Although this book’s focus is natal astrology, predictive astrology is such a wonderful and fun part of astrology, I’d like to offer a short guide to making predictions. Here’s the idea behind it…
As you know, the planets move around the Sun, and your birth chart is a map of where the planets were when you were born, set for the place you were born. But of course, the planets didn’t stop moving around the Sun after you were delivered; rather, they kept on moving and they are still moving!
In Chapter 8 you learned about the degrees. These are the actual spots within the 30-degree measurement of the zodiac signs where the planets in your birth chart can be found. By the same token, the planets up in the skies (called ‘transiting’ planets) are all still moving through the imaginary degrees astrologers apply to the zodiac.
In that same chapter you also learned that planets make aspects (angles) to each other in your birth chart – that’s when we can measure them to be, say, 30 or 90 or 120 degrees apart (a sextile, a square and a trine).
Now consider the idea that the planets in the sky can make aspects or angles to the planets in your birth chart. So, let’s say that Saturn in the skies (aka transiting Saturn) is at 10 degrees of Sagittarius and the Sun in your birth chart is at 10 degrees of Aquarius. We would say that transiting Saturn is sextiling your natal Sun.
Now we can start to make predictions. We know that Saturn is very constructive and helps us to build our lives. This is especially the case when the planet is in a positive frame of mind – i.e. when it’s making a harmonious or easy aspect (in this case, a sextile) to your Sun, which is the essential you. Thus when Saturn sextiles your Sun, it’s a good time for you to grow as a person, to mature, to do Saturnian things like make commitments and plan out some proper life strategies.
Do you see what I did there? I applied information about the planets and signs and then added the backdrop of the houses. So for example, if transiting Saturn is in your 3rd house, then 3rd house issues apply. Therefore it’s a good time to think through and seriously (Saturn) discuss (3rd house) these issues.
The interpretations in the Astrological Cookbook (Chapter 13) were written mainly with the individual’s chart in mind. However, the meaning for each planet in each sign and house can also be extrapolated to extract its meaning when it’s a transit. So you can start to use the information in the cookbook section to help you make predictions.
For example, if you were born with your Sun in the 1st house, you were born to shine. However, when the transiting Sun is in your 1st house, it’s also your time to shine… get it? The planets in your birth chart and the planets transiting and making angles to your birth chart all carry the same or extremely similar meanings. Mercury is always about communication – in your chart or in the skies/transiting; Venus is always about love, Mars is always about being determined, and so on.
In order to start making predictions, you’ll need to get hold of an ephemeris: a book showing where the planets are at any given time. They are available online, or you can buy software that provides the same information (I use Solar Fire, which I consider the best). For a great online ephemeris, see khaldea.com/ephemcenter.shtml
On the following page is an example of an ephemeris: it might look complicated, but in fact it’s not hard to read once you get to grips with the array of little numbers it contains.
On this ephemeris, you can see the dates in January 2016 on the far left column. Along the top you see all the glyphs for the planets. In the second column is sidereal time – this is the time worked out from the motion of the Earth relative to the stars rather than relative to the Sun.
Then, under the planetary glyphs, you see the degrees and minutes for where each planet is. If you look down the column, you’ll see that there are numbers, numbers, numbers and every now and then, a zodiac sign glyph. The signs show when the planet changes signs. So for example here, looking at the column showing the Sun’s position (i.e. the column with the glyph for the Sun at the top), the Sun moves into Aquarius on 21 January.
Figure 22: Ephemeris
To find out where the planets are right now, go to theastrologybook.com/freechart and cast a ‘here and now chart’ by keying in today’s date, and your location. Your chart will look similar to the ‘here and now’ chart I’ve created today, as I write this book:
Name: Here and now
Birth Date: Aug.19,2016 18:21:00
Time Zone: BST
Location: London, Middlesex, United Kindom
(Produced by http://www.allstarastrologers.com)
Figure 23: Here and now birth chart
On my ‘here and now’ chart, the Sun is in Leo, the Moon is in Pisces, Mercury is in Virgo and so on. You can see all this in the chart and it’s also listed on the top right of the chart.
