Solar Arc Directions in Astrology
Solar Arc Directions in Astrology
From our viewpoint, the transiting to make, however, are for those born
Sun appears to move approximately between May and August (when the
one degree forward through the zodiac Sun can move as slowly as 57' of arc
each day. This is the speed at which per day), or between December and
everything in the Solar Arc–directed February (when the Sun travels up to
chart moves per year. 1°01' per day).1 This is regardless of the
Whereas progressions take the hemisphere we live in. In these cases,
actual planetary positions and speeds as we get older and move through the
in the ephemeris as their guide, the decades, there may be some discrep-
method of Solar Arc is symbolic: The ancy between the age and the degrees
whole horoscope moves forward (plan- reached by Solar Arc. When those born
ets, house cusps, angles, even retro- between May and August reach 30
grade planets) at the Solar daily rate years of age (adding cumulatively the
of approximately one degree (60 min- Sun’s daily rate), the chart may have
utes of arc) for every year of your life. only directed approximately 28°30',
Everything moves: while those born between the months
of December and February will find
• 60' (1°) of arc in 12 months that, by age 30, their chart has moved
• 30' of arc in 6 months approximately 30°30', slightly ahead of
• 5' in 1 month the estimate.
03° 12 7 03°
Chart 2: Bi-wheel.
Solar Arc Inner Ü
wheel and
1 6
†
house52'
cusps:13°Ü 32' 48'
…15° 52'
¼
anonymous¾
30'
13' …14°
June birthday 26°Ü 2 5 30'
…07° ½
19'
…19°
away. In the chart, Cynthia’s SA Ascen- Outer wheel:
¿ 3 4 À Á
dant (surroundings/horizon) is now SA directed to age 60 04'
Chart 1: Bi-wheel.
Inner wheel and house cusps:
Cynthia Payne
All charts use Outer wheel:
al ho ses SA directed to tenth birthday
SYNASTRY (2-1)
56 [Link] 0°00' A
0°04' S
0°16' S
0°16' S
0°05' S 0°17' A
0°05' A 0°24' S
0°05' A 0°24' S
0°06' A 0°53' S
0°07' S 0°57' A
0°12' A 0°57' A
0°12' A
0°15' S
0°16' S
3: Giblin 1984
annotated
Chart 3: Bi-wheel.
Inner wheel and house cusps:
Belinda Giblin
Outer wheel:
SA directed to October 1, 1984
directed
‹ Ì10° chart to an exact » time — the Â
45' ˆ
Â
ºmonth 04°
16°
20°
these Solar 38' Arcs could speak
‡ of ‹ Ì 10° º 04°
16°
20°
15°date or the ‹ first of ½ the Š will ‰suf- emergence, prominence, and
09' pub- 15° ‹ ½ Š
‰
11°¾and ending
48' 20° 11' ˆ 48' 20° 11' ˆ
fice, because the directed 20° Š
chart
41' moves 57' licity — being noticed 20° Š 41' 57'
roughly 1 minute10°
¸ of arc35'in a week.
Š 35' 04'
‡
up on the front pages. At this time,
¸10° 35' Š 35'
» 29°To ‹
fine-tune the birth 11
‹ 17' 46'
10 9
time, direct the8 Giblin was asked to replace the » 29°‹
17'
‹
46'
11
10 9
8
planets to the angles (and vice versa),
15° 12 7 15° 15° 12 7
and check for corresponding events and Œ53' † 16° À
Ü reactions. If apt events are “out” by a Chart 4: Bi-wheel. † Ü
09' º 09' º
15°Ü 11' Œ01' † 15°Ü 11'
year, then
11' it’s likely that 1the angles are 6
Inner wheel
09°
¼ and 03' † 11°
house Á cusps:
09' 11'
1 6
15°Ü 15°Ü
½one degree off, too. A few 2minutes’ dif- 5 Belinda ½
…16°Giblin
30'
Œ28' †02° Œ2
Ë Ë
15° 09' 15°
‚ „ ‚
Mars–Neptune squaring it), it wasn’t a
Solar Arc The key to interpreting high professional moment in his life, as
is often the case with directions involv-
planet/angle is the energy of the fore- Solar Arcs is to start by ing the Sun, MC, or 10th house. It was
cast, and the planet/angle being the defining o ent (MC to Sun) of his
understanding the natal presidency — but it couldn’t help being
aspected is the part of life being opened
up for transformation. But in practice, chart and the specific range tinged by Mars–Neptune. (See Chart
it’s the merging of the two planets/ 5, outer wheel.) It was January 1998,
of meanings of the planets/ and he went on record to deny an extra-
angles involved that provides the clear-
est sense of what’s occurring in the life. angles currently involved. marital affair with a young White House
And the key to interpreting Solar Arcs is intern … named Monica Lewinsky.
Predictive Techniques
Chart 5: Bi-wheel.
