A Day For a Year Progressions

Over the years, for some reason, I've relied exclusively on transits to the natal chart to anticipate what's coming up for myself and others. I've completely neglected so-called "a day for a year" progressions. As Wikipedia says about this type of progression (also called major progression or secondary direction):

This progression involves moving the natal chart forward one day for each year of a person's life. So for example, a person born on April 2, 1982 would have a progressed chart for 2007 drawn up based on the position of the planets on April 27, 1982 (i.e. 25 days for 25 years). The patterns formed 25 days after the person's birth are considered to be symbolic of the person's 25th year of life, and indicate potential tendencies and trends for the year. Secondary progressions are considered by the majority of astrologers to be the most important form of progression.

Figure 1: source

So there you have it: secondary progressions are considered by the majority of astrologers to be the most important form of progression. I certainly used such progressions in my early astrological years, before the advent of personal computers, but not while using the astrological software Astrolog. So this post is the beginning of an attempt to make up for that neglect.

The same Wikipedia article notes that:

Interpretation of progressions is usually fairly similar to the interpretation of transits. In general however, progressions primarily involve psychological developments from within the individual (often of course stimulated by exterior events), while transits involve developments in the life circumstances outside the individual's control.

In that vein, the following generalisations are given for the progressions of Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars:

Progressed Sun: A period of major importance. Psychologically, and through correlative circumstances, the time will be ripe for important adjustments, organising and integrating of the whole life pattern, as directed by the planet involved in aspect with the sun. 

Progressed Moon: A period of about one month's duration, in which affairs and psychological features associated with the planet will be emphasised and activated. The progressed moon often acts as a 'trigger' to activate patterns already set by other progressed planets. 

Progressed Mercury: Usually indicates changes and necessary readjustments, increased mental activity, travel, and literary matters of above average importance. 

Progressed Venus: Period of much importance as regards emotional, personal and creative interests. Can mean marriage, falling in love - or out of love, inspired creative work, birth of a child, or an emphasis on money matters. 

Progressed Mars: Period of increased activity, conflict, enterprise. Energy must be controlled, and impulsive action avoided. Subject is more accident prone. Can be an ideal time for taking the initiative, or tackling work that has piled up. 

Using this method of progression, one month will count two hours. I've been looking at a number of charts, some with an eye to the future but some retrospectively. The latter has proven quite illuminating. For example, my father died of prostate cancer in late June of 1995 and I've drawn up his progressed chart for that time:

Figure 2: my father's progressed chart

I'm sure he wouldn't object after all this time to having his chart analysed in public. Some of the more salient features are: 

• Mars, Moon and Pluto form a powerful T-square with the focus on the Moon in the eighth house of (amongst other things) death
• Sun and ruling planet Mercury are conjunct at the cusp of the 2nd house, quincunx Saturn and the North Node/7th house cusp.
• The North node of the Moon is conjunct the Descendant in 1° of Virgo which is my father's Ascending degree

The progressed Moon in this case seems to provide the timing for his death, reaching as it does the base of the T-square near the cusp of the 8th house. I was most impressed with how apt this configuration was in depicting my father's unfortunate circumstances at the time. 

Here are some additional pointers provided by Cafe Astrology.com:

Charles E. O. Carter wrote the following: “It is a cardinal rule that no direction can bring to pass what is not shown in the nativity. Exceptions to this are virtually non-existent.” Progressions to progressions and progressions to natal positions are most significant when the planets involved form a significant interrelationship in the natal chart itself. The potential shown in the natal chart, therefore, rules. 

Transits to secondary progressed planets are critical. With predictive work, students of astrology are encouraged to create a tri-wheel with the natal chart in the centre, secondary progressions in the second wheel, and transits in the outer (third) wheel. This way, it is easy to see transits to both the natal chart and the progressed chart, progressed planets in relationship to the natal chart, and progressed planets in relation to other progressed planets. Adding transits to progressed planets and points to our study opens up much more detail.

Interesting to note that transits to secondary progressed planets are critical. I certainly plan to make far more use of secondary progressions now that I've reacquainted myself with them. Of course, after one solar year (365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds), the Sun will return to its exact same position in the zodiac as it occupied at birth. This would correspond in secondary progressions to 365 years, 2 months, 3 weeks, 4 days, 9 hours, 5 minutes and 36 seconds.

ADDENDUM: here is my natal chart with secondary progressions for Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars together with transits for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Of course, I had to add the transits manually. The configuration is set to 9th August 2018. There may be software online that will allow all three to superimposed but I'm not aware of it yet if it exists. 

