This week’s question comes from Dan in North Carolina:

Although I’m a fairly recent subscriber, I was drawn to a number of your interpretations. I do have a question for you. I can’t quite understand how to do “overlays” of recent events on my natal chart, such as Uranus in Aries or the more recent solar eclipse. Any quick way I can reach my own understanding of how I interpret various astrological events based on my natal chart would be appreciated. Perhaps this is a complicated question…?

Dan, this is a great question, and I’m sure many readers would like to know how they, too, can do some of their own chart interpretation. It is a bit complicated, but it’s well worth making the effort, so I’ll walk you through the steps to create your own transit chart.

First, I should explain to those not familiar with the term what a “transit” is. At the moment you were born, the planets were in a specific pattern in the heavens. This “freeze-frame” of planetary motion is your birth chart. As the planets continue to move over time, they form mathematical relationships to the planets in your birth chart. By overlaying the transiting planets onto your birth chart, we create a transit chart, which we can use to tell us how cosmic forces are playing out in your life.

By far the best site on the Internet for getting your chart is Astrodienst. You’ll need to register and create an account, but it’s free. They also offer a limited amount of interpretation (with a paid subscription, you get a bit more), from some of the world’s best astrologers.

To get a transit chart on Astrodienst, click on the “Free Horoscopes” tab at the top of the page, and then scroll down to “Extended Chart Selection” on the right. A page will come up with chart selection options. Under “Methods,” you get to choose a group. The default is “Circular Charts,” which is the style most people are familiar with. I prefer Pullen, because it’s easier to read. But for the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll stay with Circular Charts.

Right under “Circular Charts,” you’ll see a drop-down menu. The default chart is “Natal Chart Wheel.” If you click on the arrow to the right, you’ll see lots of other options. Under the heading “Prognostic Methods,” you’ll see “transits.” Click on “Natal chart and transits*”. The asterisk on some of the options means that you have to select a date. To select a date, keep going down the Extended Chart Selection page to “Options.” You can enter any date you wish there.

This is where it gets a bit complicated. All of the dates used on this site give the transits for midnight, Universal Time. The East Coast of the United States is five hours behind UT, so you have to take this into account. Usually, if you want transits for a certain date, entering the following day for the transit chart works. For example, to get your transits for the solar eclipse on July 11, you would type in July 12. Then click on “show chart.” You’ll see the transits on the outside of the wheel, in green.

The process is similar for Pullen; there are just fewer options to choose from (less confusing!). On the Pullen chart, your natal planets are toward the inside of the wheel, and the transits are toward the outside.

When I write my weekly forecasts, I often recommend that you check your natal chart to see which houses the aspects I’m writing about fall in. Many of you have written specifically to ask how the cardinal T-square will affect you. Well, now you can do a little of your own astrological analysis!

I would like to issue one word of caution, though, about using the interpretations on Astrodienst. Although I rate them the best on the Internet, they take each aspect and transit by itself. What you end up with is a cookbook approach that doesn’t give you a whole picture and in some cases even gives you conflicting information. The only way to get an accurate big picture is by consulting a professional astrologer. If anyone is having this issue, please contact me for a personal reading. I offer half-hour consultations by phone, which should be plenty enough to help you clear up any confusion you might encounter when you use these online resources.

You also could study astrology, as many of you already are doing. Of course, you have my wholehearted support there!

Speaking of support, I’d like to thank you again, Dan, for sending a generous donation to RealAstrologers, especially since you only recently found the site. To everyone else who sent contributions, I also remain grateful. To those who haven’t donated yet, would you please consider taking a moment to click on the “Donate” button to the right? It will take you to a PayPal page where you can make a secure payment. With your contributions, I’ll be able to make some changes to the site that will make it even more interesting and useful. I’m working on a couple of ideas and hope to have news for you soon.

Thanks for writing, Dan, and best wishes for a wonderful, abundant future.

Pat

Got a quick question? Click here to contact Ask Real Astrologers. You must use this form to contact me, or I won’t get your question. I do read all of your questions, although I am sorry that I can’t answer them all. If you need immediate guidance or in-depth advice, please contact me for a private consultation. THANKS!