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Kerykeion

Introduction to Transits #

Transits are the ongoing movements of planets through the sky and how they interact with your birth chart. While your natal chart is a snapshot of the heavens at your birth, transits show the continuously unfolding cosmic weather—the opportunities, challenges, and themes that life brings at different times.

What Are Transits? #

A transit occurs when a moving planet in the current sky forms an aspect (geometric relationship) to a planet or point in your birth chart, or passes through a house in your chart.

Think of it this way:

  • Your birth chart is like a map of your inner landscape
  • Transits are like the weather moving across that landscape

The weather doesn’t change the landscape, but it profoundly affects what grows there and what activities are supported or challenged at any given time.

The Rhythm of Planetary Movement #

Different planets move at different speeds, creating nested cycles of experience:

Fast-Moving Planets (Personal Rhythms) #

  • The Moon (2.5 days per sign) — Daily emotional rhythms
  • The Sun (1 month per sign) — Monthly vitality and focus cycles
  • Mercury (2-3 weeks per sign) — Communication and thinking rhythms
  • Venus (3-4 weeks per sign) — Love and pleasure cycles
  • Mars (6-7 weeks per sign) — Energy and action rhythms

Slow-Moving Planets (Life Chapters) #

  • Jupiter (1 year per sign) — Annual growth and opportunity cycles
  • Saturn (2.5 years per sign) — Major life structuring periods
  • The Lunar Nodes (1.5 years per sign) — Evolutionary direction shifts

Understanding Aspect Types in Transits #

Conjunction (0°) #

The transiting planet merges with your natal planet. This is a moment of activation—the transit planet’s themes unite with the natal planet’s expression. Conjunctions are powerful initiations.

Sextile (60°) and Trine (120°) #

Harmonious aspects that create opportunities and flow. Sextiles require some conscious initiative; trines flow more automatically. Both support growth and ease.

Square (90°) #

Dynamic aspects that create productive tension. Squares are not problems to avoid but invitations to grow. They generate the energy needed for change and often mark important turning points.

Opposition (180°) #

Awareness aspects that create perspective through polarity. Oppositions often manifest through relationships or external circumstances that mirror internal dynamics. They invite integration.

House Transits vs. Aspect Transits #

House Transits #

When a planet transits through one of your houses, it brings its themes to that life area for the duration of its passage. For example:

  • Jupiter transiting your 7th house brings expansion to partnerships
  • Saturn transiting your 10th house brings restructuring to career

Aspect Transits #

When a planet forms an aspect to a natal planet, it activates that part of your psyche. For example:

  • Jupiter conjunct natal Venus expands love and pleasure
  • Saturn square natal Moon matures emotional patterns

Working With Transits #

The Growth Perspective #

Every transit, even challenging ones, offers opportunity for growth:

  1. Easy transits (trines, sextiles) offer support—but require conscious engagement to maximize benefits
  2. Challenging transits (squares, oppositions) generate energy for change—they’re invitations, not punishments
  3. Major transits (Saturn Return, Jupiter Return) mark significant life chapters

Practical Approaches #

For harmonious transits:

  • Be proactive—good fortune favors action
  • Don’t take ease for granted
  • Plant seeds for the future

For challenging transits:

  • Welcome the growth opportunity
  • Look for what’s being restructured or strengthened
  • Trust the process even when it’s uncomfortable

The Most Significant Transits #

Life-Changing Transits #

  • Saturn Return (age ~29, ~58) — Major life restructuring
  • Jupiter Return (every 12 years) — Faith and growth renewal
  • Pluto aspects — Deep transformation (not covered here, but profound)

Regular Growth Transits #

  • Jupiter to natal Sun/Moon — Annual opportunity windows
  • Saturn to natal Sun/Moon — Maturation moments
  • Node transits — Evolutionary direction shifts

How to Use This Section #

This section provides detailed interpretations for:

  1. Planets transiting through houses — Where life focus moves
  2. Planets aspecting natal planets — What’s being activated

For each transit, you’ll find:

  • What the transit means
  • Opportunities it presents
  • How to work with it consciously

Remember: Astrology is not prediction but illumination. Transits don’t determine what happens—they describe the qualities of time and the opportunities available within it.

To discover your current transits and how they relate to your birth chart, visit our Birth Chart Calculator.