by Robert Wilkinson
Continuing the theme of astrological fundamentals, over the years many have asked me when a "bad" progressed or transiting aspect influence will no longer be an influence. Many believe that just because a certain aspect has already passed, then it's no longer active. That's not the case at all.
First, a brief recap of yesterday’s lesson in basic astrology. The planets are our "inner lights" - the Illumination principle (Sun), the reflective principle (Moon), the coordinating principle (Mercury), the "liking" principle (Venus), the activating principle (Mars), the expansive principle (Jupiter), and the limiting principle (Saturn). Obviously they have other keywords. Each of these have healthy and unhealthy ways of manifesting. Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and TransPluto are transpersonal planets, and work to bring forth our highest Self via large scale collective forces beyond individual control.
The 12 signs signs are the filters through which these lights shine: Sun in Libra is illuminated by Libra people, events, and ways of being; Sun in Cancer is illuminated by Cancer people, events, and ways of being.
Venus in Taurus likes Taurus people, music, art, and experiences; Venus in Gemini likes Gemini people, music, activities, and experiences.
Jupiter in Aries finds opportunities in Aries ways and places; Jupiter in Aquarius finds opportunities in Aquarius ways and places, and so forth for each planet in each sign.
The houses are the area of activities: self (1st house, or Ascendant), money and values (2nd house), environment and siblings (3rd house), home and family (4th house, or IC/Nadir), children and creativity (5th house), partnerships and equal relationships (7th house, or Descendant), profession and public standing (10th house, or Midheaven), friends and goals (11th house), and so forth. A comprehensive list can be found via any commercial astrology site.
The aspects (conjunction, sextile, quintile, square, trine, etc.) are the angular relations between the points, ie, the parts of our personality. The Sun-Saturn aspect in our natal chart shows how our innate illumination relates to our fears; our Mercury-Venus aspect shows how our mind relates to our likes and dislikes. Our Moon-Neptune aspect shows our emotional disposition toward collective consciousness; our Mars-Jupiter aspect shows how our natal willingness to act relates to our ability to perceive opportunity or distant possibilities.
The natal positions, set at the moment of “first breath,” are our innate disposition. Over time these predispositions evolve, or “progress.” These are known as Progressions, a.k.a. secondary directions. We have both natal planets and progressed planets. The transits, i.e., where the planets are at any given time, are the gestalt of the moment. Where the planets are yesterday, today, and tomorrow into eternity symbolize the circumstances happening at that time. Of course, these can be harmonious or frictional with our natal traits and how these planets have evolved through progression.
Aspects are made by all the progressed and transiting planets to the natal positions, as well as transits to progressed positions. Some aspects pass quickly, such as those made by faster planets such as Mercury and Venus. Others pass more slowly, such as those made by Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
The aspects of the outermost planets stay active for many months, if not years. For example, a client was worried that Pluto was approaching the conjunction to 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.
Given the former deals with forms of fear, limitation, and mental slavery, and the latter deals with radical transformation, annihilation and resurrection, it’s no wonder that people’s attention gets very focused during such transits! Still, even Saturn and Pluto work wonderful lessons for those open to becoming their Higher Self.
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 transiting (and progressed) 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.
Again, 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, 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!
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 2018 Robert Wilkinson
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