Progression of the lunar return is a timing technique I developed many years ago. It has produced remarkable results in the timing of events in thousands of charts, both mundane and personal, since I began using it.
I hope what follows is not too long and the repetitiveness contained within will be tolerated as it is composed from various posts and emails I have made through many years and I do not have the energy to edit them any more than I already have.
Thank all for your kind attention and tolerance in advance.
Bob
I will try to explain how these charts may be done using Solar Fire.
Important: All measurements are made using right ascension NOT longitude.
There is no book as I developed the technique myself and have not written a book. I am losing my interest in astrology and will probably never write one. The technique is easy enough to do using Solar Fire and should be a staple for every astrologer as it is an excellent timing tool to pin down to within about 2 hours when aspects can be expected to manifest when accurate birth data is used. There is no other technique I know of that can do this every time.
The steps are easy enough and when the lunar return has been progressed the only things to look for are planets or midpoints on or within no more than 2 degrees away from an angle including the East Point (90 degrees in right ascension from the MC) and squares in right ascension to the ascendant (found by adding or subtracting 90 degrees to the ascendants degree in the "Upper" column of the progressed returns speculum. These are then interpreted as the astrologer desires. Could be as simple as using "key" words.
NOTE: Since I wrote the above I have started looking for trines to the 8 axis anchors or points (MC, IC, Asc., Dsc., E.PT., W.Pt., Zenith, and Nadir) as I have noticed that they will add appropriate planets to the picture. The reason for considering planets within less than 2 degrees of a point as being conjoined is that latitudes and longitudes are given to the center of town and most events do not take place there.
It follows the old saw that something must be "promised" in the natal chart in that almost always what winds up on a progressed angle of the lunar return is a return or transiting planet (or midpoints) with a natal or most often a secondary progressed planet or midpoint. Usually, but not always, locality charts and returns are most viable. It is here where the timing shown by the progressed lunar return comes into play as astrologers know that most of the time events do not coincide with the day let alone the time of day that an aspect is exact.
Before starting this procedure, on the main page of Solar Fire click on "Preferences", then "Edit Settings", then on the "Misc" tab, then under "Parans" in the lower left choose the 2nd or "Display as LST angles", then on "OK" in the lower right corner.
Open a chart in the "View Charts" page. On the right, click on "Reports", again on the right, in the top box, select "Star Parans", 3 boxes below, in the "Orb" box set the orb to 0 degrees, 0 minutes.
All solar returns and the lunar returns done from them MUST be done selecting "Precessed" on the return page. I have tested thousands of straight forward Tropical returns and they do not work when they are progressed. And here the idea is to get to a specific day and a time window anywhere from exact timing to within 2 hours.
The first thing to look for in the speculum is the right ascension of the midheaven or RAMC of the chart which is found in the "Upper" column across from "Parans to MC", then finding other planets within less than 2 degrees of that number. Sometimes midpoints can be "eyeballed" but the midpoint reports page can be pulled up and the right ascension of pairs shown to be near any of the angles can be checked to see if they are within 2 degrees of an angle. This is done by adding (using a scientific calculator) the "Upper" values for each planet together then dividing by 2. (Note: Sometimes this procedure will give the math point OPPOSITE to the actual midpoint, so be sure to check to see if the math point equals or is near the sign point)
I believe the lunar return, when progressed, can indicate the experience to be expected when a time, even an approximate one, for an event is known. Interpretation is made as planets or midpoints are swept by the progressing angles of the return. A point here is what will be swept by the progressing angles at the departure point and a "moment" point of a trip. Case in point; the Space Shuttle Columbia.
Most often the lunar or demi-lunar return struck using the Moon's position in the precessed solar or demi-solar preceding an event (whichever is closer to the event) and almost always done for place of the event is used. On rare occasion for reasons I do not know, the precessed natal lunar or demi-lunar, when progressed, will give better results. Rate of progression is the arc in right ascension traveled by the Moon between inception of the lunar return and the time of the event.