Mars: A Close Approach and Retrograde Motion of Planets

Figure 1

In 2018, Mars will appear brightest from July 27 to July 30. Its closest approach to Earth is July 31. That is the point in Mars' orbit when it comes closest to Earth. Mars will be at a distance of 57.6 million kilometres ... In 2003, Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years! It won't be that close again until the year 2287. Source.

Of course, Astrology doesn't take these close encounters of Mars or any other planet into account at all. The astrological chart is only concerned with a planet's celestial longitude or the angular distance of a planet east of the vernal equinox, measured along the ecliptic. Thus on July 31st at 4:33pm in Brisbane, Mars was in 3°02' of Aquarius or 303°02' east of the vernal equinox. It's celestial latitude was 6°33' South but this is not considered in chart analysis as far as I know.

Should the proximity of Mars to Earth be considered in chart analysis? Will Mars be more influential in the charts of persons who were born on July 31st 2018 compared with charts where Mars is at a maximum distance from Earth? Is a transit of Mars more powerful when it is closer to Earth than when it is farther away? I really don't know. However, what is known is that Mars is opposition to the Sun during such encounters and there is always period of time in which Mars appears to move backward through the zodiac because Earth is "overtaking" Mars because of the latter's slower orbital velocity. Mars is retrograde in Aquarius and Capricorn from June 26th to August 27th, 2018. Figure 2 shows this.

Figure 2 

In general, Mars is retrograde approximately 58-81 days every 2+ years. Cafe Astrology. com makes the following observation about a retrograde Mars in the natal chart:

If Mars is retrograde in the natal chart, this is what the Karmic Insight report has to say about this position: “Asserting yourself vigorously and directly is complicated by the fact that you had a prior lifetime or lifetimes in which aggression was either misused (by you, or against you) and/or all personal initiative and self-will was insistently discouraged (perhaps due to a belief system that advocated passivity). 

In any case, the message that was impressed upon you was that forceful action is wrong or dangerous. Thus, if you stand up for yourself, you now tend to hesitate, back down or even be plagued with fears of retaliation.”

Most natal charts will thus not have Mars retrograde. In 90% or more of natal charts, Mars will be in direct motion. This got me thinking about the periods of retrograde motion of other planets. Cafe Astrology. com has a lot to say about Mercury retrograde, a phenomenon that occurs approximately three times a year for approximately three weeks each time. Here is a quick quote:

When Mercury is retrograde in the natal chart itself, the thinking processes are generally more acute, and the sense of humour rather quirky. People with Mercury retrograde take in information differently than those with Mercury direct in their natal charts. How many people are born with a retrograde Mercury? Roughly 18%. 

Venus appears to retrograde approximately 40-43 days out of every 18 months or around 7-8% of its orbit.  How does a retrograde Venus affect a natal chart? Again Cafe Astrology. com has a lot to say about this. Here is an excerpt:

When Venus is retrograde in the natal chart itself, the feeling nature is deep. Socialising is taken seriously, and rarely lightly. They can be somewhat shy in youth, as there can be an awkwardness felt concerning small talk and social graces, and an aversion for superficialities. Love is extremely important to a person with a retrograde Venus, but they may not be explicit about it enough for others to know just how deeply they can love. There is always more to this person than meets the eye. Their love life (and sometimes financial life) can be hidden in some manner.

Cafe Astrology.com has a page about retrograde motion in general in which the point is made that as we move further out with the planets, retrogrades occur more frequently, and it is more common for people to have these planets retrograde in their charts. There follows descriptions for Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto in retrograde motion, although no percentages for the amount of time spent retrograde. However, I discovered the following summary on Quora:

Planet --> Synodic period, days --> Synodic period, mean months --> Days in retrograde -->  %

Mercury --> 116 --> 3.8 -->   ~21 -->   18
Venus --> 584 --> 19.2 -->    41  -->     7
Mars --> 780 --> 25.6 -->     72 -->      9
Jupiter --> 399 --> 13.1 -->  121  -->    30
Saturn --> 378 --> 12.4 -->   138  -->    37
Uranus --> 370 --> 12.15 -->   151 -->    41
Neptune --> 367 --> 12.07 -->   158  -->    43

Pluto of course would be even closer to 50%. The table clearly shows that persons with Mercury, Venus and Mars retrograde are in a distinct minority and that it should be a factor to consider when interpreting natal charts.