Now let’s look at the birth chart of a woman born at 8.30 a.m. on 21 March 1966 in London:
Name: Jane
Birth Date: Mar.21,1966 08:30:00
Time Zone: BST
Location: London, Middlesex, United Kindom
(Produced by http://www.allstarastrologers.com)
Figure 24: sample birth chart
So if we plot the transiting planets (where they are now) on her birth chart, we see, among other things, that the Sun is in her 4th house. So right now her focus is going to be on home and family. This woman is a friend of mine, and I know that she is on holiday at the moment (which shows up with all the planets transiting her 5th house), with her husband and two kids, which speaks of the family focus.
See where the transiting planets are for you.
Using the ‘here and now’ chart you’ve just created, showing where the planets are right now (or an ephemeris), work out where all the planets are. Next, plot out where the transiting planets are compared to your birth chart, drawing them in around the outside of the printout of your chart.
Once you’ve plotted in all the transiting planets on your chart, look at their location in terms of which houses they are in. Where is Venus, for example? Let’s say transiting Venus is in your 8th house, what could that mean? Look up Venus and look up the 8th house – although the interpretations in this book were written mainly for you to decode your birth chart, you’ll still be able to get a sense of what transiting Venus in your 8th house will mean for you.
As you try to decode the transits, remember the following:
Keep these ideas in mind as you see where the planets are today are in your birth chart.
Next, on your own chart, look at which aspects the transiting planets are making to your natal planets. Is Saturn squaring your Sun? Pluto trining your Venus? Using the keywords in this book, try to work it out. Here’s an example:
Then add the layer of the houses; here’s an example:
In my friend’s birth chart above, one of the biggest things to note is that Pluto is trining her ascendant (transiting planets can make aspects to the planets and angles). In other words, this is the time for her to revolutionize how the world sees her. I don’t know how she plans to do this, but in a few months’ time, I could well learn that she has somehow transformed her image – perhaps through some kind of dramatic change in her appearance. Or perhaps she will reinvent herself through her job, or in some other way.
If I were reading her chart, I could predict big changes coming up in the way she comes across or in the way she presents herself to the world. Remember, Pluto transforms, trines are harmonious and the ascendant is the way the world sees you or the mask you wear out in the world. So you can expect a positive transformation that reflects this.
Don’t worry if all this is not immediately apparent to you. Once you become more familiar with the astrological keywords, it will start to flow. I highly recommend Robert Hand’s 530-page tome Planets In Transit, which is the bible for any astrology student. Mr Hand is my astrological idol, though do be aware that some people find his interpretations a little… intense!
The main thing is to know how to work out where the transiting planets are in your chart, then look to Planets In Transit for interpretations that will start to become second nature to you once you’ve read them often enough. You can also find out (for free) which planets are where for you right now a theastrologybook.com/transits. This is a very simple chart program that simply shows you if the transiting planets are harmonizing or clashing with your birth chart, but it will get you started.
My other favourite way to make easy predictions is to use the monthly New and Full Moons as they go around the chart. You can read all about that technique in my book Moonology, which is packed with information about the magical effects of the transiting Moon, but in a nutshell, here’s how to do it.
Find out which sign the New Moon is taking place in. This isn’t hard to do – you can find it on my website moonology. com, or my Facebook page, Facebook.com/yasminboland. It will also be mentioned by other astrologers on their sites or Facebook pages.
Once you know which sign the New Moon is in, see where (in which house) that falls in your birth chart. Wherever the Moon is new in your chart, you have a restart coming that month, or for the coming six months in the case of a New Moon eclipse. Wherever you have a Full Moon, things are going to come to some kind of release, or you need to let go of someone or something.
Look back at my friend’s birth chart above: where does the New Moon in Scorpio fall there? Well, Scorpio rules her 7th house, so a New Moon in Scorpio will bring her new energy related to her love life, her partner, any exes she’s still in touch with, her love life in general and, because the 7th house is also about enemies, it could also bring a restart with someone she considers more foe than friend.
And how would the Full Moon in Aries affect this chart? If you look at the chart you’ll see Aries rules my friend’s 12th house, so a Full Moon in Aries will be about her finding some kind of balance (because Full Moon always asks for balance) between her 6th house (daily work) and her 12th house (spiritual life). It would be a time for her to make sure she was getting enough Zen time to balance out the daily grind. She might be focused (the Sun) on her daily routines and duties (6th house), but she needs to take time out (12th house) to retreat, withdraw and dream (12th house).
