What is Zodiacal Releasing?

Zodiacal Releasing is the primary time-lord system in Vettius Valens' Anthologies (second century CE). Unlike annual profections, which advance one sign per year, Zodiacal Releasing distributes time according to the minimum planetary periods: Mars receives 15 years, Venus 8, Mercury 20, Moon 25, Sun 19, Jupiter 12, and Saturn 30. Each sign allots the years of its traditional ruler in sequence.

Two chains run independently. The Fortune axis begins from the natal Lot of Fortune and tracks body, health, and material circumstances. The Daimon axis begins from the Lot of Spirit and tracks activity, career, and intellectual life. Reading both together gives a fuller picture than either alone.

Within each L1 period (measured in years), the same distribution repeats at the monthly level as L2 sub-periods. The sub-period ruler governs a shorter window within the larger backdrop, often showing where within a multi-year period specific events crystallise.

The loosing of the bond occurs 17 years and 7 months after birth. If the current period is not finished at that point, the remaining time transfers to the opposite sign. Valens regarded these transitions as often marking significant turning points in the life.