The basic idea behind Kündig rectification is that a chart can only "start" at a moment, when there is perfect harmony between MC and the planets, more precisely the planets ruling MC and IC. For this purpose his method uses the old rulerships. Let us look at an example:

Richard Tarnas (http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Tarnas,_Richard)

MC is in Aquarius, where Saturn rules, and IC is in Leo, where the Sun rules. So Kündig takes the distance between the Sun and Saturn and divides it by 10. Why 10? I have forgotten why, and it really does not matter. What matters is that the method works.

Heinrich Kündig comes from Switzerland, where the cuckoo was invented and produced, I have been told. Maybe that is why he is obsessed with getting the data very precise. In order to do so, he makes his measurements on the celestial equater and later projects them on the ecliptica. I leave this calculation to ARGUS, my astrology programme:

The programme has calculated the so-called Kündig-cuts for +/-2 hours from the given time, which in Richard Tarna's case was 12:30.

Such a Kündig time table is similar to the time tables for e.g. a train, except that if you arrive to the station between 2 times, you will have to take the next train. With the Kündig cuts, it's the opposite: If you were born between Kündig cuts (as most people are), you are assigned the closest previous time. This claim can be tested and verified, but I don't want to go deeper into it now - maybe later, if you like.

The data is categorized as AA data, so I expect the correct time to be either 11:42:46, which renders an ascendant in Gemini, or 13:04:14, which renders an ascendant in Cancer. Please take a look at the 2 charts and make a decision on which you think is the right one. If you look at the images of Richard Tarnas available on the Internet, he looks like a Gemini ascendant - but that can be deceptive. If he gets the Cancer ascendant, Uranus will be in Gauquelin sector and in conjunction with his ascendant. And after all, Uranus has played a central role in his authorship and life.

When doing the rectification with rectification events, I only use two prognostic charts: Progressions (= primary and secondary directions) and transits. These two prognostic charts interact with the radix chart and with each other. As for the planets I only use the outer planets in transit chart, and all the planets in the radix and progressive chart. Transit Jupiter and transit Saturn plus the secondary Moon cannot stand alone, but they are able to trigger other stronger aspects.

According to Ptolemy the primary direction is 1 MC degree per year. Kündig uses the Kündig Sun key to determine the speed of the MC in the primary directions. According to Kündig the primary MC moves in the same speed as the Sun did at the birth moment. Sometimes the sun moves with a speed of 57' per day at other times at a speed of 1 degree and 2 minutes per day.

As for rectification events, I don't have much on Richard Tarnas. But Kündig rectification is very much like when the forensics examines a crime scene in search of DNA clues - you only need very little to determine the identity of the culprit. But I do admit that I would have preferred to have at least 5 rectification events.

Now to the rectification. When doing the rectification we are looking for aspects with one of the axes: Radix ASC or MC or progressive ASC or MC. Aspects between 2 planets don't count much, because they are common for all people born on the same date, hence they cannot be used to determine the right birth time. An aspect with one of the axes is labelled a prominent or dominant aspect.

When practicing astrology, I noticed that there was one prominent aspect a customer would always have the first time I did his/her chart: Uranus or the 11the house ruler in aspect with one of the axes. For this reason I always start out with the chart rectification itself as a rectification event.

Since I am situated in Værløse, a suburb to Copenhagen, I use this place (55:47 N, 12:23 E) for the rectification. It does not matter that Richard Tarnas is not present - what matters is that if he was present, he would have the pleasure of experiencing his chart being rectified. Also it does not matter if he was dead or alive - or if he was born at all(!) - meaning that if I had information about e.g. his mother's birth, then I could use it has a rectification event.

The other two rectification events I have found are publications of books:

• The Passion of the Western Mind, 1993, March 16th, New York.
• Prometheus the Awakener, 1995, February 1st, Putnam Connecticut.

 Making a long story short, I ended up with the Cancer ascendant. Both charts had relevant aspects for the first 2 events, but only the 13:04:14 chart had aspects matching the publication of "Prometheus the Awakener". When publishing a book, the author is bound to have aspects between rulers of the 3rd or 9th house and one of the axes or Mercury or Jupiter and one of the axes. I have attached the rectification itself as a Word document for you to see and also images of the 2 charts in question.

I prefer the orbis to be within 20', but I do tolerate an orbis as big as 25'. These are the aspects for the 13:04:14 chart:

Setting up his chart:

• Transit Uranus novile radix MC -22'. This aspect is slightly out of the effective orbis, but it is triggered by the following aspect, which is within 20':
• Transit Uranus trine secondary Pluto + 9'. NB! such a triggering is only allowed, when the aspects belong to the same family. For instance, the novile (9th harmony) is related to the trine (3rd harmony) but not so to e.g. the sesquisquare (8th harmony).

Publication of "The Passion of the Western Mind":

• Transit Uranus semisquare radix MC -13'. Uranus rules the 9th house in the chart.

Publication of "Prometheus the Awakener":

• Secondary Sun novile radix MC -46'. This aspect is out of effective orbis, but Mars triggers the aspects:
• Secondary Mars novile radix MC +8'.
• Secondary Mars novile secondary Sun -38'.

Copyright Eskild Rasmussen