The Magic of Secondary Progressions
I’ve written about secondary progressions several times on this website. Secondary progressions are a predictive technique predicated on the notion that the natal horoscope continues to grow and develop after the moment of birth. The rate of that growth is one day of planetary motion for each year of life. If you were born on June 10, 1985, for example, a secondary progressed horoscope for your 20th year would show the placement of the planets for June 30, 1985.
There is a subtle difference between the way secondary progressions bring changes to our live and the way transits (the placement of the planets in real time) work. Transits tend to show themselves in terms of events and circumstances that come at us from the “outside.” Secondary progressions, on the other hand, bring out potentials that were hidden in our horoscopes.
A positive secondary progression often seems like a gentle wind that pushes us to the place that we always knew we were mean to occupy. Doors that we thought were closed suddenly open and the things we want most from life fall into our lap. The experience can be magical.
In the series of articles I just completed on Katy Perry I described how in 2007 she switched record labels after languishing for several years. Perry put out her hit album One of the Boys with her new label in 2008 and it became an enormous hit. A short time later she met and married Russell Brand.
During this magical period in Perry’s life her secondary progressed Venus was approaching her natal Jupiter. Her marriage to Brand occurred just as her progressed Venus crossed Jupiter’s place in her horoscope. Of course, as this secondary progressed aspect waned, the magic also began to wear off and after a little more than a year her marriage to Brand was over. Perry's career, on the other hand, has continued to prosper.
Another songstress who rode a positive secondary progression to fame is Madonna. When she was 19 Madonna Ciccone went to New York City seeking fame and fortune. We can only guess at the number of young men and women do this every year and fail, but not Madonna. At 19 her secondary progressed Venus was crossing her natal Sun. Five years later (when her secondary progressed Venus hit her natal Pluto) Madonna became one of the most famous and controversial performers in the world.
Another example of what a positive secondary progression can do is the life of Janis Joplin. Joplin was also 19 when she went to the big city (San Francisco) with the aim of becoming a successful singer. Many people who heard her acknowledged Joplin’s talent but her drug use and cantankerous personality kept success out of reach. After just a couple years she returned to her home in Port Arthur, Texas a broken woman. Then, after Joplin had weaned herself off heavy drugs, a guy showed up on her doorstep asking her to come back to San Francisco and sing with a band called Big Brother and the Holding Company. You probably know the rest of the story.
Joplin’s secondary progressed Sun was crossing her natal Ascendant when she began singing with Big Brother and wowing audiences across the country. With this aspect Janis Joplin was suddenly able to do the thing she was meant to do, and she didn’t even have to struggle for the opportunity. It drove down to Texas to fetch her. Unfortunately, as this progression waned, Joplin began using drugs again and . . . well, you probably know the rest of that story as well.
In my next installment I look at some secondary progressions that were less positive.
