Astrology Class - Transiting Astrological Aspects and How They Work

by Robert Wilkinson

One thing I've been asked through the years is when a "bad" aspect influence will be over. Many believe that just because a certain aspect is not exact, then it's no longer an influence. That's not the case at all.

The aspects of the outermost planets stay active for many months, if not years. For example, a client was worried that Pluto was approaching her Moon, and wanted to know when the influence would be done. It seems that the aspects of Saturn and Pluto bring out a sense of dread as they approach our planets!

I explained that when Pluto approaches a planet, it is as though something of extraordinary importance, even ominous, feels like it's coming. When Pluto is exactly conjunct a planet, we're in the heart of its influence, for good or ill. When it is separating, its influence is still at work, but with more of a sense that something is passing that has impacted our life profoundly. However, the influence, even passing, is still with us.

That's because the influences of the planets are not separate from our experience. A Pluto square impacts our life in certain ways. Just because it's separating does not mean we are free of its influence, since even a one or two degree aspect that is separating is still very much a part of our life experience.

A planetary transit indicates something in our external reality is impacting our life. The inner planet transits show us the quickly passing elements of existence, whereas the outer planet transits show us the slower, more important elements of life. As we respond to the transits, we shape our inner and outer responses that will impact how we deal with those things in the future.

Our natal planets show our inner "lights," or those divisions in our life and personality where we "shine out" our inclinations through the filter of the sign that planet is in. Any planet transit impacts the part of our life represented by the planet it touches. Still, we have the ability to change our pattern of response, regardless of whether we're dealing with the supposed difficulty of a transiting Saturn square to one of our planets or the supposed benefit of a Jupiter trine to another.

As we deal with forming aspects, we quicken in anticipation of whatever challenge, change, understanding, or specializing influence is indicated by the aspect being formed. When we are in the heart of an exact aspect, we may or may not find it being dramatically expressed in our outer life, but we are making decisions whether we know it or not connected to our inner and outer response to that energy.

Then, when an aspect is passing, our lives are moving forward in some way that was impacted by that aspect. But it does not mean that aspect is no longer influencing us, since every experience we have impacts our future responses. That's why it's folly to dread approaching hard aspects or rejoice once they are done, since an aspect merely shows us our learning path through what we confront in the planetary energies being revealed.

On a final note (and this can be applied to the current Jupiter transit), when a planet makes an aspect and then moves forward, it shows us something of our experience. Then if it retrogrades and makes the same aspect again, we are again shown something concerning that experience, but from a different angle of view. Then when it goes direct and makes an aspect for the third time, we again experience that type of energetic response, but hopefully can synthesize the energy and bring forth the highest and best response possible.

That's why the slow moving outermost planets tend to bring us experiences that may last for years, even though the aspect may not be exact. In Pluto's case, just because it no longer retrogrades back to an exact aspect does not mean that energy isn't at work! For readers who have planets in early Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn, even though Pluto may not retrograde back to an exact aspect, you can bet it's still very much in force in your life!

Regarding Saturn, if you have a planets in the early degrees of a Cardinal sign, you were first exposed to a restructuring in late 2009 and early 2010. Now it's moving forward, again making aspects to your early Cardinal planet. Though it move on into mid-Libra, you still have been impacted, continue to be impacted, and will be impacted by that experience even when the conjunction, square, or opposition is long past and Saturn is making other aspects to your early Cardinal planet.

Any aspect is merely one state of relationship between 2 planets on a continuum of many types of ways they must relate. Squares can help us turn corners, as well as put brakes on old ways. Trines can yield understanding and harmony, but also may show an unhealthy default positioning internally if the two planets are not functioning as they should.

So relax into the hard aspects when you're dealing with them, and remember that the outer planets help us reshape our response to our "Truth of Being," our Higher Self, and the eternal process of transformation. A Pluto transit can bring a death, but it can also bring us radical transformation into our Highest Self. A Saturn transit can bring hard realizations, but with the right view we can turn them to good results in reshaping our personality to bring it in line with our Highest intentions and purposes.

Any aspect can be used wisely or not. It all depends on our point of view and which responses we choose.

© Copyright 2010 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[wickleback]

Hmm... My natal chart has Pluto at 16 Libra (in the center of my tenth house) with Saturn quickly closing in. This also means Saturn is transiting my MC. I have been guilty of thinking the very thoughts you are warning us against. I am wondering if these are necessarily a bad (hard) transits or can they bring about rewards for hard work?

[Valerie]

You are so right, I've been going through a multiple Pluto transit for about two years and now Saturn (Cancer Sun and Moon, Mars in Cap) and I can really sense the change. Best advice I can contribute is take one day at a time and don't freak out. This is a great instructive article, Robert. Thanks, as always, and stay cool! :)

[Anne Texas]

I don't know where to put this. I saw my first UFO tonight. Shaped like two dominoes end to end. Just sayin'. Namaste'

[Kelly Grant]

First--Thank you for such an excellent site. I just found you shortly before the lunar eclipse on June 26, and I am mesmerized--not only by the incredible detail (most of which is Greek to me, but I want to learn), but also by your superb writing. What a treat. I am looking forward to having a reading with you one day--be gone, recession.

My DOB: 8/30/62; Eastern Long Island; 4:02 PM

Would you indulge me, as the beggar I am at the moment, and briefly comment on the Saturn and Jupiter things going on with my chart? It has indeed been one hellacious experience since late last year. From what I am able to understand, Saturn is going to backing off after a long time somewhere affecting me, and Jupiter ought to be making some good opportunities available to me.

I am determined to learn more about this. I can tell you this--Ive been into numerology for a few years now, and this 5 year has certainly played out--absolute chaos. I feel like things are very suddenly changing now--for the better, but it is only a feeling.

Any thoughts you can share with me are greatly appeciatef.

Thanks for all of this--I'm so grateful to have found your writings.