I turned 33 in February of 2024, and entered a Moon ruled 10th house profection year in Cancer. One of the primary significators of the Moon is ‘motherhood’ and so of course, this is the year I became pregnant for the first time. Sometimes annual profections are very, very on the nose.
So, what are Annual Profections?
Annual Profections (profections not perfection) is a Hellenistic astrological technique that uses symbolic timing, specifically birthdays, as a significant marker that divides your life into yearlong segments.
This is one of my favourite timing techniques, due in no small part to the fact that it’s deceptively simple. As it originates from Hellenistic Astrology, it’s important to note that it requires the use of Whole Sign houses (it doesn’t work using other house systems), so please remember to use this system when calculating your birth chart. Confused by this term? Check out my Guide to Key astrology terms for a refresher.
How does it work?
Every birthday you have marks an exit from one of the 12 houses in your chart and the entrance into another house, moving in an anticlockwise motion around the chart. Each year you progress from one house into the next, and the qualities and significations of the house you’re in for that year take on greater significance in your life.
Here’s a few charts to illustrate this process (the houses are in the central wheel and the ages are in all the surrounding wheels).
The effect of this is that each year that we age, different themes become more central. I love this because it implies that we all experience the same sequence of themes throughout our lives, (eg we’re all in a 7th house year when we’re 18 and when we’re 30) but because our birth charts are unique to us, the zodiac sign of that house and therefore the planet it rules will affect how we will specifically experience that year.
Pop music references to age
Hilariously, Blink 182 may have been onto something when they sang “Nobody likes you when you’re twenty-three” – because for all of us, being 23 means being in a 12th house profection year, and the 12th house is one of the tougher houses in the natal chart.
Taylor Swift’s iconic anthem 22, which includes the lyrics “Everything will be alright if we just keep dancing like we’re 22” is a very 11th house expression – the 11th house being the house of friendship, groups and gatherings. Dancing like we’re 22 is the perfect encapsulation of this energy.
A lyric from Lorde’s song Perfect Places “I’m nineteen and I’m on fire” is wildly on point, because her birth chart shows that when she was 19, she was in an 8th house year in Leo ruled by THE SUN. Her natal sun in Scorpio is in the 11th house, so the danceability of that track really aligns. She couldn’t get more moodily on fire than that.
Here’s a quick reminder of the themes of the houses:
First House: The physical body, self-image, motivation
Second House: Income, material possessions, personal resources
Third House: Communication, learning, extended family, siblings, short-distance travel, neighbourhood
Fourth House: Family, home, security, ancestors, roots
Fifth House: Romance, creativity, self-expression, children, pleasure, play
Sixth House: Daily routine, labour, physical struggles, wellness, your day-to-day work, pets
Seventh House: Partnerships (platonic, professional, romantic), marriage, one-on-one interactions, known enemies
Eighth House: Other people’s resources, intimacy, death, transformation, collaborations
Ninth House: Long-distance travel, adventure, philosophy, higher learning
Tenth House: Public image, reputation, career, what you’re known for
Eleventh House: Networking, friendships, long-term wishes, collectives & groups
Twelfth House: Spirituality, mental struggles, the unconscious, dreams, isolation, hidden enemies
Once you’ve identified what year you’re in, you next need to locate the planet in your natal chart that rules that house. This is your annual time lord – sort of like a temporary chart ruler. Your time lord planet and its location in your natal chart will clue you into the vibe of this year of your life. Have a look at what ‘year’ you’re currently in, and how that might be showing up for you, to gauge if this is a technique that could prove helpful for you personally.
The traditional planetary rulers of the zodiac signs according to Hellenistic astrology:
Leo: Ruled by the Sun
Cancer: Ruled by the Moon
Gemini & Virgo: Ruled by Mercury
Libra & Taurus: Ruled by Venus
Scorpio & Aries: Ruled by Mars
Pisces & Sagittarius: Ruled by Jupiter
Aquarius & Capricorn: Ruled by Saturn
If you have natal planets or points in your annually profected house, then the themes those planets are associated with in your chart will also get activated. But if this feels like one layer too much, don’t worry about it, just focus on the profected house and its planetary ruler 😉
Putting it all together:
Once you’ve figured out what year you’re in (through the use of the chart alongside your natal chart), the annual time lord for that year and its location in your chart, I recommend doing some reflecting/journaling.
