Both Solar Fire 6 and Solar Fire Gold do two types of primary directions. To access them from the Solar Fire main screen,

1. Select Dynamic > Transits & Progressions to open the Dynamic Reports Selection window , and select the Radix Chart, Period of Report, Location and Point and Aspect Selection as you wish.

2. Under Event Selection, select Directions to Radix.

3. Under Directions, click the dropdown arrow and select either  "Primary Mundane" or "Primary van Dam." These are the two types of primaries that Solar Fire offers. The Solar Fire Gold Help explains these types as follows:

Primary Mundane Directions

Primary directions are created by the diurnal rotation of the earth about its own polar axis. Hence each planet or chart angle is directed along its own diurnal arc, starting from its natal position. Each degree of rotation is deemed to correspond to 1 year in the life of the individual. Aspects are deemed to be formed between directed and natal planets when their relative positions in their diurnal arcs are in angular relationship. (Note that this is quite different from aspects of zodiacal longitude.). For example, if the Sun is natally situated in the 10th house at 90% along its arc from its rise to its culmination, then Saturn will be in natal mundane square to it when it is directed to a position in the 1st house which is at 90% along its arc from its nadir to its rise across the horizon. If this occurs after Saturn has been directed by 24.5 degrees along its diurnal arc, then it is deemed that directed Saturn makes a mundane square to the Sun when the individual is 24 and a half years old.

This method is also known as "Placidian" directions as apparently practiced by Ptolemy, Alcabitius, Montulmo, Lucas Gauricus, Simmonite, Zadkiel, Alan Leo, Pracht, Kloekler and Placidus himself.

Van Dam Primary Directions

This method has also been called “Primary Event Analysis”. This is a variation of the Primary Mundane (Placidian) method, using a different time-measure, as introduced by Wim van Dam. The derived positions are given in zodiacal longitude (unlike primary mundane directions, which are expressed in term of a pseudo-arc).

4. If desired, you can select Precessed or Converse or both.

5. Click the View button and you will get a list of primary direction hit dates.

Within each basic method of primaries, you can select a rate or "key" for converting degrees of primary motion into time. All the rates are roughly 1 degree of motion per year, but there are minor variations that can change the timing of the hits by quite a bit. To change the rate or key in Solar Fire,

1. From the Main Screen, select Preferences > Edit Settings.

2. In the Preferences window, select the Progs/Dirns tab.

3. In the Rate for Primary Directions area, select one of the 3 rates in the dropdown menu:

        1 Year per Degree (Ptolemy) - The progression rate is exactly one degree of arc for each year of life.

        Naibod (1 Year for 59’08’’) - The progression rate is 59’08’’ of arc for each year of life.

        Natal Solar Rate - The progression rate is the natal Sun’s rate of motion in R.A. for each year of life.