About 20 years ago I began to study astrology seriously; I'd read enough to convince me there was 'something to it'. However, I didn't have a lot of money (some things never change :o) ) so I couldn't afford to go on a correspondence course or join any of the then 'schools of astrology' I only had the option of self teaching. Fortunately, I lived in London and had easy access to lots of specialist bookshops which sold all sorts of astrology titles and I'd spend what little spare cash I had on new astrology books, mostly American ones. It was before the age of the PC and therefore it was all to be learnt by calculator, a 'Book of Tables' and an Ephemeris and lots of numbers on a page and geometry drawing aids like protractors and rulers etc.
I adopted an approach of read, apply and observe. I'd read a subject in one of the books, apply the concepts to my charts and calculations and
then see if the principles were true or not. This is how I learnt my way through; if I could see evidence of the principle play out in peoples' lives
then I'd accept it as a genuine fact; if I didn't – then I wouldn't. Through this process, I dismissed sunsign astrology rather quickly. Followed by the 'Equal House' system, Solar Arcs, Solar returns and Lunar returns all came and went. Then I happened upon a book called 'The Progressed Horoscope' by Jeff Mayo… and my whole perspective changed entirely.
A Transit – is the name given to a planet that is actually moving 'now' – here, today, in the present reality – in the sky – in relation to a planet or
another point of a astrological birth chart. The angle that the two make between them implies a relationship and to a variable degree of accuracy
(depending on the experience of the astrologer) – a prediction of an event in the person's life can take place. Well that's all very well; it's not too
extraordinary and most people can 'get their head around it' as a concept.
Progressions (aka secondary Progressions) on the other hand really do break the logic of most people's minds… Imagine you have the birth chart of a person in front of you. This person is now say 20 years old. Now calculate another chart using the same birth details of the person – only move their date of birth ahead in time by 20 days… So if they were born on 1st May 1975 at 10pm – their 'progressed chart' is calculated for 21st May 1975
at 10pm… The planets have moved a little bit, the Moon will have passed through maybe eight signs and can be some 240 degrees from where it was
at birth. The Sun will be some 20 degrees forward and the Ascendant & Midheaven will also have moved a bit. Now when these 'progressed' planets
and positions (Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant & IC) form angles with the natal chart positions and planets – events can happen in the persons' life.
Does that sound logical? Or does it 'twist your melon' a bit…? How about a combination of mixing the transits and the progressed planets and finding
an angle occur – and that matching an event in a persons' life… This is where the concepts of 'time' fall down completely and everything is reality only through association..
I have had 100's of charts pass through my hands and have found the progressions and transits act on the natal positions 1000's of times creating
events in people's lives. Or rather – to be more accurate; events happening at the same time as I 'predict' them to happen. After a while it lost its magic and I kept trying to define the 'true cause'. After some 17 years, I still haven't found it…
The application of mixing progressions and transits as two poles in a calculation is often taught in modern day astrological thought as wrong and
impossible – but my 'self taught' method proves against this hypothesis. It will work and it can reflect events. Particularly the action of the progressed
Moon and transiting Mars – especially if the natal Mars in the chart is strong. I've predicted accidents (including my own), job promotions, pay rises, dismissals, marriages, births of children, and all manner of changes of fortune using a mixture of progressions and transits.
As if to tip the scales of logic completely upside down, there is even a study of progressions known as 'converse progressions' and these are where
the progressed chart drawn is for prior to the birth. So the converse date would be (following the above example) 20 days before birth… With this subject it gets really quite complicated! Yet, although I haven't really spent the time studying this particular facet of astrology, I have read some convincing books on the matter and it does appear to work although I haven't proven it for myself.
Astrology does work if it is understood properly. I personally tended to ignore the signs, elements (to a degree) whether a planet was 'right placed' or not, the rulerships, and all manner of sideline matters and I just went straight into the numbers and angles – as this is where the real 'core' of the subject lies.
To me it was about a geometry of time and time equations; it made no difference whether a particular planet was dignified or not. That is not to say that all these 'sideline matters' are of no value – they may well be; but if you are beginning this subject and you want results quickly – then my advice (of 23+ years in the subject) is to get straight to the numbers and the geometry first and only afterwards start to come out to the other issues.
Its right there in front of you… all of it.
A.
Wow. This is all very fascinating. You should be teaching all this wonderful knowledge!
Wow
Wow that is very interesting.
