Summary: In this episode I talk with Patrick Watson about whether it is ethical to use electional astrology in order to choose a birth chart for a baby that is about to be born, as well as some of the issues connected with that topic.<br> Patrick and his wife had a baby just last month, and as an astrologer he had to think about some of these questions, so I thought it would be good to take the opportunity to discuss it on the show.<br> Outline of the Podcast<br> Here is a general outline of the episode and some of the main points that we talked about:<br> <br> * Patrick had a baby last month, and we wrestled with the issue of electing a birth, and some of the things that arise as a result of it.<br> <br> * <a href="http://theastrologypodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/james-patrick-watson-natal-full.jpg" target="_blank"></a>James Patrick Watson, born January 24, 2014 at 1:04 PM in Phoenix, Arizona. 29 Taurus rising.<br> <br> <br> * Is it ethical to elect a birth chart?<br> <br> * Would it be ethical to not elect the birth chart if you had the option?<br> <br> <br> * Is this similar to eugenics or gene selection, like the movie Gattaca?<br> <br> * Could it lead to negative things, like discrimination?<br> <br> <br> * They needed to pick a date because a C-section was necessary due to complications.<br> * In the end we picked the date, but didn’t have control over the time, so it was like 50/50.<br> <br> * 50% left up to chance, and 50% choice.<br> * The birth time ended up being later in the day than even anticipated.<br> <br> <br> * Patrick noticed a number of connections between the Ascendant and important moments in the parent’s relationship.<br> <br> * No known planetary placements or Lots at 29 Taurus/Scorpio in the natal chart of parents. Were these transits in anticipation of James’ Ascendant or did the transits “cause” James’ Ascendant to be 29 Taurus?<br> <br> <br> * Wendy Stacey from the UK has done a study on the increased use of C-sections in modern times, showing that it is becoming more and more common.<br> <br> * It is safer.<br> * Doctors prefer it and recommend it because then it conforms to their schedule.<br> * The result though is that more people are born during the day.<br> <br> <br> * Is the birth chart still valid if it was a C-section instead of a normal birth?<br> <br> * We put this question to rest right away and say yes.<br> * It seems like people who say no have a fundamental misunderstanding of astrology.<br> * However, Gauquelin did say that the Mars effect vanished for induced births.<br> <br> <br> <br> Download or Stream the Podcast<br> You can either download this episode of the podcast as an MP3 or you can play it directly from the website by using the buttons below:<br>
