leaders? As astrology acquires greater acceptance in the larger society, these issues will
become increasingly important to future generations of astrologers.
Another issue raised by the Quigley case concerns the way the practice of
astrology is portrayed in What Does Joan Say?, which emphasizes electional astrology
(determining or “electing” the appropriate times to initiate certain actions) almost to
the exclusion of other branches of astrological science. Contemporary astrology has
tended to go to the opposite extreme, downplaying the importance of such “elections”
and focusing instead on the interpretation of clients’ personality and personality
potentials. Thus, part of the importance of What Does Joan Say?is to remind
astrologers of a powerful technique that has been in the background for a long time.
Sources:
Quigley, Joan. What Does Joan Say?New York: Birch Lane Press, 1990.
Reagan, Nancy. My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan.New York: Random House, 1989.
Regan, Donald T. For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington.San Diego: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1988.
RECEPTION
Reception is an older term for a relationship between two planets in which one is
located in a sign ruled by the other. For example, Mars in Taurus is said to be “received
by” Venus (the ruler of Taurus). Contemporary astrologers rarely use this term, except
in the expression mutual reception (which occurs when two planets are in each
other’s sign).
RECTIFICATION
Rectification is the process of adjusting the birth chart to the precise birth time in
cases where the birthday is known but the birth moment is inexact or completely
unknown. Rectification is accomplished by working backward from the native’s per-
sonality traits and from important events in the person’s life. In other words, an
astrologer rectifying a natal chart asks the question, Given certain traits and events,
what should this person’s birth chart look like?
For example, suppose someone the astrologer knows was born around sunrise.
Further assume that before 7:15 A.M. on the day of birth the planet Uranus would
have been in the native’s eighth house and after 7:15 it would have been in the sev-
enth house. Uranus represents, among other things, sudden, unexpected changes. The
eighth house indicates inheritance, other people’s money, and the like. The seventh
house is partnership and marriage. Thus, if the individual had experienced many sud-
den beginnings and endings of relationships, the astrologer would infer that the per-
son was born when Uranus was in the seventh house; if, by contrast, the individual
had regularly received money from other people in sudden, unexpected ways, the
astrologer would infer that the person was born when Uranus was in the eighth house.
Through a reasoning process like this, applied to as many different factors as possible,
the astrologer could eventually determine precisely when the native was born.
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Rectification