posted July 23, 2009 04:13 PM         

Many, if not all of us, are going through a tough transit, and most of these transits usually become even more burdensome when they meet Mars in your natal chart. So, I have compiled a bit of easy info from cafeastrology as a ref. tool for when you just want a light read on the matter. I have concentrated on the transits below:

-tSaturn opp/square/conj Mars
-tUranus opp/square/conj Mars
-tNeptune opp/square/conj Mars
-tPluto opp/square/conj Mars

We will start with Saturn...

Are you aware of the duration of these transits?
Do they overlap in your chart, giving you no time peace?
Are they occurring simultaneously?
How are they treating you?
What are they teaching you and what have they taught you already?

Although conjunctions do not necessarily have to be tough, some are, and that's why I included them in this post. Transits usually start bothering us way before they hit our planets directly, so keep that in mind when you plan ahead; and utilize an orb of at least 1 degrees on either side in order to better understand how these transits will affecting you.

I chose to explore these planets with Mars because I am going through the tNeptune/tChrion/tJupiter square my Mars, and other threads were speaking of nMars being hit hard by tSaturn, tUranus as well as tPluto.

(cont...)

posted July 23, 2009 04:16 PM         

SATURN TRANSITS

Overview:

Saturn takes about 28-29 years to come full circle. Therefore, every 7 years or so, Saturn will transit conjunct, square, or opposite a natal point. When that natal point is an intensely personal planet or point (such as the Sun, Moon, Ascendant, Mercury, Venus, or Mars), we feel its effects in an intensely personal way.

Saturn transits and cycles can be considered cycles of achievement and maturity. These periods in our lives can truly feel like lessons. Everything is slowed down--we encounter delays, frustrations, and pressures. But these times also challenge us to face reality, thereby offering us much wisdom and even freedom. Significant decisions are often made during Saturn's hard transits to our personal planets. These transits slow life down (or at least, that is how we perceive it) and make us live our lives in the present. Although Saturn transits can make life feel like a drudgery (these are often times when our lives seem to move at a snail's pace and advancements are hard to see), they also give us the opportunity to gain inner strength, to become more responsible for what we do and say, and to cut out waste.

Saturn transits can also be considered times of conservation in whatever area of life that Saturn is affecting. We generally build up our reserves and conserve our energy during these periods.

Some common real-life events that Saturn transits to personal points are associated with include delays and little but irksome problems. Things break down, our needs often go unmet by others, we often feel misunderstood and even left out, we tend to find others harsh and unsympathetic (although this is often a perception thing - we, in fact, may be lacking a sense of humor), and we often feel burdened or put upon.

Saturn transits teach us to take responsibility for ourselves. At the outset of a Saturn transit, we might feel like the world is a cold place. If we are mature, we will at some point come to the realization that we cannot always pass blame for our lives. We need to reach within and pull out our own inner strength -- to rely on ourselves.

Depression, therefore, can be a byproduct of heavy Saturn transits. However, if we focus our energies into meaningful endeavors without pushing too hard for recognition or support from others, we can fight the inclination towards gloom and doom. When we find ourselves facing great odds or loss during Saturn transits, we must remember that these things are happening because we did not plan or prepare properly. Saturn reminds us of reality and the need for greater self-discipline. Re-organizing the area of life represented by the house or personal point that Saturn is "hitting" can lead to great rewards. Remember that Saturn transits do not flatten us by all means. Instead, they slow us down, make us live in the here and now, keep us from taking unnecessary risks, and help us to build and structure our lives in ways that will reap rewards down the road.

It is interesting to consider the transits and themes that ran through our lives before our Saturn transits. If we were riding high during a high-speed Uranus transit just before Saturn "hit", this period can mark a significant time in our lives when we "pay" for the risks we may have taken during that Uranus phase. If Saturn transits come shortly after a Jupiter-themed period in our lives, we may feel particularly hard hit as well. Perhaps the Jupiter period has lead us to overspend or ignore our basics; and then Saturn moves in to "correct" that situation and to force us to face our personal realities. Life is not, in fact, all fun and games. We have to work and save--and that is what Saturn teaches us. Thus, it is helpful to consider the context of the individual's recent and past experiences when considering how Saturn transits might affect him/her.

