Progressed Moon 101: Seasons of Life

How to understand the chapter you're in & be prepared for the next big change

Hey witchy kids!

This is truly one of my favorite topics, due to how literal and tangible it is. For all of the ways astrology can feel nebulous and varied by interpretation, the Progressed Moon is one of the most clear cut. Time and time again, I’ve seen people radically adapt to each new chapter set upon them by these shifts that occur every two and a half years. (Everyone has a different starting point, so keep reading for the tutorial!)

The Progressed Moon is like the Swiss army knife of an astrologer’s tool belt. It explains the itch to embark on new personal and professional quests every couple of years; why compatibility can shift between people over time, needs change, or we are no longer satiated by whims of the past.

It tells us the season of life you’re in.

Imagine dressing up in furry boots for summer, or nothing but a wind breaker in a snowstorm. That would be silly, right? The progressed moon speaks to the evolution of your emotional nature and how your temperament, desires, and priorities shift over time. Knowing the chapter you’re in is like having a cosmic weather forecast for what’s coming. It reveals what urges to honor, where they come from, and how long you have to integrate them.

My four most recent chapters:

I was gobsmacked to learn that my Capricorn chapter (work & business) occurred when I received a $100,000 grant from a billionaire to skip college and build a business instead, over the course of… you guessed it… two years. When it shifted into Aquarius (freedom, astrology) I abruptly changed course, moved cross country to pursue music, and began studying astrology. When it moved into Pisces (mysticism, disassociation), my spiritual business began to flourish, I was creatively lit on fire, and also easily fatigued (I didn’t workout for nearly a year; it was like trying to run underwater). Boom, my Aries chapter (action, competition) cleared that energy away like an etch-a-sketch and I began working out 2-3 hours a day at a martial arts studio, while championing new outlets for my career.

That’s just my story through the progressed moon; I also have hundreds of examples from past clients that affirm how literal they can be. Those who got married during Libra, became mothers during Cancer, brought on investors and did shadow healing during Scorpio… There is no mistaking it.

Before we can go further, it’s important to understand what a Progressed Chart is.

We all know your birth chart never changes… but what if it did? The progressed chart is it’s own separate thing, and postulates how you’d change over time if your birth chart continued evolving with you. These are slow, gradual shifts that mark energetic changing of the guards, ends of eras, reinventions, tidal shifts in priority, self-expression, and desire. (We follow the moon most closely because it’s the fastest changing placement on the Progressed Chart, making the shifts more frequent and perceptible.)

How it works:

Also referred to as “secondary progressions,” they operate using a day-for-a-year formula. You can track your progressions manually by counting each day after your birth in the ephemeris as representing a single year. This means that wherever the transiting planets were 20 days after your birth, would be your progressed placements at 20 years old.

How long it lasts:

The progressed moon stays in each sign for 30 months (two and a half years) moving one degree per month (each sign contains 0-29 degrees, and since we count 0 in astrology, that’s 30 total.)

When will I feel it change?

If you or a loved one seem to have woken up one morning with a new lease on life or view of the world… check the progressed moon. As a general rule of thumb, we start to recognize a shift is coming around 27-28 degrees of the sign that’s winding down. The move into 0 degrees of a new sign is an initiation, while the first 3-4 degrees (3-4 months) of a new chapter can feel as if you’re learning a new language in a foreign city. TLDR; a ~3 degree buffer on the back and front end to adjust and reorient.

If you’re 27-29 degrees into a chapter, this is time to alchemize what you’ve learned since it started and prepare for what the next sign has to offer. If you’re 0-3 degrees into a chapter, give yourself grace to become familiarized with the new energy and allow your work, routines, and relationships to adapt accordingly. I’ll go through each of the chapters in a moment.

Surely there’s an easier way to track it?

While it’s important to understand the mechanics, it’s not always realistic to do this math by hand every time (and the degree of the progressed moon isn’t exact in the ephemeris since it transits so fast).

There’s a handy online calculator that plots all your past and future Progressed Moon changes. Go find what cycle you’re in, and then come back here for a description of each sign! You can also create a free progressed chart on astro.com under ‘extended chart selection’ to see where your current progressions are.

Trust your timing:

Never underestimate the intentional order of the zodiac. More than any other tool, the progressed moon reveals why it’s imperative to trust the timing of your life. A water sign chapter is not time to go-go-go, nor would a fire sign chapter make sense to force yourself to settle down and take on a mortgage just yet. You’ll naturally feel compelled to embody the archetype of the sign & element, so the following descriptions will flow through the 12 signs like life chapters.

While my New & Full Moon horoscopes will always be free, writing these educational resources takes time I am afforded by your contribution as a paid subscriber. Thank you for being here, in whatever capacity resonates with you!