 when I started working with this method, for reading these charts. It took time and effort to find them, so please refer to them. They were uncovered, not invented. Those used in traditional (tropical, Western) astrology will not work. Trying to use them will only make this method appear invalid,


Returning to the birth and conception charts, a harmonic is derived for each of their planets. Addition of harmonic planets to birth and conception planets produces a “harmonic chart.” (More on harmonics later.)

So, every individual has 12 harmonic charts which are magnifications of his traditional twelve houses. Each chart contains two intimately related dials comprised of birth and conception planets, their harmonics, and their dual set of houses--all around a shared axis. Altogether, there are forty planets--4 times the traditional 10: birth, conception, and their harmonics--per chart.

This dual house chart and its fourfold repetition of standard planets comprises the information system of this astrological method.

Such information systems, based on a repeated use of a limited, standard set of symbols or patterns, are not unusual. They exist all over nature as well as in many human inventions.

I have not found conception superior to birth, or vice versa. I have been told “conception is closer to our soul’s purpose and birth to the vehicle we have to work through.” That may be true. In practice, birth and conception astrology work together.


The Zodiac Used
The sidereal zodiac is used. In the West, that often means converting from tropical to sidereal. In that case, the Fagan-Allen Sinetic Vernal Point (SVP) is used for the conversion. I can understand that tropical astrologers might be tempted to investigate this method using the tropical zodiac. In my opinion after 37 years research with this method, the two zodiacs are not interchangeable. They do not work equally well. My comments regarding their practical differences can be found in the following paper: Tropical vs. Sidereal Astrology: A Discussion


Which Harmonics Are Used For Which Charts
My introduction to the use of a harmonic chart came via an article by astrologer Cyril Fagan published in the magazine "American Astrology," now long out of publication. A sidereal astrologer and Egyptologist, Fagan's articles over many years had been collected by a friend and loaned to me. As far as I know, Fagan wrote only one paper on the Hindu (I believe it was identified, or did we then call everything Indian "Hindu?") navamsa (or novienic) chart. It uses the 9th harmonic to find the harmonic positions of planets for the 7th house (which with this method, is also called the 7th chart or the harmonic chart for the 7th house). I no longer have the article and have not seen it for years. As I remember, Fagan got his table for finding the 9th harmonic from a Hindu (or Indian) astrologer who found such charts of great value, especially in evaluating potential partnerships and sexual compatibility between couples.

I do not now remember if what they called the navamsa chart consisted of the combination of the birth planets plus their 9th harmonics (navamsas), or if it contained only the harmonic planets. Those harmonics were found by taking the degree and minute of each planet, converting them into their longitude (their value between 0° and 360° based on 0° Aries = 0° longitude, 0° Taurus = 30° longitude, 0° Gemini = 60° longitude...0° Libra = 180° longitude...0° Sagittarius = 240° longitude...and so on up to 29° Pisces 59' = 359° 59' longitude), then, e.g., for the navamsa (7th chart which uses the 9th harmonic) chart, multiplying by nine. From that result 360° was deducted until the remainder reached a value of less than 360°. That remainder was then re-converted into the degrees and minutes of the sign it represented. [But, of course, this was starting with the planets in their sidereal positions, not their tropical ones.] Multiplication factor for each of the harmonic charts is always 2 more then the number of the chart. So, for the 3rd chart of mind, the multiplication factor is 5.

[Please keep reading, there are more specific instructions for finding the harmonic positions for the various harmonic charts below.]

If I remember correctly, they did not then use the degrees and minutes of the resulting planetary placements, but used only their sign to place them in their house. And they had other standardizations which I no longer remember, one of which is that they were not using 12 houses.

The important part for me about their use of harmonics was that they had already discovered that the 9th harmonic was the one to use to get the harmonic planets for the 7th house. In Fagan's paper it was either stated or implied that the 9th harmonic was the main one used by Hindu astrologers, while they occasionally found other harmonics valuable. It could be that Fagan was identifying the idiosyncrasies of the particular astrologer he communicated rather than the practices of a class of astrologers.