As an example let us say the position given for the MC in the "Upper" column for the start of a lunar return was 10 degrees and the right ascension of the Moon (shown in the "upper" column across from the Moon) was 70 degrees. You notice that Jupiter in the return is about 21 degrees from the MC of the return, possibly promising a reason for happiness when the progressed MC sweeps across Jupiter's position.
A day and a half later the person this lunar return belongs to is given a promotion at work. An event chart is done for the time of the promotion (or confirmation of it) and the right ascension of the Moon is taken from it and found to be 92 degrees and 17 minutes.
You subtract the return Moons position of 70 degrees from event Moons position of 92 degrees 17 minutes, a difference of 22 degrees 17 minutes. This is added to the 10 degrees given for the MC which gives you 32 degrees 17 minutes for the position of the progressed MC.
Looking at the Speculum (the table of planetary positions) for the lunar return you see that the position given for Jupiter in the "Upper" column is 31 degrees 13 minutes. You see that it is the planet in the table nearest in position to the progressed position of the MC you have found. Go back to the main page of Solar Fire. Select the lunar return chart, find "Risings and Settings" in the drop down menu or toolbar, click on it. In the box for planets choose "Jupiter", in the next box that opens choose "Jupiter Culminating" (you would select Anti-Culminating, Rising or Setting, depending on the position of the planet in the Speculum nearest to the progressed RAMC).
NOTE: Here you must note that the time given for the positioning of the planet you are selecting is AFTER the time for the beginning of the return. If it is not you must change the date in the box showing what day you are looking for to the day following what is given.
Click on "OK".
You will be taken back to the main page of Solar Fire and see that a chart has been done for "Jupiter Culminating". Open the chart for viewing.
Going to the "Star Parans" page of the "Reports" you see in the Speculum that the "Upper" position of the chart MC is 31 degrees 16 minutes (Jupiter continued to move after the return began and this movement is shown in the table) and indeed the position of Jupiter in the "Upper" column is 31 degrees 16 minutes. Close to the 32 degree 17 minute progressed RAMC but not exact. Subtraction shows you that you have to move the angles forward by 1 degree 2 minutes to get to the progressed position per the difference in Moons. Click on the "Quit" button in the lower right corner.
In the right hand column of the view page click on "Rectify".
To get the exact chart for the progression you need to move the angles. To do this the following rules apply:
To move an angle 15 degrees add or subtract 1 hour to the time given for the return in the "Rectify Assist" box depending on whether you need to move the angle forward or backward.
To move an angle 1 degree add or subtract 4 minutes to the time.
To move an angle 1 minute add or subtract 4 seconds to the time given.
In this case we want to move the angle forward 1 degree 2 minutes to get the progressed RAMC at the time of the promotion.
1 degree equals 4 minutes
2 minutes equals 8 seconds
We will add 4 minutes 8 seconds to the time given in the rectify box.
NOTE If the addition takes you past midnight or a subtraction takes you back before midnight the date given in the rectify box MUST BE CHANGED ACCORDINGLY.
After making the change in time click on OK, click on "Reports". You will see that the position in the "Upper" column for the MC has changed to 32 degrees 17 minutes and the position given for Jupiter is 31 degrees 15 minutes. You have done the progressed lunar return.
Go back to the main page. Do a secondary progression of the natal chart to the date and time of the promotion. Show a dual wheel with the progressed lunar return on the inside and the progressed natal on the outside. Click on "Reports" and view the "Star Parans" report for the 2 charts.
In this hypothetical case you see that the position of the progressed natal Sun shows it to be rising when the RAMC is 32 degrees 40 minutes.