You should write a book!!!!
Wow. This is all very fascinating. You should be teaching all this wonderful knowledge!
I once did - teach astrology as an evening class, but that was a long time ago and now my life has more important things to occupy my time...
A.
Wow that is very interesting.
You should write a book!!!!
I have... but not about astrology; there are far better and more experienced astrologers than myself...
A.
Hi Apollo
Nice to here how your experience of learning the craft of horoscopy, or astrology.
You say in your post.....
The application of mixing progressions and transits as two poles in a calculation is often taught in modern day astrological thought as wrong and
impossible
I'm not sure what you mean by mixing progressions and transits - as I was taught to work on progressions to radix, progressed to progressed aspects, and transits to natal and transits to progressed aspects.
I don't really think anything is 'wrong' in astrology - its all about what works for you and we all have different systems that we can resonate with. Some people swear by solar arc, midpoints - and I've seen some pretty effective astrology from solar arc alone.
Interesting that you place the emphasis on the geometry - as I find that the movement of the transiting planets from Jupiter, Uranus, Saturn, Neptune and Pluto, has significance and influences the generations. My generation with Pluto in Leo are very different to the Pluto in Virgo generation.
Luv Binah
x
I'm not sure what you mean by mixing progressions and transits - as I was taught to work on progressions to radix, progressed to progressed aspects, and transits to natal and transits to progressed aspects.
Hi Binah,
Its interesting that you mention you were taught that it is possible to work with transits and progressed; as this was emphasised as a cardinal sin in many books I read when I started out on the progressions trail... I'm glad at least one other has been able to take advantage of this connection.
I agree that it is all relative to the person or persons themselves; that one system may work for one and not for another; this implies there is more 'hidden at work' than just a system standard... If everything purely and only worked with reason and logic - then it could not be that one person could make accurate conclusions and predictions from their calculations - yet another person could not when using the same system... However, that IS the case and it proves that astrology does not follow a constant rule of thumb - it appears to bend and flex with each user.
An interesting example of this actually ocurred with my work about 16 years ago when I did some work for a student that was studying languages - he was particularly suited to translation work and I remember he had a Venus Mercury conjunction on the MC in the 10th. I remember performing some progressed and transits to his chart and made a prediction about his getting a beneficial change in respect of his education or something like that - and indeed he did get it - a placing with a University on the date I'd said - or something like that (my mind tends to fog up after time). He was delighted and I was satisfied with my work.
However, about 6 to 8 months later I was doing some work on something or other and had cause to recalculate his chart - when I discovered that I had used a wrong birthtime - or something for the progressed positions - throwing the timing s out wildly; yet at the time of the prediction it 'was correct and came in true'... Yet later in the future - it was proven that it 'could not be'...!
This experience led me to conclude that nothing is fixed - and our reality is fluid - that astrology does appear to 'flex' and that therefore in all probability; one system may well work for one - yet not at all for another. Such realization doesn't help the beginner or student of the subject - because they can't rationalize the theory.
I have once made an accurate prediction to the hour of the event, six months in the future from a marriage chart - and then years later - no matter how many times I would look at the same chart - I could not fathom how I did it as there seemed to be no possible angle for that time..
The best I did was so unbelieveable that I didn't actually believe it - when a client's husband contacted me after 10 years! Apparently I had made a prediction that a very serious illness would befall a woman in 10 yrs time (at that time). She did indeed have a really severe illness - had liver failure and even a heart attack while under anaesthetic on the operating table! - She remembered my prediction and got hubby to find me and get me to visit & confirm everything would be ok... I really don't remember ever making that prediction! Glad to say she was fine afterwards...
So don't be too surprised folks if - after a while - you realize that you might be a component of 'the bigger picture' that just happens to be at the right place, at the right time to say something to the right person for them to perceive their life in a certain way at a specific moment... Then later on you discover that you made a mistake or that 'the numbers have changed' - I would swear that on more than one occasion, my ephemeris data has changed from the day I first looked to the next time I look... Maybe not - maybe I'm just touching the confusion of Neptune's influence (natal Merc conj Nep in Scor)... Who really knows!
A.
I to was taught the same as Binah,with prog's and transits and they do seem to work as well as as Sola or Luna returnes,however,i confess i do not keep strickly to text books,though some times if i am stuck i cross reference whith dozens of book's.i think my intuitions must have a huge effect on my intepretations as they seem pretty accurate.