Hellenistic Time-Lord Techniques:

Annual Profections
Chris Brennan

Once you have assessed the natal potential of the planetary placements in a person’s birth chart,
the next step is to determine when those potentials will actually manifest themselves in the life of
the native. So, for example, if the chart indicates that the native will be married, the next question
that naturally follows from that is “When?” Or if the chart indicates eminence, it is natural to then
ask, “When will the native become eminent?” In order to answer these questions, the Hellenistic
astrologers employed a collection of timing procedures known as “time-lord” techniques.

Time-Lords the time-lord techniques. Western astrologers

The term “time-lord” is a literal translation may have much to gain by studying these parallels
of the Greek word chronocrator. The premise as we continue to recover these systems.
underlying the time-lord techniques is that not all
parts of a person’s chart are activated at all times, Annual Profections
but rather that the full natal potential of a specific The most widespread time-lord system in
chart placement lies dormant until that part of the Hellenistic tradition was a technique that is
the chart becomes activated. Only when a planet referred to today as Annual Profections. Almost
becomes activated or awakened as a time-lord is every major astrologer whose work survived from
it able to manifest its natal potential in the life of the Hellenistic tradition used or referred to this
the native. technique.
In what follows, I will present a time-lord In the basic version of the technique, you
technique that has been recovered from the begin from the sign that contains the Ascendant;
Hellenistic tradition, which I feel is particularly the ruler of that sign becomes the “time-lord
compelling in the way that it can be used in order of the year” for the first year of the native’s life.
to predict events in a native’s life. Many of the For example, if Gemini is rising, then Mercury
time-lord techniques were lost during the course becomes activated as the time-lord for the first
of the transmission of astrology over the past year of the native’s life. If Cancer is rising, then
2,000 years, and it is only recently that we have the Moon becomes activated for the first year of
begun to recover them through the translation of the native’s life. If Sagittarius is rising, then Jupiter
ancient texts from Greek and Latin. becomes activated, and so on.
It is worth noting that, although the time-lord After the first year of the native’s life (once
systems were lost in the West, the basic concept they reach their first birthday), the sign that
survived and has been practiced continually in follows the rising sign in zodiacal order becomes
the Indian tradition over the past 2,000 years. activated, and the ruler of that sign takes over
Indian astrologers refer to their equivalent set as the lord of the year. Once the native’s second
of techniques as dasha systems, and in some year is completed, the next sign in zodiacal order
instances the way they apply these systems is very becomes activated, and then the ruler of that sign
similar to the way the Hellenistic astrologers used becomes the lord of the year, and this process

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continues in the same manner every year, one year becomes the lord of the year. In the second year of
for each sign. Eventually, the rising sign becomes the native’s life, starting on their first solar return,
activated again at the age of 12, the ruler of that the next sign in zodiacal order, Leo, is activated,
sign becomes the lord of the year once more, and and the Sun becomes the ruler of the second year.
the cycle begins again. Every twelve years, the
profection returns to the rising sign, first at 12 Fig. 1. When a person is born they start from zero, at the sign
years old, then at 24, then 36, 48, 60, and so on that contains the Ascendant, which is the 1st house. This is a
(Figure 1). 1st house profection year. When they turn one year old the
profection moves to the next sign in zodiacal order, which is
For example, say that there is a natal chart with the 2nd whole sign house. The profection jumps one sign per
Cancer rising. For the first year of the native’s life, year for each year of the native’s life, and each sign repeats
the sign Cancer is activated, and thus the Moon every 12 years.

Figure 1. Annual Profections Diagram

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The following year, Virgo is activated, so Mercury native’s life. On the other hand, if a planet is poorly
becomes the lord of the year, and so on. placed and promises bad things, then the years
The importance of this technique lies in this in which it is activated are the ones in which bad
basic premise: Whatever events or circumstances things will occur in the native’s life. This is why it is
a planet indicates will happen in a person’s important to apply all of the basic concepts first
life, based on its placement and condition in in order to come to a complete understanding of
the natal chart, will occur when that planet the condition of each planet in the natal chart,
becomes activated as a time-lord. Within the since you can’t make a prediction about what will
context of the dasha systems, Indian astrologers happen when a planet is activated unless you
often summarize this principle with the maxim: understand exactly what that planet is saying
“Whatever a planet promises in a natal chart will about the person’s life.
be delivered in the year in which the planet is Let’s use film director Francis Ford Coppola as
activated,” and this is very much the spirit of the an example.1 Some planets in his chart are very
Hellenistic approach to time-lords as well. So, if a well placed, and some are very poorly placed
planet is well placed and promises good things, (Chart 1). Thus, we would expect that the years
then the years in which that planet is activated are in which the well-placed planets are activated as
the ones in which good things will occur in the time-lords would be positive ones for him, and

