Fundamentals of Astrological Forecasting. Progressions
Alexander Kolesnikov
They say haste is only needed when catching fleas… 🙂 This is to say that in my eagerness to release the previous issue as quickly as possible, I made a rather crude error in calculating transits — there, Saturn forms a sextile to natal Jupiter, but I… That is, this could serve as an example of transit interpretation, but not as an example of calculation accuracy. In reality, considering the sextile, the interpretation should be significantly softer. There are limitations and difficulties, after all — Saturn is still Saturn, yet the tension is not so pronounced; rather, it is an occasion to make a choice, to take a different path. I will try not to make such mistakes in this issue 🙂
Today, we will discuss a group of forecasting methods collectively known as “progressions.” As you already know, to make a forecast, we study the movement of “forecasting” planets in relation to natal planets. In different forecasting methods, these moving planets are calculated differently. For example, in the transit method, real planetary positions in the sky at the time of interest are taken. In progressions, real planetary movements are also used, but on a certain scale. For instance, in the most common method of secondary progressions, or the “day-for-a-year” progression, planets move approximately 365 times slower than in reality; more precisely, each year of the horoscope owner’s life corresponds to one day after the moment of birth. For example, if a person was born on June 1, 1960, at 00:00, when constructing the horoscope, we naturally determine the positions of the planets at that time. These will be natal planets (since the horoscope is otherwise called a natal chart or, equivalently, a birth chart). The person lives, and meanwhile, some “doubles” of the natal planets — planetary progressions (sometimes called progressive planets, though I do not like this term) — gradually shift. To determine where the planetary progressions are when the person turns 10, i.e., on June 1, 1970, we take the planetary positions 10 days after the moment of birth, i.e., on June 11, 1960. If we were preparing a forecast for this person on June 1, 2001 (age 41), we would take the planetary positions 41 days after birth, i.e., on July 12, 1960, as the progressions. Of course, it is not necessary to work only with whole-year values. If we prepare a forecast for the age of 40.5 years, we study the planetary positions 40.5 days after birth.
Once the positions of the progressions are determined, we look to see if they form any aspects to the natal planets, and if they do, we forecast certain events or processes in the life of the horoscope owner. Additionally, we should pay attention to aspects between the progressions themselves — they also foretell events and changes. Moreover, aspects between progressions are more significant and effective than aspects between transit planets. The reason is that transit aspects are the same for everyone. If, say, an opposition between Jupiter and Pluto forms in the sky, it is the same for everyone, though it is most significant for those whose natal chart has this opposition on sensitive points or who have some aspect between Jupiter and Pluto in their natal chart. However, aspects between progressions are individual; at the same moment in time, they will be different for each of us.
Planetary progressions move at different speeds. The fastest, of course, is the progress of the Moon — on average about one degree per month. Progressions of planets from Jupiter onward move so slowly that over a human lifetime (say, 70 years — which is 70 days in progression), they shift insignificantly. Therefore, in everyday work with progressions, the progressions of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars are most commonly used.
It is easiest to determine progressions, of course, using a computer program; I have long since stopped calculating them manually and will not teach you the existing rational methods for doing so. However, it is sometimes useful to simply look at the ephemeris to assess the general nature of planetary movement through a certain number of days after birth. This is especially important if the natal chart contains retrograde planets and these planets become direct within 60–70 days after birth, or conversely, planets that were direct at birth become retrograde in progression over the course of life. A change in the direction of movement of a planet in progression usually indicates very significant changes in the affairs of the houses where these planets are located.
If a planet was retrograde at birth and becomes direct in progression, it seems to shine brightly and begins to act in the corresponding house. I usually cite my own example here. My Uranus is in the 10th house, which may symbolize a professional interest in astrology or any non-standard profession, as well as instability in relationships with superiors and social status due to a reluctance to conform to existing norms, a need for freedom. However, at birth, Uranus was retrograde, and its qualities were directed inward, toward the self. I have always “not gotten along” with authorities, I was more or less of an outcast and even a rebel at times; I was always interested in everything new and unusual, but I chose a profession quite dictated by my then environment — I went into the army. Incidentally, I never became a model officer, and although I achieved considerable success at work, there were many difficulties with superiors. But at the age of 29 (this is also Saturn’s cycle, which is very strong in my natal chart), my progressed Uranus turned direct, and I immediately felt unbearably cramped in the army structure. I voluntarily destroyed, within a few months, my not-so-bad career and left the army — into the unknown. And it was then that I became actively involved in astrology.
