The Astrology of Loneliness and Aloneness: The Effect of Transits

Transits can indicate timing as well as the potential for change, so if you're waiting for a problem to be resolved, consult your transits to see if your patience will be rewarded or if your impatience will be futile.

A long-term transit of Pluto, Uranus, Neptune, or even Saturn can take years, and in the meantime, you are forced to go about your daily life while subtly changing your attitude as the effects of these planetary movements transform you.

Long-term transits can change your mind about someone to the point where, by the time Pluto has completed its transit of a planet or house, your perspective on a person or problem has shifted to the point where you will hardly recognise yourself.

Keep in mind that each planet transits a sign for a different amount of time, and that, with the exception of the Sun and Moon, planets, the Nodal axis, and Chiron all go retrograde from time to time. This can reduce the impact of a transit.

When you're waiting for a planet to leave your house or get off your Ascendant, it can be especially frustrating to learn that a transit has gone retrograde precisely on something important in your chart, and the fact that a planet can go retrograde three times is just infuriating.

The value of transits, on the other hand, is that time and emotional pressure frequently force us to look at things from a different angle. If, for example, a long, albeit painful, transit brings you to a greater awareness of your role in pushing people away, then your natal chart will benefit from a long, albeit painful, trip through the Zodiacal belt.

Sun

When it comes to the Sun, consider whether there is a time of year when you are more or less gregarious, extroverted, or willing to engage with others. The transiting Sun will most likely increase your willingness to engage with others when it approaches your 9th house to Midheaven and then into your 11th house; this will happen at the same time every year.

The Sun moves at a rate of about 1° per day and takes about 30 degrees to pass through each sign (one month, in other words). Your chart will have houses divided according to the house system used, and while some use equal houses, many do not, resulting in a house size greater than 30°.

Transiting Sun natal Venus can turn on your desire for love and announce the start of a relationship or, more likely, the start of when you first considered finding a relationship.

When the Sun transits the "bottom half" of your natal chart, you'll want to stay close to home and possibly protect yourself from encounters with strangers. When the Sun and Moon are in the lower hemisphere of the chart, we are less gregarious; our energy wanes and we are less interested in others.

Moon

Transiting Sun natal Venus can turn on your desire for love and announce the start of a relationship or, more likely, the start of when you first considered finding a relationship.

When the Sun transits the "bottom half" of your natal chart, you'll want to stay close to home and possibly protect yourself from encounters with strangers. When the Sun and Moon are in the lower hemisphere of the chart, we are less gregarious; our energy wanes and we are less interested in others.

However, unless the Moon is also forming a difficult aspect to another planet, a Moon transit through the 5th house of creative expression will allow nothing to keep you at home. If you want to meet someone new and the Moon is new (meaning the Sun and Moon are conjunct), set your intentions and hope for the best, because the astrological energy is on your side.

You can potentially reap the benefits of intentions set at the New Moon when the Sun and Moon are in opposition, also known as a Full Moon. However, keep in mind that each Moon sign produces different results, so plan your timing carefully.

Mercury

Do not underestimate the value of communication in a relationship. Mercury had a role to play when people met face to face, but I see Mercury in synastry between two people even more now that l'amour has moved to the internet, because to get any relationship started, two people must be able to understand each other's grunts and howls.

Transiting Mercury takes nearly a year to transit all 12 signs, but can take anywhere from two weeks to a month to transit any given sign (depending on its motion, such as retrograde). Transiting Mercury appears at the start of friendships and platonic relationships, and it is frequently what binds siblings in synastry.

It is simply easier to get along with each other if you can understand what the other person is saying, primarily because if you have similar communication styles, you will often find yourself agreeing with the other person.

Similarly, squared or opposing Mercuries can drive both parties insane as they try to figure out what the other person "meant by that." If you can't figure out why he did what he did, see if your Mercuries are compatible. Even if you disagree, if your Mercuries are compatible, you'll find it easier to understand why the action was taken.

Mercury can aid in the formation of a relationship based on mutual interests that are not necessarily "romantic." However, most long-lasting relationships are "companionate," which means the two people are happy because they have things in common and aren't too concerned with having one of those heavy, romantic relationships based on lust, love, and longing.