The Techniques of Prediction of Transits

If you take a look at the sky just before dawn on a cloudless morning, you will notice two or three stars that seem to hang about after the others have gone. Alternatively, wait for a cloudless night just after the Sun has set, and you will notice two or three stars glittering brightly in the dark blue heavens. These ’stars’ are actually planets, and the chances are that, if you look towards the area where the Sun is rising or setting, you will spot bright and beautiful Venus and the smaller and duller Mercury. Elsewhere in the sky, depending upon the time of year, you may find another very bright planet, Jupiter, and perhaps the smaller and slightly reddish Mars or the similarly small but slightly yellowish Saturn. You will need an astronomer’s telescope to see Uranus, Neptune or Pluto.

Getting down to work

If you have a different ephemeris, don’t worry; they are all more or less the same. I like this one because the print is a little larger than in some of the others. I also suggest that you use a midnight ephemeris rather than a noon one, but this is a matter of personal preference.

After finding the transits for the day that you want to examine you can write them in around the natal chart, but it may be easier just to look at them. It is not difficult to spot the aspects these passing planets are making to the planets and angles on your own chart.

Remember that all astrologers tend to call everything a Planet, despite the fact that the Sun is a star, the Moon is a satellite and Chiron is a planetoid. Also keep in mind that the angles are the ascendant, descendant, midheaven and nadir.

If you are using a computer program, print out a list of the day’s transits and maybe generate a chart that shows the natal Chart inside the wheel and the transits on the outside.

A cautionary note

Some astrologers believe that transits denote the things that happen to us and that are outside our control, while progressions reflect our inner changes of mood. Unfortunately, very little is cut and dried in astrology, so bear this in mind but don’t consider it a golden rule.

Interpreting the transits

Planets move at different speeds, which means that a transit of the Moon can be over and done with in a few hours, while a Pluto transit will take a couple of years. On the other hand, when dealing with progressions, the slower-moving planets don’t actually move very far during a person’s lifetime, so the faster-moving planets are the ones you need to look at.

Your ephemeris may point to an interesting transit involving the Moon and any of those planets that are visible to the naked eye on a particular evening. If, when the time comes, the night happens to be a clear one, go outside and look, because I guarantee that you will feel a rush of excitement at seeing your ephemeris come to life in the sky.

An example of a sad event

The following chart belongs to my friend Jonathan Dee, who suffered a bereavement on 2 June 1993. Jon’s partner had been ill with stomach trouble for some time but had not been aware of the potential gravity of the situation. A road accident in April meant a short spell in hospital, and it was the shock of this that brought the underlying problem to the surface. Over the next few weeks Jon’s lover became progressively sicker and finally died on 2 June. Jonathan’s chart at that time showed transiting Saturn slowing down before turning to retrograde motion at nought degrees of Pisces, opposing his natal Pluto at nought degrees of Virgo. Transiting Jupiter was conjunct natal Jupiter (the Jupiter return) and also moving from retrograde to direct motion. Transiting Mars was crossing Pluto, also at nought degrees of Virgo, and Venus was about to cross the south node.

Bear in mind that a retrograde transit is never easy to live with and that Saturn, Pluto and Mars can all be considered to be ‘malefic’ planets. All three of these were either natally or transiting on an axis of nought degrees of Pisces and Virgo. Jupiter can be a happy-go-lucky planet but it can also be a difficult one, especially if other features on the chart are causing difficulties. Venus can indicate partnership matters and the nodes can indicate a karmic or unavoidably fated event.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
The Techniques of Prediction of Transits

• Love Reading - Which Love Reading Is the Most Excellent?
• Natal and Progressed Chart, How to Find Your Way through the Interpretation Maze continue...
• Longevity and a Healthy Life
• Additional Symbols of Good Fortune
• Natal Charting Ascendant Calculation, Horoscope `map of the hour' continue...
• How to take the Compass Readings part 3
• How Does Symbolic FENG SHUI Work?
• Natal and Progressed Chart, How to Find Your Way through the Interpretation Maze
• Natal Charting Ascendant Calculation, Horoscope `map of the hour'
• Planetary Aspects: the Transpersonal and Impersonal Planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Nodes)