The progressed RAMC at the time of the promotion was 32 degrees 17 minutes, progressed return Jupiter was on the MC at 31 degrees 15 minutes, and progressed natal Sun rose at 32 degrees 40 minutes. Appropriate for a promotion (Happiness, recognition for personal contribution and effort, etc.) You might check transit Jupiter at the time of the promotion as it might be even closer to the MC than progressed lunar return Jupiter.
Remember solar returns and lunar returns derived from them can be done for people, places or things - a President, his administration, a country, state, or city, a pet, a job,... anything!
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The technique is the progression of the lunar return. Note: The returns which produce correct results MUST be precession corrected and almost always are lunar or demi-lunar returns (whichever is closest to the event) done using the Moon's position in the previous precessed solar or demi- solar return before the event.
The rate of progression is the arc transcribed in right ascension by the Moon since the inception of the lunar return. I have written programs to do this using data for the returns taken from others astrology programs but the quickest way is to use a method I developed using Solar Fire. This is shown in the images at the link provided as well as how to do the progression by hand.
What is looked for in the finished chart are planets/and/or midpoints on the angles of the chart or in hard aspect to them but in recent years I am conceding that trines and sextiles to those angles may also come into play.
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Progressed lunar returns are the first tool I use with every chart whether the birth time is known or not.
When a lunar return is progressed to an event using a given time of birth as a starting point you must find appropriate planetary symbolism being swept by the progressed angles (within 1° is preferred but up to 2° may be allowed - depending on one's preference) at the time of the event.
For events seen as positive (employment, marriage, childbirth, etc) the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, possibly Uranus or Neptune, and for something like winning a huge lottery Pluto (beating enormous odds) should be on, near, or in major aspect to the progressed angles.
For events seen as negative (illness, accident, death, losing a job, divorce, death of loved one, a violent act by the chart subject, etc.) Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and possibly any of the positive indicators (probably a singleton) should hold the progressed angular positions.
If starting with a chart which is based on date or date and place of birth only I start with a time of noon and do the precessed solar or demi-solar, the precessed progressed lunar or demi-lunar to the time and place of the event and look for a combination of appropriate return, progressed, natal, and/or transit and natal planets then adjust the birth time to what I think will place the angles on them.
For example, in the case of a gunman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, who went to a fitness center and killed people on August 4, 2009, at about 8 PM, EDT the birth date of September 30, 1960 was found on the internet.
Getting to the point of the progressed demi-lunar (from the precessed demi-solar) yielded a Midheaven at 241°21'. In looking at speculum for the progressed lunar return and his natal speculum I noticed a paran square in his natal consisting of Mars on the ascendant at 343°22' and Pluto on the IC at 343°29' while the lunar return had Pluto on the descendant at 345°21.
To advance the angles from 241° to 344° would need the addition of about 6 hrs 52 min (the difference of 103° divided by 15°[per hour]), changing the noon birth time to 6:52 PM, EDT. Repeating the charting process with the new time yielded 347°56' on the progressed lunar MC, too much by almost 4°. To move the MC back by 4° it is necessary to subtract 16 minutes (4 minutes of time for each degree) giving a new time of 6:36 PM, EDT.
Using this new time and repeating the charting process gave an MC of 343°44'. I could have left it at that but wanted to get the return Pluto closer to the angle so I added 3 minutes of time to the 6:36 PM (to add 00°45' of arc to the answer [1 minute of time for every 0°15' of arc] to arrive at 6:39 PM, EDT for a birth time and a progressed lunar return MC at 344°31'.
This MC had natal Mars on the 1st at 343°22', natal Pluto on the 4th at 343°29' and lunar return Pluto on the 7th at 345°20, with transit Pluto on the 7th at 345°11'. Precession correcting natal Mars and Pluto would probably have both of them angular in the 344° range. I do not adjust birth times into seconds to get closest results.
His secondary progressed Jupiter (not precession corrected) was on the 7th at 343°15' and progressed Pluto on the 4th at 344°38'. A reading of an online diary that he kept could explain the presence of progressed Jupiter on an angle and the transit of Venus to his natal Mars and opposite to progressed Venus and Jupiter at the time of his slaughter. The diary reveals that he had an apparent hatred of women.
