Astrology is an escort through time, identifying times of stress and times of opportunity. At present we define our birth as July 4, 1776. But that represents separating from England, irrelevant now. What really makes us unique is the Constitution with the Bill of Rights adopted 4 March 1789, more worthy of commemoration than it receives. If you agree with it, support candidates preserving the freedoms it guarantees. Many forces wish to replace the Constitution with limiting provisions. Vote! Voting alone helps preserve the Constitution.

The planets representing freedom and ideals, Jupiter and Neptune, are at 19 Cancer and 22 Libra in the natal Constitution chart. Transiting Saturn in late Cancer indicates pressure to restrict freedoms, similar to Saturn conjunctions in 1916-17 (anti German laws, e.g. Pennsylvania Deutsch become Dutch, alcohol prohibition), 1945-47 (labor union restrictions, Sen. McCarthy's restrictive powers, House Un-American Activities Commission), and 1974-75 (Watergate, domestic CIA actions). We have choices now as then. Become active at the polls. I am. If your community has disenfranchised voters, report it. Ditto for hacked voting machines with no paper trail. Fear with real or alleged terror is another political scheme.

Happy equinox on the 22nd at 12:30 pm. Can Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur be far behind? They're on the 16th and 25th, with Sukkoth on the 30th. Then there's Native American Day on the 24th, and Labor Day the 6th. Moving away from human made ceremonies, there's a harvest full Moon September 27-28th when the full Moonlight shines for a longer time than other full Moons. Hayrides anyone?

Except for Mercury retrograde the 1st and 2nd, there are no personal planets retrograde in September. Enjoy.
At 9/11/01, angry Mars, Moon and the fateful lunar node were aligned with the USA Venus in Cancer - so our money and trading superiority were damaged. On election day 2004, that same angry Mars is in stress with the USA communications planet Mercury, while restrictive and controlling Saturn joins our USA Mercury. Power outages may frustrate or delay the election process? With Mercury in the USA (5:10 PM birthtime) house of shared resources and in river watery Cancer, the need for scrutiny of rivers is especially signaled, the Delaware, East, and Chesapeake Bay especially. Saturn transiting our eighth house suggests a serious examination of national debt. If foreign governments support their industry so they can low bid, shouldn't we help our industries even more? Isn't that the patriotic thing to do? Sounds like prep for new scapegoats: trade unionists, same gender couples, trial lawyers, and environmentalists. Review the 20th century's top political marketer's strategy, Goebbels, for parallels.

John Kerry's born (11 Dec 43, 8:03 AM, Denver) at a Sagittarius Sun, and a full Moon in Gemini conjunct John Edwards' Sun (10 Jun 53, 7.02 AM, Seneca SC). How lovely. More next month.

Mercury's appears to move retrograde August 9th to September 2nd, in early creative and sovereign Leo and then late detailed Virgo.

Can you prove that you're NOT an enemy combatant? The issue before our Supreme Court is whether this endless war on terrorism can be used to imprison people INDEFINITELY, without access to attorneys, families and friends? Every modern nation places limits on detention on suspicion. Even Israel, definitely at war, has due process for (suspected) enemy combatants for only 18 days. Our government can detain suspects two years and counting. Our judicial administrators seem to be returning to pre-Magna Carta time when rulers (sovereigns then) held folks they didn't like indefinitely without due process. As stated in last month's column, the divisive issue is not land or slavery as in 1861-65. The serious divisions are based on perception (the third house astrologically), trust of leadership (ninth house).

The transiting planets explaining the present crisis in US civil liberties is explained by 1) transforming Pluto going over idealistic Neptune in the USA 9th house, 2) idealistic Neptune in stress to our trusting natal Jupiter and Venus in the public 7th sector, and 3) controlling Saturn joining our natal Mercury and Jupiter, ruling planets of the 3rd and 9th houses! Identical Saturn transits applied in 1974-75 (Nixon's second term, Watergate), and in 1945-47 during the McCarthy hearings and the media purge of socially sensitive talent, and 1916-17 and World War I's ubiquitous prejudice "against the Hun." My call is another deadlocked election with incumbent victory eventually using less than legal measures, 1)disenfranchised voters, 2)a real or staged terror attack in late September or early October, 3)hacked voting machines with no paper trail, and 4)Nader.

