The Transits in Your Health Horoscope

Medical Astrology 6

When planets moving in their orbits in the sky form aspects, special angles, with planets or similar points in the horoscope, these are called transits, i.e. transiting or passing aspects.

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The aspects within your complete horoscope chart are fixed, remaining the same all your life, and therefore indicating dynamics that you will experience all through. The transits, though, are passing things. The length of a transit depends on the speed of the planet involved. That differs tremendously. The moon moves through a transit in a few hours, whereas Pluto, the slowest of the planets, takes more than a year to do the same.

A quick transit has a passing effect in your life, but the slow ones mark changes for good or for very long.

Here is the time it takes each planet to travel through the whole Zodiac (geocentrically, as seen from Earth), and the meantime it takes to complete a transit aspect with the orb of 1° (i.e. 2° total):

Planet
Sun
Moon
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto

Zodiac
1 year
1 month
1 year
1 year
2 years
12 years
29 years
84 years
165 years
248 years

Transit
2 days
4 hours
12 hours
1.5 days
4 days
1 month
2 months
6 months
1 year
1.5 years

So, the moon goes through every possible transit aspect with your horoscope each month, and the sun each year. But Uranus takes a lifetime to do the same, and with Pluto you will only experience some of its possible transits.

The Ascendant and Medium Coeli can also be seen to move through the Zodiac, but they are not used in transits.

These are the basic aspects to consider when they form transits with points in your horoscope, and keywords for what they generally represent:

conjunction, 0° fusion
opposition, 180° separation
trine, 120° harmony
square, 90° conflict
sextile, 60° cooperation

For transit aspects, a narrow orb is to be used. The orb is the distance from the exact angle allowed for an aspect to count as such. Whatever the kind of aspect, in transits the orb should be no more than 1°. The transit can be felt slightly beforehand, especially if it's a slow planet, but its peak is when it reaches that close to the point in your native chart. Of course, its effect may remain very long afterward.

Zodiac Man combined with Phlebotomy Man, showing when and where bloodletting should be done. From John Foxton's Liber Cosmographiae, 1408.

Here is a list of the transiting planets, and keywords for their influence on the planets or points of the complete horoscope chart that they form aspects with:

Sun concentration
Moon urge
Mercury attention
Venus attraction
Mars resolution
Jupiter luck
Saturn duty
Uranus contemplation
Neptune fantasy
Pluto catharsis

And here's a list of the native chart planets and points, with keywords for health issues that may arise when triggered by some transit aspects:

Sun fatigue
Moon anxiety, gloom
Mercury uncertainty
Venus discomfort
Mars irritation
Jupiter misfortune
Saturn complication
Uranus confusion
Neptune hypochondria
Pluto malfunction
Ascendant neglect
Medium Coeli doubt

Here are the Zodiac signs and the body parts they govern, where health issues may appear through some transit aspects to a planet or point therein:

Aries head, brain
Taurus neck, throat, ears, nose, teeth, hearing
Gemini lungs, speech, smell
Cancer skin
Leo heart, blood
Virgo food intake intestines
Libra food processing intestines, excrement
Scorpio genitals, hormones
Sagittarius eyes
Capricorn bones, spine
Aquarius arms, legs
Pisces nerves

The conjunction is by far the most important transit aspect, much more influential than the others. Especially conjunctions formed by the slow planets — Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto — mark life-changing events, although not always that easy to recognize at the moment they happen. Often their effects become evident in distant retrospect.

The opposition is also quite strong and important. The square transit usually expresses itself very concretely, so its effect is easy to observe. The trine and the sextile, though, are not always that evident. Mainly, they create a good mood, help you get things done. You might tend to see these effects as bursts of inspiration, or what is nowadays often called flow.

Regarding your health, the transits can create imbalances in your life and personality, which might in turn trigger health issues. Here are the transit aspects, and how they influence your health:

Zodiac Man, 1399.
Zodiac Man. Each Zodiac sign represents a part of the body. Illustration from a medical almanac, 1399.

Conjunction

Conjunction is when the transit planet and a planet or point in your horoscope are at the same position. It's the strongest of the transits, and its effect is often obvious even when the transiting planet is fast.