Consider the themes of your annually profected house, the sign it’s in, and the planet it rules. If your next birthday is round the corner, you may have a clear sense of whether the themes of the house and its ruler resonate when reflecting on the past year. If you’ve just had your birthday, it might be too soon to gauge if the themes of your current house are emerging, but you may have noticed a tone or vibe shift and can use annual profections to reflect on what you’d like to see shift or grow in this area of your life over the next year or so.
Here are some examples from my own life to help illustrate how this technique can show up:
- When I was in a previous 10th house profection year in Cancer ruled by the Moon, I moved back to my family home, worked multiple jobs and saved a lot of money for future travel. My natal moon is in my second house of personal resources.
- When I was in a 4th house profection year ruled by Saturn, I moved back to Aotearoa/ NZ after living abroad for a while, and spent some time living with my elderly grandmother before she died.
- In an 11th house profection year ruled by the Sun (and containing my natal Jupiter), I boldly moved to the other side of the world, auditioned and performed (Leo) as a way to fulfil my creative longings (my natal sun is in the 5th house of play and creativity).
- When I was in a 7th house profection year, which for me is ruled by Mars, I ended a long term romantic relationship.
- When I was in a 6th house profection year ruled by Jupiter, I experienced lockdown so my world was reduced down to my daily routines, but I still had a surprisingly good, expansive year, which included meeting my current partner and doing a lot of creative work. My chart ruler, Venus is exalted in my 6th house, which explains why this was an oddly good year for me personally.
- The activity I chose to do on the day I turned 30 and entered a 7th house profection year was skydiving. This is not usually my kind of thing, but hilariously my 7th house is in Aries, ruled by Mars in Gemini in the 9th. Leaping out of a plane feels like a very Mars in Gemini thing to do. At this point I hadn’t encountered Annual profections, so didn’t plan this activity knowing it’s appropriateness.
- In a 9th house profection year ruled by Mercury, myself and my partner travelled abroad to visit family and friends in the US, Canada, the UK and France. In the same year I started studying astrology.
Other ways to use annual profections:
I love looking back at the years of my life and tracking patterns, so if you’re that way inclined, making a chart or table and tracking key life moments by age can be a fun way to examine whether the annual profections technique is good at encapsulating the previous years of your life.
Also, you can look at what year you’ll enter at your next birthday, and what planet will rule that year. For example let’s say you’re a Pisces rising and at your next birthday you’ll be turning 31. That means you’ll be entering an 8th house year in Libra ruled by Venus, so perhaps a fun activity to welcome that year of your life would be to take an art class (Libra) with a focus on exploring transformative themes (8th house).
Generally, a Mercury ruled year will be more about communication, a Venus ruled year will be more about pleasure, a Jupiter ruled year will be more about wisdom and expansion, a Mars ruled year will be more about taking action, a Saturn ruled year will be more about discipline and commitment, a Moon ruled year will be more about emotions & the body, and a Sun ruled year will be more about how you shine.
Ultimately, it will come down to where the time lord is in your natal chart both in terms of what sign and house it’s in.
Want to go deeper?
If you’d like to dig deeper into this technique, then I highly recommend checking out Chris Brennan’s 2 hour Annual Profections episode of The Astrology Podcast, which uses celebrity charts as examples. There’s also an episode of the podcast titled ‘Annual Profections Workshop’ (episode 222) which explores the charts of non-celebrities in a live session and is similarly fascinating.
Have fun!
Annual profections can be a useful way to focus our energy, but of course how you use it is up to you, and you should never allow this technique (or any astrological tools) to confine your imagination when planning your year ahead. For example, just because you’re entering a 4th house year, that doesn’t mean you’ll only experience 4th house themes. Rather, you may notice by the end of that year that 4th house themes DID end up coming to the forefront of that year for you.
When the annual profection technique is used playfully, it can be a great lens through which to plan for the upcoming year, or to reflect on years past. Have fun with it!