What are astrological transits and horoscopes?
Astrologers have specific tools in their cosmic toolbox that enable them to make general predictions about important themes that come up in your life during certain periods.
What are astrological transits?
This post is designed to explain the basics of astrological transits, AKA planetary transits, and how they can influence your natal birth chart. If you've ever had an astrology reading or you've delved into your chart at all, you know that the birth chart can describe a lot of facets of your life, your personality, your psyche, and your life story. But we all know that during different times of our lives, our priorities may shift, and certain changes occur. Sometimes this shifting can occur because of a sudden, internal, and often unexplainable urge or it may happen because of an external circumstance that forces us to re-prioritize or adjust to life.
As an astrologer, I find that the planets moving in real time can symbolize these life changes and shifts that we experience. Your birth chart is a snapshot of a specific moment in time. It shows exactly where all the planets were located at the time you were born. But the planets are always moving in real-time, and they interact with and influence different parts of your birth chart. As planetary transits influence specific points in your chart, certain themes become more or less active.
Understanding astrological transits can give us language to describe what we feel happening, make us feel sane and validated, and also help us find the lessons and growth in the challenges.
What are horoscopes?
The best and most accurate way to get an understanding of how the planetary transits are affecting you in real time is through a personal astrological reading. However, horoscopes are a great way to get a general overview of the current astrological transits, both short-term and long-term ones. Some transits are relatively short and can explain sudden urges or changes that last for a few days, while other planets move so slowly, that they can influence specific parts of our chart for many, many years.
Now, technically, the word horoscope can actually refer to any astrological chart. In fact, the word horoscope originates from the Greek words hōra (time) and skopos (observer). But now, the way that the term 'horoscope' has come to be used and understood is in its reference to an astrologer making certain predictions based on different techniques they have at their disposal. These come in the form of videos or articles and are based on how different zodiac signs are experiencing activation of particular themes due to planetary transits.
What are the astrological houses?
One of the main techniques that are used to create a horoscope relies on the concept of the 12 astrological houses. These are calculated specifically based on the time and place you were born, and where certain signs were located in the sky in relation to you at the time you were born.
The zodiac signs are mapped across the ecliptic, AKA the apparent path of the Sun as we view it from here on Earth. Based on where we were born on Earth and at what time, we can imagine those zodiac signs encircled around us and occupying different parts of the sky. Those different parts of the sky have been sectioned off into different 'houses', and each house is associated with different life activities or parts of life.
