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How To Use Solar Arcs In Astrology

Solar Arc Directions are a predictive timing technique where an Astrology Chart, usually the birth chart but not exclusively, is progressed forward to symbolise how it has “matured” over time.

The Chart is progressed forward by 1 degree for every year of life (or the time frame you are interested in looking at), so moving it forwards 25 degrees if you are interested in looking at the 25th year of life. Important contact points to Natal placements and changes of Sign can symbolically reflect important transitions or moments in a person’s life.

It is a highly fascinating and useful technique, read on more for how to use Solar Arcs in Astrology with a step-by-step:

What are Solar Arcs in Astrology?

Whereas Secondary Progressions is the so-called “day for a year” technique whereby you move or animate (mature) a Chart forward by one day for every year of life; Solar Arcs (SA) progresses the Chart forward by one degree for every one year instead. This means that the slower moving outer Planets can also be used in our interpretations as they will now move forward as well.

Astrologer Noel Tyl, who is well-known for their Solar Arc work, says that the modern Planets are important to be able to consider in our interpretations because modern life is different to what it once was and moves at a faster pace. Indeed, even as Traditional Astrologers, we take into account the modern Planets when they are contacting personal placements.

All Solar Arc Planets will shift forward keeping the same Natal configurations (so if you have a Natal Sun-Moon square say, your SA Sun and Moon will also be squaring each other).

At first glance your SA Chart will visually look similar to the Natal Chart you are used to seeing, except now the Planets and sensitive angles (AC, DC, IC, MC) will be in different Zodiac Signs/Houses and at different degrees of those Signs. As aspects will be valid for several months, only very tight orbs of 1º can be considered.

Using Solar Arc Directions, you can see Natal outer Planets located in cadent (3rd, 6th, 9th or 12th) Houses crossing a sensitive angle (AC, IC, DC, MC) or coming into the prominent angular Houses (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) within the first 10-30 years of life, potentially signalling a major restructuring of self and identity, family and home, relationships, and profession or life path.

Some Astrologers also like to take into account aspects to the Aries Point (0º of the Cardinal Signs- Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn), as sensitive markers.

Calculating Solar Arcs

To calculate a Solar Arc Chart, you take the number of degrees the Sun has progressed on a given date (how far it has moved from its Natal position) and add that same “arc” to the rest of the Natal Planets.

As the Sun progresses about one degree per year, the distance any planet has moved in degrees is fairly similar to your age in years. For ease and preciseness, you can simply use a free calculator for Solar Arcs such as this one here.

A professional consulting Astrologer will use Solar Arcs with other predictive timing techniques, such as transits and Secondary Progressions, for more concrete confirmation. This is when the rules of 3s comes into play- if something significant is detected in the Solar Arc Chart and this is supported in some way by the transits and Secondary Progressed Chart, or other techniques (such as Annual Profections, Firdaria etc), then it can more accurately be forecasted as likely. This is also known as stacking testimony.

Interpreting a Solar Arc Chart

Once you have your Solar Arc Chart, it can be interpreted in much the same way you would any other Chart for how you may express your Natal Chart differently in this phase of life.

For example, if your Natal Venus is in Capricorn, you will always veer towards a minimalist style and conservative money mindset, valuing integrity and loyalty in relationships; but now maybe your SA Venus has moved forward to Aquarius adding a unique, independent flair.

Then, you can compare the Solar Arch Chart against the Natal Chart using a biwheel, taking note of SA contact points to Natal placements (especially the personal Planets and sensitive angles) for significant events, and when SA Planets change Signs/Houses to symbolise a shift, new phase, or important life events.

If the example above was in a Sagittarius Rising Chart, Capricorn is the 2nd House of Money, indicating a need for financial security; Aquarius is the 3rd House of Communication and so SA Venus moving here can add a desire for self-expression, local community, or perhaps capacity to make money from social media say.

As another example, let’s say your Natal Moon is at 12º Aquarius, when you are 33 years old the Solar Arc progressed Moon will be at around 15º Pisces. As a very basic interpretation, while your natural instincts may be to intellectualise your emotions (other aspects to the Moon notwithstanding), since the Moon progressed into Pisces when you were roughly 19-20 years old, you may have become more intuitively-lead, more sensitive and perceptive to the energies around you, drawn to the mystical perhaps.

If your Natal Moon is in the 3rd House, now it would be in the 4th House using Whole Sign Houses, which can bring an added draw inwards, a desire to seek belonging and spend time building the home and family.

If SA Uranus is now squaring your Natal Sun, you may experience an urge to break free and change your identity, especially if there are current transits also supporting this.

If SA Saturn is also conjoining your Midheaven, perhaps your career feels burdensome or some kind of severance happens, again particularly if reflecting in similar transits, such as Mars opposing your Midheaven, there may be conflict or a separation here. If it were Neptune instead, you may be questioning your path or having to set professional boundaries, you might be seeking spiritual answers and solutions or vocational work.

In the case above, Saturn would also be the ruler of your 3rd House and 2nd House, tying in your income and local environment, communication, learning, and local travel.

If your progressed Sun is now conjuncting your Natal Ascendant, you may feel a stronger sense of self, coming into a truer identity, letting yourself shine.

Your Ascendant would have shifted from Sagittarius to Capricorn, bringing a level of maturity and down-to-earthness to your Sag tendencies. You may look towards building things with integrity and legacy, focussing on ancestral wisdom.

Often, there will be several aspects operating in tandem, blending and infusing their significations together.

-> Click here to read more about: Planet Significations, House Meanings, The Aspects, and Zodiac Sign Characteristics.

In the example below, the aspects that are within a 1º orb are a Solar Arc Mars opposition to the Ascendant (of course with a simultaneous conjunction to the Descendent), and a SA Pluto square Natal Mars. As these are two challenging aspects involving Mars, we can expect this person to deal with themes relating to anger and inflammation, in particular in the body (SA Mars opposing the AC), relationships (SA Mars in the 7th House), and potentially at work (Natal Mars in the 6th) or in their local neighbourhood or with siblings (SA Pluto transiting the 3rd). If this information were corroborated in some way with their current transits, these themes would become even more likely.

So that’s a brief description of how to use Solar Arc Directed interpretations in Astrology, I hope it’s useful for you! Let me know if you have anything else to add or any other questions in the comments section below.

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