How Do You Figure Out Transits?

Hi everyone - I have been trying to do some internet research on this, with little success. I'm curious to find out how to determine what houses the outerlying plantets are transiting to my natal chart. Any clue?

I consulted a couple of astrologers and one said Uranus was transiting my 7th house currently, but another said that it will be moving across the 7th house cusp in the early part of next year. I've gone through 3 breakups in the past 2 years and the last two particularly abrupt and strange. Wondering if I need to take a break from pursuing relationships, oh, for the next 7 years (the duration of the Uranus transit)

I'm also curious to know where Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter are transiting.

Additionally, can anyone explain this - how transits differ from solar returns? For example, I was told my SR 2006 Uranus is in my 4th house. Why is that different from the transiting Uranus?

My birth data is as follows:

11-03-68
2:02 A.M.
Arlington Heights, IL (Cook County), USA

Thanks for any insights.

Dakota

Transits, to Dakota

Dakota,

Go to http://www.astro.com/horoscopes/ahor.asp , click on "Chart Drawing, Ascedant" and complete the steps. This gives you our birth chart. Go to http://www.astro.com/horoscopes/ahor.asp again and click on "Extended Chart Selection". On the drop down list choose "Natal Chart and Transits *". This gives you your transit chart.

Transit charts contain the actual locations of planets moving in the sky. Solar Returns are a "snapshot" of the sky at the time each year your Sun returns to the position it was at your birth. Transit charts move and change...a Solar Return chart is fixed non-moving at one moment in time.

About charting,

Tim

Dakota said:

Hi everyone - I have been trying to do some internet research on this, with little success. I'm curious to find out how to determine what houses the outerlying plantets are transiting to my natal chart. Any clue?

I consulted a couple of astrologers and one said Uranus was transiting my 7th house currently, but another said that it will be moving across the 7th house cusp in the early part of next year. I've gone through 3 breakups in the past 2 years and the last two particularly abrupt and strange. Wondering if I need to take a break from pursuing relationships, oh, for the next 7 years (the duration of the Uranus transit)

I'm also curious to know where Pluto, Saturn and Jupiter are transiting.

Additionally, can anyone explain this - how transits differ from solar returns? For example, I was told my SR 2006 Uranus is in my 4th house. Why is that different from the transiting Uranus?

My birth data is as follows:

11-03-68
2:02 A.M.
Arlington Heights, IL (Cook County), USA

Thanks for any insights.

Dakota

Click to expand...

Hi Dakota,

Transits are very easily determined when you know what you're doing. The first thing you need to do is go to Astro.com or any other site that will allow for you to create a free natal chart based on your birth data. I personally like and prefer Astro.com.

Secondly, when your chart pulls up, you see a whole bunch of planets, a large firey star, and an asteroid. These are known as your natal placements at the time of your birth, or what signs the planets were -transiting- at the time of your birth. These placements mark your personality. Those are like a blueprint of YOU.

When you go to Astro.com, you will see when you scroll down to the LEFT a box of the same planets and asteroid and stuff, in different signs, transiting those. To determine transits through your houses as well as other events (for example, when a planet transits a certain sign that makes an aspect to something in your natal chart) you need to know your natal chart. Depending one your Rising Sign also known as your Ascendant, your house placements are determined. For example, if you have a Gemini Ascendant, Gemini belongs in your 1st house, Cancer (the following sign) in your 2nd, Leo in 3rd, Virgo in 4th, etc etc.

So, let me give you another example based on the previous one. Uranus is currently transiting Pisces, which would put Pisces in your 10th house (if Gemini were your Ascendant) of career. This would indicate surprises and changes in your 10th house, the house of career/profession.

Now, the first person said Uranus in Pisces is in your 7th house of marriage/committed partners. This makes your Ascendant Virgo because the 7th house is directly opposite to the 1st, which is the house of the Ascendant (are you still with me here?).

Go to that site and post your chart or just placements in this same post if you can. On astro.com, there is an area called "Children and Young people" where if you scroll down to the very bottom they give you your placements and house placements together.

Good Luck,
Catatonia

Thanks so much Catatonia and Tim - your explanations were very helpfull and much appreciated to an astro-newbie like me.

Dakota

Still Trying to Understand SR vs Transit

Hi again - thanks Tim and Catatonia for your replies yesterday on how to get transit data.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole Solar Return thing though. If it's a fixed snapshot of the sky when a person's sun returns to its original location at time of birth, how can my SR Uranus be in the 4th house but my transiting Uranus be in my 6th? I don't get why they don't mirror each other. A snapshot would/should show where the planets are currently, the slow moving planets aren't going to move 2 houses from where they're currently transiting . . .

Puzzled,

Dakota

Transits and Solar Returns, to Dakota

Dakota,

The transit "chart" is actually TWO charts, while the Solar Return is ONE chart. The transit "chart" is created by putting the planets AROUND your birth chart.

Let's use your example: Pisces modifying Uranus focused in the 6th house

Since your transit chart is TWO charts, created by putting Uranus (and other planets) around your BIRTH chart, the position of Uranus in the transit chart depends on the positions of the houses in your BIRTH chart. In your birth chart, Pisces begins in the middle of the 6th house and then ends in the middle of the 7th house. The dividing line is the cusp (edge) of the 7th house 18 degrees 23 minutes Pisces. Transiting Uranus right at this moment is at 12 degrees 24 minutes Pisces, so Uranus comes BEFORE 18 degrees 23 minutes Pices, so Uranus is in the 6th house.

So far, so good!