Conversely, if a planet turns retrograde in progression, the brightness of its manifestation in the affairs of the corresponding house significantly decreases; it becomes less evident in the external circumstances of life and turns into something like a part of the person’s inner world.
Particularly interesting and important are the turning points of progressions of personal planets — Mercury, Venus, and Mars. For example, if a person is born with retrograde Mercury, they usually experience difficulties in communication; with retrograde Venus, they often feel unloved; retrograde Mars brings dissatisfaction with the results of their own efforts — I wrote about this in more detail in a relevant article. And when the progression of a personal planet turns direct, it is as if a dam breaks inside the person; they change significantly and try to quickly compensate for what they previously lacked.
Retrograde at birth, Mercury will inevitably turn direct in progression later in life, usually after the age of 21, since its retrograde motion lasts only about three weeks. As for the other planets — it depends…
If the progression of a personal planet turns retrograde, its qualities seem to become introverted: in the case of Mercury, the person communicates less and accumulates information less, instead reflecting more and assimilating what has already been gathered; in the case of Venus, they shift from external expressions of love and beauty to deeper values; in the case of Mars, they stop acting outwardly.
Planets also move from one zodiac sign to another in progression. For example, if a person is born with Mercury in Taurus, their mind is deliberate and thorough; they do not consider themselves to have learned something until they have tested that knowledge in practice, but once they have mastered it, it stays with them for a long time. After some time, the progressed Mercury will enter Gemini, and the overall intellectual mood of the person will change significantly — their interest in communication, learning, and gathering information from various sources will grow, and their mind will become more active and flexible.
If, once again, I cite my own example, I was born with Mercury in Pisces; the period of accumulating the bulk of my knowledge coincided with the progression of Mercury through Taurus, and when my progressed Mercury entered Gemini last year, I felt the urge to share what I had learned with the entire website, and it was then that the newsletters… began.
I work exclusively with secondary progressions, but there are other varieties, especially popular among Americans.
I no longer remember their exact names, but in progressions, the scale is what matters, not the name. Instead of the “day = year” scale, the two most popular alternative options use the scales “lunar month = year” and “day = lunar month.” Without computer assistance, it’s practically impossible to figure this out. Of course, these progressions also work and can be used in forecasting. Sometimes they are even more informative since the progressions of planets move faster than in secondary progressions. However, in astrology, any method can work, even one invented personally, if it is based on a certain natural pattern. By applying different tools to the horoscope, you read several different layers of information, but you cannot change tools daily, and it’s impossible to use them all, so you have to limit your choice to a few familiar forecasting methods.
Now I will try to select from the available readers’ horoscopes one where I can demonstrate the progressions’ turns. I decided to take a horoscope with an unknown birth time, and at the same time show how I proceed in such cases, as there have been questions. This is about the horoscope at the moment of sunrise on the day and in the place where the person was born. By the way, many astrologers confirm the effectiveness of such a horoscope, even though it is not a birth horoscope in the full sense… You just need to forget about it a little and act as if it were a regular natal chart, but of course, without emphasizing that the Sun is on the Ascendant. After all, we placed it there ourselves 😉
So, Larisa Pavlovna was born on April 2, 1945, in Moscow. In the Zet program, I will build a horoscope for Moscow, say, at 7 a.m. The Sun turns out to be above the horizon. So I click the “Time Dynamics” button and, using the buttons in the appearing window, move the Sun to the Ascendant. The result of my efforts is shown in the figure.
Before dealing directly with progressions, I will make a brief excursion into the chart. An interesting conjunction of Mercury and Venus in the 1st house is noteworthy. Moreover, Mercury is in Aries and rules the 3rd house (knowledge), while retrograde Venus is in Taurus, ruling the 2nd house (money, property). Moreover, these planets are approaching an exact conjunction, which increases the importance of the aspect. A quick, energetic mind actively uses knowledge, and this makes it possible to achieve tangible results of the slow, practical Venus. Probably, ideas slightly outpace practical implementation, but that’s not a problem—they keep coming back. In two words, this is a good ability to derive real benefit from one’s knowledge, wise management of finances and material resources.
