Baileys Prenatal Charts

E.H.Bailey worked mainly with just these two types of prenatal charts, as well as with charts of descent, which are charts of monthly lunar returns during the gestation period. Solar Fire includes four types of charts based on his methods, listed below.

Bailey’s Prenatal Charts

Syz=Syzygy (i.e. Conjunct or Opposite); Cnj=Conjunct; Opp=Opposite; ASC=Ascendant

Bailey’s conception chart is based closely on the simple method described in ancient times of swapping the birth Moon and Ascendant positions, although he allows syzygies as well as direct swapping. (Thus the conception Moon may be on either the birth Ascendant or Descendant, and the conception Ascendant can be on either the birth Moon or its opposite point.) He also uses a method of sex determination based on a Hindu division of the zodiac into male and female divisions. This method is based on the assumption that the conception chart must confirm the sex of the individual. Therefore, Solar Fire allows you to specify whether the individual for whom you are casting a conception chart is male or female, and Solar Fire then automatically eliminates those possible conception times that would give the wrong sex. Solar Fire also allows you to alter the prenatal interval used. For example, if you know that the individual was born a few weeks premature, then you could choose to base the calculation on 9 lunar cycles instead of the usual 10. As with many of the other types of prenatal charts, Solar Fire offers you a choice of all the prenatal charts that fit the given criteria. In the case of conception charts, there are potentially up to 4 possible charts per month, so you may find that Solar Fire offers up to 8 different possibilities. Solar Fire makes a recommendation of which chart to use by highlighting that chart on the list. However, it is up to you to choose which one best fits the requirements. Solar Fire makes its recommendation based on Bailey’s method, which involves looking at i) the order of the natal chart, and ii) the rectified birth time.

The natal lunar phase and position indicate the order of the natal chart. If the moon is above the horizon and waxing then it is a first order chart, or if waning then it is a second order chart. If the moon is below the horizon and waxing then it is a third order chart, or if waning then it is a fourth order chart. Bailey recommends that if the natal chart is of the first or fourth order, then you should look for a shorter gestation than average, and if it is of the second or third order, then you should look for a longer gestation than usual.

Bailey recommends that you use a chart which confirms the birth time as closely as possible by his rectification method, which involves determining what the birth time would be if the proposed conception chart were used to re-derive the natal chart. To this end, Solar Fire indicates this “rectified” birth time for each possible conception chart.

Solar Fire finds the chart that most closely matches these criteria. If you have any knowledge of the actual term of gestation, ten you may wish to alter the choice of chart to one that more closely matches the known period of gestation.

After generating any prenatal chart, use rectification and predictive techniques to confirm whether or not the chart you have is valid.

Bailey’s quickening chart is based on the 5th converse lunar return from the birth chart. The time at which the Ascendant returns exactly to its natal position on this day is the time for the quickening chart. Thus, the Moon’s position is usually a few degrees away from its natal position in this chart. Solar Fire also allows you to experiment with the number of lunar cycles used in this chart. This calculation offers only one possible chart for the required number of lunar cycles, so no further choice needs to be made.

The Bailey Birth charts (C) and (Q) are included to allow you to reverse the calculation, and derive a birth chart from a conception (C) or quickening (Q) chart. For example, if you have a possible conception date and time, then you can use this to create a normal natal type chart by entering this date and time in Solar Fire’s New option in the Charts menu, and then use this as your base chart for the calculation of a Bailey Birth (C) chart. The resulting chart is then a predicted birth chart, based on the given conception time. In this case Solar Fire also indicates whether the base chart shows that a male of female would be born, before calculating the chart. A similar procedure can be used if you have a possible time for the quickening of a pregnancy. You can create a normal natal type chart by entering this date and time in Solar Fire’s New option in the Charts menu, and then use this as your base chart for the calculation of a Bailey Birth (Q) chart. The resulting chart is then a predicted birth chart, based on the given quickening time.