So what your saying is that transits will not manifest outwordly until they're in 1* orb and everything else is experienced as background influence?
more or less. Outward manifestations are seen when the angles are triggered/transited. The rest may simply be felt internally. Orbs can/are quite contentious things. I know Waybread here, uses 3' orbs astro.com uses very very wide orbs of 10' approaching, 10'exact and 10' departing to the transit goes on forever. Obviously, common sense suggests the closer, tigher the orbs the more it will be felt.
Also the planet receiving the transit, it's natal aspects will be affected, not just the planet it's making a transit to. So for example, as you have pluto and saturn opp MC, whatever goes over your MC will make 'hard aspects' to these two planets, so IF it were mars for example it may well cause delays frustrations (saturn) and stop/go situations connected to career/work/or your social standing in community. I have had all the outers go over my MC and most affected my marriage (as I was not working) or parents when younger...