This writer believes that any direction must be by arcs consistent with the progressed horoscope, as L. Edward Johndro, Charles A. Jayne, Robert DeLuce and others have written. In Charles A. Jayne’s Progressions and Directions (Pg. 36) he wrote “Aspects to and by the Midheaven are based on the true solar arc in right ascension.” By true solar arc he meant the actual daily motion of the Sun for the progressed days in question, not the archaic Ptolemaic “degree for a year,” which is purely symbolic, or the 59:08 Naibod Arc, which represents the mean daily motion of the Sun.
Jayne wrote, “The best investigators and technicians have reached the conclusion that we should use the true motion of the Sun instead of Naibod’s mean motion or Ptolemy or Simmonite’s keys. Sepharial proposed the true motion (in right ascension varying from 54’ to 66’…a day) and it was used by Johndro, DeLuce, Schwickert, Wagner and others. On the basis of their experience and my own, I assume only the true motion is valid, which is clear enough when small orbs are used.”
The Solar Arc, measured in Right Ascension, and calculated using the Bija correction, for the native’s directions to October 16, 1793 is
39 : 40 (degrees : minutes)
Applying this arc to the equatorial positions of the planets brings Saturn, in mundo culmination to the Midheaven with an arc of 47’. The direction of natal Saturn, ruler of the 8th house of transition, in the natal 8th house, to the Midheaven is a powerful indicator of the influence of the planet, and the affairs of the house and signs it rules, at that time in the life of the native. In other words, this could be a powerful timer of transition.
The equatorial arc of 39 : 40 also brings Eris, planet of discord, to an exact 45:00 aspect to the Midheaven, as measured on the Equator in Right Ascension. The spectacle of the beheading of a royal personage in a public venue in front of hundreds of wound up spectators is entirely in accord with the mythological depiction of Eris as feeding off the terror, carnage and bloodshed of the battlefield.
Other aspects between the natal and directed planets can be identified in the chart below.
Note that the chart presents the natal planetary and directed positions of the planets in Right Ascension, in Zodiacal format, that is, in signs, degrees and minutes, to make it easier to recognize aspects.
The natal Midheaven is presented in this format as Pisces 04:11; its RA would usually be presented as 334:11 (degrees : minutes) or 22:16:42 (Hours : Minutes : Seconds) expressed as Sidereal Time.
Similarly, the Right Ascension of Solar Arc/RA directed Eris is shown as Capricorn 19:11. That RA would typically be presented as 289:11 or 19:16:44.
To repeat, the positions in the chart presented below, despite their presentation in Zodiacal format, are in Right Ascension, i.e. their positions projected onto the Equator, and not in Longitude, i.e. their positions projected onto the Ecliptic.
Next we’ll examine the various types of Progression in effect October 16, 1793