The rarest of retrogrades, Venus, continues its apparent backward motion through June 29th. Venus represents values, beauty, and self-worth. Go with its flow by returning to such things experienced but now absent. Rekindle prior friendships, and business deals too, that ended prematurely. In Gemini, the Venus retro suggests returning to prior data, witnesses, contracts, vehicles, communications tools, plus good friends you liked to joke around with and really had great conversations with. If such have been lost, now's as good a time as any to resume the search.
If you make a point on a 360 degree wheel where the Venus retrograde joins the Sun each time for five consecutive conjunctions, connecting the points produces a perfect pentagram! It takes eight years for that to happen. This year, on June 8th, we're having a rare apparent transit of Venus across the Sun. Invisible here, avid Venus watchers should journey to southern Africa for the best view with special observing instruments. Never look directly into the Sun. For all signs, look to 8 and 24-year cycles to see patterns of retrieved relationships and possessions.

The newly discovered object in our solar system is really far out. Known as Sedna, it is the main player in the Oort Cloud in the deepest regions of our star system, where comets are born and far beyond the Kuiper belt where Pluto moves amidst other much smaller objects. Sedna is the name given the ice goddess of the Inuit peoples of Nunavut Province, Canada. Planet Pluto averages 3 billion miles from the Sun, while Sedna is 8 billion miles away in a very elliptical orbit. Pluto's revolution around the Sun takes 247 years, while Sedna takes about 8,300 years to go around! Right now, Sedna is about 19 degrees in Taurus and slower than any known solar system object.

The rarest of retrogrades, Venus, does just that mid May through June in mental Gemini. On the positive side, return to previous relationship scenes, or financial scenes, that were enjoyable but ended too abruptly. Humor is most important now, to treat most verbal exchanges with a modicum of levity. On the negative side, avoid new partnership agreements. And postpone intimacies until July and after. Can June newlyweds postpone nuptials a month at least? We also have a lunar eclipse on the 4th, not visible here.

We're facing the most divisive times. But we have choices. The 9-11 and Madrid bombings show clear astrological signatures. Venus of values was sextile disciplined Saturn both times, and Venus aspecting idealistic Neptune both times reflects the martyrdom of the criminal actions. The latter followed the former by exactly 911 days. When do those aspects return? September & October! Will Dubya and friends plan some frightening event to adhere the public to incumbents? Yes. The progressed Sun in the USA chart enters Pisces on election day. No precedent for that one, but when the progressed Sun was opposite in 1825, John Quincy Adams was selected president (#6) after a deadlocked election. JQ was the son of President John Adams (#2). If you want to prevent another fiasco, hone computer skills to detect manipulated voting machines without paper trails manufactured by incumbent supporters Diebold. Also, see that voters supporting opponents of the incumbents are not disenfranchised as happened in Florida in 2000.

Send me your birth data (date, time, city) and a business size stamped, self addressed envelope and receive a natal chart. Box 176, Oreland PA 19075.

