Nicholas Campion, "The Practical Astrologer", p.p. 125.
[1].
The problem of the uncertain birth time has bedevilled astrology for
the past two thousand years. When a birth time is unknown the astrologer
may cast a solar chart, either for midnight, dawn, or noon, depending on
personal prederence.
(* 不知道生时的时候常常用半夜、中午来当作出生时间 *)
However, many astrologers attempt to work out an exact birth time by a
process known as RECTIFICATION. There is no uniformly accepted procedure
but the standard practice is to take major events from the individual's
life and correlate these with the expected transits over the ASCENDANT
and MIDHEAVEN.
This is relatively simple if the approximate birth time is known and if
all that is required is to establish the degree of the Ascendant. However,
if there is no record of an approximate birth time, the astrologer has to
cope with many different possibilities.
(* 就试着配合大约的出生时间, 来调整跟 ASC. 的相关角度 *)
[2].
A guess at a likely rising sign might be made in the light of the
individual's known behaviour and by looking at characteristics that are
not accounted for by the SUN and MOON.
Some astrologers take notice of the physical appearance as this is often
partly signified by the ASCENDANT.
(* 有些占星学家则用身体上的特徵来分辨 ASC. 的位置 *)
For example, if a person has red hair this may indicate an ASCENDANT in
one of the fire signs - Aries, Leo or Sagittarius - while dark intense
eyes are often a sign of a Scorpio ASCENDANT.
Once a possible Ascendant has been established the other houses can be
filled in and the distribution of plants in houses correlated with the
person's interests and circumstance.
The first events the astrologer considers are those that happen in early
childhood, especially serious illness, accident, or other traumatic events
which should be shown by major transits over the Ascendant or perhaps by
major aspects from the progressed Ascendant.
For example, if the astrologer has decided on a Virgo Ascendant and
finds that at the age of three, when Mars and Uranus were conjunct at
10 deg. Virgo, the child had a near fatal accident, this would be taken
as evidence in favour of an Ascendant of 10 deg. Virgo.
An astrologer rectifying her chart might decide that at her engagement
progressed Venus and transiting Pluto must have been in exact aspect with
her birth chart, giving her an Ascendant of 16 deg. Sagittarius and a
Midheaven of 21 deg. Libra, and a birth time eight minutes prior to the
record time.
Rectification, however, is a subtle job which depends totally on the
impression of the astrologer. There is nothing scientific in it and to
imaging that a rectified time is the objectively "correct" birth time is
nonsense. There is always evidence to suggest a different birth time.
For example, in Princess Diana's case, transiting Neptune at her engagement
was at 22 deg. Sagittarius, suggesting an Ascendant of 22 deg. Sagittarius
and a birth time 16 minutes later than her recorded time.