The Myth of Astrological Cusps

There is a common misconception that if you are born on a date close to sun signs changing, you are a “cusp” baby and exhibit characteristics of both signs. There is also a myth thinking that if you are born early in a sign versus later in a sign, your personality characteristics are different.

Let’s lay this to rest. Your sun sign can only be in one sign at a time. There are no cusps and there are not differences based on early in the month or late in the month.

Yes, someone born in late Taurus, might exhibit characteristics similar to Gemini. It is because as you age, your natal chart “progresses” through signs, and someone born in late Taurus will start to progress into Gemini as early as a toddler. Every year on your birthday, your chart progresses a day. So, if you were born on May 18, on your first birthday, your chart would progress to May 19, second birthday, May 20, fourth birthday, May 21, May 22. See how it goes, a Taurus who is solidly progressed into Gemini by age 5In addition, the personal planets, Venus, Mercury and Mars also progress which can manifest in changes in personality. Depending on the placement of the moon, your moon will progress into a new sign every 2.5 years which is why your emotions seem to sometimes go through 2.5 years cycles. It is beneficial to get a Progressed chart done yearly by a professional. Progressions are important to understanding your spiritual journey, and how you are doing “progressing” through this life and challenges you have chosen. Most people do not progress through more than 3 sun signs in a lifetime. Don’t expect to get a good analysis googling one. That’s like performing an appendectomy on yourself in the kitchen with a butter knife.

There is also the influence of profections. Profections are similar to progressions, but profections move your chart ahead one month on your birthday every year. In the above example, May 18 would become June 18 in year one, June 18 would become July 18 in year two. As you can se profections run in 12-year cycles.

The ages for each profection year are as follows:

• 1st House Profection Year: Age 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 108

• 2nd House Profection Year: Age 1, 13, 25, 37, 49, 61, 73, 85, 97, 109

• 3rd House Profection Year: Age 2, 14, 26, 38, 50, 62, 74, 86, 98, 110

• 4th House Profection Year: Age 3, 15, 27, 39, 51, 63, 75, 87, 99, 111

• 5th House Profection Year: Age 4, 16, 28, 40, 52, 64, 76, 88, 100, 112

• 6th House Profection Year: Age 5, 17, 29, 41, 53, 65, 77, 89, 101, 113

• 7th House Profection Year: Age 6, 18, 30, 42, 54, 66, 78, 90, 102, 114

• 8th House Profection Year: Age 7, 19, 31, 43, 55, 67, 79, 91, 103, 115

• 9th House Profection Year: Age 8, 20, 32, 44, 56, 68, 80, 92, 104, 116

• 10th House Profection Year: Age 9, 21, 33, 45, 57, 69, 81, 93, 105, 117

• 11th House Profection Year: Age 10, 22, 34, 46, 58, 70, 82, 94, 106, 118

• 12th House Profection Year: Age 11, 23, 35, 47, 59, 71, 83, 95, 107, 119

Profections indicate the “flavor” or theme of the year as opposed to being a guide of how you are progressing. It is an ancient technique, but it also explains how someone who might be a Taurus would have strong Cancer themes at age 2. Of course you would throw in the effects of the Time Lord (explained below), house placements and aspects and transits. Here are some themes you might experience during each profection year.

• Aries: more energy and drive, enthusiasm, excitement, impatience

• Taurus: stable and secure, grounded, confident, worth, stubborn.

• Gemini: ideas and plans, busy, variety, adaptable, scattered.

• Cancer: emotions and comfort, support, nurturing, subjective

• Leo: creative and fun, romantic, friendly, attention, needy

• Virgo: work and chores, small projects, detailed, productive, anxious

• Libra: others and relationships, balance, peace, compromise, indecision

• Scorpio: transform and research, solutions, passion, intensity.

• Sagittarius: expansion and exploration, travel, learn, optimism, arrogance.

• Capricorn: goals and direction, practical, disciplined, responsibilities, traditional.

• Aquarius: unconventional and different, change, charitable, aloof

• Pisces: intuitive and imaginative, compassionate, empathetic, sensitive

Profections are also strongly influenced by what is called a Time Lord (please don’t laugh, I snorted when I saw that term, but it is real). Let me explain. We didn’t just fall into a sci fi adventure movie.

A Time Lord is in simple terms, the natural ruling planet of the zodiac sign of your profection year. For this, we use the traditional rulers (so modern planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto aren’t considered).

1. Mars: Aries, Scorpio

2. Venus: Taurus, Libra

3. Mercury: Gemini, Virgo

4. Moon: Cancer

5. Sun: Leo

6. Jupiter: Sagittarius, Pisces

7. Saturn: Capricorn, Aquarius

In the example of the 6th House Profection Year in Sagittarius, the traditional ruler of Sagittarius is Jupiter (also the modern ruler in this case). So, you’ll look at Jupiter in your natal chart, its sign and house location, as well as the aspects it makes, and this will also factor into the next year of your life. Again, I strongly recommend enlisting in the services of a good astrologer to help with this so as not to get yourself off-track.

If you know how to, you can also track the transit of the Time Lord as well as the transit aspects to your natal Time Lord since you’re usually more sensitive to its aspects.

In this case, it would be tracking transit Jupiter and paying close attention to the aspects it makes to your natal chart and tracking the transit planets and the aspects to your natal Jupiter since they may have a greater impact on you.

I do progressed, natal, synastric, composite and will be adding profections to my services soon.

Here is the link to my progressed charts. They are $25 (which is cheap, many charge two and three times that, but the Divine has blessed me with very minimal living expenses which allows me to be able to keep my services affordable to all. This report is about 50 pages long and takes me about four hours to complete.

That said, the myth of astrological cusps primarily comes from a misunderstanding or lack of knowledge of progressed charts as they move slower.

- Julie O'Hara 2023

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