It’s worth repeating that the standard ephemeris is made for the northern hemisphere ONLY, and that if you want to apply it to the southern hemisphere, you can still use the same degree numbers, but you must convert each sign cited to its OPPOSITE SIGN.
Calculations
If you live directly on the equator, you can use the times given without further calculation. For example, on 03 Sep. your Body will go under the ecliptic into LIF (Pis) at RLT 01:12 am and will go over the ecliptic into the opposite sign DAF (Vir) at 13:12 (01:12 PM). That’s easy.
The person living on the tropic latitude below or above the equator must do some further calculation. Before we show the actual calculation formulas, let us first consider the following axioms:
The tropic person NORTH of EQUATOR spends
more time OVER the equator (than does equator person B).
He dips UNDER LATER
He rises OVER EARLIER.
So, he will spend more time in an OVER SIGN and less time in an UNDER SIGN.
The tropic person SOUTH of the EQUATOR spends
less time OVER the equator (than does equator person B).
He dips UNDER EARLIER.
He rises OVER LATER.
So, he will spend more time in an UNDER SIGN and less time in an OVER SIGN.
Please note that all calculation formulas mention the north latitude FIRST. This is because the standard ephemeris gives planet positions for north-of-ecliptic signs only.
An equator person spends 12 hours over and 12 hours under the ecliptic. A person on the north or on the south tropic line spends 24 hours over (north person) or under (south person) the ecliptic. The north person never dips under the ecliptic. The south person never rises over the ecliptic.
When we compare the equator time in a sign (12 hours) with the north-tropic-line time in a sign (24 hours) we get a difference of 12 hours. Because there are 23.5 degrees between the equator and the north tropic line, we must divide 23.5 deg. into those 12 hours (720 min.) as follows:
720 min. : 23.5 deg. = 30.6 min. per deg.
Therefore, each degree away from the equator represents a difference of 30.6 minutes.
Example A:
CHOOSE: Latitude = 01o. north for resident
Date = 02 Oct.
A person living on lat. 01o north spends 30.6 min. more OVER the ecliptic and 30.6 min. less than 12 hrs.UNDER the ecliptic.
But in order to make this difference in time work, we must divide it in two and apply it to each end of the equator switch-times as follows:
30.6 min. : 2 = 15.3 min.
We choose 02 Oct. for our date. The Equator Sign-Switch Graph # 4 shows the person X rising OVER the ecliptic at 1:14 am and dipping UNDER at 11:14 PM. In order to give our 01o north person his full 30.6 min more time over the ecliptic and 30.6 min less time under the ecliptic we must allow him to rise 15.3 min. earlier and to dip 15.3 min. later (than the equator person X).
Example B:
CHOOSE: Latitude = 01o south for resident
Date = 02 Oct.
A person living on lat. 01o south spends 30.6 min. less OVER the ecliptic and 30.6 min. more than 12 hrs.UNDER the ecliptic.
We choose 02 Oct. for our date. The Equator Sign-Switch Graph #4 shows the equator person X rising over the ecliptic at 11:14 am and dipping under at 11:14 PM. In order to give our 01o south person his full 30.6 min. less time over and more time under the ecliptic we must allow him to rise 15.3 min. later and to dip 15.3 min. earlier (than the equator person).
Example C:
Now let’s pick a city in the tropics: Salvador, Brazil at 13 degrees south, at 23 Feb.
A person living in this city on lat. 13o south spends (13 x 30.6 =) 397.8 min less than 12 hrs. OVER the ecliptic and 397.8 min. more than 12 hrs.UNDER the ecliptic.
We choose 23 Feb. for our date. The Equator Sign-Switch Graph #9 shows the equator person X rising over the ecliptic at 1:46 am and dipping under at 1:46 PM. In order to give our 01o south person his full 397.8 min. less time over and 397.8 min. more time under the ecliptic we must allow him to rise (397.8 : 2 =) 3 hrs.and 18.9 min. later and to dip 3 hrs. and 18.9 min. earlier (than the equator person).
Example D:
As last example we take Bombay, India at 18 degrees north, at 06 Aug.
A person living on lat. 18 deg. north spends (18 x 30.6 min. =) 550.8 min. more than 12 hrs. OVER the ecliptic and 550.8 min. less than 12 hrs. UNDER the ecliptic.
We choose 06 Aug. for our date. The Equator Sign-Switch Graph #2 shows the person rising over the ecliptic at 2:58 PM and dipping under at 2:58 am. In order to give our 18o north person his full 550.8 min. more time over and 550.8 min. less time under the ecliptic we must allow him to rise (550.8 : 2 =) 3 hrs. and 45.4 min. earlier and to dip 3 hrs. and 45.4 min. later (than the equator person).
The Tropical Birth Chart
The daily sign-switch activity which occurs in the tropics poses a special question when it comes to birth charts. A person born in the tropics needs to know whether at the time of his birth his Body was over or under the ecliptic. For instance, in the last example shown above, the resident of Bombay, if he had been born in that location on 06 Aug. would be a KIX(Aqu) if he were born between the hours of 6:43 am and 11:12 am, but he would be a KAX (Leo) if he were born between the hours of 0:00 to 6:43 am or between 11:12 am to 12: PM.
I already know from experience with some people in Brazil that this inescapable FACT will provoke some anger and denial. But truly the only way to ameliorate the situation is first to have the courage to reject centuries of astrological error and confusion, compounded by the arrogant, superior attitudes of the north-hemisphere colonialists who have imposed their biases on the south-hemisphere residents. It’s a kind of astrological imperialism. But to anyone who faces the perplexity of wondering about being the sign opposite from what they have been told they were the best advice I can give is as follows:
NO MATTER WHAT SIGN YOU THINK YOU ARE, IT´S ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO THINK OF THE OPPOSITE SIGN BECAUSE SOMEHOW, ALL LIFE ON EARTH IS ENGAGED IN TRYING TO RECONCILE POLAR OPPOSITES, TRYING TO CREATE A MIDDLE RESOLUTION. IT´S A “LAW OF NATURE” WHICH NEEDS TO BE RESPECTED.
