Transits are not a new concept in astrology, but not everyone understands their effects. Some transits are more important and present more valuable opportunities than others, depending on how they affect you and your chart specifically. Let’s look at the implications of various types of transits and what they may mean for you as an individual and even groups of people.
What Transits Are and Why You Should Care
Planetary transits occur when any planet enters a new sign. Now, a typical response to a transit is to consider whether the sign the particular planet is entering is directly relevant to one’s birth chart. For example, if the Sun enters Libra (September 23rd to October 22nd), then a Libra Sun person would be very interested during this time.
Someone with their Moon or Ascendant in Libra would also be very interested. The same goes for anyone with other planets in Libra or a house ruled by Libra with a stellium (multiple planets) in it. But if someone’s Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or other planets are not very compatible with a Libra transit, they should also pay attention to mitigate negative effects. We can also divide transits into fast-moving and slow-moving depending on the speed of the planets that are currently transiting.
Fast-moving Planetary Transits: Short-term Effects
With the periods of fast-moving planetary transits, we are talking about any number of days to several weeks. The fast-moving planets and the time they take to travel through each zodiac sign are:
- Sun: 1 month
- Moon: Less than 3 days
- Mercury: 2-3 weeks
- Venus: 3 weeks
- Mars: 6-7 weeks
The exception to this rule is the Mercury retrograde, which occurs 3 to 4 times a year. During this time, Mercury appears to move backwards and can remain in a zodiac sign for up to 10 weeks. Most people who are into astrology are very familiar with Mercury retrogrades because almost everyone is significantly affected by them. As the planet of communication, messages, and travel, Mercury affects our day-to-day lives, including transportation, electronics, and work.
Slow-moving Planetary Transits: Long-term Effects
The slow-moving planets are known as generational planets and speak more to collective consciousness and unconscious drives relevant to what the planet rules. The time each takes to travel through each zodiac sign is:
- Jupiter: About 1 year
- Saturn: About 2.5 years
- Neptune: 14 years
- Uranus: 7-8 years
- Pluto: 11.5 to 30.5 years
It’s not only Mercury that goes retrograde, either. Pluto is retrograde half the year, which explains why it can take so long to travel through a sign.
Transits: What’s Happening at Any Time
The typical transit horoscope is about announcing the new sign(s) any planets are entering at a current point in time. However, one can also look to past transits as well as to future transits to gain insight into their life path. But how can you tell which ones are the most important?
1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th House Transits
The 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses are ruled by cardinal signs. These angular houses represent pivotal points in the development of yourself as well as your life:
- 1st house: Ascendant or Rising Sign, the image you present to others and the world
- 4th house: Imum Coeli or Nadir, home, mother, family, roots, and security
- 7th house: Descendant, Partnerships of any kind, contracts
- 10th house: Midheaven, our career, life aspiration, or vocation in the public eye
You may also look to the ruler of each angular house in your birth chart for more insight. For example, if your first house is in Leo, and Leo is ruled by the Sun, you can also check the house your Sun sign is in. Let’s say your Sun sign is in Capricorn in your 5th house. Then, it means you will also have a great boost in creativity and pleasurable pursuits.
The Saturn Return: The First or Pre-Midlife Crisis
The Saturn return is an extremely significant period that takes a few years to complete, close to or in one’s 30s. Saturn naturally rules the 10th house of Capricorn, but in your birth chart, the Saturn return occurs when Saturn enters the same sign your Saturn was in at the time of your birth. But what does a Saturn return mean?
For one thing, Saturn bestows wisdom. He is also Old Father Time. No longer does the individual have youthful protection of health and the ability to easily adapt to changing situations. Instead, they will begin to discover health and other issues depending on the sign their birth Saturn is in and the house their Saturn is in per their chart. It can also present an opportunity for maturation into adulthood and life stability if one is well-prepared for or aware of it.
The Takeaway on Transits
Planetary transits are periods of opportunity. They do not compel us, but impel. Fast-moving transits are great times to take advantage of new starts and act on fast luck, while slow-moving ones are suitable for adaptability and stability. You can choose to be aware of them and act just like you would with other environmental forces, such as the weather.
