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“The entire purpose of predictive astrology is to help people understand how to bend the probability curves of their lives in the direction of happiness, personal fulfillment, and growth. The planetary energies that are crystallized in us at birth continue changing as we mature, alternately stressing and enhancing the resources inherent in our birth chart.”  Astrologer Stephen Forrest.

Predictive Astrology uses methods by which future influences are ascertained. The consideration of this branch of Astrology opens up the whole question of Fate versus Free Will, and at once determines the difference between the "exoteric" and the "esoteric" astrologer. The one is a confirmed fatalist who believes himself forever under the bane of Destiny, with an entire life mapped out for him over which he has no control: no re-embodiment of the soul, no continuity of existence and with no sense of purpose - because a cruel or a kind Fate has brought him into existence against his will and imposed upon him an environment he did not choose. The other is sustained by a belief that as a man sows so must he reap. His motto is "Man know thyself," that he may choose to sow in such manner as to reap a harvest of his own enlightened desires. It is from this standpoint that all "Directions" should be made, and all rules based upon the dictum that while the stars may impel they do not compel. This presents Astrology as cosmic conditioning, but over which Man is capable of conscious control. – Astrology Weekly

Transits – Progressions – Directions

What are Transits?

Transits are the actual physical motions of the planets around the Sun as observed from the perspective of Earth.  Transits are external and mediate the unfolding of issues inherent in the birth chart; timing and triggering their active emergence into the world of events.

A transits occurs whenever a planet, moving in it s orbit during an individual’s lifetime forms an aspect to a planet, the Sun, the Moon, a sensitive point, or any of the house cusps in the individual’s natal chart. Also whenever a planet is moving through a particular house in a natal chart we say that the planet is transiting the house.

By following the transits you can see the timing of experiences, from times of opportunity to major life crises. This brings an understanding of how and why you have experienced certain things in the past, also your present experiences, and what you may experience in the future.

Transits cannot predict events but only the type of experience you will have at a certain time. At all times you have free will as to how you react to these experiences, and whether the planetary energies involved are used positively or not.

When viewing a nativity and just the transits that are in effect, a BIWHEEL is plotted with the nativity at the center and the transits encircling the nativity in an outermost ring.

All of the astrological entities being used, planets, asteroids, nodes and points of the nativity are set into their current motion in the transit ring. The degree and minute of each entity is shown as well as its relationship to the nativity. For example, transiting Jupiter which lies at 10° Sagittarius 02’ is in the 8^th house of the nativity. You can see it is just moving away from or separating from a conjunction to natal Chiron in that house but it still affecting the natal energy of Chiron and will continue to do so until it is 5° separating from Chiron. Jupiter is also making an applying trine to the natal Sun in Aries in the 12^th house and separating trines to natal Venus and Mars in Aries in the 12^th house. Transit Jupiter is also moving away or separating from a trine with natal Pluto in Leo in the 5^th house. Overall, you can also see that transiting Jupiter is forming a temporary GRAND TRINE with the natal Sun, Venus, Mars, and Pluto tying together the 12^th, 5^th and 8^th houses.

When a transiting planet has finished making an aspect to a natal planet what can be expected? A planet may stop influencing a nativity for a while but the significance of its passage over a trigger point remains forever.  If we have made a strong self aware response to the energies and the issues raised then something within us has permanently changed. We are not the same person we were when the transit began. The new realizations and the skills we garnered remain with us. The strengths and insights gained remain latent in the personality ready to be activated effortlessly and automatically whenever circumstances demand action.

4 STEP ANALYSIS Transit Planet to Natal Planet:

1) Understand the natal planet. For example in the sample chart the Sun is in Aries in the 12^th house. It is opposed natal Neptune and trine natal Pluto and natal Chiron. The Sun, Pluto and Chiron form a GRAND TRINE in the nativity. This person happens to be very psychic and is a healer and teacher of metaphysics on a prolific scale. Despite all the Arien energy she prefers to keep low key and operate behind the scenes where she feels she can do the most good.

2) Understand the nature of the transiting planet. When transiting Jupiter is operating positively, it brings new confidence and new perspectives as well as opportunities to move boldly into the future. When involved in a challenging aspect such a s a square, transit Jupiter and the Sun will be in a state of friction threatening one another but also demanding growth and excellence from each other.

