Transits vs Progressions: What's the Difference
Transits are the planets' current positions affecting you; progressions are your chart's inner evolution — one external, one internal.
| What it is | Transits The planets' real current positions interacting with your natal chart. | Progressions Advancing one day after birth as a year, showing inner evolution of the planets. |
|---|---|---|
| What it answers | Transits 'What outside is influencing me now?' | Progressions 'What inner phase am I going through?' |
| Time scale | Transits Real-time; from hours to days and months. | Progressions Slow; theme shifts measured in years. |
| How to use it | Transits Short-term events and timing: new moons, full moons, retrogrades, sign changes. | Progressions Life-phase atmosphere: the inner growth arc. |
| How they relate | Transits Used together: transits trigger, progressions set the background — richer combined. | Progressions Transits act fast and visible; progressions slow and lasting. |
The takeaway Read progressions for the atmosphere of a life chapter, then transits for the exact trigger — together they form the full timeline.