What are Tertiary Progressions?

by Rick Houck

Here is a beginning definition: If you understand what a secondary progression ("P2") is, where
each day in the life is symbolically equated to to each subsequent year in the life, then just think of
a tertiary progression ("P3") as being a simple variation on this, i.e., a day in the life (or ephemeris)
is equal to a lunar month in the life (i.e. a little less than a calendar month).

Tertiary Progressions are a lunar-based technique. In various metaphysical sources it has often
been suggested that 1,000 months of life may be one of the best standards of a good life span. In
calender months, this corresponds to about 84 years which many astrologers recognize as about
one one full Uranus cycle ( and roughly three Saturn cycles ). Further this number is a compound of
the two key occult numbers of 7 and 12.

1008 calender months of life ( 84 years ) will give you about 1,111 lunar months. By this I am
referring to the tropical equinoctal Moon. ( zero Aries to zero Aries ), and its value is 27.321582
( note: this is very close to the non-precessed sidereal value of 27.321661, so for all practical
progression purposes you may use either ). This method of progression equates each day in your
life to each calender month of this length.

Therefore, for example, if you were to live to the age of 84, you will have worked your way through
about three years in the ephemeris from the date you were born. Thus, in the course of such a life,
you will experience roughly 50 progressed planetary stations, 10 progressed eclipses and many
progressed sign ingresses. ( sidereal, of course ). Progressed Mercury will circle your chart about
twice, and will itself have about 20 progressed stations. This has tremendous implications if you
have sidereal Gemini or Virgo rising, and/or if you are in a Mercury dasha or bhukti at the time.

The same is true for all other planetary stations relative to their sign rulers. Its clear how fast
planets move under such a scheme-about 27.3 calender days they transit the distance of one line in
the ephemeris. So the tertiary Moon moves about 1/2 a degree per day ( therefore it resides in
each sign about two months ), and the tertiary Sun will move about 1 degree per month.

Under this scheme, we will choose to progress your MC by the amount of this tertiary solar arc, i.e,
roughly a degree per month, and the tertiary ASC will just be a slight variation on this, since it is
derived normally per the Table of Houses. Consequently you may estimate that in the course of
using tertiary angles for rectification, every week of event error, as demonstrated by the
progressed angles, will correlate to about 1 minute of birthtime error. Finally, note that the tertiary
angles will pass about 2 1/2 years in each sign and house, and you will immediatly recognize how
this correlates to transiting Saturn and the secondary progressed Moon.

Having reviewed Dasa/Bhukti planets with tertiary progressed planets, let me state three rules that
apply to their usefulness and interaction as they relate to the subject of death. To my knowledge,
the last two rules and relationships have never before been documented.

1. Progressed planetary stations contribute the value of intensified amplitude to any symbolic
message that is otherwise being formed in the chart. The quality of this amplitude will relate
directly to the fundamental nature of the planet.

2. Almost invariably, there will be an approximate correlation between the current Dasa ( or Bhukti
planet ) and a progressed planetary station. This will often signal death if subsidiary factors confirm
( although these confirming factors will receive little development in this conceptual synopsis ).

3. You may routinely expect approximate progressed angle and planet hits in an exact 4th harmonic
relationship to a current maraka. Exact hits may be also be routinely expected within the context of
such a pattern.

Let's take a moment here to define the word "exact," and also to comment briefly upon eclipses.
Whenever astrologers talk about transiting or progressed conjunction, square or opposition from
or to an angle or planet, I believe they should hold to a maximum orb of 1 degree. All my work
conforms to this standard ( and the vast majority of it is just applying aspects ). Also I should
mention that, in conformity with Indian thinking on this matter, I do not attribute to any planet,
except Jupiter, the power to cast a trine.

With regard to eclipses, my book highlighted the complex issues of chart sensitization via prenatal
and progressed eclipses. And any particular point in a chart ( planet or angle) becomes extremely
sensitized if it is hit directly by one of these eclipses. Remember the ancient astrologers almost
invariably considered eclipses to be "evil" due to their interrupt quality as it applies to the "lights"
of life, i.e the Sun and Moon.

The last transiting solar and lunar eclipses before death are almost invariably very important
signals, and they should also conform to the standard of a maximum orb of 1 degree. I say "almost"
because the strong presentation of such transiting eclipses is most apparent when a person dies
during the dasa or bhukti of one of the nodes, or when the nodes are tightly linked to critical points
within the natal or progressed chart.