ASTEROIDS! About two centuries ago, relatively small heavenly bodies were discovered orbiting the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Over the centuries, over 8000 asteroids have been discovered and computed, most of them orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, but about five percent have other orbits with some approaching Earth. From an astrological point of view, relating what's happening in the sky with what's happening on Earth, astronomers have named them. And a few astrologers have discovered that the movements of named asteroids correlate with events and persons on Earth with the names!For example, when Bill Clinton was born, asteroids named Williams, Paula, and Monica were in a tight stellium exactly opposite asteroids named Hillary and Gingerich. During the 2000 national election in the United States, when the Presidency was uncertain for a month, the outcome seemed predicted in the heavens by asteroids named Busch and Washingtonia traveling together, just a few degrees apart during the election, with there being no asteroid named Gore and the one whose sound was closest, Goretti, was far away from asteroid Washingtonia. This writer has had many articles published about the uncanny correspondence of asteroids events with human experience with the same names.As of this writing in autumn 2002, the world is facing the strong possibility of a war between the United States, perhaps acting alone, and Iraq. However, there are astrological indications that is Iraqi oil supplies are threatened, and if chemical and biological and nuclear weapons are unleashed and cannot be controlled, that China, Israel, and the Arabs as well as European nations dependent upon Iraqi oil will oppose the United States' actions. President Bush charges Iraq with manufacturing massive quantities of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons that pose a threat to civilization. The United States a year ago experienced the worst terrorist bombing in history with almost three thousand persons killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on a hijacked plane crashing into Pennsylvania. The United States Government has detained or imprisons many persons it feels are in part responsible for these deaths. And many of the principles of democratic juridical laws boasted by the United States for over two centuries are now threatened. Persons suspected of terrorism are detained without charges, without access to attorneys and their families. War is the justification for this curtailment of civil rights, and with the "war on terrorism" having no clearly defined objective, it is likely such curtailment of civil rights will continue indefinitely and extend beyond those people resembling the hijackers and their allies, all identified with Arabic nations. Asteroids carry names that correspond to important persons and places in the middle East drama. Because asteroids and planets differ in the accuracy available in their measurement over large periods of time, we cannot look at asteroids positions more than a few centuries ago at best. While it may be interesting to know where specific asteroids were during the Recitation or the Crusades, we would be deluding ourselves with those data being accurate.Rather this section will focus on asteroids with relevant names and during the last 15 years and the coming year.
Asteroids in the very early 21st Century. The relevant asteroids included for study include Abhramu (for the prophet Abraham who shares a common link between the three major monotheistic religions, this being the closest spelling as there is no asteroid at this time named Abram, Abraham, or Ibrahim). Other relevant asteroids are named America, Arabia, Busch (this German spelling is the only one available), Irakli (for Iraq), Israel, Ra-Shalom (for the Egyptian god Ra and the middle eastern general greeting), and finally asteroid Washingtonia for the U. S. capitol.To make the transits of asteroids and their mutual aspects easily seen, I use a graphic ephemeris with a 45 degree width on the vertical axis, and time represented on the horizontal axis. Thus whenever any two lines representing planets or asteroids intersect, either a conjunction is formed between the two bodies, or a stressful aspects measured in multiples of 45 degrees, thus semisquares (45 degrees), squares (90), sesquiquadrates (135) or oppositions (180 degrees apart). I am not saying that these asteroids cause the events, but merely that the asteroids reflect events on Earth with the same names and sounds. Perhaps it is the sound of words that provoke action. Thoughts are things. The winning New York lottery number on September 11, 2002 was 911, the very numbers people all over the world were thinking about that day. Maybe thoughts are things.Iraq invaded Kuwait, and the United States sent ground troops and military aircraft to Saudi Arabia in August 1990 for the purpose of liberating Kuwait, and destroying Iraqi military resources. At that time asteroids America and Arabia were traveling parallel with each other in Libra, while asteroid Irakli was directly opposite in Aries. The warlike planet Mars was 45 and 135 stressful degrees from these other asteroids at the attack