Where the Natal Horoscope is showing a person’s internal state and make up – the drives, urges
strengths and weaknesses of the character, the transits are showing how the universe – the external
world – is impacting on the native. What we call “transits” are the movement of the planets at a
given time. The universe didn’t stop moving after birth – for when the Horoscope was cast. It
continues on and on. And the transits show us how these movements are affecting the native.

The general teaching on planet transits is to see what each planet is doing to a given Natal planet. Is it
making harmonious aspects? Discordant ones? Neutral ones? And if so, which of the Natal planets
or Houses are being affected. This is all very useful and accurate. But always they relate to the
individual chart. But experience has shown me that the transits have effects even if no planet or
point in the chart is being hit. They have impact in their own right. Let us, for example, imagine
someone who has Venus as his Financial Planet. Venus’ transits through the different signs during
the course of a year is going to influence the financial behavior. For example, if Venus is moving
through a fire sign (even if his own Venus is not affected) the native will tend to be more
speculative and risk taking. The native will tend to spend more impulsively than usual. If Venus, by
transit, is moving through an earth sign, the native will be more cautious and conservative during
that period – and so on and so forth for all the positions. Wherever Venus by transit happens to be –
there will be some impact on the native’s finances.

Let’s carry this a step further. Let us say the Venus, by transit, is conjunct or in adverse aspect to
Saturn. It doesn’t matter that the native’s Venus is not impacted by this transit. The native will tend
to feel financial challenges – perhaps feelings of lack – perhaps a drop in income – perhaps a need
to work harder to achieve financial goals – or perhaps undue pessimism or dissatisfaction with his
financial life. The Venus energy of the cosmos is carrying this Saturn vibration and affecting
everything. This insight has especially strong ramifications when it comes to health and this we will
leave for a future post.