Basics of Secondary Progressions

Secondary progressions are a predictive technique that can be used in astrology.  Your secondary progressed chart and its aspects represent how you feel internally and what areas of life you feel more in touch with at the time. At times, aspects and changes in your secondary progressed chart can manifest in outward change, but a lot of the time, secondary progressions represent how you change inwardly.

The Basics

A secondary progressed chart is produced by taking someone’s birth chart and progressing it through time; it moves counterclockwise, just as the planets and a chart would usually. This means everyone’s secondary progressed chart is different, because it is your own birth chart that’s being “moved” through time.

In secondary progressions, 1 day (transit) = 1 year (secondary progression). For example, the Sun in transit takes about 30 days, or 1 month, to get through a sign. Using secondary progressions, the Sun takes about 30 years to get through a sign. Another example would be the Moon; it takes 2.5 days to get through a sign in transit, but the progressed Moon takes 2.5 years to get through a sign. This means that the transits during the first 30 days of your life are representative of the first 30 years of your life. This part of secondary progressions can be confusing, so let’s break it down a little bit more.

This means that if you went on your first trip while you were 23 days old, there is a likelihood of you going on a major trip while you are 23 years old. If you got sick at 37 days old, there is a likelihood of you getting sick at 37 years old. Secondary progressions indicate that the first ~90 days of life can show what will unfold in someone’s lifetime if they live to 90 years old.

Below is a secondary progressed chart. There is a birth chart in the middle and the secondary progressed planets are in orange, outside of the birth chart. Secondary progressions are very different from transits because secondary progressions take someone’s birth chart and move it counterclockwise through time. Transits are where the planets currently are in the sky. Secondary progressions are very personal and are a reflection of your birth chart.

If you look closely at the chart, some of the planets haven’t moved more than a degree from their natal position, even though this person is 55 years old. Because time is slowed down in secondary progressions and 1 day=1 year, some planets will hardly move at all in a secondary progressed chart. For example, Saturn already takes 30 years to get through a sign in transit. Saturn in secondary progressions moves extremely slowly and doesn’t move far from its natal position, even after an entire lifetime. Because they move so slowly, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto aren’t a focus when using secondary progressions. They won’t move far from their natal position, even in an entire lifetime.

Other planets and the angles, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, ASC/DSC, and MC/IC are what to focus on in a secondary progressed chart. They move fast enough to ingress (enter) through at least a couple of signs throughout someone’s life.

Progressed Sun

Your progressed Sun takes about 30 years to get through an entire sign; it moves about 1 degree per year in secondary progressions. Depending on the degree your Sun is at in your birth chart and your age, you may have already experienced a progressed Sun sign change. You can subtract the degree of your Sun from 30 to get the age you were at when your progressed Sun first changed signs. In the example chart, the Sun is at 11 degrees. 30-11=19; therefore, this person was 19 when their progressed Sun entered a new sign for the first time.

When your progressed Sun enters a new sign, within a year of the sign change, you will take on completely different traits. Like Kelly Surtees has said, the secondary progressed Sun changing signs is like a personality transplant. You will always have your natal Sun sign traits, but the sign that your secondary progressed Sun is in will act like a secondary Sun sign while the progressed Sun is there. For example, if your natal Sun is in Aries but your secondary progressed Sun is in Taurus, you’ll still withhold Aries traits such as confidence, passion, and competitiveness. But, these Aries tendencies will be toned down by Taurus’ patience and discipline. You will be less spontaneous and impulsive and are more likely to prioritize slow living. When your Sun enters a new house in secondary progressions, those house topics will be more of a focus when it comes to how you live your life. For example, if your progressed Sun enters your 8th house, you will start to heal yourself and/or others by going to therapy or addressing your traumas. This could become a major part of your life while the progressed Sun is there. You will see life in a deeper and more profound way, and live according to your “new” goals.

Progressed Moon

Your progressed Moon takes about 2.5 years to get through a sign. It moves the fastest out of all of the planets and angles in a secondary progressed chart, and because of this, it’s what we focus on the most in the chart. Around age 27, your progressed Moon will enter the same sign as it is natally, and it will restart the cycle around the signs and chart.

Your progressed Moon shows where your inward focus is for the time being and how you react and feel. For about 2.5 years, you will take on the sign’s traits that your progressed Moon is in, especially when it comes to your feelings and emotions. The progressed Moon acts like a secondary Moon sign; you will always take on the traits of your natal Moon, but your secondary progressed Moon shifts how you feel about and view the world for the time being. When your Moon enters a new house in secondary progressions, those house topics will be more of a focus in general, and when it comes to what you’re feeling. For example, the progressed Moon in the 5th house brings more focus to romance, your creativity, self-expression, and kids. While the progressed Moon is in the 5th house, you may be impacted emotionally, in positive and/or difficult ways, by these house topics. 

Progressed Mercury

Your progressed Mercury can take about 30 years to get through a full sign, but the exact number of years depends on whether you were born during or around a Mercury retrograde. If you weren’t born during Mercury retrograde, your secondary progressed Mercury will station retrograde at some point in your life.

Your progressed Mercury entering a new sign will impact your communication style, opinions, and thinking. It is like a secondary Mercury sign that you take on while it’s in a different sign than your natal. When your progressed Mercury enters a new sign, you think about the world differently. You approach conversations with different mindsets and might relate to different people. When Mercury enters a new house in secondary progressions, those house topics will be more of a focus in conversation and your thinking. 

Progressed Venus

Your progressed Venus also takes about 30 years to get through a sign, but the exact number of years depends on if you were born during or around a Venus retrograde. Not everyone will experience a Venus retrograde in their secondary progressed chart because Venus stations retrograde every year and a half/547 days. That would be equal to 547 years in secondary progressions. 

When your secondary progressed Venus enters a new sign, how you feel about finances, who or what you’re attracted to, and your values shift. You have your core values with your natal Venus, but your progressed Venus showcases values that you have that you once didn’t, or what you look for in relationships for the time being. Your fashion sense and how you look may also change when your progressed Venus enters a new sign. When Venus enters a new house in secondary progressions, those house topics will be more of a focus in your relationships and your values. For example, if your progressed Venus enters the 10th house, you may have to face trying to find a better work/life balance. You may find that you enjoy your work or that you end up putting more of your time into your career.

Progressed Mars

Your progressed Mars can take up to 60 years to change signs because Mars takes about 6 weeks to get through a sign in transit. The number of years it takes heavily relies on what part of the retrograde cycle Mars is in in your natal chart - some people have a “slow” Mars, while others have a “fast” Mars. This all depends on when Mars is stationing retrograde or direct.

When your progressed Mars enters a new sign, your motivations and energy completely shift. The way you motivate yourself and others changes. Your productivity will shift and the way you work will be unlike how you had previously worked. You will notice a change in your energy within a year of Mars changing signs. When Mars enters a new house in secondary progressions, those house topics will be where much of your focus lies. The house topics may be triggering for you to confront, but the same topics are aided by Mars’ energy and drive.

Secondary progressions can be used as a tool to predict when you will go through major personality shifts, but they can also be used to evaluate what areas of life are most important for the time being. Your secondary progressed chart showcases what zodiac signs you may resonate most with at the moment. Transits, along with secondary progressions, illustrate what energies and areas of life will be highlighted in the upcoming months and years. Find your secondary progressed chart here on astro-seek. Let me know if you have any questions about the technique! Thank you for your support, as always.

-Jasmine