Many human lives, for better or worse, are a steady stream of challenging, transformative experiences punctuated by brief moments of respite. It is very rare to find a person who has lived a life that is relatively ‘charmed’ or free from trauma or pain. We are immersed, for better or worse, in a world where circumstances and events are often beyond our control. But, what if we can foresee challenging years and prepare for them? Will it help us coast through or at least not be permanently scarred by the experiences that happen to us and for us?
It’s an occupational hazard for astrologers to fall into a deterministic trap while interpreting transits and forecasting events. But, the agency of an individual to make choices outweighs challenging planetary transits. The external world might throw curve balls, but the individual has the ultimate say in how they react to these unexpected disruptions.
As I grow older (and hopefully wiser), I look forward to uneventful, relaxed years. Thus, every December, very optimistically and keeping in tune with the nature of Sagittarius season, I plan the next year to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Mental and emotional preparation to avoid what I can avoid, and strategies to deal with what I cannot avoid.
For instance, each of us have a few challenging placements or aspects in our birth charts which, when activated by transiting planets, can throw us off our momentum at best, or create massive, irreversible issues at worst. So, preemptively watch out for these ‘hot spots’ by marking those in your calendar.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself. To plan a year using astrology, the very first crucial ingredient in my particular recipe is:
An Accurate Birth Time
By accurate, I mean down to the minute. Without an accurate birth time, the chances of misinterpreting and misrepresenting transits is very high. If I, as an astrologer, cannot effectively time a transit in a birth chart, then planning for an event is ineffective and redundant. This does not suggest 100% accuracy in prediction with an accurate birth time. But, it does mean that the odds (planning or predicting) are stacked against the querent without a precise birth time.
Know your birth chart.
A chart holder with planets in the 6th house needs to make their mental and emotional well being a priority in a way that is not understood by a chart holder with no planets in the 6th. Likewise, someone with planet(s) in their 7th or 1st will have a way of interacting with the world that is distinctly divergent from that of another with 12th house focus. The former will be an active participant in their lives, while the latter might find life happens to them.
Understand your birth chart like the back of your hand because it’s the key to understanding yourself and your life.
The Progressed Chart
I’m referring to secondary progressions or ‘a day for a year‘ where the birth chart is moved one day for each year of the chart holders life. The premise is a little out there, but it works. And I’m all for what works.
The predictive power of a progressed chart is exceptional and on-point to identify milestone years, the ones that change the course of our life for better or worse- the birth of a child, the loss of a parent, a move overseas, or a new job or business or a separation/divorce. I use it primarily to gauge and identify major life changes.
The Solar Return Chart
A few years ago, I had a 6th house stellium (Venus, Mars, Mercury) in a solar return chart. Since I was aware of the significations of the 6th house, I was particularly vigilant about my health that year and managed to put out multiple, unrelated health related issues before they became severe or acute. Another case stands out in memory where I cautioned a client with a Scorpio Ascendant (with ascendant ruler Mars placed in Scorpio) in their solar return chart to be mentally prepared for a year filled with transformative experiences, even possible death of close friends and family. Just so because they did have those experiences and could manage the inevitable heartbreak with stoicism.
The solar return chart may not be able to exactly pin down when, where and how an event will happen, but it is an extremely powerful tool to reveal the general ‘theme’ or ‘tone’ of the year. For instance, a year where the solar return ascendant is Sagittarius Rising and Jupiter in Pisces or Cancer is likely to be a highly favorable, even lucky year, for learning, travel, business, investment in real estate etc.
Lunar Return Chart
The lunar return seems to be especially significant for Cancer Ascendants or those with Sun/ Moon or significant placements in Cancer as these are ruled by the Moon. For others, it might not be as revelatory.
I find this chart to be helpful in timing events and checking for important months. For instance, if one has an eclipse falling 1-2 days before or after the lunar return, then that preceding or ensuing month will be significant in some way. How significant depends on the indications of the house which holds the lunar return moon. Usually, I cast charts for all lunar returns from one birthday in one year to the next; integrating the lunar charts with the annual solar return to observe and note monthly themes under the overarching annual theme for the year.
Transits.
If we separate astrology from the mythology, the mysticism and the esoteric, what remains is- identifying patterns and inductively reasoning to create a theory. As an astrologer, I observe planetary configurations and the patterns associated with these configurations and then attempt to extrapolate these patterns to predict or forecast the future. A bit of intuition and experience fills in the gaps left by theoretical analysis. That’s really all there is to it.
To do this, one has to know and understand the influence of the dominant elements, signs, planets, and aspects in one’s birth chart to extrapolate a past pattern to the future. One has to understand the correlation between a planetary transit and an event in our life. For instance, Saturn square Uranus might not produce the same impact on two different charts because of the individual natal chart placements of Saturn and Uranus. What I’m saying is: The textbook definitions and interpretations of transits/aspects are theoretical and abstract. How they apply to your chart and therefore to your life is very specific and individual. No birth chart is 100% doomed and likewise, no birth chart is 100% blessed.
To fully understand the influence of transits, one must completely understand ones birth chart. Or the danger is to personalize every mundane transit and catastrophize it.
For instance, the hype surrounding outer planet transits- Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. These transits take on a central role in your daily life if and only if they are 1) placed in an angular house in your natal chart or 2) you have inner : outer planet squares/ oppositions 3) you’re in that magical mid-life age of 38-42 yrs.
The magnitude of influence of each planet in your life depends on what it’s doing in your chart. So, don’t get swayed or alarmed by media sensationalism surrounding transits and ingresses. Always always remember that your birth placements decide how transits express in your life.
When clients consult with me to plan their year, apart from the ingredients I’ve shared in this post, I integrate a few techniques from across Jyotish and classical western astrology to predict events (predictive) or time them (electional). A brief overview on electional astrology is covered here. Jyotish techniques are another post for another day.
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