Reading solar arc transits

Hello - Trying to learn about solar arc transits in prediction. Have Tyl's Solar Arcs book, but it is beyond my level of understanding. My question is - for anyone who has this book - is it necessary to first calculate all the midpoints before applying the meanings he gives to the solar arc transits in the back of the book? WIthout knowing the midpoints but looking at direct aspects between SA planest and natal planets, main concerns are:

SA Libra Jupiter exactly conjunct Libra Neptune in 1st house (which trines N. Venus in Gem in 9th house)

SA Virgo Mercury exactly conjunct natal Virgo Jupiter in 11th

SA Pluto in Libra exactly square natal Cancer Moon in 10th (death of mother? Or death of job, heh)

SA Saturn in CAP exactly opposing natal Cancer moon same time as Pluto is squaring n. moon Jesus!

SA Neptune in sag almost exactly opposed natal Venus in Gem

There are several trines and sextiles as well, but I guess you only read the hard aspects. I don't know about quincunxes, so I just looked at conj, squares and oppositions.

Does one read these basically the same as regular transits only with more capacity to trigger actual outer events? Does one do this without having to determine mid-points, which is what Tyl seems to be doing at a rough glance - I have not read the whole book as it is over my head - ?

If there is anyone well-versed in solar arc transits and their effects, I would appreciate advice. I am a novice, but it looks like career and emotional Armageddon. The SA Jupiter conj n Neptune in 1st is intriguing. Any thoughts? Chart attached.

Thank you.

Solar arcs are really a type of progression, not a transit.

A secondary progression (the most commonly used kind) typically substitutes a "year for a day" and rotates your natal planets to the sign and degree they would occupy for a given number of days after your birth. So if someone is 25 years old, you would essentially count 25 days from her birth date in the ephemeris, and see where the planets were on that date. If she were born on January 1, we would see the planets' signs and degrees on January 25 of that year. (More easily, get the Astrodienst software to calculate this for you.)

(Recall that the sun moves about one degree per day, but the other planets would be faster or slower.)

With a solar arc, we would also count "x" number of days from the sun's position on the birth date according to a "year for a day" formula. However, we move the other planets one degree per day, as well; not how they would appear in an ephemeris. With a solar arc, therefore, the planets all keep the identical aspect relationships that the person had at birth. For example, if a person was born with the sun exactly trine Mars and is 25 years old, both the sun and Mars move 25 degrees, no matter what Mars was doing in the ephemeris.

The solar arc planets are then compared with the natal chart placements, just as you did in your OP.

You don't need to look at midpoints if you don't wish to in a solar arc chart. Some astrologers find them to be significant, however.

A transit shows what is in the sky now or at some other time of your choosing.

Thank you, Waybread. So, in what way do SA aspects differ from regular transits? Stronger effects? Better for prediction? And if so, why? Should I just interpret these SA events as I would the same connections between regular transitign planets and natal planets, or is there a greater significance to SAs?

Thank you!

You can calculate midpoints by hand, but Astrodienst can do this for you for a natal chart. I think it's in their Pullen charts menu. If you don't have astrological software to calculate solar arc midpoints and you want to do this, the old-fashioned way is to:

1. Convert all planet locations to numerical notations out of 360 degrees. O=0 degrees Aries, 30=0 degrees Taurus, 60= 0 degrees Gemini, and so on. A planet at 23 degrees Gemini would be at 60+23=83 degrees.

2. Divide the number by 2. In the above example, 83/2=41 degrees 30 minutes.

3. Convert that number back to its ordinary sign and degree. 41o 30' converts to 11o Taurus 30'. (Recalling that Taurus begins at 30 degrees.)

If a planet is at 4 degrees Leo, we take 120 degrees (where 0 Leo begins, and add 4. 120+4=124 degrees. 124 divided by 2= 62, or 2 degrees Gemini (recalling that Gemini begins at 60 degrees around the circle.)

