Where the Sun-Moon cycle stands in the progressions: it lasts about thirty years.
Just as the Moon in the sky goes from new to full in a month, the progressed Moon makes the same round in about twenty-nine and a half years. It is read as the long season of a life: the new phase is a beginning not yet visible, the full one a ripening that becomes so.
The eight phases of the cycle
The cycle is divided into eight phases of 45 degrees each, measured by the distance between the progressed Moon and the progressed Sun. In the classic scheme, taken up by Dane Rudhyar, they are called New, Crescent, First Quarter, Gibbous, Full, Disseminating, Last Quarter and Balsamic. Each lasts a little over three and a half years on average.
The first half, from New to Full, is read as building: sowing, gathering momentum, deciding, refining. The second half is read as harvest and release: what has ripened is shared, questioned again, then let go to make room for the next cycle. None of the phases is good or bad; they are different seasons.
How it is calculated and read in your chart
In secondary progressions each day after birth stands for a year of life. The Moon covers about 13 degrees a day, so the progressed Moon advances roughly one degree for every month you live, while the progressed Sun moves about one degree a year. The phase comes from the distance between the two.
Not everyone starts at the New phase: if you were born at a Full Moon, your life begins halfway round. The most watched moment is the progressed New Moon, when the two meet again: traditionally it opens a chapter of about thirty years. On SideraMea the current phase appears on the progressions page, alongside the progressed planets.
Frequently asked questions
When is my progressed New Moon?
It depends on the distance between the Sun and Moon in your birth chart. If you were born with the Moon just past the Sun, your next progressed New Moon comes at around twenty-nine or thirty; if you were born at a Full Moon, at around fifteen. The progressed Moon gains on the Sun by about a degree a month, so the date can be calculated precisely.
Is the progressed lunar phase the same as today's Moon phase?
No. The phase of the Moon in the sky changes every few days and is the same for everyone. The progressed phase is personal: it comes from the positions of the Sun and Moon in your secondary progressions and changes roughly every three and a half years. One describes the weather of a day, the other the long season your life is in.
What does it mean to be in the Balsamic phase?
It is the last phase of the cycle, the years leading up to the progressed New Moon. Astrologically it is read as a time of closing and release, when projects, roles or habits that have run their course are let go. It is described as a quieter, more inward period that prepares the ground for a new beginning rather than producing one.
See it in your own chart
Calculating your birth chart is free: wheel, planets, houses, aspects and a first reading. All you need is your date, time and place of birth.