Astrology Class – Transiting Squares and Oppositions to Transits and Natal Planets

by Robert Wilkinson

I’ve heard a lot lately from people who are worried about the ongoing Cardinal T squares, while others are relieved that they haven’t been as tough as expected. I have a few ideas about this.

As I’ve long taught, transiting squares that make productive aspects to natal planets indicates that though circumstances may be intense and unstable, we can still find the best way to do our Being despite the outer tension. For example, we all “survived” the transiting Uranus square Pluto, for better or for worse, depending on how we handled those external forces for transformation.

Remember that transit to transit aspects cannot be taken personally, even when they accompany personal changes. Transits show us the patterns and gestalt of the times, and the interrelationships between the transiting planets show us the complexities of various types of forces in our lives.

Where the transits fall in our charts shows the “planetary department of labor” is focused in that area of our life, and the aspects those transits make, whether transit to transit or transit to natal, show when energy builds and when it releases, both in general and in our lives specifically.

That’s why the tension of Uranus square Pluto over those years could be used productively if we understood what was being revolutionized and/or purified, and responded appropriately according to our individuality.

My life was certainly purified and revolutionized during those years! While some of it was extremely disruptive to past patterns (T Pluto square N Sun, T Uranus conjunct N Sun 2011-2014), other parts stabilized, despite unfortunate circumstances leading to peculiarly serendipitous outcomes (T Pluto trine N Venus, biseptile and tredecile N Saturn 2012-2016) AND T Uranus sextile N Moon, trine and tredecile N Asc. 2013-2017)

Since October 2016, we’ve been experiencing Jupiter square Pluto and Jupiter opposition Uranus, with occasional T-squares created when an inner planet transits through the hot zones. Though Uranus is no longer square Pluto, we still get a “twin pulse” effect, with a succession of aspects triggered rather than several simultaneously.

For example, right now Mars is in Cancer. It squared Jupiter on June 24/25, but also trined Neptune. This is an expansive energy that seeks its own level, so to speak. Yesterday it opposed Pluto, creating a circumstantial “push-pull” energy field. As T-squares are integrative, it shows we had to deal with these aspect energies sequentially, with an eye to the Aries void as either what we had to deal with or what we had to use to deal with what we have confronted.

All of this is transit to transit, and any of the three players (Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto) could be making any number of aspects to our planets. If they are productive or harmonious, then the T-square would release these into the world in productive or harmonious ways. A square between 2 planets each in a harmonious aspect to a planet in our chart will bring harmonious releases and turning points in our lives.

Because Jupiter square Pluto is a transit to transit square, it shows that the ongoing expansive and protection principle (transiting Jupiter) has and will hit a “turning point” or “braking point” relative to the collective pressure of transformation/purification (transiting Pluto). This would indicate that the outer circumstances will bring a need for balanced idealism and rhythmic response to opportunity (Jupiter in Libra) to a culmination point (waning square) relative to the coercive and manipulative power and control systems breaking down old political and social structures (Pluto in Capricorn.)

Jupiter’s position shows that those with planets in mid-Sagittarius, mid-Aquarius, mid-Gemini, and mid-Leo will stabilize those parts of the inner life despite the outer challenges related to keeping things honest, open, and above board. These challenges involve long wave renewal for Libras, long wave emergent developments for Cancers, long wave relationship changes for Aries, and long wave fulfillments for Capricorns, with various transit to transit aspects bringing local circumstances that facilitate these personal changes.

So you can see that even though there is “atmospheric” friction due to the transiting T-square, we can still use that dynamic energy productively, depending on how those planets configure with our natal planets. Despite the conflicted Pluto in Capricorn, it’s still bringing stability, harmony, and/or a sense of understanding about how to ride the waves of purification and transformation to those with planets in mid-to-late Pisces, Taurus, Virgo, and Scorpio.

Remember too that these oppositions from Cancer to Capricorn, and the ones coming later from Libra to Uranus in Aries, may bring high realization rather than any overt opposition in the life. And any opposition gives us the ability to triangulate, using points outside the opposition to resolve the tension.

So though the current Cancer transit to transit aspects show harmony to Neptune AND opposition to Pluto, we can still use the generic flow and intensification to make progress. In other words, an opposition may feel like we’re “sailing against the wind,” but the trine can help us “tack into the wind” and catch the forward momentum in our sails despite the headwinds.

It’s the same with any other transit to transit opposition that affects a planet or angle in our charts. If we have something in sextile and trine to the opposition, we can make great progress despite outer circumstances. If we have something that makes a quintile or tredecile to the opposition, we will find high specialization and unique circumstances that should help us to express something “quintessential.” And if the opposition makes a T-square to a planet or angle in our chart, we can use the tension to integrate the power and release it through the void in the configuration.

So please don’t sweat the afflictions to your chart by transit to transit aspects. They can all be used in productive ways. It’s all a question of finding the right point of view and the willingness to learn how to bring love, wisdom, and understanding to the circumstance.

Copyright © 2017 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Virginia Bare Daugherty]

Very insightful! I feel like the astrological perspective is morphing/becoming multi-dimensional, instead of linear and binary. It feels like one has to hold multiple things "in mind" in a holographic sense to make sense of all the various energy currents. There is no either/or, really .... its the "color" and "tone" of how one runs their energy in the midst of this energetic hologram called transits and aspects and .... planets and signs and houses and, and, and... ... until one may find the right point of view and the willingness to learn how to bring love, wisdom, and understanding to the circumstance. Thank you Robert.

[Brian]

I dig the sailing metaphor, well said. Interesting that we can be relieved from "sweating the afflictions" when we're conscious of the energy patterns and able to see the release points and integration points. There's astrology's power. The concept of triangulating from either side of an opposition is new to me, thanks for that, I'll use it. I tend to view transiting squares as high tension energy that through conscious focus can take us deeper in, while oppositions are a call to express or change something outer. My Sun/Chiron at 13 Aries was strongly impacted by the Uranus/Pluto square, which was an intense inner transformative process (seems like a tame euphemism when compared with what I went through!). After enough life experience, it's easy to see that facing and working your life's challenges makes you stronger, wiser and better suited to deal with the next challenge. Thank gods for squares and oppositions! Otherwise we'd all be slugs! (Or maybe amoebas!) Thanks Robert!

[Denise]

Well said - I too had T Pluto square N Sun, T Uranus conjunct N Sun. The first year was pretty rough, but the second was easier, and I figured it was because I also had Saturn trine N Sun that year. Your explanation of the "twin pulse" effect makes sense to me too. BTW that Pluto/Sun/Uranus transit was what drove me to learn astrology!