transiting planets conjunct angles

I have a few questions I've not really found answered here or elsewhere on the net.

What is the significance of transiting planets (or other bodies/points) conjuncting an angle in our chart?

For example: a chart I am studying has transiting Uranus conjuncting the Midheaven - this, I take it, means that Uranus will significantly impact on the career and social drive of the subject, possibly leading to a change of jobs or career, or to a renegotiation of the subject's job towards more equality and independence (anything else?)

Another example: transiting Pluto conjunct Descendant - which happens to be conjunct natal Venus. This looks like a big upheaval in the subject's marital/romantic life, battling issues of power within relationships, relationship breakdown, etc.

How strong would such influences be? How long do they take to play out? Do they show events or psychological evolutions/revolutions or both? Are the impacts seen during or after the conjunction has occurred? Do the events occur during or after the conjunction, as they catch up with the subject's psychological change?

So in my first example (Uranus conjunct Midheaven) - would the impact on the subject's career be perceived during the time of the conjunction, or afterwards, as the subject absorbs the lessons of the conjunction? If nothing particular happens to the subject's career during the conjunction - can we say that the subject has been transforming internally, and so the effects will be perceived later?

How do other aspects in the subject's chart modify or reinforce these angular relationships?

Is there any significance in the oppositions to angles? (so, for instance, in the case of Pluto conjunct Descendant, we also have Pluto in opposition to Ascendant).

Outer planets conjuncting an angle can take years to play out in my experience, and are full of both outer and inner events. Remember that they're slow moving, and with retrogrades can hit the same point up to five times - and it takes forever before they move a safe distance permanently. Even after that, you're still dealing with the transit in an angular house.

One factor that can affect it is to look at what the relationship between the planet and the angle was in the natal chart - if it was tense, it will be more dramatic, but expect high dramatics even if there was an easy aspect, or no aspect at all.

I've heard some astrologers say that there are people who don't even notice the outer planets, but I've not found that to be true. And yes, you do get the opposition effect as well - if it's hitting the first house, it will shake up seventh house matters, ditto 4 and 10.

The more angular, the better.

What is the significance of transiting planets (or other bodies/points) conjuncting an angle in our chart? -- Fudugazi

The angles of the chart are based on the time and place you were born, they are unique to to you. Others born on that day, at that time, at some other place have different angles. Signs and planet positions are common to many, planets in the houses and the chart angles are individual and unique. This is more or less one point I make in the opening comments of my new book which is presently in final editing. The books title is, "Angularity: Natal, Solar Return and Progressed Daily Angles Charts."

Natal planets near the angles form the core energy and character structure of your chart. Everything at the angles is important. Everything that aspects what is at the angles is important.

WHICH TRANSITS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT?

When we get to transiting planets to the natal chart we have something that can be a little different. We might say that there is a "pecking order" that can be a useful guide but, like all things in astrology, the relationship to angles and the tightness of aspects can change things. OK, guidelines:

1) Angular natal planet touched by a transit/conjunction: Rate this a "10"
2) Angular natal planet touched by a transit/opp-sq-trine: Rate this an "8"
3) Angular natal planet in a tight aspect pattern with one
or more other planets elsewhere in the chart. Touched
by a transit to another planet int the pattern by conjunction. Rate as "7"
4) Non-angular planet in an aspect pattern with other planets,
touched by a tranist/conjunction. Rate as "5"
5) Non-angular planet in an aspect pattern with other planets,
touched by a transit/opp-square-trine. Rate as "4"
6) Non-angular planet not in a tight aspect pattern with other
planets . Touched by a transit/conjunction. Rate as "3"

IS THIS RATING-VALUE CUT IN STONE?

The relative strength of a transit, as indicated in the above paragraph, is not cut into stone. Several things can easily add to or diminish the importance of a transit near or distant to an angle. The closeness of the aspect by the transiting planet is important and relates to the rate of movement.
* Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Asteroids: within 1/2 degree. (weeks)
* Jupiter and Saturn: within 1 degree. Possible within 2 degrees. (week)
* Mercury, Venus, Mars: within 2 degrees. (several days to week)
* Sun: within 3 degrees. (days)
* Moon: within 4 degrees. (less than a half day)

IT ALL DEPENDS UPON WHO YOU ARE!

Some planets seem to be more expressive when combined with other planets. This comes from two factors; 1) The nature of the planet itself, and 2) the aspect patterns that that planet has in the natal chart.

SUN will invigorate any other planet but it does want to dominate that pairing.

MOON will react to any other planet, well to Venus and Jupiter, wildly to Mars, badly to Saturn, inconsistently with Sun.

MERCURY thinks about how the Moon will act, likes Venus, gets nervous with Mars, is excited by Jupiter and doesn't trust Saturn.