date.In the middle of January 1991, United States military aircraft bombed Iraq, and by that time Asteroid Irakli was still in early Aries and formed a semisquare with asteroid Washingtonia, while asteroid Busch formed a stressful semisquare with the planet of the underworld Pluto. Arabia and America were the names of asteroids still together as Saudi Arabia and Arabs generally supported the United States in defending Kuwaiti Arabs and the Iraqi Arabs hurt from the regime of Saddam Hussein. Militant Mars was opposite both asteroids America and Arabia, as if to show unity during a violent challenge. And we, the Americans and the Arabs, hanged tough, with Saudi Arabia allowing this friendly invasion of American forces, including women driving motor vehicles, a practice forbidden by the Kingdom. Ra-Shalom, the blend of peace and greeting, an asteroid named for the peaceful negotiations between Egypt and Israel years before, was in Pisces during the American attack on Iraq when Iraqi missiles were being dropped on Israeli soil and Israel played its role of martyred restraint and strong service, exemplified by Ra Shalom in social perfectionist Pisces opposite asteroids Israel and Abhramu traveling together in personal perfectionist Virgo.The Objective of September 11 Astrologically. The commonly used date for the birth of these United States is July 4, 1776. The birthtime is hotly debated, but this article uses a 4:37 pm time in Philadelphia. That was the Declaration of Independence of the United States from Great Britain. The terrorists of September 11 seemed to have a strong interest in that union, but their actions only served to strengthen the union between both nations.The transiting Saturn at the World Trade Center attack was in a precise harmonious trine to the Declaration of Independence Saturn, 14 Gemini 45 and 14 Libra 48 respectively. There is no better aspect for a smooth, unified cooperation of Saturnian responsibility, and so the United Kingdom and the United States present a Saturn like consolidated front of common resolve and preparation for a military response to the attacks, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. The WTC hopeful Jupiter and purposeful Mid Heaven at 11 Cancer 35 and 16 Cancer 42 respectively join the natal Declaration of Independence proud and creative Sun at 13 Cancer 18. Mars is the trigger planet activating slower moving spheres of symbolism. And the WTC Mars was at 1 Capricorn 27 on a challenging exact opposition to the 4th of July's optimistic acquisition of domestic wealth, the natal Venus and Jupiter at 3 Cancer 05 and 5 Cancer 56 respectively.The terrorists did not destroy the Declaration of Independence housed at historical archives in Washington. Maybe that was the intent of the fourth plane crashing in rural western Pennsylvania on September 11. What the terrorists did destroy so efficiently was the major commercial landmark of the world. Astrologically it behooves us not to ignore the symbol of American wealth, the United States Treasury. That bureaucracy affecting currency and the value of land and property was born 2 September 1789 in New York City. The time is, of course, debated, but I'm using 9:30 in the morning, with a practical Mercury at 14 Virgo 44 close to a proud Sun at 10 Virgo 27 ruling the purposeful Mid Heaven at 2 Leo 22.The terrorists were intent on destroying the United States' command of international wealth, and with declines in GNP, the stock market, and the general economy even before 9/11, the attack simply expanded upon an existing theme. The military budget would be symbolized by Mars in the natal chart of the Treasury. And the WTC attacks' expansive Jupiter was, to the degree, conjunct with Treasury's Mars, at 11 Cancer 35 and 11 Cancer 13 respectively. More importantly, 9/11 represented doubt and fear about the statements of the United States government regarding its own wealth. The ensuing scandals among top executives of large corporation and trusted accounting firms, symbolizes doubt and fear about experts and numbers themselves. The WTC attack came amidst a Saturn in verbal and numerical Gemini opposite powerful and manipulative Pluto in judgmental and governmental Jupiter, whether that government means elected representatives or the corporate controls of industrial elites. Words and numbers are Mercury things. The WTC's Saturn was exactly in a stressful square with Treasury's natal Mercury at 14 Gemini 45 and 14 Virgo 44 respectively. No orb!We now come to the present time, Autumn 2002 and Winter 2002/03. According to the news broadcasts, Kofi Annan has been informed by the Iraqi government that, contrary to earlier statements, the nation is open to unconditional inspections by United Nations weapons inspectors. President Busch reacted to the offer by trivializing it as a ploy by the Iraqi to buy time, and suspicious of continued hiding of weapons in Iraqi palaces which were off limits to previous UN inspectors. Unless the palaces are immediately available for surprise inspections upon demand, any inspection is a joke.There is an asteroid named United Nations. In September 15, 2002 when Hussein's proposal was announced, asteroid United Nations was at 26 degrees of democratic Libra