The Eyes of Heaven
~ All About Transits ~
What are they? What do they do for you?
How can you understand them?

by Eliza Bassett


Aloha kakou - greetings to all.

Transits are the placements of the planets in the astrological sky today, and knowing the astronomical future of the positions, how they apply to your natal chart. When a person knows their natal chart?s configuration, what degree each planet sits at, and which house, then you can apply these future placements to your natal planets, thus calculating where the planets will be and what these placements will bring to your life.

 
 

Transits represent external forces helping us to allow change, to move into the present experiences of our societies. As we know, the world is always changing, and these planetary contacts assist us and allow us to move ahead. Transits point out which concepts and ideas we?re still holding on to that need to be released, so we can function in this present time.

We no longer have a viewpoint of a seven year old, right? Yet, we learn our natal chart patterns and how to work with them rather well by the time we are seven years old. And there are some parts of us that stay "stuck" in that viewpoint, as well as at other ages along our growth path.

We can resist change, and as you may have learned, ?what we resist persists?. Meaning the more we struggle, the more we will have to deal with the problems. This also applies to denying that a problem exists, since the issue will resurface at a later date for resolution. Only this time it may not be as simple or easy to resolve.


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Patterns of Transits

Transits occur in several ways. The most common pattern is a three-pass experience. The planet comes up and moves across the degree of your natal planet. Then the planet moves ahead and "stations" into retrograde motion. With that shift, the natal planet is going to receive the energetic message again from the moving planet. Then there is a final station - going direct - as the final pass moves across the natal position.

Another way is to experience only the forward pass, there is no retrograde and third pass.

One of the more difficult transits is when a planet does a ?station? either at the retrograde or direct point, at the same degree of your natal planet. Occasionally there is a fourth pass of a transiting planet and it can occur with this stationing feature as a major punch delivering the message.

How to "Hear" the Message

When you are aware of an upcoming transit?s timing -- the period of time where the planet moves into orb of aspect before the exact aspect is in alignment -- you can begin to work with your knowledge of the planets involved. Read up on the attributes that are related to each planet involved. There are some specific books written about some of the outer planets -- Pluto, Chiron and Saturn -- that can be helpful. If you are a beginning astrological student, please make sure that the content is not written for astrologers. I have found that the writings of Derek and Julia Parker to be extremely helpful for beginning students.

The first pass is the ?wake up? call. If you are paying attention, you can feel, hear, and receive the messages indicating what you need to be working with and changing. If you don?t hear this information, well, then the second pass (retrograde) is going to be the "wake up" call. Unfortunately, this can be in the style of a cosmic two by four or a baseball bat to deliver the messages. If you did pay attention on the first pass, then the retrograde pass is the clarification of those messages.

The period between the retrograde pass and the final pass I call integration. This is where you get to move into your new understandings and bring into form your new pattern of daily life. Some create a ritual for the day of the last pass that allows them to fully bring down their new selves and anchor them in with ease and grace.

When the planet stations on the same degree as your natal planet, this can feel like you?re at the bottom of a mortar and the pestle is descending on you -- time and time again -- grinding you into bits. The best way to work with this intensity is to surrender into the Divine Plan of your life. Focus on your goals -- the long term ones -- not the ones that say "just get me through this day". By looking ahead, you will pop out of this period without creating short-term coping mechanisms that end up being with you long past the difficulties of the transit.

When there is the rare extra pass when the retrograde planet returns for yet another visit on your natal planet, this is an extra opportunity to see if there is anything you?ve overlooked during the prior passes? intense work. For some, it is a blessing, as they are reminded of a very important process or issue to be resolved. They had discovered it, but had lost it along the way. (You know how those notes we make somehow just disappear? haha!) Anyway, this last extra visit brings those last bits in for you to clear up.

Your Best Tools

Your best tool (and it's free) is a willingness to look into your own life and be responsible for what you see. Taking some time for personal reflection is also important.

During any transit of a slow moving planet -- Saturn, Chiron, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto -- your best aid is a small notebook. Even a very teeny one, where at the end of each day you can jot down the information that appears to you over and over again. (If you own a PDA, then create a special daily file.) I suggest you look for information arriving in threes. Just write a few words down that are the core of the issues being presented. Use a fresh page daily. Then at the end of the week, look back over each day and see how things have come to pass. Watch for trends. That way you?ll be able to see how things are moving through your consciousness.

When things are too overwhelming, even as you receive the messages clearly, you may need to ask for help from a trustworthy counselor -- whatever style you prefer. You do not need to go through these times alone. Your awareness of what is happening to you will allow your counseling work to proceed with great speed.

I trust this will help you with a better understanding of transits.

May we all walk in beauty.
Malama pono (take care). NamastT.


Recommended book:
astrology transits, planet transits, transits, natal charts,eyes of heaven, all about transits, understand them, eliza bassett, astrology, astrologer, astrological sky, placement of the planets, planetary movements, natal planets, external forces, planetary contacts, natal chart patterns, birth data
"A New Look at Mercury Retrograde"
by Robert Wilkinson
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