Now, let's take a look at your Solar Return chart. When you were born, your Sun was at 10 degrees 58 minutes Scorpio. This year, the Sun reaches 10 degrees 58 minutes Scorpio on November 3, 2006 at 7:05:05 AM. We use your place of birth (Arlington Heights, IL) and create a chart for November 3, 2006 at 7:05:05 AM in Arlington Heights, IL. This is your Solar Return chart. We look for Pisces in the chart and see that the entire Pisces is in the 4th house. So Pisces modifying Uranus is in the 4th house. Since this is a different time from the transit chart, Uranus is in a different position: 10 degrees 55 minutes Pisces.

As we see, the main differences are the transit "chart" contains two charts, while the Solar Return is one chart; and the position of planets in the transit chart depends on the birth chart, while the position of planets in the Solar Return chart depends on when the Sun returns yearly to the position it was at our birth. Different methods, different charts, different placements of the planets!

Explaining,

Tim

Thanks again Tim. But why do the signs of the houses change for your SR chart (i.e. Pisces in the 4th instead of 6th-7th for my natal chart)?

How do you know what signs will rule each house every year? So is it safe to say that right now everyone has Pisces in their 4th house for their solar return?

Dakota

Hey, I have another question. The astro.com natal chart indicates I have a square between Venus and Pluto, yet when I've consulted other sites (i.e. Astrology.com), such a square has never been mentioned. I just read about it, and if it's true, then that explains a lot about my difficulties in romance. I thought that due to the Venus-Moon trine and Venus-Saturn trine in my natal chart, I should be experiencing a relatively stable and happy love life, but if I've got Venus square Pluto, that puts a whole different spin on things. Can anyone confirm or deny that Venus is indeed square Pluto in my natal chart and why don't sites consistently indicate such an aspect?

Just trying to figure things out,

Dakota

Different charts, to Dakota

Dakota,

You asked:

...why do the signs of the houses change for your SR chart (i.e. Pisces in the 4th instead of 6th-7th for my natal chart)? How do you know what signs will rule each house every year? So is it safe to say that right now everyone has Pisces in their 4th house for their solar return?...Can anyone confirm or deny that Venus is indeed square Pluto in my natal chart and why don't sites consistently indicate such an aspect?

Click to expand...

The Solar Return chart is a different chart from the birth chart. Remember the Solar Return chart is a NEW, different, non-birth chart calculated a specific moment and time of the year. So frequently the Solar Return chart will have different house cusps (edges of houses) from the birth chart.

You know the signs on the house cusps the same way you do for every chart...you calculate the chart and look at the signs on the house cusps...there is no easy way to "guess" what your house cusps will for any particular Solar Return chart without calculating the chart for that year.

Since YOUR Solar Return chart is based on YOUR birth time, place, and date only a person born at the same birth time, place, and date as you is certain to have the same Solar Return chart as you. There are MANY who do NOT have your birth time, place, and date, and for these people they would most likely have a DIFFERENT Solar Return chart.

The key thing to remember is that your birth chart and your Solar Return chart are two DIFFERENT charts...and so they have a DIFFERENT look to them.

An aspect technically is when two planets or points are a certain number of degrees from each other. In the case of the square, two planets are "square" when they are exactly 90 degrees 00 minutes 00 seconds from each other. But what about all the times they are CLOSE to 90 degrees but not EXACTLY 90 degrees? Astrologers have to decide how close aspects can be and still be an aspect (this degree of closeness is called the "orb" of an aspect). There is a LOT of disagreement of this with astrologers! However, most astrologers agree that astro.com's aspects are TOO generous (accept an orb for aspect that is too much). So it is not surprising that astro.com has an aspect listed where another site does not. However, YOU know YOU. If you feel that you have Venus square Pluto, even though many astrologers would say it is outside the orb of a square...then you have Venus square Pluto! The person ALWAYS comes first in doing astrological interpretation!

Explaining some more,

Tim

Re: Different charts, to Dakota

Dakota,

Just a quick note. This is my take on natal charts vs. solar return: Natal charts are the summary of your personality influences, life lessons, and place in the world. I see solar return charts as the lessons you will be working on in the coming year, with corresponding opportunities and pitfalls - kind of like the astrological "weather" for the year.

Dakota said:

Thanks again Tim. But why do the signs of the houses change for your SR chart (i.e. Pisces in the 4th instead of 6th-7th for my natal chart)?

How do you know what signs will rule each house every year? So is it safe to say that right now everyone has Pisces in their 4th house for their solar return?

Dakota

Hey, I have another question. The astro.com natal chart indicates I have a square between Venus and Pluto, yet when I've consulted other sites (i.e. Astrology.com), such a square has never been mentioned. I just read about it, and if it's true, then that explains a lot about my difficulties in romance. I thought that due to the Venus-Moon trine and Venus-Saturn trine in my natal chart, I should be experiencing a relatively stable and happy love life, but if I've got Venus square Pluto, that puts a whole different spin on things. Can anyone confirm or deny that Venus is indeed square Pluto in my natal chart and why don't sites consistently indicate such an aspect?

Just trying to figure things out,

Dakota

Click to expand...

When you look at your SR chart, that too has an Ascendant. The Ascendant then determines the house placements. For example, if you have Pisces Rising (1st house) you will have Neptune in the 1st house. When you look at your natal and/or SR chart itself, the wheel, you will notice how a planet can be inside the house. For example, if you have Aquarius in the 6th house putting Uranus in the 6th, the actual planet can be in the 3rd house.

Astro.com is accurate in its aspects. You do have Venus square Pluto.

The only reason the other doesn't show it is [probably] because of the orb. If Venus is in Sagittarius, or Gemini and Pluto is in Virgo, these signs will form a Square aspect either both by sign and orb, or just by sign (producing the same energies nonetheless). If Venus is in Capricorn or Cancer and Pluto is in Libra, these are also Square and so on.

Catatonia