VENUS is infatuated with Mars, gets along with Jupiter, pays attention to Saturn, gets excited about Uranus and confused with Neptune. Avoids Pluto whenever possible.

Mars is energized and pumped up by the Sun, overreacts with Moon, hates to be held up by Mercury's thoughts, tries to please Venus, likes Jupiter's muscle, and dislikes Saturn's conservatism.

Conjunctions tend to blend or force expression.
Oppositions can either attract or oppose, or they can cause inconsistency in one's actions-reactions-thoughts-feelings.
Squares challenge, cause tension and create uncomfortableness.
Trines tned to facilitate and make things flow easier.
Semi-squares are much like squares.
Inconjuncts require adjustment and the need to try things again and again.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

The point is that the above is just a set of guidelines. The biggest challenge in learning and using astrology is in developing a sense of how to balance the guidelines with common sense and with experience. You just do charts, more charts, talk, share and then do more charts -- and then it just all works.

Dave

Thank you Gavriela and Dadsnook!

I am also finding the "delayed reaction" of the conjunctions with outer planets. I am still working with the developing consequences of Pluto conjunct my Moon in 1999-2000. I just wondered if that was a common experience.

I am wondering, too, if events AFTER a conjunction has passed, but which, in character, are closely related to the conjunction, can be traced to that astrological placement? For example, a divorce or a bankruptcy happening months or a few years after a conjunction with Pluto.

Dadsnook - thank you for that very detailed exposé. Very useful. I was wondering about conjunctions to angles which have no natal planets sitting on them. For example, a conjunction between a transitting outer planet and the Ascendant in a chart where no natal planet is conjunct the Ascendant; or even aspects it. Would it still have an effect, and by reverberation, on the opposite angle?

I have another question regarding your "character" explanation for the transiting planets. If - say - transitting Jupiter or Saturn are in aspect to a natal planet, which also happens to conjunct an outer planet (or vice-versa), would that inflate or restrict the effect of that outer planet for a while, or in any other way modify its effect? In a chart I am studying, I have seen this coming up at some point this year:

- a conjunction (tight) Neptune/natal Moon
- an opposition of that conjunct Moon/transiting Neptune with transiting Saturn conjunct natal Pluto (also tight)

(I shuddered, actually!)

Would Saturn modify the effect of Neptune on the Moon? For example make it less dreamy and self-deceiving, helping the individual create their dreams out of the rubble of broken or degenerate structures (conjunct Saturn/Pluto)? Or strengthen the depressive side of Neptune on the Moon and bring it some special obsessive intensity? And how would another important aspect modify that (in this instance, Jupiter trine Mars)?

Dad - another question - how do have you observed the effects of such important transits (in aspect to angles and planets) developing on the individual, during and after the aspect?

For Fudugazi

Pluto (22 Virgo) and Moon (12 Sag). These two are not in any classical aspect, but we can do two things; look at them within a "phase relationship" and look at them in terms of a transit contact.

Moon is in the 2nd 45-degree phase from Pluto; the WORKER PHASE. The two bodies, combined, suggest (to quote Ebertin's CSI) an extremely emotional life or an extreme expression of feeling. When we reconstruct this to fit the Worker Phase we get a struggle to drop old-or-family addictions to over-emotionalism, to go past the extreme feeling syndrome and be a bit more stable and practical in how we manage relationships and deal with issues. In the time around 2000, Pluto would have made a conjunction-transit to your natal Moon which would have set off all that this pair represented to you. Saturn would have been in your 10th house then, urging you to make some choices and to define your goals. This was probably an upsetting period for you. It was shortly after this that Jupiter transited your Ascendant and brought some direction and confidence to you.

I would note that Pluto is now leaving its opening square to its natal position. This is an important milestone in the "midlife and aging" cycles that we all have to contend with. One grand theme for the Pluto in Virgo generation is to personalize the need to be environmentally conscious, to both give and take in moderation, to pay one's dues. This will go on for awhile for you.

The angles are very personal, very powerful symbolic points in our charts. They represent our connection to our world, and then through that to the rest of the world. The angles are our patch of ground, our personal garden of potential expression. Any transit to an angle, planet or no planet being there to greet the transiting visitor, is important. You had Saturn cross your IC months ago -- its still there in your 4th house -- telling you to redefine what your resources are, what your personal values are, what you need to establish now for the next phases of your life. You are now in the "prove yourself" period. Mars has crossed your MC a bit back, giving go-power to this push to put your self on the right course, and Mars will be crossing your Ascendant a little later this year giving you the extra drive to complete what you have started.

