In the practical world of astrology, these kinds of editorial judgment calls are critical. They must be made intelligently and strategically. No one can talk about “everything.” There simply isn’t enough time.

In his second book, The Changing Sky, Steven presented a model for sorting through the many possible planetary configurations that present themselves in a transits and progressions reading. This system, termed The Four Nets, is applied to the jungle of astrological symbolism, each net catching creatures in descending orders of size. In the First Net, we see all the astrological biggies—major transits to the Sun, for example. By the time we get to the Third or Fourth Nets, we are looking at events we might safely ignore in a 90-minute reading—unless the earlier Nets have come up empty. This is a strategic, orderly, and effective method for organizing one’s approach to a transits progressions analysis. It puts the necessary bridge between abstract, piecemeal theory and the realities of the counseling room. These skills mark the major distinction between a perpetual student of astrology and an effective, professional-level astrological counselor.