Progressions I envision like filters over photographs or overlays over a main image. Take a day for every year of your life and add it to your birthday and you’ll have your progressed chart in a nutshell.

So for example: you were born with the Sun at 15 degrees Capricorn and you are now 45 years old. Your sun will have progressed, unless its a leap year, to 1 degree of Pisces. This is a pretty noticeable change.

28-29 years in Aquarius were relatively straight-forward in regards to how you perceived the world, or interacted with the world. Aquarius is a fixed sign, and while you might have felt a bit edgier and more irritable around the age of 16 when your sun progressed from Capricorn, in Pisces you will feel like you’re in a different world altogether.

I have a Capricorn ascendant and can attest to that progression into Pisces being fairly dramatic. I felt dreamier, more sensitive and more creative. I was suddenly physically more sensitive. My once square jawline softened a bit and foods that never used to bother me became verbotten. I started to look a little bit sickly.

I spend a fair amount of time looking at the charts of celebrities in regards to progressions – sometimes intuitively. David Bowie, for example, sparked my curiosity in how dramatically he reinvented himself around 1977. He was born with an Aquarius ascendant that progressed into Pisces just after adolescence.

Ziggy Stardust was not only androgynous (textbook Piscean) but also apparently from outer space. Pisces are often drawn to astronomy, however esoteric their interests lead. There is a psychic awareness of the greater Cosmos; of where we return after our terrestrial time is up. Gender is fluid; boundaries less definable.

That often makes living on Earth very strange and difficult indeed. You are walking between worlds, you could say. Astral realms seem accessible even with a glass or two of wine. Sleeping may become difficult or dealing with mundane society too oppressive.

David Bowie also used to eschew food (unintentional oxymoron there) during his Pisces Ascendant period. Some of that was residual from his early days as a struggling musician, some of it may have been vanity. While I’ll never get to ask him directly, we can see his transformation from androgynous and sickly to the Thin White Duke in the late 70s.

The long-haired, colorfully made-up alien cut his hair, moved to Berlin and wore suits exclusively. His ascendant had progressed into Aries. Aries being the first sign of the zodiac, a fiery energy of immediacy and virility visibly coursed through Bowie’s veins. He looked healthier, ate better, rode his bike around Berlin and cultivated what could be perceived as a distinctly masculine version of himself (particularly as compared to Ziggy).

Audrey Hepburn also had an Aquarius ascendant that progressed into Pisces when she was a child. Whether it was a coincidence that her family starved during the war or she herself was more physically sensitive, she famously declared that her childhood taught her not to let food ever have power over her.

Her gamine, boyish look in Aries arrived just in time for her career as an actress. Years as a dancer with the Pisces ascendant gave her a fluid grace and fluidity. Her slightly androgynous frame became a new fashion statement for women. Yet another style icon like Bowie.

Whitney Houston is another example. Born with a Pisces ascendant, photos from her adolescent and teenage years captured a a slightly androgynous, slender girl with very short hair. You can see her sensitivity in the photographs. With her progression into Aries, she blossomed into the most beautiful, strong but feminized version of Pisces. Stunning in both looks and talent, Houston radiated the kind of physical appeal that made her the embodiment of a real star. She struggled more as a natal Pisces ascendant with being in the world – much more than an Aquarius ascendant. Her deep sensitivity is ultimately what shortened her life.

Progressions to the Sun, Mercury and Ascendant move very slowly, like a degree or two per year, as do the outer planets. Mars and Venus move slowly as well. The moon progresses into a different sign every 2-2 1/2 years. This is very noticeable in regards to your health.

You suddenly find yourself with reproductive issues and more intense emotional needs. Your moon has progressed into Scorpio. Or you find yourself suddenly very sensitive to what food you put in your body and may decide to completely change your dietary regime. A quest for perfection ensues. Your moon has progressed into Virgo.

I love Prog Rock for the reasons you might think. As much as I love pop music, Prog is not rooted in the pop tradition. There’s an inherent freedom insofar as it is constantly reinventing itself. And while it differs from Avant Garde insofar as you do need to have musical chops to play difficult key signatures, there aren’t strict rules. I love no rules in art.

Progressions force evolution, whether we like it or not. If you look over your life in terms of how you’ve suddenly changed, or found interests that appeared out of nowhere, then a progression is most likely the reason. Maybe no-one could explain to you why you suddenly dyed your hair red, got into printmaking or suddenly became interested in the stock market. Maybe you dismissed astrology because you had no idea it could explain aspects of your life to you.