A Beginner-Friendly Guide to Timing Techniques in Astrology (Part 1)

Welcome, my friend.

I hope you’re doing beautifully these days!

This post is part one of a 3-part blog series where I teach you a few simple astrological timing techniques so you can get a clearer vision of what may be happening in your life right now. If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of the stars, you’re in the right place. By the end of this series, you’ll have a foundational understanding of:

• How the planets’ current movements are impacting your chart (and your life!) – this blog post!
• How we each move through distinct seasons across a lifetime – this other blog post!
• How your life mimics the lunar cycle – with phases of growth, culmination, and rest – this other blog post!

In today’s blog post, we’ll explore one of the most popular timing techniques in astrology: transits.

What are Transits in Astrology?

Transits refer to the current movements of the planets and how they interact with your unique birth chart. These planetary movements affect us all collectively and individually in very specific and unique ways.

Transits are the most well-known and widely used timing technique in astrology. This isn’t because they’re simple (trust me – they’re not!), but because they’re incredibly personal. You can get very specific about what’s happening in your life right now – and better yet, why.

You see, every planet has a few key significations (aka the odd astrological term for “symbolism”). While skeptics like to argue that astrology is broad and vague, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Every planet, sign, house, aspect, and technique has meticulously specific meanings. Ok, I digress…back to transits.

When the planets move around the sky, they form relationships to your birth chart — the snapshot of the sky at your exact moment of birth — and activate very particular energies and events in your life. While your birth chart may appear to be static, timing techniques like transits show how far from the mark that assumption actually is. At various points in time, specific parts of our birth charts are activated, triggered, and evolved throughout our lifetimes. We are not static beings, nor are our birth charts.

Below is an example:

The green symbols on the outside of the chart are the transiting planets (aka where the planets currently are in the sky). The inner wheel of signs, houses, and planets is someone’s birth chart – the “snapshot” that was taken of the sky when this person popped out of the womb!

Here’s a Simple Breakdown of What Each Transiting Planet Represents:

• Sun ☉: Wherever the Sun is currently transiting in your chart is an area of life that’s being lit up and emphasized.
• Moon ☽: Wherever the Moon is currently transiting in your chart is an area that temporarily nourishes you and fills your cup.
• Mercury ☿: Wherever Mercury is currently transiting in your chart is an area of life you’ll be more interested in thinking about, learning about, and talking about.
• Venus ♀: Wherever Venus is currently transiting in your chart is an area of life that you’ll value and find great pleasure in.
• Mars ♂: Wherever Mars is currently transiting in your chart is an area of life that may harbor more conflict temporarily but is also an area where you have more energy, willpower, and drive.
• Jupiter ♃: Wherever Jupiter is currently transiting in your chart is an area of life where you’ll experience a sense of growth, expansion, ease, and even luck and abundance!
• Saturn ♄: Wherever Saturn is currently transiting in your chart is an area of life where you’ll be asked to take responsibility, get organized, stay patient despite delays and setbacks, and do some serious “adulting”.
• Uranus ♅: Wherever Uranus is currently transiting in your chart is an area of life that is demanding change, breaking free from the past, and complete revolution – perhaps at the cost of your comfort zone.
• Neptune ♆: Wherever Neptune is currently transiting in your chart is an area of life where you’re becoming more open-hearted, compassionate, and in desire of true meaning and purpose.
• Pluto ♇: Wherever Pluto is currently transiting in your chart is an area of life where you’ll most likely be pulled down to the proverbial “Underworld” to do some serious healing, shadow work, surrender, power reclamation, and ultimately, transformation.

Astrologers read transits by looking at what sign the planet is in, what house of your chart it’s moving through, and what aspects it’s forming with your natal planets. Even if you’re just starting out, you can begin to notice which areas of life are being emphasized and explore which planet might be responsible.

If you need a refresher on houses, check out my blog post on the houses here or download my free astrology planets/signs/houses resource.

Want to Know Which Transits YOU Are Currently Experiencing?

Even if your only takeaway today is that “transits” = the current movement of planets (and the ripple effect they create in your life), then you’re already making progress.

And if you feel overwhelmed right now — I get it. I felt the same way when I started learning astrology. Stick with me. I’ll continue sharing these beginner-friendly techniques and break them down in digestible ways. You don’t have to master it all at once.

In fact, my other two techniques in this 3-part series are bigger picture and even easier to understand. So if today felt like a lot, check out my other two blog posts in this beginner-friendly timing techniques series → my Secondary Progressed Planets blog and my Progressed Lunar Cycle blog.

With love and stardust,

Devon Rochelle ✨
Your Cosmic Life Coach