Many people think of astrology as just referring to your sun sign, which is the sort that shows up in newspapers and on ‘pop’ sites. (“Love your blood red nails… you must be a Scorpio…”)
Other people are aware of natal astrology, which means reading a chart of the planetary configuration for the day and time you were born. A lot of astrology begins there… but does not end there.
Not that many people are aware that traditional astrology has a very rich repertoire of predictive techniques, that are designed to be used yearly, around the time of the birth day. This is the Solar Revolution, or the Turning of the Year. It can predict main themes and concerns of the year, the kind of events likely to happen. It can also sometimes be used to time events.
There is a chart called a Solar Return, drawn up for the exact time that the sun returns to its natal position. That can show some major themes for the year.
There is also a technique called Profections, which rotates through the signs in a chart at the rate of one a year. This gives main themes for the year, and the planet that rules the sign of the profection is called the Lord of the Year, and plays an important part in the events of the coming year.
There are other more detailed technques, some of which can predict themes spanning several years, others of which can focus on a smaller time unit like a month, or even a range of a few days.
Transits are used also, but not as a stand-alone predictive technique as in modern astrology. The combined Solar Revolution techniques – the annual Profection, the Solar Return, and others – can help determine which transits are likely to be the most important.
All of these predictive techniques take place within the overall context of the natal chart. The natal chart provides the larger frame for a life, and the annual techniques focus on what parts of the natal chart are likely to ‘come alive’ and be important for the coming year.
So, if you thought that astrology ended with your having your natal chart read once and then you are done… think again. You might consider a traditional astrology Annual Check-Up.