Add (under Master list of hit spots)
This button is for adding custom hit spots. Custom hit spots are by nature, fixed in the zodiac. They cannot be entered so as to respond to the chart. They cannot be, for example, something like Ò160 degrees from the natal moonÓ. They can ONLY be entered as a certain point in the zodiac, from 0 to 359.999 degrees. They can be entered as either retrograde or direct only, or ÒbothÓ which is called ÒeitherÓ.
Add Custom Hit Spots (window name)
This is the window where you enter the custom hit spots described above in ÒAddÓ. Assign Selected to Transiting Body
This button assigns whatever hit spots you have selected in the right list, to the transiting body selected in the small list above. When you click this button, the selected hit spots from right move to the identical looking list at left. This represents those spots as being assigned to the hilited planet. When you run this setup, that planet will look for only those hit spots assigned in this way. Using this feature, you can therefore assign different hit spots to different planets. Thus, you can make a truly tailored and customized Setup.
Base City - see ÒSelect Base CityÓ
Create a New Setup
This button opens the Setup creation window. You click this if you want to make a new set of hit instructions. Such a set is called a ÒSetupÓ.
Transits
This button, on the ÒChoicesÓ window, next to the upper list, gives you the ability to delete (completely erase) Saved Hit Lists. When you run a Setup, you create a Hit List. You can Save those hit lists. When you do, they appear in the upper list on the ÒChoicesÓ window. This button allows you to later Delete them. So, it is a management tool for helping you to get rid of things you no longer need.
Delete Selected Setup
This button completely erases (Deletes) whatever saved Setup you have hilited. On the ÒChoicesÓ window, the lower list is Setups which are saved for use by you anytime. You can delete them- erase them- if you like. That is what this button does. So, itÕs a managment tool, to help you keep what need, but erase what you donÕt need.
Desc - the description of the Setup you are creating
This field is optional. It is there for you to put a detailed description of what this Setup contains. ItÕs a note field for your personal use in other words. On the choices window, where you view your Saved Setups in a list, when you click on each line this description is displayed to you. So, it comes in handy then, when you are thumbing through your Setups- itÕs a reminder field as to what is in each Setup.
Direct (hit type specifier)
When you are entering custom hit spots, you are allowed to specify them as either Direct,
Retrograde or Either. What this means is this: If marked ÒDirect OnlyÓ, then ONLY direct motion hits on that spot will be recorded. Direct motion refers to when planets are apparently moving forward through the zodiac in relation to the Earth. If you want ONLY retrograde hits (planets apparently moving backwards) to be recorded, then you can mark Retrograde Only. If you want both kinds recorded, then you mark ÒEitherÓ.
The reason that all the fixed zodiac hit spots pre-entered into the system are divided clearly into 2 each- namely, one for entering a zone, and a separate one for retrograde entries into the end of the same zone, is this: When creating hit spot listing, the program takes the name of the transiting body and puts it in front of the description of the hit spot. So, a transiting planet might be the Sun say, and the hit spot might be ÒEntering AriesÓ. So, in the listings, you will see ÒSun Entering AriesÓ. This is good I think.
However, if a planet travelling retrograde enters the end of Aries, do you want the hit to say ÒMars Entering TaurusÓ, but in the velocity column, you see a negative number, indicating retrograde movement. So, what is really happening would be that Mars was crossing over 0 degrees Taurus on itÕs re-entry into the End of Aries actually.
So, I setup the fixed zodiac (General Zodiac) hit spots to be ÒDirect OnlyÓ and ÒRetrograde OnlyÓ. For example, I have a direct-only point for 0 Aries. I have then a retrograde-only hit spot at the end of Aries. See the picture below.
This picture is taken from the program directly. This is how they appear in the master list of hit spots. You can see the Direct and Retro indicators. These are exclusive. If a spot allowed both then you would see both letters on that line, and this is what youÕll see on the personal hit spots- the pre-entered ones that are capable of responding to the chart in memory at the time.
Transits 179
Anyway, back to the point, since IÕve set it up this way- hereÕs what happens given our above example about Mars entering the end of Aries while travelling retrograde:
We would NOT get a recorded hit when it passed over the ÒStart of TaurusÓ hit spot, because that one, like the Start of Aries above, will be marked as ÒDirect OnlyÓ, and thus the retrograde travelling Mars would not record a hit there.
Rather, one fraction of a degree later, when Mars passes over the hit spot IÕve entered for the end of Aries, which is marked as retrograde-only, then a hit WILL BE recorded, because Mars is there, and heÕs travelling retrograde. So a hit is recorded.
So, that hit will read: Mars Sign End: 01-Aries
That indeed makes it clear. So the benefit of having a direct-only hit at the beginning of some fixed zone, and a separate line marked retro-only at the end of the zone, and both named accordingly in some way indicating their direct or retro leanings, is that you get clear listings which are easy to read. Remember that, unless you do it this way, your listings will be very hard to read. So think about this before mapping out any fixed zodiac zonal hit spots.
Edit (under Master list of hit spots)
This button allows you to Edit a hit spot- either the pre-entered ones (NOT RECOMMENDED AT ALL) or the ones you enter (fine). It pops up the same window covered previously and in other parts of this reference which is for adding and editing the custom hit spots you enter. See ÒDirectÓ above for a complete description of one of the more important points regarding adding and editing custom hit spots. Also, see ÒAddingÓ for custom hit spots.
