Any astrologer will tell you that it’s really important to have an exact time of birth in order to get the most accurate natal chart. This is because your time of birth determines precisely where the horizon was at the time of your birth. The horizon moves through the sky at about 1 zodiac sign per hour.

That’s why it’s so important to have an accurate birth time. A change in just a few minutes can make a really big difference in the location the horizon, known as the Ascendant. (It’s too complicated to get into here, but if you want to learn more, I will soon have an entire guide available for free download — stay tuned!)

The thing is, most people don’t know their birth times. And, the fact is, even those who think they know their birth time are probably wrong. Let’s be real — in the midst of all the chaos and beauty and terror of childbirth, who is looking at the time?! Be suspicious if someone in your family says you were born “around” a certain time — human memory is notoriously terrible at long term details. We fill in the gaps, change details to fit a certain narrative. It’s not malicious, it’s simply human nature.

Knowing your birth time is a privilege.

Many of us were adopted, our parents simply didn’t take note, or we don’t know the circumstances of our birth. Folks will often tell me that they feel excluded from astrology because they don’t have an exact time of birth or even location. If you feel this way, I hope this blog post will give you a few techniques for determining your Rising Sign and cultivating a deeper relationship with your natal chart.

If you don’t know your exact birth time, don’t panic.

Even if you never determine your Rising Sign, there is still a huge amount you can learn from simply looking at the date of birth and location. The planets and their location in the zodiac give you a huge amount of detail about who you are and the forces at play in your life.

Research, research, research

Try to figure out everything you know about your date, time and location of birth.

• If you know your country of origin, but not the exact city, use the capital city or the nearest big city that you can think of.

• Ask everyone you can think of. who might remember. If there were friends/family present at your birth, ask them what they remember (taking this with a grain of salt, of course)

• Even if you don’t know the exact time, knowing the time of day is incredibly helpful. See if you can figure out whether you were born at night or during the day.

• This will require some effort, but you can try to access hospital and medical records. Some extended birth certificates will more detailed information as well.

You will likely have to spend a lot of time researching and investigating to find your birth time. Don’t give up. It’s worth the effort.

Once you have a chart, see if you can narrow down some options.

Pay attention to the Moon

Look where the Moon is in the chart. If it’s close to a cusp (aka at the beginning or end of a sign, really close to another sign), look up the definition of the Moon in those signs and see which one resonates the most. The Moon is an incredibly personal planet, so think about which definition feels the most accurate emotionally.

For example, my partner doesn’t know how is exact birth time, but I’ve managed to narrow it down to a few options, mainly because of the Moon’s location. He was born when the Moon was just about to enter Gemini. But when we sat down and looked at what felt most accurate, he said Taurus Moon all the way. This has helped me narrow down the possible time of birth to within a few hours and a few different rising signs.

Depending on your chart, you can do this for any planet that is about to enter a new sign.

Test out different Rising Signs

If you can narrow it down to a couple of different options, look up the definitions and see which ones feel right. You can use the advanced techniques below to further help you narrow down the options. You can also present your options to relatively new friends and co-workers. The Ascendant can often manifest when we meet new people (as it is the “mask” we show the world), so that might give you some additional insight.

Advanced students

Once you have gained a certain level of familiarity with astrology, you can look at major transits (particularly outer planetary movements) and eclipse cycles to try and match the Sign to the House.

For example, if you suddenly switched careers and your parents sold your childhood home during the Cancer/Capricorn eclipse, it’s very possible that you have Cancer or Capricorn in the 10th and 4th houses (the houses of career and home, respectively).

The Saturn return is another good example — perhaps your Saturn return had some very explicit themes that fits with a specific House theme (restructuring your creative projects or struggling with fertility, if it’s in the 5th house).

Remember, this is where we get into interpretation. It will take time and practice to try to map these events to a possible Rising Sign. But it will be well worth the effort.

Hire an astrologer to rectify your chart

Some astrologers specialize in the art of “rectifying” birth charts - that is, doing what I’ve laid out above, and then some. There is so much benefit to consulting an astrologer, in general, and they can very often help you narrow down the options and give you tools and resources for determining your Rising sign.

Do a google search for “astrologers rectification” and see who pops up.

Right now, I do not offer rectification as a service — but that might change in the future! Stay tuned.

When in doubt, set your birth time for 12 pm

If you don’t know the time but are confident in the date and location, use 12 pm (noon) as the birth time. This will ensure that your natal Moon is within 6 degrees of whatever shows up on the chart. If the moon is firmly in one sign, you can trust that at least you know the Moon sign.

Astrology is an art, not a science

At its core, astrology is a practice of astro-oracle divination. It’s ok to hold your chart a little loosely, to not have all the answers. What’s essential is that you do the work of investigating, researching, and experimenting. The magic of astrology is in the journey of self-discovery, not the acquisition of cold hard facts about yourself.

I truly hope this has helped ease any anxiety around not knowing your birth time and can help make astrology feel more accessible to you.

Once you’ve found your birth time, you are ready to book an astrology reading!

Check out my services to learn how astrology can help you live your best life.