Progressions of the Inner Planets: How Your Identity is Evolving

Introduction

While the Progressed Sun and Moon set the major stages of internal evolution, the Progressed Inner Planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars) detail the nuances of how you think, relate, and act. These planets move faster than the outer planets but slower than the Moon, providing moderate-term developmental phases.

Progressed Mercury (The Evolving Mind)

Movement: Moves roughly 0-2 degrees per year. It changes signs every 15 to 35 years.

Meaning: When Progressed Mercury changes signs, your core thinking style, communication habits, and learning process fundamentally change for a significant period.

Example: A change from Mercury in Aries to Taurus shifts the mind from quick, impulsive thinking to more deliberate, sensory, and practical thought.

Retrograde: When Progressed Mercury turns retrograde, it signifies a long, years-long period of deep internal review, self-reflection, and reconsideration of old ideas.

Progressed Venus (Evolving Love and Value)

Movement: Moves roughly 1-2 degrees per year. It changes signs every 5 to 8 years.

Meaning: Venus's progress describes the evolution of your relational needs, sense of self-worth, and aesthetic values. A sign change indicates a new set of qualities you seek in love and a different way you express affection.

Example: A shift from Venus in Cancer to Leo moves your focus from nurturing, security-based love to dramatic, expressive, and passionate love.

Progressed Mars (Evolving Action and Drive)

Movement: Moves roughly 0.5-1 degree per year. It changes signs every 1.5 to 3 years.

Meaning: Mars dictates your drive, ambition, energy levels, and assertion. Its change of sign is particularly noticeable, as it alters how you take action and what motivates you.

Examples:

• Progressed Mars in Scorpio: Brings a focused, intensely strategic, and psychologically deep drive
• Progressed Mars in Sagittarius: The drive becomes exploratory, philosophical, and outward-bound

Conclusion

The Progressed Inner Planets act as the machinery of your personality, constantly updating and evolving your mental, emotional, and physical approach to life, showing a more dynamic inner world than the fixed natal chart.