suality, and characterized by a strong will and potential power struggles. Jacob
Schwartz gives the astrological significance of this asteroid as “using and controlling
power, machismo, using intimidation, competitiveness, and physical work.”Sources:
Dobyns, Zipporah. Expanding Astrology’s Universe.San Diego: Astro Computing Services, 1983.
George, Demetra, with Douglas Bloch. Asteroid Goddesses: The Mythology, Psychology and Astrol-
ogy of the Reemerging Feminine.2d. ed. San Diego: Astro Computing Services, 1990.
———. Astrology for Yourself: A Workbook for Personal Transformation.Berkeley, CA: Wingbow
Press, 1987.
Lehman, J. Lee. The Ultimate Asteroid Book.West Chester, PA: Whitford Press, 1988.
Schwartz, Jacob. Asteroid Name Encyclopedia.St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1995.TRANSIT
Transit, from the Latin trans,meaning “across,” “beyond,” or “over” plus ire,meaning
“go,” has two related astrological meanings. The first simply identifies planets that are
moving across the sky, in contrast to planets positioned in a birth chart (or in other
kinds of horoscopes). For example, a given individual’s natal Mercury (Mercury’s posi-
tion at birth) is at 25° Aquarius, whereas transiting Mercury is moving through the
early degrees of Sagittarius. One can also talk about a planet’s transit (movement)
through a given sign or house.
The second meaning of transit refers to a method of predicting conditions on the
basis of the interaction between transiting planets and one’s natal chart (birth chart).
Secondary progressions, the other method of prognostication most in use among con-
temporary astrologers, entails finding a person’s age—say, 40 years—and moving the
planets and house cusps of the natal chart to the positions they occupied the same num-
ber of days after birth as the individual’s age in years, in this case, 40 days. An oversim-
plified but nevertheless useful generalization is that transits indicate external conditions,
whereas progressions indicate inner development (in the sense of changes in one’s per-
sonality). Thus, transits are used to predict future environments, and progressions are
used to predict inner changes. For readings, astrologers often erect a chart that has three
concentric circles; the inner circle contains the natal chart, the intermediate circle con-
tains what is referred to as the progressed chart, and the outer circle records the positions
of the transiting planets for the time of the reading. This tripartite chart allows the
astrologer to view the interactions between the various levels at a glance.
The transiting planets exert generic influences that affect everybody. Thus,
the period during which Mercury (which is associated with communication and con-
crete thinking) is retrograde (appears to move backward in its orbit), for example, is
not a good time for anyone to sign contracts. However, when astrologers discuss tran-
sits, they usually have in mind the interaction between the planets currently moving
through the heavens and the planets in a particular person’s natal chart. A natal chart
is a bit like a two-way template that shows how a person views the universe as well as
how the universe affects the individual. The positions that the planets occupied at the
person’s birth, in other words, remain sensitive spots that respond to the transiting
celestial bodies making aspects to them. Say, for example, that an individual’s natalTransit
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