forming a stressful square with "official" asteroid Washingtonia and a seeming trine with asteroid Busch who supported just such a cooperative arrangement with the United Nations days before.The asteroid United Nations is in Scorpio and Sagittarius from October 2002 through March 2003, moving together with asteroids Arabia, Israel, and Zhongguo (Chinese for China). But asteroid Busch is in Gemini stressfully aspecting idealistic Neptune in a semi square, and that can represent the ideals of avenging his lack of direct military experience, of avenging Hussein's threats against his father, and becoming the military hero he has never been before. The asteroid Busch is also opposite powerfully destructive Pluto through March 2003.The most likely time for violence is in late November and early December 2002 when both asteroids representing China have stressful aspects with Washingtonia and Mars at the same time. China will openly oppose any war that will destroy Iraqi oil. The asteroid America, which can represent the majority of the American people, exactly squares Mars from December 2002 through the summer of 2003, as though torn between warlike leaders and the death tolls of war.The Bush-Hussein War is Personal, not Political. When looking at transiting aspects to the many connection between the charts of President Bush and Saddam Hussein, it's hard to see where the war is any more political than it is personal. Hussein's unpredictably proud Sun and Uranus in fixed Taurus is exactly square Bush's powerful Mercury in Pluto in fixed Leo, an unbending tension triggered in early December when both men are impatient to pull triggers with Mars in fixed Scorpio at the same degrees, along with lots of relevant asteroids in stressful aspects simultaneously.Asteroids Arabia and Israel oppose asteroid Busch in early December. Can it be that neither the Arabs or the Israelis want war and join together in opposing President Bush's warlike ways fearing not only the bloodshed of war in their region, but the destructiveness of Hussein's chemical, biological and radiological weapons unleashed by the bombing of the Americans? The most warlike period is in late November and early December 2002. That's when Mars in late Libra and early Scorpio forms stressful aspects simultaneously with asteroids Irakli, Israel, America, Busch, Washingtonia, Ra Shalom and Abhramu! Such a war could not be contained because of the nature of the weapons. Asteroid Busch will be in stress to both idealistic Neptune and destructive Pluto. While we may question the wisdom of allowing so much power over life to be placed in the hands of relatively few people, and especially the militant leaders of the United States, Israel and Iraq, there will be little time and no power to change things. The exceptions will be those close to the seats of power in all nations involved. The adage about evil prevailing when good people do nothing will never have been more true.The Next Complexity: China. Is another World War entering the scene? Are Renaissance predictions of Armageddon rearing its ugly head not only with weapons of mass destruction, but also the conflict between every continent? There are two asteroids named for China, and both asteroids are in mutable signs in the autumn 2002 and winter 2002-03. One is simply named China for the first asteroid discovered there in 1928, and the other named Zhongguo, the English transliteration for the Chinese word for China, discovered by the same Chinese astronomer. That they are opposite each other suggests internal conflict politically in China regarding what to do. China doesn't want to oppose the United States but it depends upon Iraqi oil to fuel the massive production of goods exported to the world and fueling China's economic boom. Mars conjuncting Zhongguo in March 2003, square to America is when Chinese will take direct action to stop Bush's bellicosity.For a full set of about 20 charts and graphic ephemerides, please contact me (Jacob Schwartz).
Bibliography:Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Meaning of The Holy Qur'an, Beltsville MD: Amana, 1989.Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1992.Rabbi Philip S Berg, The Star Connection: The Science of Judaic Astrology, New York: Research Center of Kabbalah, 1992.Pamela Crane, The Draconic Chart, London: Flare, 2000.
Yahiya Emerick, Muhammad, Indianapolis: Alpha, 2002.The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam,Indiapolis: Alpha, 2002.Muhammad Abdel Haleem, Understanding the Qu'ran New York:Tauris, 1999.Martin Lings, Muhammad - His Life Based on the Earliest Sources, Rochester VT: Inner Traditions, 1983.Gordon D Newby, A Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, Oxford: One World, 2002.The New English Bible, Oxford: University Press, 1961.James Reston, Warriors of God, New York: Doubleday, 2001.E. G. Richards, Mapping Time, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.Maxime Rodinson, Muhammad, translated from the French by Anne Carter, New York: New Press, 1980.H. W. F. Saggs, Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria, New York: Dorset, 1965.Rabbi Nosson Scherman, Editor, Tanach: The Torah / Prophets / Writings, Brooklyn NY: Mesorah, 1996.