Either (hit type specifier)
See ÒDirectÓ above. End Date
You must specify a Start and End Date for which you wish to ÒRunÓ a Setup. Running could also be called ÒDoing the SearchÓ or ÒFinding the HitsÓ. Those are things that Run does. So, it needs to know a from and to date within which to search for the things specified in the selected setup being run. You can enter a start and end date when making a setup, and those dates will always appear whenever you select that Setup. You can override them however, by typing in new ones right before clicking ÒRunÓ. Be careful, every time you click on the setup line in the setups list, the dates entered with it originally will be put into the Start and End Date fields. So, be sure to type your dates and then immediately click the Run button- donÕt do anything else- or at least don't click in the Setup list again.
Full Control of Hits Listings
This window allows you to enter and or edit a Setup. General Zodiac
Transits
These include the signs, nakshatras, padas, navamshas, and sublords portions of the master hit list. These are fixed zodiac points, and have nothing to do with any particular chart. Rather, these points are used as the backdrop of all charts. The other types of hit spots, like natal planets, aspects, conjunctions and the like, have all to do instead with some point in an individual
horoscope. So, if using them, you click the persons name. But this button, the ÒGeneral ZodiacÓ button, is for the first type mentioned- the impersonal backdrop type. See the description above about General for reasons why this differentiation is necessary, and how it is very useful to you. Hit Location in Zodiac
This is a field on the Custom Hit Spot entry/edit window. This field is where you type in the exact hit spot in the zodiac, between 0 and 359.999 degrees. Custom Hit Spots can only be fixed points, and cannot be responsive the chart in memory, such as ÒSo many degrees from the natal moonÓ. Name (of custom hit spot)
Here you enter the name of your custom hit spot. See the section on ÒDirectÓ above for key input on naming conventions- and the need for clarity in your naming.
Name (of Hit Spot Setup)
You name your Setup however you like- itÕs best if it describes the Setup in a general way, such ÒSun through SignsÓ or ÒSaturn over natal planetsÓ.
Names (sort button)
You can sort the lists of hit spots, both Master and Assigned, by the names of the hit spots themselves.
Normal Sort (sort button)
This sort, available in both hit spot lists, is the sort used inside the program- in other words, it matches the sort order found in the master hit spot list when you first open the window- itÕs the default sort, and it breaks the hit spots down into a logical order.
Open Selected List
This button refers to Saved Hit Listings which you have previously created and saved. This button opens the hit list again into the Hit List results window, wherefrom you can view, print, export, etc.
Optional Loop Controls
This button opens the loop controls window. This window allows you to change the timings of the loops used in finding the hits. The values are in minutes of clock time. If you think about it and feel inspired to, you can adjust these to better match the type of search you are doing. If you donÕt understand how they work, then leave them on the defaults.
Positions (sort button)
This sorts the list by the positions of the hit spots in the zodiac. Remove (under Master list of hit spots)
Transits 181 This will remove the selected hit spot from the master list. It only applies to custom hit spots. You cannot remove the internal hit spots.
Remove Selected (under list of hit spots assigned to a body)
This removes the assigned hit spot. In other words, the planet will not try to track it if you remove it from the list. This is the opposite of ÒassignÓ and is therefore more like ÒforgetÓ.
Retrograde (hit type specifier)
See ÒDirectÓ above. This marks the hit spot as being sensitive to ONLY retrograde hits. This is fully explained in ÒDirectÓ, itÕs counterpart opposite setting.
Run Selected Setup for Dates
This button finds the hits, and lists them, according to the selected ÒSetupÓ. This is the ÒgoÓ button. First you make or select a Setup. Then you click this button, then after awhile, youÕll have a list of hits in front of you.
Select Base City
Hits are timed for the base city selected. Also, if using the Ascendent and Midheaven transiting bodies, then these are calculated for the base city, since the angles are location-dependent points. So, generally you will select the city where the subject of the base chart lives currently or during the time of the transit range. This base city will pack itself with the persons current residence city, if youÕve entered one. The current residence city is on the ÒAddress/NotesÓ window which always available for each chart. If a city is entered there then this and other city dependent features will use that current residence city as the default. As with all features that access the atlas, this one also accesses the power of the built in ACS Atlas. The daylight saving time will be corrected as the run goes along through time, when and where that is applicable. In other words, itÕs always as correct as can be currently known, by the best database of time zones and changes in this business. Start Date
This is the beginning date from which the search should begin. You must enter this. You can enter it when creating a Setup, but you can also leave it blank at that point, and enter it later, right before clicking the Run button. Be sure to NOT click in the Setups list after entering dates here, because, whenever you click in the list of saved Setups, the date entered, or the blank date, is put into the Start and End date fields automatically. So, be careful, enter your start and end dates and then immediately click Run.
View/Change Selected Setup
This allows you to edit or simply view the currently hilited Setup in the list of Saved Setups. This window is identical to the window you see when first entering the saved setups. When you click on each planet on this window, in the little list of planet transitors, then the list of hit spots
assigned to that planet appears in the list just below. You can then add to, or remove from, that list of assigned hit spots.
Your Saved Transit Hit Lists
This is the list of Saved Transit Hit Lists. When you make a Setup, then Run it, then Save it, that adds a line to this list. So, this is a list of the lists youÕve saved. This is a list of ÒresultÓ lists- the
Transits
for each chart- there is no limit. You can also click on the ÒGeneralÓ button above and see the ÒGeneralÓ lists youÕve saved. (see General)
Your Saved Transit Hit Setups
This is the list of Setups that have been saved. You click one, then you click the Run button to run it, or the ÒView/ChangeÓ button to view the insides of the Setup, or to change it around a bit. You can also hilite one of these and delete it, using the Delete button to the right of the list.