About planetary transits
A transit is simply where a planet is in the zodiac right now, as it moves along its orbit. In Western (tropical) astrology these moving planets are read against the backdrop of the twelve signs, and each placement carries a recognisable theme — a kind of cosmic weather that everyone shares.
Fast and slow transits
- Personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars) move quickly — from a couple of days for the Moon to a few weeks for the others — and colour your day-to-day mood, mind, drive and relationships.
- Social planets (Jupiter, Saturn) move slowly, spending a year or more in a sign, setting longer themes of growth and responsibility.
- Outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) crawl through a sign for years or decades, marking generational shifts.
What retrograde means
When a planet appears to move backward from Earth's viewpoint it is retrograde (marked ℞). Retrograde transits favour reviewing, revisiting and refining the matters that planet rules rather than charging ahead — Mercury retrograde, for example, is the classic time to double-check messages, travel and tech.
Same sky, your timezone
Planetary positions are geocentric, so they are identical for everyone on Earth at a given instant — only the clock time shown changes with your timezone. To understand how a current transit lands on your personal birth chart, consult a qualified astrologer.