There comes a time for every astrology lover when you’ll want to know more about what’s going on in the sky. This is when you’ll dabble in your “big three” — your sun, moon, and rising zodiac signs — and take a peek at your Mars and Venus signs to learn more about yourself. Beyond that, though, astrology can get tricky for beginners.
That’s what I like most about TimePassages, a well-known astrology platform that has nearly 40,000 positive reviews. It’s not only useful for figuring out day-to-day astrology info, like horoscopes, retrogrades, and moon phases, but it also helps you get familiar with the nitty-gritty details of the zodiac.
The app has a glossary of info that breaks down the 12 astrological houses, planetary transits and aspects and what they mean, and other terms so you can finally make sense of the stars. I’ve been poking around TimePassages as a way to boost my astro knowledge and loving its unique, personalized horoscopes based on my birth chart.
On the Apple app store, one reviewer called TimePassages an “absolute gem” while another wrote, “I feel like every other astrology app out there will tell you all these insightful things about your chart but I never understood WHY.” If you want to feel like your own, personal astrologer, it’s a good app to have. Here’s my review of the app and its features.
TimePassages is an astrology tool that’s been going strong for 25 years online via web browsers. The app as it exists today is useful for both beginners and more experienced astrologers, depending on your needs. On the most basic end, it offers the usuals like a free daily horoscope, the meaning of your sun, moon, and rising signs — otherwise known as your “big three.”
It also teaches you what’s what in the astrology world by breaking down some of the trickier concepts and phrases. If you’ve always wondered what someone means when they’re talking about planetary transits or having “Venus in their first house,” this app explains it all in vivid detail. A celestial vocab glossary can be found under the Learn tab, where you can go to brush up on concepts like “midheaven,” “nadir,” all of the 12 astrological houses, and more.
TimePassages has quite a few free features, like the horoscopes, the “big three,” and a birth chart calculator, which reveals where all the planets were in the sky on your birthday and what it all means. This is displayed in a colorful birth chart wheel with all of your 12 houses.
Astrologers might appreciate the app’s up-to-the-minute astrology info under the Current tab, which lets you know what’s going on in the sky at any given time. (As I write this on June 13, I can see we have a crescent moon in Virgo and the sun is in Gemini. I also spy an upcoming Mercury retrograde on August 5. Uh oh…)
If you want, you can add a friend or partner’s birthday in the Charts tab to see your compatibility laid out in a bi-wheel that combines your placements so you can compare them. This costs extra — $.99 per person or $9.99 for unlimited access. The app’s compatibility meter will reveal how you match up as a duo when it comes to romance, money, communication styles, and more.
TBH, I wasn’t super impressed when I first downloaded TimePassages. As someone drawn to sparkly apps with sleek interfaces and cute animated cats who read my fortunes — like Labyrinthos and Moonly — this one left something to be desired. The plain font and black background made it look like a website from 2006, but once I started poking around I was quickly sucked into all the helpful astro info.
As someone who writes tons of astrology articles — and as someone who’s constantly building my personal knowledge when it comes to planetary movements, aspects, retrogrades, houses, and more — I devoured all the terms in the glossary section of the app as if I was studying for a test.
While most people know the 12 zodiac signs and the four astrological elements — water, air, fire, and earth — it isn’t always clear what the heck Chiron is, a midheaven, a conjunction, or a trine, and that’s where this app saves the day.
Thanks to the glossary, I now know that the midheaven in your chart represents your individuality and the outward expression of your energy. It can also refer to your ego identity and it has a strong connection to your public life and career, as symbolized by the 10th house. Any natal planets in conjunction with the midheaven are considered “elevated” and emphasized.
My midheaven is in Gemini, which is associated with communication and sharing thoughts, and that seems fitting based on my career. It also points to a witty sense of humor, as well as a propensity towards boredom. Guilty.
For anyone looking to dive deeper than their “big three,” like me, this type of info is not only super interesting to read, but it can also help you get to know your strengths and weaknesses better.
TimePassages’ in-depth glossary also covers planetary motions like retrogrades, aspects, elements, the moon phases and what they all mean, the planetary bodies including Chiron and the various nodes, and all 12 zodiac signs.
This type of info is super helpful when understanding your own chart, but it could be used as a quick-reference guide for intermediate astrologers reading a client. (Astrology is complex, to say the least!)
Where this app really shines, though, is with its super-accurate daily horoscopes. TimePassages uses your birth chart to analyze the current position of all the planets in the sky for personalized readings.
A transit, the app says, is when a planet makes a significant aspect, or angle, to a planet in your natal chart. Certain transits can stir up challenges for you or set the stage for good luck. When you know what’s coming your way it’s easier to make decisions with more confidence, and it also helps you understand why you’ve been feeling “off.”
Right now, for example, the sun is in strong conjunction — which is when two planets are very close together — with my natal moon. According to the app, this conjunction should have me feeling pretty good about myself over the next few days, especially regarding my emotions, family, and home.
I love that TimePassages’ horoscopes dig so much deeper and look at so much more than just your sun sign. And the more often I check the app, the more accurate I realize it is. My horoscope shows what’s happening in the sky in the days ahead, and it also reveals longer transits that’ll impact me for months or years to come.
Just FYI, the daily transits tend to stem from closer planets like Venus, Mars, and Mercury, while the lengthier transits can be blamed on the outer planets like Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune, which take forever to circle the sun and thus have longer-term effects.
This app has been helping me feel like a bonafide astrologer thanks to its glossary of terms and in-depth birth chart info, making it easier to understand what’s happening in the stars. It’s also helping me navigate the ups and downs of my week.
I’ve been checking the app every time my day seems to be going awry so I can see which planetary transit is to blame, and I’ve also been surveying the long-term transits ahead so I can take advantage of upcoming good luck and good timing.
While there are newer and shinier astrology apps out there, TimePassages seems like the real deal. I’d recommend it if you want the most detailed horoscopes around, and a quick reference guide for all the astro knowledge you could ever want or need.