The conjunction transit gives a boost to the planet or other point that it passes over. This means that it doesn't obstruct or hold back that power, but there is a clear risk that it will be over-stimulated.

Here is a list of the native chart planets, and what health issues they might cause when over-stimulated in a transit conjunction:

Sun exertion
Moon mood-swings
Mercury stress
Venus unpleasantness
Mars irritation
Jupiter exaggeration
Saturn burden
Uranus confusion
Neptune distraction
Pluto destruction
Ascendant obsession
Medium Coeli indulgence

To learn more of a possible over-stimulation in a transit conjunction, see the list with keywords for transit planet influences below.

Contrary to conjunctions within your native chart, the transit doesn't cause a blending of the planetary forces involved. The transit planet represents an event that your native chart planet benefits from, without any merging taking place. Things go your way. The transit conjunction can also indicate a success or breakthrough of some kind, without any outer events.

Use the list of keywords below, to figure out what kind of influence the transiting planet has in the conjunction:

Sun concentration
Moon urge
Mercury attention
Venus attraction
Mars resolution
Jupiter luck
Saturn duty
Uranus contemplation
Neptune fantasy
Pluto catharsis

As for the effect on your life, study the planet or point in your horoscope involved in the transit conjunction, its Zodiac sign and House.

The oppositions of the horoscope Zodiac signs and Houses.

Opposition

Opposition is when the transit planet and a planet or point in your horoscope are about 180° apart, opposite one another. It's the second strongest transit aspect, and usually quite distinct in its effect, also when it comes to health issues.

The transiting planet shows that something happens in the House it passes, which becomes an obstacle to what the opposed planet in the horoscope chart is about. By checking the Houses involved in particular, it can often be quite evident what will happen, at least in a general sense.

Each of the twelve Houses in the horoscope is in natural opposition to the House on the other side of it, so that the 1st House opposes the 7th House, and so on. When you consider what life-environment each House signifies, these oppositions are easy to understand. For example, the 1st House deals with the personality of the individual, which is naturally opposed to the 7th House showing partnership commitments. In any partnership, you need to sacrifice some personal interests, and if you don't, the partnership will surely suffer.

Here are the twelve Houses and keywords for the life-environment each one represents, ordered so that the opposing ones are on the same line:

1st Identity

2nd Resources

3rd Communication

4th Home

5th Pastime

6th Work

7th Partner

8th Unknown

9th Travel

10th Career

11th Ideals

12th Shortcomings

As for the role of the transiting planet, see the list and keywords above.

Some health problems are likely to appear, especially if the transiting planet is a slow and strong one. The transiting moon does little more than accomplish momentary mood-swings, but all the planets from Mars to Pluto have a more distinct and lasting effect on your health — the slower the planet, the longer the effect lasts.

The body part governed by the Zodiac sign that the transiting planet passes is rarely affected at all. It's the opposite planet, the one in your horoscope chart, which is obstructed and therefore also the one causing health problems. Consider what planet it is, and what sign and House it occupies, to learn more about the health problem that might appear.

The trines of the horoscope Zodiac signs and Houses.

Trine

Trine is when the transit planet and a planet or point in your horoscope are about 120° apart. It's the third aspect in strength, but its effects are quite vague and difficult to ascertain. It creates harmony between its two sides, inspiring them to increased achievements. It shows that there is no conflict between them.

Therefore, it's not likely that the trine causes any kind of problem. Instead, it's an aspect stimulating solutions.

The astrological Houses of the horoscope have natural trine relations: The 1st House is in trine with the 5th House and the 9th House. The 2nd House is in trine with the 6th and the 10th, and so on. When you compare the life-environments of the Houses in trine, you can see their positive relations. For example, your personal identity (1st House) is what you get to express in your pastime (5th House), and the travel and other changes you allow yourself (9th House) will increase your ability to present yourself to others.

Here are the twelve Houses and their keywords, arranged so that the ones in trine are on the same line:

1st Identity
2nd Resources
3rd Communic.
4th Home

5th Pastime
6th Work
7th Partner
8th Unknown

9th Travel
10th Career
11th Ideals
12th Shortcom.