What are Tertiary Progressions?

by Rick Houck

Here is a beginning definition: If you understand what a secondary progression ("P2")

is, where each day in the life is symbolically equated to to each subsequent year in the
life, then just think of a tertiary progression ("P3") as being a simple variation on this,
i.e., a day in the life (or ephemeris) is equal to a lunar month in the life (i.e. a little less
than a calendar month).

Tertiary Progressions are a lunar-based technique. In various metaphysical sources it

has often been suggested that 1,000 months of life may be one of the best standards of a
good life span. In calender months, this corresponds to about 84 years which many
astrologers recognize as about one one full Uranus cycle ( and roughly three Saturn
cycles ). Further this number is a compound of the two key occult numbers of 7 and 12.

1008 calender months of life ( 84 years ) will give you about 1,111 lunar months. By this I
am referring to the tropical equinoctal Moon. ( zero Aries to zero Aries ), and its value is
27.321582 ( note: this is very close to the non-precessed sidereal value of 27.321661, so
for all practical progression purposes you may use either ). This method of progression
equates each day in your life to each calender month of this length.

Therefore, for example, if you were to live to the age of 84, you will have worked your
way through about three years in the ephemeris from the date you were born. Thus, in
the course of such a life, you will experience roughly 50 progressed planetary stations, 10
progressed eclipses and many progressed sign ingresses. ( sidereal, of course ).
Progressed Mercury will circle your chart about twice, and will itself have about 20
progressed stations. This has tremendous implications if you have sidereal Gemini or
Virgo rising, and/or if you are in a Mercury dasha or bhukti at the time.

The same is true for all other planetary stations relative to their sign rulers. Its clear
how fast planets move under such a scheme-about 27.3 calender days they transit the
distance of one line in the ephemeris. So the tertiary Moon moves about 1/2 a degree per
day ( therefore it resides in each sign about two months ), and the tertiary Sun will move
about 1 degree per month.

Under this scheme, we will choose to progress your MC by the amount of this tertiary
solar arc, i.e, roughly a degree per month, and the tertiary ASC will just be a slight
variation on this, since it is derived normally per the Table of Houses. Consequently you
may estimate that in the course of using tertiary angles for rectification, every week of
event error, as demonstrated by the progressed angles, will correlate to about 1 minute
of birthtime error. Finally, note that the tertiary angles will pass about 2 1/2 years in
each sign and house, and you will immediatly recognize how this correlates to transiting
Saturn and the secondary progressed Moon.

Having reviewed Dasa/Bhukti planets with tertiary progressed planets, let me state three
rules that apply to their usefulness and interaction as they relate to the subject of death.
To my knowledge, the last two rules and relationships have never before been
documented.

1. Progressed planetary stations contribute the value of intensified amplitude to any

symbolic message that is otherwise being formed in the chart. The quality of this
amplitude will relate directly to the fundamental nature of the planet.
2. Almost invariably, there will be an approximate correlation between the current Dasa
( or Bhukti planet ) and a progressed planetary station. This will often signal death if
subsidiary factors confirm ( although these confirming factors will receive little
development in this conceptual synopsis ).

3. You may routinely expect approximate progressed angle and planet hits in an exact
4th harmonic relationship to a current maraka. Exact hits may be also be routinely
expected within the context of such a pattern.

Let's take a moment here to define the word "exact," and also to comment briefly upon
eclipses. Whenever astrologers talk about transiting or progressed conjunction, square
or opposition from or to an angle or planet, I believe they should hold to a maximum orb
of 1 degree. All my work conforms to this standard ( and the vast majority of it is just
applying aspects ). Also I should mention that, in conformity with Indian thinking on
this matter, I do not attribute to any planet, except Jupiter, the power to cast a trine.

With regard to eclipses, my book highlighted the complex issues of chart sensitization
via prenatal and progressed eclipses. And any particular point in a chart ( planet or
angle) becomes extremely sensitized if it is hit directly by one of these eclipses.
Remember the ancient astrologers almost invariably considered eclipses to be "evil" due
to their interrupt quality as it applies to the "lights" of life, i.e the Sun and Moon.

The last transiting solar and lunar eclipses before death are almost invariably very
important signals, and they should also conform to the standard of a maximum orb of 1
degree. I say "almost" because the strong presentation of such transiting eclipses is most
apparent when a person dies during the dasa or bhukti of one of the nodes, or when the
nodes are tightly linked to critical points within the natal or progressed chart.