Besides considering the nature of the personal planet or point that Saturn is transiting, we should also look to the position of transiting Saturn by house, the zodiac signs involved, and the condition of the personal planet/point itself. If the personal planet/point happens to be our chart ruler (that is, it rules our Ascendant), we may experience particularly powerful events and circumstances, for example. If our natal Sun and Moon are in hard aspect to each other, then Saturn transits will be impacting both personal points at the same time. If transiting Saturn is making a hard aspect with a stellium of planets (for example, if it is squaring your natal Sun conjunct Uranus and Pluto), then we will be experiencing a more complex set of circumstances and attitudes that might have a greater impact than if the personal point alone was affected.
Keys to Handling Saturn Transits:

Saturn teaches us about the value of moderation and caution. Perhaps the best way to "handle" hard Saturn transits to personal planets and points is to avoid fighting these lessons. Accept that, at this time in your life, things may move at a slower speed (even a snail's pace). Saturn wants us to work hard, put our energies into practical, useful, and meaningful projects, and to live in the here and now. This period in your life is a time for building a solid foundation. Understand that moderation at this point in your life is necessary for your spiritual growth and your physical body as well. Avoid blaming others for where you are at now--doing this will only lead to feelings of melancholy and anger. Know that this period in your life, while temporary, is a time for learning about your personal limits as well as your inner strength. Carry these lessons as you move beyond this phase, because how you handle your life now will make all the difference the next time (7 years later) Saturn makes a hard aspect to the same planet or point in your chart.

Let's see what cafeastrology says about these transits:

tSaturn conj nMars
Restraint of energies is required. There may be Illness, especially if you try to do too much. Exercise discipline of physical and temperamental forces; your dynamics externalize badly; you may feel that your personality fails to assert itself and should not try to force your will or your ways on others. Avoid strife and excess effort; you'll feel blocked and frustrated if you don't. "Ride loose in the saddle of fate," for this is no time to fight destiny by trying to alter the normal course of events. Will power won't work effectively. Need for complete rest and withdrawal follows any serious effort to break down the resistance of things as they are. Guard health, nerves, human relations.

tSaturn square/opp nMars

Not an easy period for most of us. Events conspire to work against our own ambition and drive, bringing obstacles and slowing progress to a halt. Easy to overdo, strain, and explode under these aspects, so take it easy. Bide your time.

Everything may slow down or come to a sudden halt right now. Obstacles and resistance, both from within and from without, will challenge you to become even clearer on what you want, why you want it, and what you are willing to do in order to accomplish your aims. Feelings of fatigue, inertia, self-doubt, or defeat may arise. You may be more cautious or even fearful than usual, but this can be good because caution, thoroughness, and careful attention to what you are doing is definitely called for now. Your energy may be lower or slower than usual, so you need to be conservative and do only what is essential. Outside pressures, demands, or restrictions may seem rather hard or harsh, also.

Positive Potentials:

Concentration, focus, disciplined effort, and hard work can achieve good results, despite opposing forces. Discovering inner strengths and what it is you really want from your activities. Developing endurance, perseverance, toughness.

Negative Potentials:

Intense feelings of frustration, irritability, and dissatisfaction, which can manifest in any area your will or desires are thwarted. Defeats in competitions or in battles with those who challenge your will. Resentment, blame, and feelings of the-world-is-against-me are unhealthy attitudes you are prone to at this time. Also, injuries and accidents can occur, especially if you are carrying these toxic attitudes and emotions.

Remedies and Suggestions:

Slow down and focus on doing what you can or must do (not on what you can not do at present.) You may have to take smaller steps or temporarily abort a project; don't be too hard or harsh with yourself if that is the case. Cycles turn, and your time will come.

Working in solitude can be satisfying now, especially if you have a task that really engages you. Avoid becoming bitter or blaming others, the world, society, the government, life, or yourself for your situation, no matter how unfairly treated you feel you are. Focus on what is working, not what is dysfunctional!

*Long-term projects and important work reach a critical point at this time. You are faced with new obstacles that make you reconsider the direction of your work and career.

+Not an easy period for most of us. Events conspire to work against our own ambition and drive, bringing obstacles and slowing progress to a halt. Easy to overdo, strain, and explode under these aspects, so take it easy. Bide your time.

posted July 23, 2009 04:18 PM         

URANUS TRANSIT
Overview:

Uranus takes approximately 84 years to come full circle. This slow-moving planet's transits are long-lasting, and each transit takes its time to unfold. As Uranus transits a point in our chart, retrogrades back over it, and then hits it again in direct motion, it imparts its own special wisdom upon the point in question葉he areas of lives and parts of our psyches ruled by that point.

How Uranus affects our lives depends very much on whether we resist its influences or we try to work with the planet of independence, liberation, and enlightenment. While Saturn slows down our inner clock in order to persuade us to face reality, Uranus speeds up our tempo in order for us to consider taking risks and making changes.