Theoretically, a midpoint partakes of the qualities of both planets. A progressed or transiting planet hitting the midpoint should wake up both of them, according to the planets' placements in the chart, as well as the nature and location of the planet hitting the midpoint.

Some people have a natal planet conjunct the midpoint between two other natal planets. The planet on the midpoint supposedly has a big effect on how the other two planets relate to one another. For example, if natal Pluto sits on the natal sun-moon midpoint, then Pluto might have a much bigger impact on the person's personality than we might otherwise expect if the sun and moon make no aspect to one another or to Pluto.

I've got a copy of Tyl's book on solar arcs, although I didn't do much more than skim it after I bought it. If you want to refer to any particular page numbers, I'll see if I can make sense of them.

EndThisConfusion said:

Thank you, Waybread. So, in what way do SA aspects differ from regular transits? Stronger effects? Better for prediction? And if so, why? Should I just interpret these SA events as I would the same connections between regular transitign planets and natal planets, or is there a greater significance to SAs?

Thank you!

Click to expand...

It looks like we crossed in the mail.

The answer to your question really depends upon whom you ask. Astrology has all kinds of ways of timing events, and each astrologer seems to prefer some methods over others.

Perhaps the best way to decide would be to see how solar arcs, progressions, and transits manifested in your own life to date. If you could pick half a dozen major events in your life for which you recall the precise date, see what was going on astrologically at the time-- consistent with the nature of the event. For example, a marriage might show up as a 7th house matter or as a progressed Venus, but we wouldn't necessarily expect it to relate to the 9th house or Neptune. The birth of a child might activate the 5th house.

I like to think of progressions and solar arcs as showing how we evolve as a person, because they are so internal to the birth date; and transits as indicating events that affect our lives from the outside, but of course, that's a bit simplistic as the process would be interactive.

Thanks again - I am way over my head now, I printed out the midpoints chart and I have no idea how to read it.

I guess I would like to know from anyone who has lots of experience with all kinds of astrology -

Which is the best/most accurate method for prediction? (Can of worms?)

I read that many people swear by solar arcs and others don't even bother with them.

I'm curious how different people feel about this.

Thanks. I have a feeling I know what's coming, but it's always interesting to try and ready oneself before hand with some kind of prognostication..

: I

If you've pulled up the Pullen aspects/midpoint chart, you will see some crude graphics. The planets run from the sun (upper left) to Chiron & the north node in the lower right. You read this sort of like the mileage chart on a state highway map. If you want to know your sun-moon midpoint, just look at the row to the right of the sun, and the column above the moon. Look at the cell (square) where these intersect. It should show you a crude glyph of the sign of your midpoint, with the degree posted in the cell just below the glyph. If you want to know your Mercury-Mars midpoint, just read up from Mars and across from Mercury till you see the cell where these intersect.

On the left side of the page, you will also see the major aspects between your planets, with the number of degrees off exact.

You can check this against a few midpoints that you've calculated by hand to confirm what the midpoint table is showing you.

In terms of the "best" predictive technique, the more technically advanced astrologers prefer methods that are over my head (like primary directions,) so I'll leave it at that.

The real question is, what works best for you? A method too complicated for you to follow isn't useful. But midpoints aren't so difficult, once you understand that it's simply the degree exactly midway between two planets.

Just one other point to consider is that each planetary pair actually has two midpoints, a near one and a far one. The near one is usually the one that is used.

Suppose someone has the sun at 0 degrees Aries and the moon at 0 degrees Leo. Their midpoint normally is calculated as 0 degrees Gemini. But actually, if you go around the chart in the other direction, the further midpoint is 0 degrees Sagittarius.

If you work with midpoints, this is a good realization to keep in mind. A transit or solar arc might hit the further midpoint. Of course, you can also read this as this moving planet opposing your usual, nearer midpoint.

If you had two planets exactly opposite at 180 degrees, you would kind of have to look at both midpoints, as they are both equidistant from the planets.

I mention this because for a long time I thought my natal midpoints were pretty ho-hum, till I realized that I did in fact have some important planetary conjunctions with the further midpoints.