How Signs Mature or "Progress," Plus Jerky Virgos

Dear Lipstick Mystic,

Though I studied astrology many years ago, I never really completely understood progressed charts. I do understand that as we mature (age), we kinda progress (or grow) through to the next sign. I also know that one should know all 12 houses and not rely solely on their sun sign. Well, I was born an Aries, but have more water and earth signs in my chart than fire signs. Also, I am knocking at 50 and know that I am not the same Aries I was. Can you explain (s l o w l y) for me?! This question has been on my mind for quite some time. Thanks again for your help.  

-- Wishing you a beautiful day, Princess

Dear Princess,

It's certainly true that we "progress" and mature throughout our lives. At least, hopefully, we do! And a young Aries of 16 may express core personality traits very differently from her mature future self.

But I think you may be confused about what a progressed astrological chart is. You're probably familiar with the natal or birth chart. This is a static "snapshot" of the position of all of the planets at the time of your birth. This fixed moment in time is said to have a huge impact upon your major personality traits, affecting which "shadow" aspects of your character are likely to be a challenge throughout your life and also determining how you express yourself in the outside world, appear to others, and learn to access the spiritual part of your nature. So the natal chart is a rich tool for exploring the core self.

A progressed chart is different from the birth chart. A progressed chart is a birth chart that has been progressed in time. A progressed chart may be calculated for the current date. Then an astrologer can compare the "old you" to the "new you," looking at the fixed information in your original birth chart and comparing it to the progressed information about how the planets are affecting you right now. The planets move through various cycles which last from three days (in the case of the moon) to over 30 years (in the case of Saturn and the outer planets.) Each of these cycles will trigger certain emotions, events, and issues in a person. So an astrologer likes to look at a progressed chart to see what is going on now in your life.

By comparing a progressed chart to your birth chart, an astrologer can track how you are living up to your potential and see if you're making use of your inherent gifts and talents. A good astrologer will also have your spirituality in mind as she looks at your charts, figuring out if you have found your own way of accessing Light and higher wisdom through practices like prayer, meditation, and invocation or if you've turned over to The Dark Side of the Force (cue Darth Vader theme here.) Life contains so many challenges and sometimes, when people go through trauma, they start manifesting more of the shadow side of their nature instead of the light-filled side.

So a progressed chart can show lots of things about how someone's character is evolving and how he is growing and changing.

An astrologer will also frequently do a different type of progressed chart using a date in the future. A lot of people like to consult with an astrologer on a yearly basis, tracking trends and influences that are likely to take shape in their life over the next year. A good astrologer can provide information about significant dates and help a person to find auspicious times for important events like weddings, reunions, vacations, and career changes. So looking at a map of what the planets will be doing over the next year in a progressed chart can be helpful if you are interested in making the most out of a year's planetary trends.

So think of charts as coming in two forms: birth chart and progressed chart. The birth chart is the past snapshot of the "you" at birth, and a progressed chart is either a representation of you in the present time or you in a future time.

As far as personal growth goes, I often talk about how people are either a "jerky" or "enlightened" version of their signs. So a jerky Aries would be very different from an enlightened Aries.

I'm a Virgo, and a jerky Virgo is the most nit-picky, anally retentive, emotionally repressed, obsessive freak you might imagine!

A jerky Virgo kind of looks like this all of the time:

She means well, but she always seems to be freaking out about something or other because things aren't perfect. If you know a Virgo like this, well, it usually means that the shadow side of that Virgo is more dominant. So run for the hills before she starts telling you that you're dating the wrong guy, using the wrong shade of lipstick, and using incorrect grammar. Run. Don't walk.

More enlightened Virgos usually turn this drive for perfection inwards, working on improving their talents and offering them in service to the world in some way. Virgos make good healers, writers, and teachers, and they are excellent "fixer-uppers," because their sensitivity allows them to discern what needs to be shifted to make a situation better.

I like to think that most days I'm an enlightened Virgo. I do have my obsessive and critical side, but I tend to turn this inward on myself, driving myself to do better. Shadow Virgos are more into criticizing others and telling other people what's "wrong" with them.

The spiritual lesson for a "jerky" Virgo is to realize that the best way to make the world a better place is to first make yourself a better person living in it.

That's my two cents about Virgos, anyway!

Here's hoping that my explanation about progressed signs hasn't confused you too much. The main thing is to realize that a progressed chart is very different from a progressed sign. A progressed chart is a trend spotting toll that helps an astrologer to track certain planetary energies present in your life now or in the future. A progressed sign is simply the path that an individual soul is taking to express the best, most brightest parts of her essential self. We each do this in different ways, and it's the ultimate spiritual challenge that we all face, to live up to the divine promise that is hinted at in our birth charts.

-- Lipstick Mystic