What are progressions in astrology and why they might be the missing key to your chart

Are you astro-curious and studying your birth chart, but sometimes feel like there have been big shifts in your life that don't seem to show up in regular transits? Maybe a certain year stands out to you, or there’s a period when your personal energy completely shifted, but you can’t pinpoint why using typical transit interpretations. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. These kinds of changes may not show up in your regular transits because they might be related to progressions—an often overlooked, yet incredibly powerful layer in astrology that reveals your internal evolution.

While transits are fantastic at showing external events, progressions help us track how we evolve from within. The shifts that happen over the course of our lives are subtle yet profound, and progressions can be that missing piece of your chart that explains why you’ve felt differently, even when the outer world hasn’t seemed to change much. So, if you've been wondering what’s been driving your inner shifts, let’s explore the fascinating world of progressions and see what they have to say about your personal evolution.

For example I knew i had a major shift in 2010 and 2011. I chose to leave my husband, my job and sell my house. This happened around the age of 30 so I put it down to my Saturn Return - HOWEVER my Saturn is retrograde natally and I had my first direct Saturn Return ‘hit’ when I was 28. This was just after I started studying nutrition and bought my house - that feels like a Saturn Return, solidify and creating structure. I was always curious about my big change of heart - well my progressed Venus went retrograde in 2010 - my values around relationships and money changed drastically. I left my banking job and my marriage - knowing my progressed Venus was turning retrograde makes SO much sense now.

What Are Progressions? Understanding Astrological Growth Through Time

In astrology, progressions are a method of tracking how the planets in your natal chart "progress" over time to reflect your inner journey. Essentially, they represent the gradual, subtle shifts that occur as you age and grow, offering a map of your internal evolution.

The idea behind progressions is simple yet profound: one day after your birth equals one year of your life. This method, known as "secondary progressions," moves the planets forward one degree for each day after your birth, symbolically corresponding to a year of your life. It’s a way of seeing how the potential within your natal chart unfolds as you experience life.

One of the modern astrology greats, Robert Blaschke, offered profound insights into the nature of progressions. In his work, he emphasized that progressions reflect the growth of the soul. He likened it to the unfolding of a seed into a fully grown tree. While transits represent the outer forces shaping your environment, progressions are like the internal processes—the slow, inevitable growth that happens within you as you navigate life's lessons.

Blaschke saw progressions as an intimate dialogue between your soul and the cosmos, pointing to the way in which life unfolds. He believed that by understanding progressions, you could get a deeper understanding of your personal timeline, revealing when you're likely to experience significant inner shifts that don’t necessarily manifest in the external world, but profoundly shape your experience of life.

The Progressed Sun and Moon: Markers of Personal Evolution

Among all the progressed planets, the Sun and Moon are perhaps the most revealing and easily felt. These two celestial bodies serve as guides, marking pivotal moments in your inner development.

Progressed Sun:
The Sun in your chart represents your core identity—your life force, ego, and sense of self. As it progresses, the sign and house it moves through reflect how your personal identity evolves over time. Progressed Sun changes happen slowly—approximately one degree per year—and as a result, your identity shifts over the span of decades. These changes are gradual but deeply significant.

For example, when your progressed Sun moves from one sign to another, it signals a major phase of personal transformation. You might feel a distinct change in how you approach life, how you express yourself, or even your overall life direction. If you've ever felt like you’ve matured, become more assertive, or started chasing different goals, this could be your progressed Sun shifting into a new sign, representing a whole new phase of life.

Progressed Moon:
If the Sun reflects the long-term evolution of your identity, the progressed Moon is more about the emotional landscape you navigate from year to year. The Moon moves much more quickly through progressions—spending about 2.5 years in each sign—so it’s a much more immediate and emotionally felt shift.

The progressed Moon helps us track the ebb and flow of our emotional needs, security concerns, and how we nurture ourselves. Every time the Moon changes signs in your progressed chart, it marks a shift in your emotional focus and inner world. Maybe you suddenly feel more focused on your home life, or you crave more adventure and independence. These are all clues from the progressed Moon, offering insight into what’s nourishing your emotional world at any given time.

Another key event tied to the progressed Moon is the Progressed New Moon—the moment when your progressed Moon aligns with your progressed Sun. This is a powerful time for new beginnings. Think of it like an astrological reset button—a time to set intentions and begin a new chapter that will unfold over the next 30 years. If you've felt a shift in your life where you wanted to start fresh, the Progressed New Moon might have been at play, quietly guiding you toward a new cycle of growth.

The Deeper Layers of Progressions

Beyond the Sun and Moon, there are many other complex layers to progressions. Every planet in your chart progresses, and each one offers its own insights into your growth and evolution. Whether it’s your Mercury, reflecting how your thinking and communication style evolves, or Venus, showing shifts in your relationship needs, progressions offer a rich and nuanced view of your internal development. Or my example of progressed Venus going retrograde.

Progressions can help answer questions like: Why do you suddenly feel like you're craving a different kind of relationship? Why does your career focus shift at certain points in life? Why do you feel more spiritually connected or more pragmatic at different stages? The answers often lie in these progressed movements.

If you’re intrigued by what progressions can reveal about your inner journey, it may be time to look deeper into your chart. These subtle yet profound shifts can offer clarity on your life path in a way that regular transits might not.

Ready to Explore Your Progressions?

The magic of progressions lies in their ability to reveal the hidden shifts in our consciousness and soul growth that might otherwise go unnoticed. They’re a key to understanding yourself on a deeper level, showing you how your inner world evolves as you experience life. If you’ve ever felt like a different person at various points in your life, progressions might just be that missing piece of your astrological puzzle.

If you’re ready to dive into the deeper layers of your chart, get in touch with me for a personalized reading. Progressions are a powerful tool to uncover your soul’s journey, and I’d love to help you explore what they have to say about your growth and evolution.

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