3) Grasp the aspect link between the transiting planet and the natal planet or point. Transit Jupiter is in an applying trine to the Sun reinforcing the natal GRAND TRINE and forming a temporary GRAND TRINE of it own by the conjunction to natal Chiron and trining the Sun and Pluto. Is transit Jupiter signaling opportunity fro the individual to step out of the shadows and move more into the limelight?

4) Understand the house through which the transiting planet is moving. In the example it is the 8^th house. It may indeed be time for the woman to move into the limelight a bit more because sweeping changes are happening for her on the deepest psychological levels. She has a better grasp of her own behavioral patterns and can regenerate herself. On a mundane level, she might find it more comfortable to step out on a larger scale if she employs the help of a business partner or requests a loan from the bank to enhance herself on a business level. As it turns out this woman had plans to open a clinic in the Midwest that combined holistic healing with practical medical care which worked out very well. She ended up with several good investors and had an easy time financially in getting the clinic off the ground. She continued to teach but switched to preventative holistic care.

Life Cycle Transits –

“Every astrological prediction must be seen in the context of the human life cycle and must draw part of its meaning from the fixed realities associated with each individual’s chronological age.”  Astrologer Stephen Forrest

Transit analysis must be kept relevant to a person’s chronological age. After all you would not predict career developments for a five year old or a sexual blossoming for a bedridden old lady in her eighties. Life cycle transits involve the outer planets Saturn – Pluto and need to be understood through their own waxing and waning paradigm.

SATURN – Saturn’s orbital period is roughly 29.42 years. The major life cycle events of Saturn are called the Saturn Returns and there are two of them. They mark the period of when transiting Saturn comes back to its natal position at around age 29 and then again at age 58 or 59. The periods mark times of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with how well we have achieved our dreams and goals. During the first return we ask ourselves, “What have I done with my life?” “Am I where I thought I’d be?” “Am I on the right track to reaching my goal or have I wasted time and effort?” “Have I done nothing at all?” Typically it is a difficult time – the classic “identity crisis” as the transition is made between youth and midlife. The second return has some things in common with the first return in that once again the individual comes to a turning point. The larger issue is the challenge to accept reality as the individual moves from maturity to old age. For many this can be a creative time because the individual has “been there and done that” and much wisdom has been gained along the way. The focus is now more on not what can be gained but what can be left behind.

URANUS - The waxing sextile occurs around age fourteen usually the time when teens really feel their nascent individuality and quest for “freedom” and give mom and dad a hard time. Puberty advances and the sexual imperative drives teens into complex social situations accelerating individuality. Psychologists have termed this behavior identity assertion. The waxing square cones at age 21 when fiction exists between growing individuality and awareness of the limits culture imposes.  The trine comes at age 28 preparing the way for the first Saturn return. The personality begins to operate in harmony with social reality. Around age 42 the Uranus Opposition occurs. This transit is synonymous with Midlife crisis. Basically the individual is tired of being told what to do yet is spooked by the concept of looking at the second half of life. On the etheric level, the Kundalini energy surges up from the base chakra up through the crown chakra like an electric charge for approximately a full year. On all accounts it is a very tense time when stress is at an all time high. The waning square comes at age 63 and addresses a time when we often feel physically weaker and less able to defend our turf socially. Or to be able to define ourselves in a way that is less dependent upon social approval. The waning sextile at 70 is basically a new burst of vigor and finally the Uranus return at 84 signals the completion of our individuality.

Neptune – The waxing Neptune sextile occurs at around age 28 so it coincides with the Uranian trine and the early part of the first Saturn return. With these three outer planets coinciding at approximately the same time, it becomes clear that the late twenties emerge as critical years. At that time we all make decisions both practical and philosophical that shape our adult lives. With the sextile we become aware of the need to merge with something larger than the self… a direct experience of a higher truth or reality. At age 41, the waxing square of Neptune instigates a new focus. We want proof of that higher truth and faith can easily be shattered or we can leap to a new level.  The next cycle, the waxing Neptune triune at around age 56 suggests the possibility of spiritual harmony rising within us. It is usually a peaceful time but there are no guarantees because the energies run too mellow. Used correctly this phase helps with preparation for the second Saturn return. The Neptune opposition occurs at age 83 and represents an endpoint. The existence of “beyond” is no longer conjectural – it is real and palpable. At death it is Neptune which cuts the silver chord holding the Soul to the body. It is Saturn that signals the death of the physical body and Pluto which shuts down the mind and reasoning.

