When you are looking up information in the astrology forecasts and predictions so that you can make decisions about your life, you often read about “transit periods.” If you have an astrologer work on your birth chart or your solar return chart, you will likely hear this term again.
The planets are always moving in many different directions all of the time, astrologers call this movement a transit. When a planet makes an influential or important movement through the skies, this period of time will be particularly important for events during that month, year, or throughout your lifetime.
Not every transit period of the planets is created equal, and not even every single transit period is particularly important. The “personal” planets, also considered the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter), will be smaller and less influential on your overall life. The transit periods with the outer planets, on the other hand, are an entirely different story.
The transits of the outer planets: Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are transpersonal planets with important transit periods. Their effects are the most important because they will be felt for a long time. That’s precisely what we are going to talk about today, so let’s discover the impact of the outer planets on life here on Earth.
Learn more about The Planets in Astrology here.
The Planet Saturn
Saturn is known as the planet of Karma. It is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest planet in our solar system. Its orbital period is 29.5 Earth years, but it switches signs every 2-3 years.
What Saturn Means
As a planet, Saturn gets a bit of a bad rap because he wasn’t very nice! In mythology, he is the son of Uranus. Saturn that we credit for creating the division between time and seasons. He also established history and the cosmic order of the world. Unfortunately, because he feared his own children (as he ate them at birth) his last child, Zeus, or Jupiter, was the only one that could take him on.
As such, in our day-to-day life and transit periods today, Saturn is the one that places restrictions on us. He is the planet of limitations. He will warn you when you are spending too much, loving too much, or overindulging in anything. This planet will hold the mirror up to your life.
Saturn’s Effect
You can sometimes feel burdened when undergoing a Saturn transit period. Sadness, loneliness, and a feeling of being overwhelmed can all slow you down. As Saturn also rules time, life can feel slow when experiencing his transits. However, the message is that life is too short to be bogged down by the very details we are worrying about.
All Saturn wants us to do is to efficiently tend to these details so that we can enjoy that life.
As much as Saturn is about limitations and restrictions, when we have the details of our lives in order, it rewards us greatly. The main action for a Saturn transit period is to take care of what you need to do and enjoy the blessings that will follow.
The Planet Uranus
This blue Ice Giant earned the name Uranus from the Greek god of the sky. Additionally, it is also the seventh planet from the Sun and has an orbital period of 84 Earth years. In astrology, it only switches signs every 7 years, meaning that most people in the same age group will have the same Uranus sign in their chart, showing that generational change is left up to the stars.
What Uranus Means
In mythology, Uranus was considered to have come from chaos. He was married to Gaia, the great Earth mother goddess. Uranus is the heavens and represents its limitless space. Together they had many children, but all of them were a bit odd or deformed (the Titans, for example.) His own son Saturn ended up castrating him.
Uranus represents all things unconventional. When you see transit periods in your astrology charts that include the movement of the planet Uranus, you can expect things to happen in an odd or unconventional way. Your routine may be shaken up, and you might have to be flexible to get things done.
Uranus’ Effect
The effect of a Uranus transit is always different than what you would expect. if Uranus is transiting your relationship house, your relationships may look unconventional to outsiders. Unconventional does not necessarily mean bad. It might mean your relationship turns into a long-distance one, you might have a same-sex relationship, or something that is simply different.
Exceptional genius, talent, and remarkable gifts come with this transit period, so you can expect some unique and wonderful surprises during this time if your birth charts and solar return charts do not also contain insidious aspects. This might be the perfect time for you to follow your passions and see where your dreams take you.
To cope and handle this period of unconventionality is to loosen up the restrictions and limitations that Saturn transits will try to impose. Be creative, do something outside the box. If a problem is vexing you, consider an out of the box solution to it, take matters into your own hands! Let go, and let this god of the heavens work its magic.
The Planet Neptune
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and is (as of 2020) the farthest solar planet in our solar system. This planet is named after the Roman god of the sea and is represented by a glyph based on Neptune’s trident. Neptune’s orbital period is 165 Earth years and only changes sign every 10-12 years meaning that dreams and spiritual connection changes per decade.
What Neptune Means
Neptune joined his brothers Pluto and Jupiter to overthrow their father, Saturn. As a result, Neptune (also known as Poseidon) became the god and ruler of the seas. Water is a particularly important element in astrology, and this makes Neptune the dreamy and intuitive planet. He is also very romantic and enjoyed many liaisons before finally marrying Amphitrite.
As such, the cause that Neptune instills on us during these transits is one where we are to look within to our dreams and intuition, without overindulging on the sensual forms of life. It’s a time for fantasy and romance, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to combine the two, either.
Neptune’s Effect
Neptune has a tendency to get caught up in himself once in a while, and this can lead to overindulgence in love or even substance abuse. Although Neptune is great for moments of fantasy, too much will make you easily deceived under a Neptune transit. You might be so lovey-dovey with people, and once the world sees this, they could take advantage of you.
When undergoing a Neptune transit period in your birth charts, you always need to be a little wise to the realities of life before they completely snow you. At the same time, Neptune gifts you with information about your dream life, and you can get very important information during this particular transit period in your dreams. If your chart indicates you are going through a Neptune transit, keep a dream journal by your bed or in the bag you take to work, and you will be surprised at the information that comes your way at the most unexpected times.
This is a planet that, as much as it can fool you, offers you a unique psychic perspective that the other planets simply cannot. Follow this spiritual awareness and any and all hunches that come your way when you are being influenced by this god of the sea.
The Planet Pluto
Pluto is a dwarf planet that is situated in the Kuiper belt. This planet was named by an 11-year-old girl who suggested to her grandfather that the name of this new planet be named after the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto’s orbital period is 248 Earth years and changes zodiac signs every 13-32 years. This large difference in its zodiac orbit is due to its highly erratic orbit in space.
What Pluto Means
Pluto (or Hades in Greek mythology) is known as the planet of death and transformation. He owned a helmet that made him invisible. He fell in love with Persephone and kidnapped her from her mother, the goddess Ceres (Demeter.) He did make Persephone his queen, but that bold move (as romantic as it may have been) still left a shadow of darkness on the earth.
The upside is that this god, and his planet, can bestow wealth and acclaim but not without sacrifice on your part. It means you may have some struggles and dark times before finally finding success and your place in the world.
Pluto’s Effect
Pluto transit periods in your chart are a test of your will. You will be asked to undergo a powerful period of transformation. This is not always a bad thing. In fact, these changes are to be embraced just as Pluto asks you to do. To truly experience the abundance in your life that Pluto can, in fact, offer, you need to be willing to go through these periods of transformation.
Pluto may close some toxic doors and open new ones that will manifest the abundance you seek. I’m not going to lie. A Pluto transformation can feel like a hurricane went through your house. Sometimes it was meant to be. If you are looking for blessings, you will always find them. Surrender to the process of transformation, and the blessings and miracles will most certainly appear. This is Pluto’s law.
The Outer Planets Look Inside
When one of the outer planets makes a significant transit period in your birth charts or in astrological predictions for the month or year ahead, you are now prepared! They symbolize big changes, but not necessarily negative transformation.
The best way to get through any of them is to simply surrender to the process, follow your psychic hunches, and allow them to transform your life in exactly the way it was intended.
Related article: Your Ultimate Guide to Birth Charts