The thing with time and the outer planets is that they move slow, and tend to put in motion events that take time to resolve. Personal planets move fast and associate with events that are shorter in terms of time. I tend to look at outer planets in terms of their cycles and phases rather than as transits.

A transit to one planet which has an aspectual relationship to one/more other planets will cause all the planets in that aspect pattern to ring like a bell. The natal pattern is actually a natal personality complex. Anything that it is sensitive to will set it off -- and it is sensitive to one of its members being triggered by any transiting member.

One planet it can modify another. But, I tend to think of them this way: When you add another planet to an already established pattern of planets, then you add another symbol. All symbols tend to express themselves on as many levels as possible -- they are like weeds, in that respect. They seek to grow in every place possible, under every possible condition. Adding complexity to our planetary pattersn is called life-experience or growing. This is how we show growth astrologically. Dave

Thank you so much, Dave! This is more than helpful.

I can see what you mean about the "developing relationship" of Moon and Pluto in my chart, and its activation through the conjunction of 2000. 1999-2000 were crucial years for me - I was in Rwanda, then Zimbabwe towards the end of 2000, working as a humanitarian. I broke my heart many times during that period, but also felt a sense of absolute certainty about what I was doing, and why. On the personal emotions/relationship front, it is later that the Pluto/Moon relationship has shown its effect. I am still working with all of that, and have grown enormously from that Pluto/Moon Virgo/Sagittarius relationship, as challenging as it is - I realise that now!

Thank you also for the explanation about the transits over angles - you described my actual situation to a T, btw - and about the symbols. I am in a part of Africa where everything grows so well, I can just imagine all these characters sprouting all over the place .

fudugazi when you said you shuddered at saturn pluto made me remember!

i have transiting saturn working way throught my 12th at the moment and preparing to go into 1st - lord god i hope i dont get depression but get real instead

i have pluto conjunct ascendant at 7 virgo

i got worried a bit then thought no - transiting pluto over saturn would destroy structures perhaps

transiting saturn over natal pluto could be more constructive

in general ive noticed my intuition going up lately and i attribute that to transiting saturn conjuncting my natal uranus in the 12th and its now moving to conjunct my pluto

i have natal saturn and pluto in trine so even though some say outer planet to outer planet transits dont affect you some say they can if you have them natally aspected

what im thinking is that from my saturn conjunct uranus (ok one manifestation of that) transit i think saturn as it seemed to have crystallised my intuition and interest in tarot and spirituality will crystallise my transformation in life and real changes i want to make and it shouldnt need to be a bad thing if you work with it

saturn pluto makes me uneasy - ive seen it at play with charts of big wars - it seems a harsh combination but as always the other factors in the chart play a big role

saturn is trining my moon and tr pluto has left a conjunction with my moon couple years ago - perhaps was preparing me for this?

whatever is happening in a chart with transiting planets i think is always mitigated with others so dont worry i guess

Pluto and Saturn

Don't you just hate it when the bad guys get together? All kinds of phrases spring to mind: Organizing chaos. A plan for taking apart the house. Organizing a funeral. Bringing reorganization to an instuitution. Limiting someone's power.

Depression? Yes, I had that with Saturn over my Ascendant when I was about 38. I then faced a challenge to my personal ethics. At last transit, Oct. 2002 and June 2003 I had just retired and was making a lot of adjustments in life. Work had ended abruptly (computer software systems went into the toilet after 2001 and the Y2K problem, along with a depression in the economy) and I needed a reorientation. No depression, just a pragmatic approach to doing new things. Actually, old things as I was able to resume some wood carving, the tarot, more time for astrology, started up a website, etc. Dave

Fudugazi said:

Thank you Gavriela and Dadsnook!

I am also finding the "delayed reaction" of the conjunctions with outer planets. I am still working with the developing consequences of Pluto conjunct my Moon in 1999-2000. I just wondered if that was a common experience.

I am wondering, too, if events AFTER a conjunction has passed, but which, in character, are closely related to the conjunction, can be traced to that astrological placement? For example, a divorce or a bankruptcy happening months or a few years after a conjunction with Pluto.

Click to expand...

Fudugazi, we must have moon on the same or similar degree. I had the same transit - Pluto conj natal moon during the same years and after that, I was completely changed. Like you, I am still working with what came up during that period. Without a doubt, one of the most intense, profound and transformative times in my life. I suppose those words are rather cliche considering Pluto... it was like bringing a very deep, unknown, sleeping part of myself to life. So I would say that it took years for certain things to crystalize that were set in motion during the transit.

In terms of timing, Carol Rushman suggests that strongly cardinal ppl feel the effects of transits faster, whereas it takes fixed ppl a while to get it. Personally, I have not seen this rule play out, but it's something to consider.