Available Birth Data
Astrodatabank reports an A-rated 12:30 AM birth time, from memory for 26-Jun-1892 with an Ascendant of 11AR40. The proposed rectification moves the time back slightly more than one hour to the prior day.
Proposed Rectification
Pearl Buck
25-Jun-1892
11:23:57 PM
EST +05:00
Hillsboro, WV
80w12’48”
38n08’07”
ASC 14PI28’55”
Stage I. Determine the Ascendant sign
Firdaria
A comparison of live events to Firdaria periods confirms the nocturnal series with her 2 ½ years spent living in Nanhsuchou during Jupiter-Venus and Jupiter-Mercury subperiods a standout as well as publication of The Good Earth during a Jupiter-Mars subperiod immediately prior to the North Node period which brought her significant fame. North Node is in the earth sign of Taurus, a match to the book’s title The Good Earth.
Physiognomy
One of the major problems with the 12:30 AM birth time is placement of Jupiter/Aries on the Ascendant. Pearl Buck’s shape of face is round, not arrow-like, which is a better match to Cancer, not Aries, as the physiognomy significator. Second decan of Pisces rising for the final rectified Ascendant is ruled by the Moon/Cancer which is one possible Ascendant match for Cancer.
Configuration of the Chart
Saturn/Virgo/7th. The most striking feature of the Pisces rising horoscope places Saturn/Virgo in the 7th, a delineation match to her first husband Lossing Buck whom PB found as cold and heartless.
Mars/Aquarius/12th. Delineation match to racist enemies of her humanitarian work.
Cancer stellium in 5th house consistent with children as a major theme of her life’s work which focused on adoption of children of mixed US-Asian heritage. Most of these children were born to Asian women with US military fathers who were stationed in Asia during the Vietnam era.
Conclusion: Ascendant is Pisces
Stage II. Determine the Ascendant’s range within 1-4 degrees
Lots
Lot of Mother 13PI40/16LI20Mother’s death 21-Oct-1921. csa South Node 16LI29 conj antisica of Lot of Mother.
Lot of Death of the Father 17LE21/12TA39Father’s death 31-Aug-1931. csa Saturn 16LE40.
Lot of Marriage of Women a/c Hermes. 13TA44/16LE16Divorce to Lossing Buck and marriage to Richard Walsh same day 12-Jun-1935
dsa Sun 15LE59 conj antiscia of Lot.
Lot of Marriage. 4TA03/25LE57Husband Richard Walsh suffered stroke, 17-Aug-1953, c.tr Saturn 24LE56 conj antiscia of lot.
Stage III. Determine the exact Degree and Minute of the Ascendant
Solar Arc Directions
13-Dec-1930 csa MC conj South Node
15-Jan-1931 dsa South Node conj MC
16-Dec-1930 csa Jupiter conj ASC
18-Jan-1931 dsa ASC conj JupiterBoth sets of Node-MC and Jupiter-ASC directions are key to publication of The Good Earth which brings the North Node in the earth sign of Taurus to the IC but simultaneously the death of her brother Arthur with the South Node to the MC which is 8th from the 3rd or death of siblings.
16-Dec-1954 csa North Node conj ASC
6-Mar-1955 dsa ASC conj North NodeFavorable NYT Book Review of My Several Worlds, 7-Nov-1954, an autobiography which briefly resuscitated PB’s reputation and lifted her spirits. Favorable sales as well.
Primary Directions
PT (D Jupiter/Taurus) P North Node d. => ASC 21-Oct-1930
PT (D Mercury/Scorpio) P South Node c. => MC 25-Dec-1930These two primary directions are similar to the solar arcs which appear in December 1930 and January 1931. In this case, the primary direction of South Node to MC for death of brother Arthur on 25-Dec-1930 is the accurate to-the-day measurement compared to the same measurement computed by solar arc directions.
REG (D Jupiter/Pisces) P ASC c. => North Node 29-May-1935Same day divorce to Lossing Buck and marriage to Richard Walsh, 12-Jun-1935.
REG (D Mercury/Scorpio) P South Node d. Moon (l=0) 5-Mar-1973Death, 6-Mar-1973
Directing the Ascendant through the Bounds
| Date | Bound | Life Event |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Dec-1901 | Jupiter/Aries | |
| 2-Aug-1905 | Venus/Aries | |
| 1-Aug-1909 | Mercury/Aries | |
| 23-Mar-1914 | Mars/Aries | |
| 31-May-1917 | Saturn/Aries | 30-May-1917. Married Lossing Buck. Mid-July-1920. Surgery for appendix and benign tumor which ended childbearing ability. Note this event is consistent with a Saturn distribution not with a Venus ruled distribution through the sign of Taurus. |
| 7-Sep-1920 | Venus/Taurus | |
| 19-Feb-1926 | Mercury/Taurus | |
| 8-Jun-1930 | Jupiter/Taurus | 2-Mar-1931. The Good Earth is published. |
| 2-Jul-1936 | Saturn/Taurus | Sep-1936. Akron Times newspaper published interview which discussed in detail the condition of her daughter Carol in detail which Pearl Buck tried to suppress. |
| 7-Jul-1940 | Mars/Taurus | Summer 1940. After election to National Committee of the ACLU, PB voted ‘sheepishly’ to expel member Elizabeth Burley Flynn who was a labor radical and member of the Communist Party. In separate work, I have identified Mars/Taurus as a labor agitation significator. |
| 5-Jan-1943 | Mercury/Gemini | |
| 20-Mar-1948 | Jupiter/Gemini | |
| 20-Sep-1953 | Venus/Gemini | |
| 15-Jul-1958 | Mars/Gemini | |
| 20-Aug-1965 | Saturn/Gemini | |
| 14-Jan-1972 | Mars/Cancer | Contracted cancer summer of 1972 and died 6-Mar-1973. |
From the ‘Medieval Astrology Profile for Pearl Buck,’ Victor Database
For more information on Doctor H’s work, visit the House of Wisdom