Over the years, as I became interested in trying other harmonics, finding which one would yield the values for which house (which would then create a chart for that house) was just a matter of extrapolation from the way the navamsa was found, courtesy of said Hindu astrology. Since the harmonic used for the 7th house was the 9th harmonic, then the other harmonics suitable for the other houses were likely always to be two more than the number of the house. At least, I was going to give them a try.

I am still using them 29 years later.

Today, with astrology software, one does not have to multiply anything out, just simply use the harmonic function in the astrology software. The only difference between what the (Western) software yields and my work is that:

Therefore, in this method I use, and have found exceeding rewarding in terms of results, the following harmonics:


The Egyptian Harmonic
My use of the Egyptian harmonic started as a form of laboratory accident. I first encountered it as a table of harmonics in the Fagan article in American Astrology mentioned above. That was the only harmonic table I had ever seen. At that time, it would still be ten years before I owned my own computer. After years of using the Egyptian harmonic and being quite satisfied with its results, I found out from Ken Gillman, astrologer, statistician, and editor/publisher of the astrological journal Considerations, that the harmonic I was using was, in fact, not the "regular one," but was "Egyptian." Before he died in 2019, Gillman put all Considerations articles on line.

The Egyptian harmonic is based on assuming the zodiac starts at zero Taurus rather than the traditional zero Aries. It is derived from the (regular) computer-generated harmonic. That is to say, from the sidereal positions of the planets I ask my computer for their harmonic positions. Those results are "regular" harmonic positions. From those regular harmonics, using the conversions below, the Egyptian harmonic is found.

My continued use of the Egyptian harmonic is not arbitrary. Nor is it based on the comfort of habit. The signs (as well as exaltations, detriments, and falls) as well as degree positions of the Egyptian harmonic have proven dependable. One example of a chart that would not work in another harmonic is in the twin paper demonstrating the homosexuality of the male twin while his sister was heterosexual. It is the Egyptian which puts the c7 neptune in that 5th house where it must be for that particular astrology to demonstrate the homosexual significator for the male twin.

My friend, John De Wilde (now deceased) gave me the formula for deriving Egyptian harmonics from regular, computer-generated harmonics (derived from sidereal positions of planets). Here is his formula:

30° x (13 - the number of the harmonic)

Or, if you are using astrology software, first change your software so that it always gives you the sidereal position of the planets. Then, ask for your harmonic using the tab provided by your particular software. The harmonic thus produced is the "regular" one. To get the Egyptian from it either apply De Wilde's formula, or do the following:

To Create TheAsk Your SoftwareThen Do This To It
Harmonic Chart BelowFor This HarmonicTo Get the Egyptian Harmonic
1st 3rd harmonicsubtract an exact sextile (60°) from each planet's position
2nd 4th harmonicsubtract an exact square (90°) from each planet's position
3rd 5th harmonicsubtract an exact trine (120°) from each planet's position
4th 6th harmonicsubtract an exact quincunx (150°) from each the planet's position
5th 7th harmonicgo to the exact opposition (180°) from each the planet's position
6th 8th harmonican an exact quincunx (150°)from each planet's position
7th 9th harmonicadd an exact trine (120°) from each planet's position
8th 10th harmonicadd an exact square (90°) from each planet's position
9th 11th harmonicadd an exact sextile (60°) from each planet's position
10th 12th harmonicadd an exact semi-sextile (30°) from each planet's position
11th 13th harmonic(do nothing)
12th 14th harmonicsubtract an exact semi-sextile (30°) from each planet's position

If still uncertain, try the following. Birth and conception data is at the bottom of the page for each subject written about in my papers. Select one, cast his/her combined birth/conception chart with their harmonics, and compare your results with the astrology shown for that individual. Several papers contain more than one harmonic chart for one individual. Examples are the papers about : Dag Hammarskjöld, Carter Cooper, Josephine Baker, and Primo Levi.

Harmonics expose previously hidden relationships between birth planets. They also display unsuspected relationships between birth and conception planets. Twenty-nine years of research have established that harmonics of the planets are important. Indeed, they are the core of this method because they differentiate the chart of one house from any other house, that is, they create the "house charts."