Pluto – In a single lifetime, Pluto rarely develops as far as an opposition. There are four Plutonian turning points, the rare opposition, the trine, the square and the sextile. Each transit lasts for three to four years giving it plenty of time to build significance so it is thought that Pluto transits are “subtle” until that momentum is built. The sextile occurs in the early forties and the energy is an urge to do something big because there must be more  - this can’t be all there is! The average age for the waxing square is 62 but all depends upon the personal horoscope and the historical period in which the native was born. Some people born in the middle of the century experience the square in the late thirties. The energy pushes the idealistic rite of passage. Something is accomplished not because it is right but because it feels right. The trine appears in the middle eighties but for some will occur in the late fifties. It is a flowing time connected to destiny. The opposition represents tension and a kind of judgment day. The questions? What great works  have you dome and what have you left behind?

What are Progressions?

Progressions are a separate predictive system that stands along side transits but works differently. While transits represent environmental factors, progressions represent a kind of genetic growth within the birth chart. Progressions are more personal and they tell us how we are growing into our birth charts and at what stage we are at in that growth. The best way to describe progressions is to call then the “evolving identity.”

Secondary progressions run on the premise that a day equals a year. In other words if you wanted to find the progressions for an individual who was 35 years old, you would locate his birthday in an ephemeris and starting with his birthday count down 35 days. The planetary positions for the 35^th day area also the progressed planetary positions.

Progressions are viewed with the transits and the natal chart is a tri-wheel. The natal chart occupies the center then the progressions are placed in the second ring and finally the transits in the third ring. While both are delineated in reference to the nativity, transits to the progressions are also delineated using a 1° orb.

It is important to remember that both transits and progressions can move in retrograde motion. In the sample chart you can see that progressed Neptune is at 12 ° while natal Neptune is at 13° and progressed Chiron is at 5° while natal Chiron is at 8°. The outer planets hardly move at all by progression as you can see in the example with progressed Saturn and Pluto.

Do the progressions support the transits in the outlook for the psychic healer? Some of her personal natal planets Sun, Mercury, and Venus have progressed into the 2^nd house of values and income which means she is in a period where values are being emphasized. The progressed Sun is opposed natal Chiron bringing in plenty of metaphysical awareness and personal healing of her own value system. The progressed Sun in Gemini is also sextiling natal Venus and Mars in the 12^th meaning that her versatility and adaptability is enhanced and she is ready for change and open for opportunity. Progressed Uranus has moved into 29° of Gemini indicating that she has reached a level of expertise in both communication and teaching. She is ready to be heard on a grander scale. Progressed Mars is in the 1^st house of self in the sign of Taurus granting her projection grounded assertion. It is conjunct the natal Part of Fortune which is also fortuitous. The progressed Moon is at 29° Gemini in the third house also indicating heightened communication skills. The progressed Moon moves approximately a degree a month so in a month’s time the Moon although still in the third house will enter the sign of Cancer possibly bringing in some insecurity perhaps over her home life if she is spending too much time at work. She will need to take time out to listen to her feelings.

What are Directions?

Solar Arc Directions are another form of progressions where each planet is moved the same degree as the progressed Sun. If the progressed Sun has moved 57’ in a year then so have all the other planets. Solar arc are Sun based so they address Sun based questions. They tell us a good deal about the ego and self image at a particular time. The only aspects considered are the new ones formed between the solar arc chart and the nativity. A 1° orb is used.

Directions are viewed with the transits, progressions, and the natal chart in a quad-wheel. The natal chart is at the center surrounded by the progression ring, then the directions ring and finally the transit ring.

Here again we see an emphasis on the 2^nd house of values by direction with the directed Sun, Venus and Mars in Gemini amping up her personal image with versatility and communication skills. It is interesting to note that in two years directed Uranus in the 5^th house of creativity will trine and sextile her natal Nodal Axis opening new doors for her and instilling her with a further need to explore her ego needs.

“Always remember that regardless of how many indications, you cannot really predict, since the individual’s attitude and actions are subject to his or her free will and therefore the final outcome is non predictable. Every astrologer sooner or later is faced with a chart with difficult aspects – aspects that are scary especially those leading up to the time in question. Remember that what you see in a chart are possible difficulties, challenges, health problems, marital or other stresses, career or work predicaments, financial reverses, and even loss of a loved one. Death cannot be predicted in astrology because the chart of an individual lives on and you do not know what a person with scary challenges will do when the chips are down. The mysterious process of life and death is more complex than any definite rules could explain.” Astrologers Marion March & Joan McEvers

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