You can read about this case here:
http://forum.astro.com/cgi/forum.cgi?num=1249479775/0
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Here is a paste from a post I made on a forum with my theory as to why angles progressed to planets or midpoints seem to elicit or match no activity.
QUOTE]
Bob, I appreciate you sharing this. I have given it a try and I have noted some tantalizing results, yet I have a couple reservations which keep me from using it often.
First, it is tedious for me to calculate, especially since my inexperience with the technique means I must expend considerable effort to produce even a single result.
Second, it seems to me that there are many times when what should be significant planets at the angles of the final chart amount to nothing in actual experience. Sure, I can see interesting angular placements for significant events, but I also can see interesting angular placements for seemingly uneventful times. For me, this limits the usefulness of the technique to the review of past events, and I am far more interested in finding a reliable (and detailed) predictive technique. Perhaps I am doing something wrong?[/QUOTE]
"As for angular placements at seemingly uneventful times, all of life is continuously experienced mentally or psychologically and at the cellular level. There is no way that any aspect may absolutely be foretold to only manifest and be recognized in the physical world, indeed astrologers themselves have posted in many forums that a transit to a planet or angle in their own chart produced no event that they were aware of. Many diseases develop without being known about as they are doing so (Cancer, for example). Along without the ability to predict whether or not an aspect will manifest physically there is no way to determine the magnitude of any transit (we all experience a Jupiter return about every 12 years with many aspects from transiting Jupiter to natal planets or points in the interim - what astrologer can, with certainty, predict to what degree and in what manner any of those aspects will manifest?).
If the planets on angles produce no observable effect they are probably not in aspect to a natal or progressed planet or midpoint. If they are natal or progressed planets they are probably not accompanied by transiting planets or midpoints. Having said that, I theorize that those angular placements at "seemingly uneventful times" are manifesting at the psychological or cellular level. I have experienced such times myself when nothing of note happened but I felt psychologically up or down.
"a reliable (and detailed) predictive technique." There is no absolutely reliable and detailed technique in astrology. If there is all astrologers would be using only that technique by now. You know the reliable and detailed one that can tell exactly how an aspect will manifest and to what magnitude. Even progressed lunar returns, as accurate a timing tool as they are, can at best see a time as positive or negative without knowledge or input as to what the chart subject may be involved in at a particular time."
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The anlunar is the lunar return done using the Moon's position in the solar return. The demi- anlunar is the lunar return done for when the Moon reaches the point opposite that position. A note on this. I have been using these charts for more than 30 years and the solar and lunar returns to be used MUST be in the Sidereal zodiac or precession corrected Tropical. I do not use signs so I don't care which zodiac is used as long as precession is taken into account.
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Progressing lunar returns is like putting a Vernier on them. It is a method that allows fine tuning when a condition in a chart may be expected to be present to a window of no more than a few hours on a particular day.
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I would like to post about an timing innovation to astrology that I discovered in the early 70's. The technique must conform to specific rules and delivers very precise results when accurate data are used as starting points (location and time for radix and event charts). I accept results with an orb of up to 2 degrees as exact as locations for radix and events are not at the exact coordinates given for cities and for every minute of difference in time of the radix chart the MC of the results will be off by 1/4 of a degree.
As the progressed MC moves about 1 degree in 2 hours a planet within 1 degree before or after an angle would get the timing down to a 4 hour window of a specific date. Many astrologers pad the effects of a transit by an inner planet by several days and longer for transits by the outers.
The technique is the progression of the lunar return. Note: The returns which produce correct results MUST be precession corrected and almost always are lunar or demi-lunar returns (whichever is closest to the event) done using the Moon's position in the previous, precessed, solar or demi- solar return nearest to the event.