But since we mentioned the 2nd house, we cannot ignore Uranus in Gemini, which is located there. Such a position of Uranus can, on the one hand, indicate the use of the latest technologies (well, for example, those same computers) for earning money and the ability to handle equipment, but Uranus can also signify a certain threat to finances. In the affairs of the house where Uranus is located, the person strives for freedom, does not like rigid frameworks and restrictions; in this case, there is a possibility of unexpected financial decisions that others consider extravagant and inappropriate.
The square of Mars from the 12th house works in the same direction: dissatisfied with the results of her efforts, the chart owner may take a sharp, decisive action and end up suffering losses. However, other aspects to Uranus are harmonious and will most often neutralize undesirable manifestations.
The Sun, ruler of the 6th house, speaks of a desire to be an expert in one’s field, and an expert does not need extravagant actions, and Pluto, which in this case I would interpret as the power of the collective—these planets “extend helping sextiles” to Uranus.
The most problematic position in the chart, in my opinion, would be Saturn in detriment on the cusp of the 4th house, and moreover in a square to Neptune. The trine of Mars in this case is not much help, as it comes from the 12th house of secret enemies.
What can be said about such a position of Saturn? Problematic relationships with parents, family issues, restrictions or problems related to housing. Such conditions create constant internal stress, which can lead to stomach problems. In this case, Mars can still provide assistance—for example, water sports as a means of stress relief or active psychotherapy, something like dynamic meditations…
Yes, well, I got a bit carried away; we are supposed to be discussing progressions.
Venus is retrograde. It may bring its blessings not so much to the person herself as to those around her, and psychologically it gives a sense of not being loved, not being valued enough, lack of emotional comfort, insufficient attention from the opposite sex. However, if we look at the ephemeris, we will see that on May 7, 1945, 35 days after birth, Venus turns direct. This means significant changes in life at the age of 35—activation of relationships with the opposite sex, improvement of financial circumstances.
Next, pay attention to Jupiter. I will not discuss the lack of aspects to it now, as working on the release would stretch on for a week. In general, Jupiter in Virgo in the 6th house speaks of the ability and inclination to handle large volumes of work and take pride in it, possibly over-immersing oneself in details. But Jupiter should bring blessings; it is the Great Benefactor, and here Jupiter is retrograde. This indicates development through internal resources, without much external support.External assistance. A person works hard but does not receive proper recognition, mainly deriving internal satisfaction. However, in the ephemeris we see that on May 15, 1945, Jupiter turned direct. At the age of 43, Jupiter seemingly “appears,” begins to work more noticeably in the affairs of the 6th house, which may indicate changes at work, improved working conditions and life in general, including health. Now let’s build progressions for the current moment. In the Zet program, open the “Input Data” window, set the switch (“radio buttons”) at the bottom to “Double,” and in the dropdown list select “Progression: 1 day = 1 year.” What came out is shown in the image. Here, of course, there is a lot of everything—perhaps even too much. If the program has the option to limit the number of displayed progressions, I haven’t figured that out yet. But we will proceed gradually, without rushing, paying special attention to the progressions of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars. We need to determine whether there are exact (within a degree) aspects between the progressions (shown in blue) and from progressions to natal planets. I see that the progressed Sun (6°32′ Gemini—the exact degree can be seen if you hover the mouse pointer over the blue Sun symbol in the program window) forms a square to natal Mars. This may indicate tension related to work (the Sun rules the 6th house and Mars is the natural ruler of work), overcoming resistance from ill-wishers (Mars in the 12th house), and this tension may affect financial status (the progressed Sun is passing through the 2nd house), with the exact square having occurred about 4 months ago (the progressed Sun moves about 5 angular minutes per month), and now it is already separating. The progressed Moon at 19°21′ Sagittarius is approaching a square to Jupiter—and since the Moon moves quickly, what it indicates happens literally within the current month. Again, tension due to a large volume of work (Jupiter in Virgo in the 6th house) or in connection with a large number of long trips (the Moon is moving through Sagittarius, the 9th house, and Jupiter overall signifies long journeys). At the same time, the progressed Moon forms an exact trine to the progressed Mars, giving a lot of energy and increasing activity—there is strength to cope with obstacles. After all, Mars is moving through the 1st house. Nothing else particularly stands out, but I hope I was able to show you the general plan for working with progressions.