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the years in which the poorly placed planets are planets were activated, would become a pattern
activated would be difficult ones for him. As it for him, with the most famous example occurring
turns out, there are two particular sets of years later in the same decade. Filming for the movie
that illustrate this point nicely. Apocalypse Now began in March 1976, shortly
The filming of the movie The Godfather took before Coppola turned 37 years old and moved
place between late March and early August 1971, into an Aquarius profection year. In his chart,
followed by several months of editing and post- Aquarius is ruled by a poorly placed Saturn, which
production work. Most of this time coincided with is a malefic planet, contrary to the sect in a night
a Virgo profection year for Coppola, which began chart, in the sign of its fall or depression, being
when he turned 32 years old on April 7, 1971. This overcome via a superior square from Mars, in
activated his natal Mercury as the time-lord of the aversion to both of the benefics, and under the
year. Mercury is not the worst planet in his chart, beams of the Sun. This year in which Saturn was
but it is not very well placed since it is retrograde, activated as the lord of the year is publicly known
under the beams of the Sun, co-present2 with as one of the most difficult years of Coppola’s life,
Saturn, and is being overcome by a superior due to a widely publicized series of unfortunate
square from Mars. As it turns out, the production events, difficulties, and setbacks surrounding the
of The Godfather was actually a difficult period for filming of Apocalypse Now. Shortly after filming
him. According to Coppola: began, he was forced to replace one of the lead
actors. Then, a few months later, a typhoon swept
The Godfather was a very unappreciated through the area of the Philippines where filming
movie when we were making it. They [the was taking place, destroying some parts of the set
film studio] were very unhappy with it. They and forcing production to close down for several
didn’t like the cast. They didn’t like the way weeks. Coppola also had to contend with the
I was shooting it. I was always on the verge theft of the cast’s payroll, a lead actor returning
of getting fired. So it was an extremely from the filming hiatus so seriously overweight
nightmarish experience. I had two little kids, that the end of the film had to be rewritten, and
and the third one was born during that … finally one of the lead actors having a heart attack.
[W]hen it was all over I wasn’t at all confident The problems surrounding the production of the
that it was going to be successful, and that film were so numerous that Coppola’s wife later
I’d ever get another job.3 released a documentary chronicling all of the
The movie was released the following year, in issues that arose.
March 1972, shortly before Coppola’s next solar Much of the following two years were spent
return, when he moved into his 10th-house Libra in post-production; the film was finally released
profection year. The Libra profection activated his in the summer of 1979, after Coppola had moved
natal Venus as the lord of the year, which is the most into a Taurus profection year, and his well-placed
well-placed planet in his chart, being a benefic natal Venus was once again activated as the lord
planet, of the sect in favor in a night chart, in the of the year. The film received widespread public
sign of its exaltation, in one of the good houses acclaim, reaffirming Coppola’s position as one
that are configured to the Ascendant, co-present of Hollywood’s foremost directors, despite the
with Jupiter, and in aversion4 to the malefic that notoriously difficult production of the film.
is contrary to the sect (Saturn). The movie was a
great success after its release, receiving numerous Annual Profections and Transits
awards as well as widespread critical and public While there are sometimes similarities and
acclaim, and firmly establishing Coppola as one of repetitions of certain themes when the same
the leading directors in Hollywood. planets are activated as time-lords according to
This theme of stark shifts in Coppola’s Annual Profections, there are also differences,
experience of certain years, based on which sometimes major ones, and these differences
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can usually be seen by studying the transits to a This concept, which is missing from modern
person’s chart in a given year. This brings us to an transit theory, is crucial because it allows us to
important point regarding Annual Profections: pinpoint which transits will be most significant
When a planet becomes the lord of the year, it and will actually coincide with specific events in
becomes activated both in its natal placement a given year. This is why astrologers often have
and in its transits. the experience of seeing what they think is an
What this means is that when a planet is important transit coming up in the near future, but
activated as a time-lord, it is not just that the natal then having it go by without anything noteworthy
potential of that placement is being drawn out, happening. The reason is that, in order for a transit
but also that the transits both to and from that to result in a specific event, the planet involved
planet will be more significant during that time must be activated as a time-lord.
period. For example, if Jupiter is activated as the To illustrate this concept, we will use the chart
lord of the year in a given chart, then any transiting of filmmaker George Lucas, who is famous for
aspects made to natal Jupiter in that year will be movies such as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones
more important than usual, and also any aspects series5 (Chart 2). Earlier in his life, before he got
that transiting Jupiter himself makes will also be into filmmaking, Lucas wanted to become a
more important as well. professional racecar driver, and he spent a lot of

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time in high school driving cars and taking part of the necessary mitigation that helped to ensure
in races. However, when he turned 18, he went that he would survive the wreck. After this event,
into a Scorpio profection year, activating Mars as Lucas lost interest in racing cars and went to
the lord of the year. About a month later, on June college, where he eventually became interested
12, 1962, transiting Mars moved into an exact in filmmaking.
conjunction with his natal Venus at 11° Taurus in In this way, Annual Profections can be a very
the 1st house, which is the ruler of his Ascendant, powerful tool for identifying important periods
and on that day he was involved in a major car in a person’s life, especially when combined
accident in which he almost died. In this way, with transits. The ability to use this technique
one of the most important transits of the year together with transits in order to identify the
was highlighted because the transiting planet most significant transits in a given year provides
involved was Mars. Interestingly, on the same day, a useful example of how Hellenistic astrology can
transiting Venus was in the process of forming a help to enhance techniques that are still in use
conjunction with his natal Mars, providing part today.

1. Born April 7, 1939; 1:38 a.m. EST; Detroit, MI, USA (42°N19’, 4. Planets are in aversion when they are in signs that are not
83°W02’); AA: birth certificate. configured. This is a positive instance of aversion, since Saturn
2. Co-presence is when two planets are in the same sign is not able to aspect Venus.
together. This is essentially interpreted as a type of sign-based 5. May 14, 1944; 5:40 a.m. PWT; Modesto, CA, USA (37°N39’,
conjunction. 121°W00’); AA: birth certificate
3. Interview with Francis Ford Coppola, Academy of
Achievement, June 17, 1994, http://www.achievement.org/
autodoc/page/cop0int-3 (retrieved February 2012).

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