Neptune Bob's Introduction to Transits

Introduction to Transits

Transits are one of the principal tools for prediction of events. They are also useful for timing of events indicated by other methods, such as the events signified by a progression or direction.

A transit is the passage of a planet, luminary or other astrological point across another planet or point, the latter usually from a natal chart. It shows how current changes, symbolized by the transiting planet or point, relate to the individual, symbolized by the natal chart generally and the natal planet or point specifically. Most often, the transiting planet or point forms some angle of significance ("aspect") to the natal planet or point. The particular angle provides some hints as to the nature of the interaction.

A transit could also consist, more generally, of the movement of a planet or point through a house or sign, or across the angles in a natal chart.

Reinhold Ebertin wrote, on the duration of transits:

Duration of Transit Influence

Sun	One to two days
Moon	Two to three hours
Mercury	One to three days
Venus	One to three days
Mars	Two to three days
Jupiter	Three to ten days
Saturn	Eight to fourteen days
Uranus	Two to ten weeks
Neptune	Four to eight weeks
Pluto	Several months
North Node	Two to three weeks

These durations are only rough approximations, and can vary greatly due to the way they relate to a natal chart. Transits of the Sun, Mercury and Venus are so brief and their potency so slight that they are often ignored entirely. Transits of the Moon and Mars are also brief, but are not always considered so trivial, since they often may act as a catalyst or trigger for other, slower and more powerful indications. Thus, their importance may lie not so much in their strength as in their timing. The longer, slower transits are the ones that usually symbolize the more important changes or events in life.

The length of a transit could also be dramatically affected if the planet is "stationary", or passes over the same point more than once, due to retrograde motion.

"Stationary" means that a planet appears to halt in its motion, when it is shifting from "forward" motion (referred to as "direct") to "backward" motion (referred to as "retrograde"), or vice versa. Actually, only forward motion really occurs; retrograde and stationary are more in the nature of optical illusions due to the vantage point of earthbound observers. Nevertheless, they do have their effects in a horoscope.

Planets that form an aspect to a natal planet and then go stationary can signal very potent and much longer-lasting effects. Direct planets which form such an aspect and then go retrograde can move over the same point several times, which effectively prolongs the transit well beyond its normal "single pass" duration.

The length of a transit is a direct result of the motion of the planet in question, relative to our earthly vantagepoint. This same motion also governs the length of the planet's cycle from one point in the Zodiac, all the way around and through the other signs, and back to its point of origin.

According to Llewellyn George, the lengths of the planetary cycles are:

Length of Planetary Cycles

Moon	27 days, 7 hrs., 43 minutes
Sun	Approximately 1 year
Mercury	Approximately 1 year
Venus	Approximately 1 year
Mars	Approximately 22 months
Jupiter	Approximately 12 years
Saturn	Approximately 29 1/2 years
Uranus	Approximately 84 years
Neptune	Approximately 165 years
Pluto	Approximately 248 years

So, when these cycles reach their end and start over, the planet in question returns to the place it occupied at birth. When the Sun does this, we call it a Solar Return, and it happens on your birthday, or 1 day before or after, depending on the year. But other planets have Returns too. Since Saturn has about a 29 1/2 year cycle, your Saturn Return happens at about age 29 1/2. It happens again about age 59, and again, if applicable, about age 88 1/2! This could be rendered simply as a "Saturn Return", or as a "Transiting Saturn conjunct natal Saturn" transit - they mean the same thing.

What does it mean when a transit repeats itself in a short period of time?

This is a fairly common occurrence. It happens because the transiting planet goes retrograde - see the Astrological Terms page and the discussion above, but briefly, it means that the planet appears to move backwards from our vantagepoint on Earth. The transiting planet contacts the natal planet once while it's moving forward ("direct"), but then it appears to reverse direction, and contacts the natal planet again.

At this time, whatever began on the "first contact" may seem to reverse itself, or may appear to need to be reconsidered, re-evaluated and re-attempted... the project, discussion, relationship or whatever isn't going forward as originally anticipated.

Then, when the retrograde is over, the transiting planet starts moving forward again ("goes direct"), and contacts the natal planet again!

Now the project, discussion or whatever it is seems to be back on track, and may actually reach its resolution, completion or fulfillment. This is most often when the true, full effect of the transit is felt.

In somewhat rarer cases, the transiting planet goes retrograde again and does this whole dance one more time, backward and forward again, before it moves far enough away from the natal planet that it won't happen anymore. So the transit can form an exact aspect three times forward/direct and twice backward/retrograde before it is really completely over. Depending how far the transiting planet moves between "hits", the transit may continue to be felt during the interim, but in some situations it moves far enough away from the natal planet that it seems to have faded out entirely before it comes back and is felt again.

That's why sometimes you'll see the same transit "repeated" three, or even five times in a relatively short period.

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