Prog Charts Rock!

 

  Secondary Progressions are an advanced astrological technique that you probably shouldn’t worry about until you are confident with both reading your natal chart, and have worked comfortably with transits for some time. Having said that, it’s always fun to peak ahead!

  The bizarre, yet spookily accurate concept of Secondary progressions is in a way a holographic fractal display within time which we see from the very basic concept that is astrology in the first place; as above, so below. The light cycle of the year is in many ways replicated on a smaller scale every day. The light waxes until it is more prominent than the darkness, and then it wanes until the darkeness takes over and leads to the next cycle’s birth. Given the similarities here, astrologers began to equate the concept of one day equaling a year. Some have likened this to 2nd Peter 3:8 - “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing: that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,” as some form of validification for this mirroring of time scales.  

   The mechanics and philosophy behind Secondary Progressions are this: we spend 9 months within the womb. Once we are born, if you track every day after that astrologically, and map each day to a year of life, you wind up with a full year of percolating growth for the new human, and those 90 odd days will turn into the 90 odd years of life. This is a pretty astounding correlation.  

    This becomes even more impressive when you consider that every planet is not fully manifested within a life until it has performed one full revolution of that chart. This is most commonly understood through the Saturn return, where true adulthood and formative structure and responsibility are rarely displayed before the age of 30. This same process happens for every planet within the sphere they rule. As such, for the first three months of life, a baby is little more than an eating, sleeping and screaming machine, with small bouts of observation and glimpses of a smile. Mercury takes three months to heliocentrically orbit the Sun, (and from a heliocentric perspective, your chart). It is at this point that a baby begins to find ways to communicate beyond screaming, and manipulate the world around them.  

   Mercury, being the messenger planet, then seems to be collecting all the influences of those first three months of life, and communicating them deep into the child’s subconscious, or soul, or whatever framework you choose to view this as, stored up to be slowly doled out over the course of a life. This is the basic concept and mechanics, but let us discuss how it is used practically.  Here's a  link to the  Secondary Progression Page of Astro-Seek to check out your own chart evolutions

   Now progressions should not be viewed merely as a transit. This is a description of a deeper, inner evolution through life as your chart slowly changes and grows. It does not replace your natal chart which is active and the core of everything for your entire life. In fact, progressions are normally measured on top of your natal chart, to see when a progressed planet will aspect your natal placements, which can activate and provide depth to that planet, and all it means for you. Unlike transits, we tend to view the aspects made from the static natal chart to the progressed planet as affecting the slowly moving progressed planet more so than the natal point. This makes interpreting a progressed chart a far more internal process only to be done once the lived natal chart is understand at a deep and practical level.

  As one day of real world movement now becomes one year of progressions, the Sun will move an average of a degree a year within the progressed chart. This means that within an average human life, you will experience 3 separate solar signs via progressions. The year that the progressed Sun changes signs is usually a huge shift in life taking place over an entire year, setting the stage for your inner creative growth throughout the entire next Saturn cycle, which is also roughly 30 years. The motions of the Sun through progressions become the most important factor to consider in progressions, as it moves through your houses, and makes aspects to your natal chart. It is at this level of astrology that we can start to assess powerfully the efficacy and meaning of more esoteric practices, such as the fixed stars, and various degree based systems as your progressed Sun will be in contact with that degree for an entire year, giving it a full chance to manifest its meanings profoundly within your life.  

   The next element to look at is the progressed Moon. It will move an average of one degree per month, mimicking its motion of roughly 12 - 14 degrees a day in transit time. The Moon, as the Translator of Light, casts a spotlight on wherever it is, demanding you pay attention to whatever it happens to highlight in your chart. I personally have found the progressed Moon moving through the progressed houses (the concept of which, and different means of calculating that are beyond the scope of this post, so those who know… I’m talking about tracking the Progressed Moon through Naibod,) has been deadly accurate to the day for major shifts in my life’s focus. A transit from the progressed Moon then becomes a month long affair, which should be interpreted as a focus on the point being aspected more-so than a specific interpretation for what the Moon is doing to that planet, or vice versa. 

   The most important element of the progressed Moon however, is its relationship to the progressed Sun. Every 29 years, you will experience a complete progressed lunation cycle. Looking to the progressed New Moon will show a seed being planted which you will work to grow up to the culmination at the progressed Full Moon, and its dissemination beyond that into the waning Moon cycle. Again, we see this roughly 30 year chunk of time highlighted… fascinating. The fastest classical planet has a very close orbital period in progressions to what the slowest classical planet does in transits. Think on that for a while.  

   From there, we can start to look at Mercury, which will for most people experience a retrograde cycle in some form during their lifetime. One born in the midst of a retrograde Mercury, (or occurring in the early years of life) will have progressed Mercury retrograde to an earlier degree than where it was when they were born. This can be interpreted as a need to go back into a past life, (or your own parental lineage if you prefer), before moving forward in your thought processes. These retrograde periods become decade plus long events well worth considering.  

   Progressed Venus comes next; some will have retrograde periods within their progressed charts while some will have Venus moving forward their entire lives. One thing to look out for is progressed Venus conjuncting the Sun (or vice versa) which can be a time of deep fulfillment where one may access their heart’s purpose. Both progressed Venus and Mercury will most likely change signs during one’s life and bring a profound shift within the domains they rule.  

   Progressed Mars will make aspects, and usually change signs. One may experience a retrograde, again, the interpretations of all this will shift for the individual life being lived. The social and outer planets will not move very much within a human life, though most people will have one or more station direct or retrograde, which will be a time frame of years in which the meanings of this planet will come to the fore and evolve. Some will even have an outer planet change signs, which is also a profound shift which must be watched.  

   We then come to the angles and houses, this is a much more complex subject, but suffice to say, Naibod calculations will take the average motion of the Earth around the Sun into account to slowly shift the angles approximately one degree every year, where they would be at the same time you were born day after day. Quotidian calculations will spin the angles around your whole chart once per year as they do every day. Watching the conjunctions the four angles make every year can be used to fine tune predictions, or used to time personal meditations or other workings.  

   This is a very speedy, yet relatively thorough introduction to progressions. If you haven’t stepped into this world yet, and are competent with transits, I’d recommend you start to explore your own life history through this lens. One experiment you can try is look for a year of your life that was particularly life-changing and check out the degree the progressed Sun was in that year. I’d love to send you what I wrote about that degree if I’ve gotten there yet, as that is the level where this sort of system truly starts to shine.