Whichever part of our lives and of our psyches that Uranus touches, especially by hard transit, is an area where we begin to feel restless and dissatisfied with any routine or "status quo" connected to it. Our consciousness regarding these parts of ourselves and our lives is accelerated to the point that others might consider our actions (and reactions) hasty or rebellious. If mishandled, we may act in inconsiderate and brusque ways.

Transiting Uranus acts to disrupt, change, and re-do whatever it touches. Uranus frees us from thinking inside the box, and offers us opportunities for reaching out and trying something completely new. While Saturn slows us down, Uranus speeds up our lives, offering us chances to take some risks and to experiment with totally new ways of living and interacting with others and our environment. Uranus is forward-looking and does not have patience with lifestyles or attitudes that are attached to the past or the traditional. Transiting Uranus shakes us up and offers us a chance to be more aware of our individuality. Uranus doesn't accept stagnation nor does it accept restriction. Personal freedom is highlighted. Transiting Uranus acts to awaken and to make us aware of our feelings of being restricted and constricted. Uranus surprises, jolts, and stimulates.

tUranus conj nMars

You are very impatient, energetic, obstinate, and self-willed during this time period. Even if there is no specific deadline for a task, you work as if it must be completed with lightning speed. You love physical activity and adventure now. For example, if you vacation at this time, sky diving or white water rafting would suit you much better than lying on the beach!

+You may find that you have intuitive and psychic abilities that have never surfaced before. An urge may exist to be more devoted to high ideals and to making your dreams real. You may feel emotions of a religious nature. Don't get carried away.

tUranus square nMars

Passions and anger that you may not even know you had emerge during this transit. They do come from somewhere, from deep within you, but Uranus awakens them in such a dramatic manner that it can be hard to identify with them at first. Uranus urges us to let go and express ourselves in the areas of life it touches. Mars rules our anger, assertion, sexuality--essentially our desire nature. With a transiting square from Uranus to Mars, we begin to get things off our chest whether we wanted to or not. All of that anger "slush" that has been accumulating inside you surfaces. You begin to assert your independence, sometimes in ways that seem alarming to those around us. It is an excellent time for people who don't normally assert themselves, although it can seem alarming at first. Also, this apparently sudden personality change can alienate a few people, especially if you act like there are no consequences. You have spurts of energy, and you can be temperamental with your productivity or output. Although accidents are not a "given" with this transit, they are more likely than usual, especially if your activities and your energy levels are erratic. You may experience an "awakening" of sorts with regards to sexuality. This can be quite positive, but take care not to be too impulsive or insensitive with those you care about as you express your newfound desires.

*Periodic fits of restlessness and impatience overcome you throughout this period, and others will wonder what is disturbing you. You are very demanding and difficult to please now. You tend to feel like progress is too slow, and you are tired of waiting for the things you want.

+A possibly explosive time during which a rebellious urge within you presents an emotional challenge. You may have to resist attempts to divert your drive and energy in directions that will take you nowhere. A lot of heavy energy.

tUranus opp nMars

Courageous and undaunted, you step boldly forth, assert yourself, and charge ahead. If you are normally shy and receding, you will burst out of your shell now. If you are a strong and aggressive person, then you will try to take full command of every aspect of your life, and force weaker personalities to submit to you and support you.

+Unexpected behavior and an urge to be independent could find you ignoring your feelings and much of what has motivated you up to now, taking you off in a different direction. Your unusual behavior could provoke others, cause emotional confrontation.

posted July 23, 2009 04:19 PM         

NEPTUNE TRANSITS
Overview:

Neptune takes approximately 164 years to come full circle葉oo long to complete a cycle through our natal charts. This slow-moving planet's transits are long-lasting, and each transit takes its time to unfold. As Neptune transits a point in our chart, retrogrades back over it, and then hits it again in direct motion, it imparts its own special wisdom upon the point in question葉he areas of lives and parts of our psyches ruled by that point.

How Neptune affects our lives depends very much on whether we resist its influences or we try to work with the planet of illusion and spirituality. It is common for Neptune's influence to be a confusing one in the first portion of the transit. The ultimate "lesson" of Neptune is to help connect us to the world of the intangible. This is in stark contrast to Saturn's transits, which re-connect us to the tangible, material world.