It's very unlikely that a transit trine would create obstacles for the planet in the horoscope chart. So, in that way a trine would not cause health problems. What could happen is that the native chart planet gets over-stimulated, in which case you should examine that planet, and the Zodiac sign and House it occupies, to figure out the effect.

But over-stimulation, too, is not likely to cause any serious or lasting health problems. Probably no more than some discomfort while the transit lasts.

The squares of the horoscope Zodiac signs and Houses.

Square

Square is when the transit planet and a planet or point in your horoscope are about 90° apart. The square tends to lead to concrete effects that are hard to ignore. It's not necessarily for the bad, although that can certainly happen, but it leads to sudden events and intensified activity.

Something happens that forces you to respond. It might also sabotage things you have going for you. The square is mostly an event happening in one field of your life, the consequences of which are felt in some other part of your life.

Of course, the nature of the event can be learned from the transiting planet, and the Zodiac sign and House it occupies at the time of the transit. The major effect it has on your life is seen on the planet in your native chart that the transit forms its square with. It can be further understood by considering the Zodiac sign and House occupied by your native chart planet.

Notice that the twelve Houses of the horoscope have natural squares, i.e. conflicting interests that are both stimulating and troublesome. Here are the Houses, keywords for their environments, and their squares:

1st Identity Squares: 4th and 10th
2nd Resources Squares: 5th and 11th
3rd Communication Squares: 6th and 12th
4th Home Squares: 7th and 1st
5th Pastime Squares: 8th and 2nd
6th Work Squares: 9th and 3rd
7th Partner Squares: 10th and 4th
8th Unknown Squares: 11th and 5th
9th Travel Squares: 12th and 6th
10th Career Squares: 1st and 7th
11th Ideals Squares: 2nd and 8th
12th Shortcomings Squares: 3rd and 9th

So, your personal identity is at conflict with your family life, which tends to demand adaption, and to your social career that restrains your behavior. Your personal resources are in conflict with your spare time activities, which can become costly, and your ideals, because they demand some sacrifice of you. And so on.

Transit squares do tend to cause some health issues, and when they do it's almost always in the area described by the native chart planet they form the aspect with. The reverse, health issues on the side of the transiting planet, would only happen when other aspects indicate it, or when the native chart planet is so strong that it doesn't yield to the square at all.

The sextiles of the horoscope Zodiac signs and Houses.

Sextile

Sextile is when the transit planet and a planet or point in your horoscope are about 60° apart. This is an aspect of creativity and inspirational impulses. It makes things work smoothly and effortlessly lead to fortunate results.

So, regarding health it is much more likely to increase it than cause any problems to it. Not only is it unlikely to cause illnesses and such, it is also too weak to initiate any serious problems. Therefore, the sextile is just as unlikely to cause over-stimulation.

In a transit sextile, the transiting planet represents something happening, which solves and facilitates expressions of the aspected planet in your native chart. The only health problem this can bring is maybe some exertion on the side of the native chart planet. If so, it's still mild and passes quickly. Check the native chart planet, its Zodiac sign and House, to learn more about how you might exert yourself.

Since the sextile is more of an asset than a burden, it is more likely to bring on cures to health problems. So, if you had a health issue expressed by the native chart planet, it may get eased or cured by what the transit sextile introduces.

Here are the planets, and the health problems they might cause, which could be eased or solved by a transit sextile to them:

Sun fatigue
Moon anxiety, gloom
Mercury uncertainty
Venus discomfort
Mars irritation
Jupiter misfortune
Saturn complication
Uranus confusion
Neptune hypochondria
Pluto malfunction
Ascendant neglect
Medium Coeli doubt

And here are the Zodiac signs and the body parts they govern, where health issues may be eased or solved by a transit sextile:

Aries head, brain
Taurus neck, throat, ears, nose, teeth, hearing
Gemini lungs, speech, smell
Cancer skin
Leo heart, blood
Virgo food intake intestines
Libra food processing intestines, excrement
Scorpio genitals, hormones
Sagittarius eyes
Capricorn bones, spine
Aquarius arms, legs
Pisces nerves

So, when a strong sextile appears to a problem spot in your horoscope, be open to solutions that may present themselves in the process.

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