Inner wheel and house cusps:
Bill Clinton
Outer wheel:
SA directed to 1998
SYNASTRY (2-1)
0°01' A 0°29' A
58 [Link] 0°01' A 0°34' A
0°05' S 0°35' A
0°05' S 0°41' A
0°08' S 0°46' S
0°09' A 0°50' S
0°20' S 0°51' S
0°21' A 0°54' A
0°22' A 0°57' S
0°22' A 0°58' A
0°28' S
get to know the directed planet in a when goalposts shift in areas to the interpretation. Most notable
new sign. It’s a portent of things to linked to the sign.2 is the Saturn return at age 29, fol-
come. During this initial year, this 7. Use Solar Arcs in conjunction with lowed by the Shadow Saturn return
directed planet also “speaks” to any another forecasting tool (I would at around age 32, when we get
natal planet in that sign, regardless recommend transits rather than another opportunity to implement
of degree, unleashing the potential another method of progression/ key life choices.3
of that planet. direction). You’ll get a well-rounded
4. Consider the year when a planet view of key stages in the life jour- Here is a bi-wheel of Christopher
or angle reaches the final degree of ney (directions) and major phases Reeve’s natal chart and the SA direc-
a sign (29°00' to 29°59'). This is a in our life cycles (transits). I would tions at the time of his tragic horse-
year when some of the most chal- also recommend investigating what riding accident, plus a couple of key
lenging facets of that sign demand I term “Shadow Transits” — tran- transits outside the wheels. (See Chart
attention and mastery. It’s the end sits to the directed chart positions. 6, following page.) Reeve’s natal Moon–
of a familiar path, heralding twelve When there’s a transit to a planet Mars in Sagittarius suggests his love of
months of “crisis” associated with in the directed chart (e.g., transit- competitive horsemanship. When he
that sign. ing Saturn conjunct the SA Sun), was thrown from his horse at an event
0° Virgo and Uranus at 0° Aquarius — a ing codependency issues or a perpetual years of life often coincide with a deluge
remarkable repetition of aspect, degree, need to rescue others (Moon–Neptune), of major directions.
and sign. (Chiron, associated with then in such a case it might be useful to Solar Arc is a potent tool with
horses and motorcycles, had directed look at the year the Moon and Neptune which to plan our life and to take action
to the Descendant, adding to the list of first aspected each other by direction. under the appropriate, directed aspects.
significators suggesting the catastrophic This may be the year when an event Using the seven steps provided above,
accident and his future reliance on oth- triggered the behaviour pattern. I hope you enjoy researching life events
ers. Another link to horses, Jupiter, ruler With Solar Arc, we can look at any and watching past directions — as well
of the 5th house and dispositor of Mars, birth chart and estimate the year of as future ones — come to life with
had directed to square natal Mercury.) someone’s life when two planets meet Solar Arc.
— and see how they are reflected in
The earliest Solar Arcs we encoun- the person’s life story and events. These Chart Data and Sources
ter are those found in our natal aspect events could take many forms (we (in alphabetical order)
grid. If we truly want to know how our know that external, educational, cul- Bill Clinton, August 19, 1946; 8:51 a.m. CST;
natal Sun conjunct Saturn works, look tural, and social factors affect how we Hope, AR, USA (33°N40', 93°W35'); A: from his
at [Link]
Reeves
when the1995two planets were express our horoscope’s potential) — mother to Shelley Ackerman.
annotated
exactly conjunct bybutSolar
I don’t
[Link]
This isthe Solar
but Fire font to match
the happenings it. Dobeyou?
will always of the Belinda Giblin, March 2, 1950; 8:30 a.m.
AEST (–10); Tamworth, NSW, Australia
a useful tool to help clients link in to a nature of the planets involved. Some
(31°S05', 150°E55'); A: from her to Frank Clif-
repetitive theme or issue years are busier than oth- ford, quoting her father.
they may have. ers, and dramatic Cynthia Payne, December 24, 1932; 9:00
p.m. GMT; Bognor Regis, England (50°N47',
00°W41'); A: from her to Frank Clifford.
Christopher Reeve, September 25, 1952;
3:12 a.m. EDT; Manhattan, NY, USA (40°N46',
73°W59'); A: from him to Linda Clark by letter;
he gave Penny Thornton 3:14 a.m., but his birth
record (copy on file) contains no time of birth.
Notes
1. The rest of the year, the Sun’s movement is
exactly or very close to 1°00' per day.
2. For more on points 3, 4, and 6, see my
“Horoscope Detective” columns in s Dec.
2012/Jan. 2013 and April/May 2013 issues.
3. See my article, “Shadow Transits: A Hidden
Forecasting Tool,” in the Mercury Direct section
of s Dec. 2008/Jan. 2009 issue.
Chart 6: Bi-wheel.
Inner wheel and house cusps:
Christopher Reeve
Outer wheel:
SA directed to May 27, 1995
SYNASTRY (2-1)
0°02' S 0°46' S
60 [Link] 0°02' S 0°48' A
0°05' A 0°50' S
0°10' S 0°54' S
0°19' S 0°55' A
0°21' S 0°57' S
0°21' S
0°31' A
0°43' S
0°43' S
0°45' A
0°45' A