Whichever part of our lives and of our psyches that Neptune touches, especially by hard transit, is an area where we may feel "up in the air" and confused in the initial stages of the transit. Boundaries are not as clear, commitments are elusive, and perception is confused. If the Sun is involved, we don't know where we are heading and we have a hard time defining what we want and where we want to go. If Venus is involved, our love life is unusual or confused. As the transit progresses, and certainly by the time it is over, we should have a more refined understanding in the affected areas of lives. What begins as confusion can eventually actually augment our perception and our understanding. Sometimes people experience a burnout of sorts that eventually leads them to take a different path--often a more spiritually rewarding and fulfilling one. Neptune acts to dissolve what it touches.

tNeptune conj nMars

Although your focus may be compromised and physical energy scattered, there is a strong potential for you to improve your intuition and magnetic powers. You may be in the right place at the right time. The effects of this transit will have much to do with the condition of Mars in your chart. You may, for example, be inclined to take shortcuts or to not know where you are headed exactly, and attract negative influences as a result. You may feel uninspired or lazy due to lack of motivation or a feeling of directionlessness. You may have a hard time drumming up the confidence to move forward. On the other hand, you can be extremely inspired if your personality is extroverted, and/or if you work with Neptune instead of against it. Neptune is urging you to become more refined with regards to your desire nature, anger management, and assertive tendencies. Incorporating more imagination, compassion, and spirituality into these parts of your personality will help you to not only "manage" the transit, but to learn from it.

*Your attitude towards your work goes through some big ups and downs at this time. You become dissatisfied with modest and mediocre progress. Your imagination gets fired up and you dream of grandiose accomplishments.

+You may find that you have intuitive and psychic abilities that have never surfaced before. An urge may exist to be more devoted to high ideals and to making your dreams real. You may feel emotions of a religious nature. Don't get carried away.

tNeptune square nMars

Work and important projects undergo difficult changes now. You are likely to feel very frustrated and disheartened at times, but don't completely lose faith and throw everything out the window! This is certainly a time of questioning your values, goals, and directions in life, but try to come to rational decisions rather than act simply out of frustration.

+Your current crop of dreams and ideals may not feel right to you or may seem to go against all that normally motivates you. It may be easy to be misled and to find yourself pouring energy and effort into directions that will bring no return.

astro.com 's tNeptune square nMars

Framed ***
Valid during many months: This influence affects your sense of who you are and challenges the validity of the life course you have set for yourself, as well as your image of yourself as an effective person. Under this influence you may get involved in situations from which you will emerge as a loser, especially in your work and at home. Or someone else may set you up in such a way that you are forced to act without knowing what is really going on, and therefore you act ineffectively. Since you are not likely to get much reinforcement from others at this time, you will be forced to rely on your own inner resources and self-confidence. Do not expect others to provide you with backbone; you need to provide your own. Be careful not to get involved with any dubious schemes, and make sure that any project you do get into is real. Certainly avoid anything you know to be corrupt or dishonest, for you will probably lose out and lose face as well. Defeats may make you feel discouraged. But don't take them too seriously. Like all influences, this one will pass. And there is a lesson to be learned here. The more you identify with what you do rather than what you are, the more difficulties this influence will cause. You are not what you do. This influence may force you to confront that issue, and if it does, you will learn to handle your life much more successfully because you will not always have to protect yourself. Another danger during this time is that you may become wrapped up in fighting for some terribly idealistic cause that has little chance of succeeding or of giving you any real satisfaction. All that you can count on is that you will be required to surrender your individuality for a "higher purpose," which usually turns out to be someone else's ego.

tNeptune opp nMars

You approach your work and important projects with an unusual degree of imagination, idealism, and optimism now. Be careful! You are prone to shoot for the stars now, but never get off the ground. You may speculate, gamble, or put all your eggs in one basket.

+Your imagination and fancied ideals may mislead you to the point of motivating you in a wrong direction. Your real feelings could be obscured by some supposed spiritual or humanitarian ideal. Later you may feel you did the wrong thing.

posted July 23, 2009 04:23 PM         

PLUTO TRANSITS
Overview:

Pluto takes approximately 248 years to come full circle. This slow-moving planet's transits are long-lasting, and each transit takes its time to unfold. As Pluto transits a point in our chart, retrogrades back over it, and then hits it again in direct motion, it imparts its own special wisdom upon the point in question葉he areas of lives and parts of our psyches ruled by that point.

How Pluto affects our lives depends very much on whether we resist its influences or we try to work with the planet of rebirth and destiny.

Whatever part of our lives and of our psyches that Pluto touches, especially by hard transit, is an area that Pluto compels us to explore more deeply. Superficiality is not acceptable for Pluto. Pluto transits insist that we get in touch with our core purpose and our deep sense of power. New levels of intimacy, not only with others but also with ourselves, are discovered and uncovered.