An odd geometry is suggested by the charts of this method. Birth and conception planets can be seen to form two concentric circles. Adding a dimension (height), they look like two concentric tubes. Their harmonic planets form two vortexes or cones around them.


FAQs
(1) I am aware of the rule of the Trutine of Hermes for finding conception. I never found conception charts derived from it useful. I also investigated other formulas for conception charts. By "investigate," I mean casting and progressing them for a variety of conditions and events. This conception holds by sign, sets, progressions and transits--over 29 years research in a variety of areas.

(2) It is definitely known that some people are conceived in a different locality than the one they are born in. One example is Alan Turing. He was conceived in India and born in England. My working hypothesis has been that conception locality is the same as birth locality. That became my working hypothesis because ancient astrologers, as those of the present time, could not have worked with unknown conception localities and come up with a viable astrology. Conception localities had to be as knowable as conception times. So, both Turing's birth and conception charts were cast for London, England. They work well for all events and conditions in his life. His conception chart erected for his (actual physical) conception in India does not. Over the years, then, "conception locality the same as birth locality" has been what has produced the meaningful readings and reproducible results. So I have never investigated this area further.

It recently came up, why did I not check my conception data against individuals who "know" their conception? Some women, for instance, feel sure during or slightly following intercourse that they have conceived. Some individuals are born of only one sexual union--through rape, or more pleasant circumstances preventing more intercourse. The problem with these "known" dates of conception is that conception--defined as when the sperm unites with the egg of the woman--occurs anywhere from 3 hours (some say sooner) to seven days after coitus. Even if we take the more conservative figures of the lesser "up to 3 hours after intercourse," none of these pieces of information yields us a reliable conception chart. Conception charts must be known at least to the nearest minute, not day.

(4) Some years ago an astrologer who looked at my charts asked that I change the name of the conception part of it. Conception as a definition, he stated, is already in use by medicine and is used differently than I use it. He was right. We did already have an exact definition of when (physical) conception occurs. (As a matter of fact, conception as it is derived here and physical conception turn out to coincide. See the paper explaining how to find conception from birth.)

Considering changing the name, however, left me with two problems. (1) what was I supposed to call it? and (2), what would that new name imply when, more than any other chart I had worked with, this chart was what we all understand by the term “conception chart?” We are all conceived. We are not all invented--the implication of any other name.

(5) Some individual’s births are not full term. Some are less, some more than full term. Individuals born significantly less than full term (as it is defined physically) may have conception one, or even two, whole intervals (40° 00' 00" each) fewer than normal. That is, instead of conception being 7 out of 9 cycles from birth, it may have been 6 or even 5 out of 9 cycles from birth. Individuals may, however, be "full term" babies, in spite of their apparent early birth. That is, even if the woman has not conceived, at a higher level of reality she has conceived. That is, the incoming soul or its environment determines conception. The physical event which represents physical conception occurs later. Most astrologers, at least, believe there are "higher, less dense levels of reality." So, too, many philosophers and at least the esoteric branch of most religions view the physical as the lowest, least real (if at all real) part of Reality--an effect, not a cause.

Of course, working with birth data collections--until the last fifty years we did not even have those--we almost never know when a pregnancy was not full term.

In order to start research, I had to have a working hypothesis that gestation was always full term. This has yielded excellent results including progressions for events. Considering that there is some variability of gestation even among technically "full term" babies, my results should have been more variable than they have been if partial-gestation, partial-cycle conception charts are valid. Full gestation is still the working hypothesis. That could mean that in some cases conception actually took place before sex--sometimes well before sex or before the man and woman even knew each other. That is okay, I can live with that. As an empiricist, I can live with it because results from this method have been unprecedented and consistent as they should be if laws (mathematical, proportional, harmonic, etc.) rule not accident.



Bibliography
All and Everything: Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson by G. Gurdjieff. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1950.





Instructions for Finding Conception
Empirically-Derived Rules For Reading Charts
Return to Home Page (which contains links to all papers)
Sidereal vs. Tropical Astrology, a Discussion


Contact the author via email at sleeweidner@yahoo.com