posted January 09, 2020 07:06 PM            

Functioning orbs for transits and progressions are definitely different. Transits are real here-and-now planetary movements and get orbs closer to what we use with natal aspects. Progressions are the phantoms of past transits and the orbs must be shrunken considerably. One degree is convenient, but arbitrary.

Robert Hand states in his classic work Planets in Transit in Rule 2 in the chapter Transit Timing (p. 24) that there is no such thing as an "orb" of influence concerning a transit because this normally is meant as the arc space or time frame in which events are triggered by a specific transit. (There are orbs of influence, of course, but should only be defined as no more than what they are for gauging aspects in the natal chart, but certainly less than that.) He makes the point in the text under the Rule 2 heading that transits are an aggregate influence:

quote:

"The problem is that one cannot speak of the length of time that a single transit will be in effect without referring to the transits, both of inner and outer planets, that are occurring around it or without referring to the nature of the events and processes symbolized by the transit."
This underlying principle actually supports the use of orbs, however. For how else do we determine what other planetary transits to include in the aggregate picture, but by some general basis of orbs?

So the principles of aggregate influence helping determine fuctioning orbs extends to progressions, but not in an obvious way. In progressions, the aspects closest to culmination have the strongest influence on any given day and most specifically define the window of opportunity for externalizing their energies as life events.

So progressed Sun or Moon could be within 1° or even 0°30' of exact aspect to a natal point and not be the primary influence. If prog Mercury were exactly parallel a natal point (orb=0°00') then it could be the primary influence. Of course, prog Mercury's aspect would be a part of whatever other aspects are close enough to be part of this, which is to say typically within the 05' culmination zone.

Another principle since progressions are phantoms of past transits, is that the apparent disc (width) of the planet or luminary must be considered. Moon and Sun are both discs of about half a degree apparent width. So naturally their functional orbs can be considered to be more than planets, which have no more than one minute arc (less actually) of apparent width.

Since aspects are geometry we must pay attention to the points forming the aspects and how precisely they are marked (center of their bodies). So luminaries get 15' or so on either side of the 05' culmination zone verifiiable for progressed aspects made by planets. So I prefer a maximum orb of 20' for the Sun. However, I have noticed the Moon, perhaps because it is so much closer to Earth, has in progression a functioning orb closer to 1° -- with at least one qualifier: the topocentric positions must be used to counteract parallax effect, mostly with the Moon. Moving to the topocentric Moon position will often tighten up aspects to less than 1° from exact -- if it is actually involved in the window of opportunity for some timed event.

Because Moon's path varies well off the ecliptic, there may be a parallel or contra-parallel aspect far tighter in declination that is the active aspect. So this can account for why longitude aspects by prog Moon seem to be operating at a degree or much wider. It is too easy to stretch the orbs out in longitude rather than checking its declination for tighter aspects (parallels, contra-parallels) -- again, always using the topocentric position to get rid of parallax effect.

posted January 10, 2020 03:39 AM            

However ... the generations of astrologers/students that will possess this increased empirical knowledge have not yet been born. ... So, perhaps the most significant breakthrough that will be achieved by current generations of astrologers/students is to recognise/understand how the transits of the first 80 days of a child's life determine how the first 80 years of his/her progressions will manifest. ... And, maybe some New Age parents will finally grasp the importance of keeping a diary record of what happens in their child's life during the first 80 days after birth.