Transiting Pluto brings intensity and focus to our lives. Pluto breaks through illusions, in search of the utter truth. These are not Saturn truths, when we see things for what they are in a mundane or material sense. Pluto probes much deeper, shining light on our darkness. Transiting Pluto offers us the chance to evolve and to rebirth. Pluto acts to strip away what is unnecessary or superficial in our lives. Pluto wants deep experience, of the transformational kind. Things that are not working for us, whether they are thought processes or lifestyles, undergo a transformation. Pluto transits bring about rebirths of sorts in the areas of life affected. Pluto transits are about letting go of things that are holding us back from deep and meaningful experience.

Fear耀ometimes intense fear幼an reveal itself at the beginning of a challenging Pluto transit. We confront our "dark" side葉hose parts of us that are raw, primal, and instinctive. Resisting this process can cause us to externalize or project these parts of ourselves. If we do this, Pluto's energy has to go somewhere, so we end up meeting Pluto in our lives in the guise of events and people. If we are attracting jealous, manipulative, and controlling people or situations, we can ask ourselves why this is happening. Is there something in ourselves that is provoking this kind of behavior or circumstance?

Although transiting Pluto is often associated with such things as separation and deaths, it is important to note that Pluto's action is to revolutionize parts of ourselves, and events that take place at this time can just as easily be new relationships, births, and new beginnings in general. For example, a woman who had decided she would never marry and have children developed a relationship under a heavy Pluto transit that changed her conviction completely. By transit's end, she recognized that her conviction to not "settle down" was actually based on her own fear that she would never find a deep and meaningful relationship.

Possible influences and experiences with transiting Pluto:

• Emotionally and sexually rewarding relationships, intimacy.
  
• Psychological healing.
  
• Relationship problems, separation, manipulative behavior, jealousy and possessiveness.
  
• Resistance to change and holding onto negative attachments.
  
• Self-destructive behavior, obsessions.
  
• Looking for truth and meaning.
  
• Beginning new, intense relationships.
  
• Psychological insight, intolerance for superficiality.
  
• Soul-to-soul connections with partners.
  
• Fateful encounters, timely new relationships and/or separations.
  
• Discovering one's power.
  
• Unloading burdens and obligations.
  
• Increased focus, strength, and commitment.
  
• Death and rebirth cycles.
  
• Complex involvements.
  
• Coming face to face with our deepest fears, and overcoming them.
  
• A new interest in psychology and parapsychology.
  

tPluto conj nMars

Your energy now is focused on and directed toward achievement with a drive that will either sweep away all obstacles or get you over them, making you something of a steamroller. One problem is that you are inclined now to push yourself too hard, not stopping even when you are tired. This undisciplined approach may exhaust you to the point where you are forced by troublesome circumstances or failing health to stop. A more disciplined approach will help you conserve your energy and accomplish much. At both work and home, 1ook for new and more efficient methods of getting the job done. By stressing expedience now, you can set up a routine that continues this focused use of energy into the future.

*Your ambition and drive to succeed are incredibly strong now. You will go to any lengths to achieve your goals, and you have the energy to do it. You are driven by a compulsive need to achieve, and you often find it difficult to stop.

+Be careful that you don't become some sort of speed demon, for intense (passionate) feelings and drive will be at your command for a good long time. You could find yourself driven to dig and search deep within the human passions, deep in the psyche.

tPluto square nMars

Your ambition and drive to succeed are incredibly strong now. You will go to any lengths to achieve your goals, and you have the energy to do it now. You are driven by a compulsive need to achieve, and you often find it difficult to stop. +Power struggle may well be the keyword here. You could find yourself pushing against a need for greater sensitivity and inner growth. Push could come to shove, and you may end up driving against your own inadequacies and vulnerability.

tPluto opp nMars

Your ambition and drive to succeed are incredibly strong now. You will go to any lengths to achieve your goals, and you have the energy to do it now. You are driven by a compulsive need to achieve, and you often find it difficult to stop.

+A very emotional time during which you can find your basic drive and energy ramming up against questions of security, power, and deep insecurity. You don't feel like dealing with some of the very hot psychological issues that keep springing up.

posted July 23, 2009 04:27 PM         

These are rough of how long each transit takes per degree in the chart. I used figures which have NOT taken Retrograde periods into considerations. I consulted this website: Absolute Astronomy ... of course, Neptune Bob's website says different, so it gets tricky unless we consult an ephemeris. My calculations were derived from the time it takes to go around the sun relative to 360 degrees of a chart.

e.g. Earth revolution = 1 yr
= 365 Earth days
Transit duration = 1 day and 8 hrs per degree.