Directions
Directions are a predictive technique in which the whole natal chart is moved forward by the arc travelled by the progressed Sun: roughly one degree per year of life. When a directed planet or angle forms an exact aspect to a natal point, the tradition expects an event. The calculator finds such dates for the years you choose and interprets each one.
You need your exact date, time and place of birth: the Ascendant, the houses and the sect of the chart depend on the time. If your city is not on the list, choose "Other place" and enter the latitude, longitude (north and east with a plus sign) and UTC offset. Times are local clock time at the birthplace. If the years are left empty, we calculate from the current year ten years ahead; you can enter up to 60 consecutive years, including past ones.
How the solar arc is calculated
- The "a day for a year" method: the Sun's position N days after birth corresponds to the Nth year of life (the progressed Sun).
- The solar arc is how many degrees the progressed Sun has moved from the natal Sun. The Sun travels between 57′ and 61′ a day, so the arc grows by about a degree a year: faster for winter births, slower for summer ones.
- Every point in the chart is shifted by this arc: the planets, the Ascendant and the MC. This is the directed chart.
- We look for moments when a directed point forms an exact aspect to a natal one. The date is found by solving for when the arc equals the required distance.
Example. The natal Sun is at 21° Taurus and natal Venus at 9° Aries. The natal MC is at 2°51′ Pisces; for the directed MC to reach Venus, an arc of 36°12′ is needed — at about age 37.7. In that year the tradition expects career and status events connected with Venus: recognition, a pleasant appointment, a partnership, money from work you love.
Aspects of directions
| Aspect | Angle | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Conjunctio | 0° | The strongest contact: the themes of the points merge, and the event is tangible |
| Sextile | 60° | An opportunity to be seized |
| Square | 90° | Tension and challenge: restructuring, struggle, decisions |
| Trine | 120° | Harmony: what you were ready for comes easily |
| Opposition | 180° | Confrontation and choice, events through other people |
| Semi-square and sesquiquadrate | 45° and 135° | Minor tension, irritants (optional, Ebertin school) |
The strength of a direction depends on the points involved: the most noticeable are directions to the angles (Ascendant, MC) and the luminaries, and directions of the angles themselves to planets. A direction is in effect for about a year before and after the exact date (orb 1°), and is strongest when transits and the profection of the same year pick it up.
Primary directions
Primary directions were the main predictive technique of Ptolemy and medieval astrologers. Here the chart is moved not by the progressed Sun but by the daily rotation of the sky: after birth the sky keeps turning, and the points of the chart reach the Ascendant and MC one after another. Each degree of rotation along the equator is about one year of life; the calculator uses the Naibod key (0°59′08″ per year).
We calculate direct primary directions to the Ascendant and MC "in zodiaco": the planets and their aspect points on the ecliptic without latitude, to the MC by right ascension and to the Ascendant by oblique ascension for the birth latitude. We do not calculate directions to other planets: there are several incompatible schools for them (Placidus, Regiomontanus, "in mundo" and "in zodiaco"), and all of them are very sensitive to the birth time — an error of 4 minutes shifts an event by a year.
An Honest Look at the Method
Directions are one of the most respected predictive techniques among astrologers, but, like all of astrology, they do not stand up to testing as a way of predicting events. Accuracy is a separate problem: directions of the angles depend on the birth time to the minute, which is rarely known that precisely.
The calculator follows the rules of the method and writes its interpretations as a description of what the tradition holds. Direction dates are best used as an occasion to look back on past years and think about plans — not as a prediction.
Frequently asked questions
How do directions differ from progressions?
In progressions, each planet moves at its own pace (a day after birth equals a year of life). In solar arc directions, every point shifts by the same arc — the distance the progressed Sun has travelled. That is why slow planets "move" almost a degree a year in directions and trigger events, while in progressions they barely move.
How accurate are the dates?
Astronomically, to within days: the Sun's position is calculated with the same ephemerides as in all the calculators on this site. But directions of the Ascendant and MC depend on the birth time: an error of 4 minutes shifts them by about a year, and half an hour by seven or eight years. Planet-to-planet directions hardly depend on the time at all.
Why do directions look a year before and after the exact date?
The traditional orb of a direction is one degree, and the solar arc covers it in about a year. An event most often happens when a transit or a New Moon at the same point is added to the direction.
Can I look at past years?
Yes: enter the years, for example starting from your birth year. Comparing past directions with life events is a classic way to refine the birth time (rectification).
Why use primary directions if there is the solar arc?
They are two different techniques. Primary directions are older and are calculated from the rotation of the sky; the solar arc appeared later as a simplified substitute. The calculator shows both so you can compare where they agree.