Jacob Schwartz, Asteroid Name Encyclopedia. St Paul: Llewellyn, 1995.Margaret Smith, Muslim Women Mystics, Oxford: OneWorld, 2001.Duncan Steel, Marking Time, New York: John Wiley, 2000.tapestry
APPENDIX A
DESCRIPTION OF ARABIC AND OTHER CALENDARS OF THE 7TH CENTURY AND BEYOND
Our knowledge of the Sumerian calendar comes from documents of the Babylonians who succeeded the Sumerians. They knew that the Sun and Moon form the same phase angle at the same time of year every 19 years. That's why eclipses occur on the same day every 19 years. The 19 year cycle is called the Metonic cycle after the Greek Meton who may have gotten the idea from either the Babylonians or the Hebrews, The Greeks already had a similar calendar.Distinct Calendars. Although there is no central authority in Islam today, as in the Roman Catholic church, in the very beginnings of Islam following the death of Muhammad in 632, Caliph Umar assumed leadership of the nascent religious group. Muhammad had requested the followers have a calendar different from the Hebrews, Babylonians, pagans and the Christians. The complexity of an intercalated calendar, and the controversy over different such calendars with trivial differences in the long term, was rejected by Muhammad in preference to a simple lunar calendar. Since the Christians used a calendar with no references to solar or lunar cycles, and since the Babylonians and Hebrews used a solilunar calendar, Muhammad requested his followers use a strictly lunar calendar with no insertions of extra lunar months. Thus each of the three monotheistic religions had a distinctive calendar. In fact, Christians and Jews agreed to set up Passover and Easter to rarely happen at the same time.
Each new month on the Islamic calendar begins with the sighting of the new Moon, and this can only occur soon after sunset. Because a new month must start with the evening when the new Moon is first seen, and can only be seen after sunset, the Islamic day and month begin and end at sunset.Personal Observation Versus Scientific Measures. And because each month depends on the sighting of the new moon, which may be blocked by weather conditions, the Islamic calendar cannot be printed or declared ahead of time, with months having irregular beginnings. The sighting of the new moon each month is the cause of much concern and angst in the Muslim world. There is a Muslim website http://www.moonsighting.com established to relieve some of this pressure each month.The Christian world has had similar complications in establishing a calendar over the last two millennia. And that complexity all had to do with Easter, a date that depends on the first full moon after the March equinox, except that the Church gave up using the real astronomically defined equinox a long time ago, using artificial constructs for the sake of convenience. Thus the Islamic calendars may be said to be scientifically based whereas the Christian church calendars have lost their connections with the cycles of the heavens. Hebrew calendars are also based upon astronomical timings in Jerusalem, each month beginning at the dark of the Moon, or what astrologers call the new Moon, in Jerusalem. Chinese calendars base their lunar cycles upon prevailing astronomical conditions in Beijing.Another objection to our calendrical system is that using midnight as the end of one day and the start of the next day is illogical in that there is no phenomenon which may be directly observed, like sunrise or sunset, so as to define the instant. If midday were used, as defined in the early 19th century as the time at which the sun transits the meridian, that might make more sense scientifically speaking, but midnight is simply more convenient. Midnight was adopted in 1884 at the International Meridian Conference in Washington, DC.And what we call a month, derived from the word for Moon, has nothing to do with the time taken by the Moon to orbit Earth. On average the time between full moons is 29.5306 days. This is also equal to the mean time between new moons, although due to the eccentricity, or noncircularity, of the lunar orbit, the actual interval between successive full Moons vary between 29.2 and 29.8 days, a very substantial difference.A new Moon is not the same as the "dark of the Moon." The dark of the moon is when the Sun and Moon are at the same ecliptic longitude, whereas the new Moon is when the thin lunar crescent can first be sighted just above the western horizon after sunset.The new Moon will be visible one to three evenings after inferior conjunction with the Sun has occurred, the typical delay being thirty hours. But if it is just missed on one evening, the new moon will not be seen for almost another 24 hours, and so clearly the time between successive new Moons can vary a much greater interval than the range between full Moons. If averaged over many years the mean time between new Moons is the same as the mean time between full moons, the average synodic period. Two millennia ago, the sighting of the new moon also mattered for Hebrews as it now does for Muslims.Islamic dates ascribed to the era of the Hegira before AD 629 are unnumbered, and no genuine inscription will ever be found marked with such dates.. In fact, the years after the Hegira until 649 were given Islamic names relating to the important events, rather than numbered in any way. The second year after Hegira was called Permission, the third year corresponding to 624 was Order for Fighting, the fourth Trial, fifth Congratulation on marriage, the sixth Earthquake, 7th Inquiring, 8th Gaining victory, 9th is Equality, 10th Exemption, and the 11th corresponding to western year 632 was Farewell.Moreover dates before AD 622 are not adequately defined. It is not specified whether, for instance, 621 should be called -1 AH, 0 AH, 1 BH (before Hegira) or something else.
In a private email correspondence, Khalid Shaukat, the astronomical director with the Muslim Information Service (see http://www.moonsighting.com/quranastronomy.html), replied to the writer's inquiries by saying that:
no one can calculate the equivalent Common Era dates for the Makkan [Meccan] period of Muhammad's life (Peace be upon him), because there were intercalations of a 13th month in a year being done by Makkan people and it is not documented when that occurred in every year. Certainly it is known it was done at different times in different years as decided by the leaders of the Makkah. For this reason the earliest exact date known in that era was March 6, 632 Common Era = Zul-hijjah 9, 10 AH (Friday) when Muhammad performed his Hajj. Intercalation practice ended in that month. So from that point on we can calculate corresponding dates of the Common Era and Islamic calendar.