Birthdays are often a time of reflection—a mix of processing everything that’s happened since you last blew out the candles and setting goals and intentions for the 365 days ahead. The annual profections technique in astrology is one tool that can help with the latter.

According to this technique, each age corresponds with a certain area of life that’s meant to be nourished for it to grow and blossom. Ahead, Rose Theodora, an astrologer and spiritual teacher specializing in the annual profections technique, explains how it works and how to use it.

What is the annual profections technique?

The annual profections technique is not a part of modern psychological astrology, Theodora says, which may explain why even those who speak fluent astrology aren’t familiar with it. That said, it’s not a new technique. “The annual profections technique is an ancient Hellenistic timing technique that was developed in the second century BCE,” Theodora explains. She adds that it is a highly technical and detailed predictive astrology technique specific to birthdays, which is very accurate when used correctly.

An annual profections chart, or wheel, looks similar to a natal chart in that it’s divided into the same 12 astrological houses that each pertain to an area of life. Within each house, you’ll see a bunch of numbers. Theodora explains these are called “profection years,” which correspond with ages, moving counter-clockwise starting with age 0 in the first house, age one in the second house, age two in the third house, and so on. So whatever house your age lands on, that year will focus on themes related to that astrological house.

Theodora notes that a “profection year” is not to be interpreted as “perfect.” Profection means the act of progressing and moving forward. To help understand this, she describes the 12 houses as development stages of growing up. So, each year of life focuses on developing one area at a time. “Like moving through a progressive wheel of life, honing in on one area at a time to cultivate, nourish, and tend to it,” she explains.

How to interpret the annual profections wheel to learn your age’s life theme

As mentioned, the annual profections wheel is a great tool to reference around each birthday. It’s different from a solar return reading which looks at upcoming transits, though Theodora recommends doing both to preview what’s to come and what to focus on from one birthday to the next. That said, even if your birthday has passed or is still months away, knowing your annual profection year can still be helpful.

To learn yours, find your age in the annual profections chart and note what house it’s in.

For instance, if you’re 37 years old, that is a second house profection year, which means there’s a focus on finances and value. Or if you’re 26 years old, that’s a third house profection year, which focuses on communicating what you know and have learned. Learning about what each of the 12 houses means can also be helpful to decode the theme for your age.

The most impactful years of your life, Theodora says, will be the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th house profection years, so pay special attention to those. “First house profection years (ages 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60) are the most expansive, life-changing years when opportunities are plentiful,” Theodora says, which can look like new jobs, relationships, or makeovers.

Fourth house profection years (ages 3, 15, 27, 39, 51, and 63) “are the years of deep internal restructuring, when we deal with family ‘stuff,’ purchase homes, etc.,” Theodora explains. “Seventh house profection years (ages 6, 18, 30, 42, 54, and 66) are all about starting and ending the most important relationships, whether business or marriage.”

And lastly, the tenth house profection years (ages 9, 21, 33, 45, 57, and 69) are focused on 10th house-related things such as career growth, with a special focus on age 33. “We call this the Jesus year, or Buddha year, when we really step out into the world as we are, as the world needs us,” Theodora says.

The annual profections technique also goes deeper by looking at the signs ruling planets, their dignities, and transits to provide a micro view of your year with more specifics; however, because this is more complex, Theodora recommends working with a professional astrologer with a Hellenistic background or taking a workshop on annual profections 101 to learn more about it.

So now that you know what life area will be magnified at your age, what do you do with that information? Rather than setting general New Year’s resolutions each year, Theodora recommends using your birthday as your “new year” marker and setting not just general goals and intentions, but ones that will support you in the areas of your annual profections year’s theme.