The rate of progression is the arc transcribed in right ascension by the Moon since the inception of the lunar return. I have written programs to do this using data for the returns taken from others astrology programs but the quickest way is to use a method I developed using positions expressed in degrees of right ascension and Solar Fire. This is shown in the images at the link provided as well as how to do the progression manually using right ascension expressed in hh:mm:ss.
What is looked for in the finished chart are planets/and/or midpoints on the angles of the chart or in hard aspect to them but in recent years I am conceding that trines and sextiles to those angles also may come into play, inferring that all recognized aspects may be used.
By measuring all aspects in right ascension I get away from using a particular zodiac, signs, houses, and all of their accouterments, but the fact that the initial charts must be corrected for precession seems to indicate that a sidereal zodiac is likely to be the correct one. All that is used in the technique is present in nature, i.e., the angles of the chart (points in space), true body planetary positions in space, and the angles between all of them measured in right ascension.
You can see finished examples at this link:
http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f111/ ... astrology/
Data concerning the angles and planetary aspects to them are given at the bottom of the page. In the main album there about 15 examples given and many more in the albums listed on the left hand side of the page.
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I don't think there any absolute answers to any aspect or position in a chart by any planet. Mars in the 7th in the charts of 400 million people will be expressed in many different ways at many different times for each of them. There may be some similarities and in some cases it could probably be said that the experiences were "identical", but if there were an absolute answer all astrologers, with a certain length of experience or drawing from the shared work of others, would be making absolutely correct predictions on a daily basis. The same goes for the Sun, the Moon, and the rest of the planets.
But what if a technique, tested over decades, in thousands of charts, that used only what really existed in nature and nothing that was presumed by man (except for what attributes might be assigned to a planet or a combination of planets), that claimed to be an excellent tool for timing, in comparison to available tools, was to be presented? Wouldn't it be in the best interest of astrologers, no matter what other technique they favored, to have an earnest look at it? Isn't having as accurate a time for a nativity a desired starting position?
It seems to me that for years astrologers have been adopting techniques that have been handed down as dogma without any proof of how much testing (in amount of time or number of charts used) was done using this principle before it was recorded to be handed down through centuries. How long was the life expectancy of people (astrologers) centuries ago? How far were they able to travel to share and/or collaborate on findings or ideas in their lifetime? How many contemporaries did they have to communicate and work with? How many did some serious research of their own or had access to extensive research of their peers? And again, what was the length and breadth of that research? How many subject charts did they have to work with? And how much feedback did they get?
One would think that if a technique were presented that could verify or establish a correct or very close time of birth (in a much shorter period of time than is claimed to be necessary for current methods of rectification) using possibly a single life experience, that serious astrologers would not hesitate to give it a fair try before passing judgment on it. Astrologers are rather fond of saying that critics of astrology should not be making judgments about something they haven't studied - the same applies to astrologers and astrological techniques they haven't studied.
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I already had your chart in my files but starting from scratch I input the data, processed the current solar return, the appropriate anlunar from it, and progressed the anlunar and your natal chart to 2 pm today. Timed by stopwatch: 2 minutes, 45 seconds.
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When Robert Napper was charged with the crimes in 1994, by macabre coincidence he was found to have almost identical fingerprints to Samantha as well as the exact same birth date. Two people with the exact same transits to their natal and progressed positions (except for the Moon and angles of those charts), one was the violent one, the other the receiver of that violence.
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Here are excerpts from postings and private messages by a person for whom I made a public prediction on probably the busiest astrology forum on the internet. I have permission to share the chart and postings (which were spontaneous on the writer's part).
"And Bob, just so you know....you were exactly correct."
"You were so absolutely correct regarding the timing of events."
"You have just been SO spot-on in what youve told me that I figured you would certainly be the person to ask these questions to. It still floors me that you had my infamous meeting pretty much nailed down to the exact time on the 1st....very impressive, indeed."