planetary transits

Astrology lesson: The effect of planetary cycles

planetsA client asked this question so I thought it might be a good thing to cover in this column:  Do planetary cycles like the Uranus/Pluto square (see the sidebar) affect everyone the same?

I used this example to explain how planetary cycles work:  When it’s raining in your community, rain pours down on everyone.  But everyone is affected differently.  Some people love being out in the rain and they may be dancing in the streets.  Some people hate to get wet, and they will stay indoors or cover themselves with rain gear.  Some people get depressed in the dark days, and they will retreat into their sadness until the Sun returns.

A planetary cycle or movement, whether a huge cycle such as the Uranus/Pluto square that is going on now (see the sidebar) or a tiny little lunar event that may last an hour or two, will affect all of us to one degree or another.  If the planetary cycle is near the same degree as a planet in our chart so that it hits us directly, it will have a stronger and more personal impact.

If the planetary cycle is near the same degree as a sensitive point or system in our chart it has the strongest affect of all, stimulating that sensitive point and necessitating some sort of change to bring relief and ultimately, growth and evolution.

For more information and guidance during planetary cycles, you may want to read my article on Transits and Transformation.

Thank you for attending today’s lesson!

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By |2013-12-07T06:32:58-05:00December 7th, 2013|Featured posts, Lessons, Planetary cycles|0 Comments
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About Retrogrades

RxI’m in the process of migrating old articles to the blog platform, here’s a chance to catch up on some oldies but goodies. 

The study of astrology looks at the motion of the planets in the solar system from our perspective here on earth, and because of anomalies in the orbits of the planets, occasionally during their travels around the sun they appear to move backwards. As a planet turns retrograde, it appears to slow down gradually until it appears to be almost standing still. This is called “making a station.” When planets are in retrograde motion, their effect on us tends to be rather more insistent, like a teacher who keeps us after school to be sure we have learned the lesson that day.

Transits and retrogrades:

Transiting planets make angles to the planets in our own birthcharts, creating environmental patterns of energy that affect us in our day-to-day life. Because of this retrograde motion, a transiting planet often will “hit” our birth planet, move past it, then turn retrograde and hit it a second time, turn direct again and hit a third time. Occasionally Pluto will hit a birth planet four or five times in a truly life-changing transition.

I like to compare this kind of transitory effect to cars driving through your neighborhood with loud boomboxes. When the transiting planet first begins to approach your birth planet, it’s like the car with the loud boombox is at the end of your street and about to turn the corner. It is entering your conscious awareness, but you can still tune it out. As it gets closer to your house, it gets louder and more difficult to ignore. Finally the car is in front of your house (as […]

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By |2013-08-12T14:40:43-04:00August 12th, 2013|Lessons, Mercury retrograde|0 Comments
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Top planetary events of the week, December 14-20

Dates and times are Eastern time zone; please adjust for your locality.  You can also get daily planetary updates on Twitter or on the Astrodynamics fan page on Facebook.

  • Moon enters Sagittarius the morning of the 14th and the Sun is in an energizing square to Uranus.  Later in the evening the Sun forms a harmonious sextile to Jupiter. This is a day of exploration and adventure, there will be resistance to routine.
  • The Sun is sextile Neptune on Tuesday enhancing intuition and creativity.
  • Sagittarius New Moon on the 16th is packed with planetary aspects and will be very energizing for change!
  • Moon enters Capricorn just after the New Moon, grounding and balancing the energy and helping us put it to good use.
  • Venus trines Mars on the 17th, an excellent day for meetings or negotiations.
  • Moon moves into Aquarius on the 19th and we begin to embrace that which is new and different.
  • Venus harmonizes with Chiron but is challenged by Uranus on the afternoon of the 19th.  Each of us has our own agenda on that day and we feel rebellious and resistant to control, but if we make the attempt we can understand the needs of others and wisdom will prevail.
  • […]
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By |2009-12-14T16:46:45-05:00December 14th, 2009|Planetary cycles|Comments Off on Top planetary events of the week, December 14-20
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Trust the Planets

8198088_sAfter over 25 (gak!!) years of studying astrology and 20 years doing readings I never doubt the planets. I may doubt the client’s memory or understanding, or my own interpretations, but I never doubt that the astrology is correct.

Sometimes, like today, I do a consultation with a client who is in the middle of a devastating experience. Newly single, afraid of the future – in the middle of beautifully optimistic planetary cycles. It would not occur to me to think that the planets are incorrect: instead, it shows me that for this individual, this challenging period is an incredibly exciting time of change and liberation.

We think of Jupiter as a beneficial planet, yet it is often present in death charts. We think of Saturn as evil and malefic, yet many people experience great achievement and success during their Saturn returns. Left by his wife a man may feel he is overwhelmed by darkness, yet the road ahead is strewn with Jupiter and Uranus transits that will open his world in ways he never dreamed possible. Sometimes we are not that lucky; sometimes times of crisis go on for years with Pluto separating us from all that we treasure. But we can look at the Pluto cycles and anticipate that we will be asked to surrender pieces of ourselves that no longer serve us, and trust that we are being guided toward greater wholeness. Even that information can be incredibly useful.

We often think we know all there is to know, but we only see a glimmer of the truth.

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By |2019-05-11T07:32:25-04:00October 25th, 2007|Inspiration|0 Comments
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The Ebb and Flow of the Cycles of Time

(Art from mandalas.com)

As humans, we tend to think that happiness is better than sadness, that good luck is better than bad. We may avoid difficult confrontations and pursue more comfortable situations. When tragedy strikes our well-protected lives, we shout out to our god of choice: “How could you do this to me??” We believe that our birthright is the pursuit of happiness, and we spend our lives trying to protect ourselves from sorrow.

The soul, however, has a different journey. The soul travels an ancient evolutionary path that seeks wisdom and connection with the divine. Often in our desire to defend ourselves from discomfort, we erect barriers within ourselves. Often we become so effective in compartmentalizing our emotions we become cut off from our very selves, our soul and our spirit.

In astrological terms, the orbiting planets form geometric angles to each other as they travel through the solar system, and also to our birthchart planets. We call these movements “transits.” Each transiting planet has its own nature, its own personality and its own purpose—calling upon us as the ancient gods they represent to bring forth something in ourselves that has been lost. The inner planets move quickly: a transit of Venus will encourage relationships and creativity, a transit of Mars demands that we defend ourselves appropriately. Easy Jupiter transits can bring financial opportunity, or liberate us from difficult situations, whereas the challenging transits can cause reckless and risky behavior. The outer, or transpersonal planets, including Saturn which acts as the bridge between the personal planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter) and transpersonal (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), take much longer to traverse the zodiac and therefore their effects are felt for a longer period of time.

Some […]

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By |2019-11-10T20:01:05-05:00February 7th, 2006|Planetary cycles|Comments Off on The Ebb and Flow of the Cycles of Time
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