What transits are
Transits are the movement of the planets through the sky measured against your birth chart. The birth chart is frozen at the minute you were born, while the planets keep moving through the zodiac and from time to time form aspects to its points: your Sun, Moon, Venus, ascendant and the rest.
Each such aspect is a transit. Astrologers read transits as the weather of life: which themes are louder now, where luck waits and where a test does, when to act and when to wait.
The birth chart answers «who am I», the solar return «what the year brings», transits «what is happening now and in the coming weeks».
How to calculate your transits
- Enter your date of birth, the time if you know it, and start typing your town — pick it from the list.
- Choose the period: the next 30 days, this month or the next one.
- Press «Show the transits»: the table draws the sky of the period's first day outside, your birth chart in rose inside, and lines for the transits acting that day.
- Under the table: the background of the period from the slow planets, with dates, and a day-by-day calendar of the fast transits. The forecast for the period can be ordered right there.
The slow planets: the background of months
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto cross the sky slowly: their transit to one point of the chart lasts weeks, and for the outer planets months. They set the background of a period — its main themes and mood. The slow planets often turn back (go retrograde), so the same aspect may become exact twice or three times.
Jupiter
Conjunction. Jupiter on a point of your chart is a time of growth and new opportunities in that area: more luck, generosity and wish to expand. Use it for study, travel and bold steps, but do not take on more than you can carry.
Trine and sextile. A soft aspect from Jupiter is a tailwind: doors open more easily, people are readier to help, decisions come more simply. A good time to offer, to ask and to begin — luck loves action.
Square and opposition. A tense aspect from Jupiter inflates: you want everything at once, and it is easy to overrate your strength, money and promises. Growth is possible, but through moderation — plan with a margin and do not agree to too much.
Saturn
Conjunction. Saturn on a point of your chart is a time of responsibility and testing in that area. It may feel heavy and slow, but what you build now will last for years. Routine, a plan and honesty with yourself matter most.
Trine and sextile. A soft aspect from Saturn gives support: work brings results, it is easier to put things in order, make lasting agreements and be recognised for what you have done. A good time for serious decisions and long plans.
Square and opposition. A tense aspect from Saturn is a time of obstacles and deadlines: something slows you down, asks for patience and discipline, shows the weak spots. Do not force it: finish what you started, spread the load and save your strength.
Uranus
Conjunction. Uranus on a point of your chart brings changes long in the making: unexpected events, new people, the wish to break free of what is too tight. Leave room for experiment and do not hold on to what has run its course.
Trine and sextile. A soft aspect from Uranus is a fresh wind: new ideas, unexpected chances, a taste for the unusual. Change comes easily if you are ready to say yes to it.
Square and opposition. A tense aspect from Uranus brings shake-ups and sudden turns: plans change, patience runs out, you feel like dropping everything. Do not act rashly: give yourself freedom where you can and keep your footing where you must.
Neptune
Conjunction. Neptune on a point of your chart blurs the edges: intuition, dreams and inspiration grow stronger, but goals grow hazier. A time for creativity and compassion; check important papers and promises twice.
Trine and sextile. A soft aspect from Neptune opens imagination and sensitivity: a good time to create, to dream, to help others and to rest by the water. Trust your intuition — now it is sharper than logic.
Square and opposition. A tense aspect from Neptune brings fog: uncertainty, tiredness, the temptation to escape problems or to believe fine words. Rest more, check the facts and make no big decisions when you are worn out.
Pluto
Conjunction. Pluto on a point of your chart is a deep renewal of that area: something leaves for good to make room for the new. The process is slow and strong; let go of the old and take your power into your own hands.
Trine and sextile. A soft aspect from Pluto gives inner strength and influence: it is easier to change what has long been in the way, to get to the heart of things and to recover. A good time for deep change of your own choosing.
Square and opposition. A tense aspect from Pluto stirs up struggles for control and old fears: pressure from outside, crises, strong feelings. It is a hard but cleansing process — do not cling to what it is time to let go.
The fast planets: the days
The Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars move fast: their transit to a point of the chart lasts a day or two. They are the events and mood of particular days.
The Sun highlights a theme and adds energy, Mercury rules talks, trips, papers and decisions, Venus love, pleasure and money, Mars drive, arguments and action. Use the harmonious days for important things in that area, and go through the tense ones calmly and without haste.
Aspects and orbs
An aspect is the angle between a planet in the sky and a point of your chart. A conjunction (0°) is a fusion: the theme sounds at full strength. A trine (120°) and a sextile (60°) are harmonious: things fall into place more easily. A square (90°) and an opposition (180°) are tense: friction, but also a push to grow.
A transit acts while the planet is within its orb — a small allowance around the exact angle. We use 1° for the fast planets and 2° for the slow ones, and call the exact date the day the angle matches to the minute.
The forecast by transits
The forecast by transits reads the background of the period — what the slow planets bring and how to use it — then goes week by week through the dates of the fast transits, speaks about love, work and money, names the best days of the period and ends with three pieces of advice.
Questions and answers
Can I see my transits without a birth time?
Yes. Transits to the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars and the other planets are calculated exactly. Without the time there are no transits to the ascendant, the Midheaven and the Moon — on the day of birth the Moon moves more than ten degrees.
How are transits different from a solar return?
A solar return is one chart for the whole year: it shows the year's themes but not dates. Transits show what happens in particular weeks and days, which is why they are used for timing.
How exact are the dates?
The planets are calculated to an arcminute, and the dates are given in the time zone of the place of birth. If you live in another time zone, an event may fall on the next or the previous day.
Why does the same transit repeat?
From time to time the planets turn and go retrograde. Then a planet crosses the same point twice or three times, and the aspect becomes exact more than once.
Which transits matter most?
Those of the slow planets — Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto — to the Sun, Moon, ascendant and Midheaven. They last for months and set the big themes. The fast planets' transits are the background of particular days.
Solar return: the chart of your year →
The planets are calculated with Astronomy Engine; towns and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).