Transits

WHAT ARE TRANSITS?

Transits are perhaps the most intuitively obvious of the 3 major predictive techniques (transits, progressions, and returns) to understand. If I want to predict what will happen today to a particular person, then I compare the positions of the planets in the sky today with the positions of the planets in that person's birth chart. The positions of the planets in the sky today are called the transiting planets. For example, if Sally's natal Venus is at 10 degrees of Gemini and transiting Jupiter (the position of Jupiter today) is also at 10 degrees of Gemini, then transiting Jupiter is conjunct Sally's natal Venus. Consequently, today is a Jupiter-Venus day for Sally, a good day to entertain people, go to parties, and generally have a relaxing, good time.

In addition to looking at aspects formed by the transiting planets to the natal planets, you can also study the placement of the transiting planets in the houses of the birth chart. Some astrologers also compare the zodiac signs of the transiting planets to the zodiac signs of the natal planets.

Some astrologers rely heavily on transits through houses while others do not. Almost all astrologers use transiting planets to natal planet aspects, and the great majority of astrologers believe that transits across the angles (that is, crossing the Ascendant, Descendant, MC, or 4th house cusp) is very important. Some astrologers also use midpoints and some use asteroids. Some astrologers also look at transiting declinations; in other words, the time when a transiting planet has the same declination as a natal planet is considered to be important.

Note that transits calculated according to the sidereal zodiac occur at a different time from transits calculated according to the tropical zodiac. If a person is about 72 years old, then the transiting planets are about 1 degree earlier in the tropical zodiac because over the 72 years of the person's life, the sidereal zodiac zodiac and tropical zodiacs have moved 1 degree apart. The outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) move very slowly so a difference of 1 degree can make a difference of a month or more in the life of a person who is 72 years old. Even at 36 years of age the difference is 1/2 degree which can make a difference of a few weeks or more.

Some astrologers refer to sidereal transits as "precessed transits" because a transit calculated in the sidereal zodiac is different from transits calculated in the tropical zodiac according to the amount of precession that occurred since the person was born. Precession is the retrograde movement of the tropical zodiac through the sidereal zodiac at a speed of 1 degree in slightly less than 72 years.

MAKING SENSE OF THE TRANSIT LISTINGS

Example of transit-to-natal aspects:is:

June 1: Sun trine Jup
June 3: Merc sqr Ura
Ven conj Sat
June 4: Plu opp Sun

This listing shows that transiting Sun is trined to natal Jupiter on June 1. Astrologers invariably list the transiting planet first and the natal planet second when referring to a transiting planet to natal planet aspect. Many astrologers would say that on June 1 this individual has opportunities for advancement or at least enjoyable activities and contacts on June 1.

Notice that in this listing there is nothing listed on June 2. On some days more transiting influences will occur on other days. The number of transiting planet to natal planet aspects of course depends on how many aspects one uses. In this sample listing, the major aspects (conjunction, opposition, square, trine, sextile, and quincunx) are used and on some days no aspects occur.

In this sample listing there are 2 aspects on June 3: transiting Mercury is square natal Uranus, and transiting Venus is conjunct natal Saturn. On June 4 one aspect occurs: transiting Pluto is opposition natal Sun.

The faster moving planets, like Sun, Mercury, and Venus make many more aspects than the slower moving planets, like Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto for the obvious reason that they simply move through a larger period of the zodiac giving them more opportunity to aspect the natal planets. The transiting Moon moves much faster than any other body and it forms so many aspects to the natal chart that most astrologers ignore the transiting Moon except when studying in detail a specific time period of a few hours or less. The slower moving planets form very few aspects, but when they do, they have a more powerful impact on the person than the inner planet transits. Many astrologers use only a 1 degree or 2 degree orb for transit to natal aspects; using these orbs a transit of Sun, Mercury, or Venus lasts about 2 to 4 days on average while a transit of one of the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto) lasts for many months. The long-lasting outer planet transits therefore can make major shifts in a person's life. Probably the great majority of astrologers agree that the inner planets are more personal so consequently an outer planet transit to an inner planet is an extremely powerful influence, so, for example, if transiting Uranus (or Neptune or Pluto) is square (or any other major aspect natal Moon (or Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars) then the affect on the person is extremely powerful. Transits to the natal Ascendant, MC, 7th house, and 4th house cusp are also very important, and some astrologers feel that these transits can have even more powerful life-changing effects than transits to the inner planets.

Note that the beginning and ending dates depend on the orb used. From the point of view of interpretation, the beginning and ending dates are not as precise as the exact date of the aspect because an aspect very gradually begins to make its influence felt and then very gradually becomes more conspicuous until it reaches maximum influence and then very gradually fades, so the point at which the influence is considered insignificant is not a black-and-white issue. Many astrologers use relatively small orbs when analyzing transits so that only dates when the influence is definitely significant are given.

Some astrologers also like to view transits by looking at a BiWheel that has the transiting planets in the outer wheel and the person's birth chart in the inner wheel.