Firstly, it is a great idea to have a personal birth chart to determine what influences are good or bad for you personally, what is medicine for one is poison for another which makes it a mistake to apply generalized planetary energy to everyone. Imagine if you will that the whole world population was grumpy at exactly the same time, I doubt humanity could survive that.
As an example, if you love debating, you likely use Mars combative energy well and have a well developed communication style and balanced emotions with regard to opposition. If you are a person who gets anxious in hostile environments then Mars in one of your houses will feel more like a nightmare. Some planets move through quickly (the closer to the sun they are the shorter their cycle, pluto it is to be noted has a very long slow transit which means learning to use influences can really turn to your advantage.
You may have noticed the frequency of Mercury influences, this is because it is closest to the sun completing four cycles (four Mercury years), while the slow old earth we live on only completes one in the same time period. For a while I was constantly hearing the distress of those who felt they were unfairly living through a Mercury inspired communication hell, where anything that could go wrong would, it inspired me to create a counteracting spell (Spellcasters Manual) for those who wanted to ‘use’ the energy rather than be battered around by it. At any time there are those impacted and there are millions happily oblivious, how deeply you are affected is about your personality, character development and, last but not least, what your personal weakness might be. A gambler with a poor aspect in the financial house this year might lose thousands or more, a non gambler may overspend a little or a lot.
What do you do when you look at the influences for your year? (you can do this online when you have a personal chart)
Must you simply groan inside and give yourself over to a bad lot? Can you change things or take charge of the available energy by shifting your focus and monitoring your behaviours? Yes you can!! wohoo
First check out which house on your chart is problematic. (check out the live shows on intuitalks for some great astrologers, get into a show and find out your transits or ask what areas are going to challenge you in any particular month)
Which astrological house is affected by which planet and for how long? When you know this you can also assess positive influences which can also be used to either counteract or completely negate the effects of any negative aspects. You can also use a negative aspect in a positive way. Now you’re talking turkey, I really love playing with this type of energy and seeing what can be ‘pushed’ into being, I am not usually too concerned if a creation comes into this world quietly or kicking and screaming. If you have a relationship limping along, why waste your life when you could find that your twelfth house is influenced by a powerful planet encouraging you to move forward, these influences are not always pleasant but usually get the job done.
There are no bad planets or houses, there are only influences that tend to work within our own personal cycle of life. An argumentative influence in a good relationship working or otherwise can be used to clarify boundaries or clear out old baggage, this same influence in a weak relationship will bring it to it’s knees. If you have a business that is draining you and you find pressure bought to bear on your finances, you may just decide to let it go, otherwise you may have continued labouring in a vortex of anxiety until your health was affected.
How do you use the energy consciously to counteract otherwise negative effects. An example would be that if you looked at how Uranus invokes a rebellious spirit and realize that you are constantly up on your soap box preaching to deaf ears or rubbing up against authority, you could turn that around by joining an ecological group or a fledgling or fringe group seeking change in the world. If you find yourself drowning in Neptune’s addictive or depressive influences, you can focus on any water activity (bathing, spas) or find an image (dolphins, whales etc) and hang it on the wall or carry it with you for a while. All planets have both positive and negative impact, look to a particular planets positive aspects and actively invoke them to get the most out of them while they are in one of your houses.
If you see what appears to be a bad aspect, ask yourself if it is encouraging right action through opposition, is it karmic or is it bringing to light something dark, hidden or avoided. If the latter you will find the issue coming into your consciousness in a cyclic way, asserting itself every time a particular planetary influence moves into a house. You may have a variety of problems with a single house, in which it is time to address any issues so you can reduce the impact going forward or even better, exercise the positive aspects of that house and planet. So, there you have it, delve deeper into your chart and information, become the master of your future by determining to be an active participant in influencing your day to day life.
