The basic idea
Say your birth chart has Venus at 14 degrees of Gemini. It’ll always be there. But today’s Mars is moving, and sooner or later it will reach 14 degrees of Gemini too, or a square or a trine to it. That’s a transit: Mars conjunct your Venus. Astrologers read it as a time when that part of you gets a bit more attention. In this case it could be a stirring of desire, or impatience about love.
Think of it as weather passing over a house. The house stays as it is, and the weather shows you which windows leak.
Why some last hours and some last years
Speed makes all the difference. Here’s a rough guide to how long a transit tends to be felt:
- The Moon: a few hours. It’s your passing mood, and it’s the reason a forecast can change daily.
- The Sun, Mercury and Venus: a few days. Small themes, an easy week for talking or a sweet spell with someone.
- Mars: days to about a week, and longer when it slows down. Energy, irritation, getting things done.
- Jupiter and Saturn: weeks to months. These often coincide with bigger stretches of life, such as committing to something or finishing with it.
- Uranus, Neptune and Pluto: months, sometimes spread over more than a year. They’re slow enough that you only notice them looking back.
That’s why you shouldn’t plan a life around the Moon, and why it’s fine to enjoy reading about it.
How it works in the app
MatchMachine checks ten moving planets against the eleven points in your chart, using only the major aspects: conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition. It only shows a transit within 2 degrees of exact, so whatever appears is really happening now. Without a birth time, your Rising is left out. Today’s forecast is free and short, and sometimes it’s just a quiet day. The full forecast, your week ahead and your birthday year come with Premium.
The app works this out from today’s sky and your chart. A forecast is written from what’s lining up, so it can’t know anything about what’s actually going on in your life.
How to read one without worrying
A transit can’t make anything happen. It’s a prompt for noticing. If you read that Saturn is squaring your Moon, that doesn’t tell you sadness is on the way. It might suggest paying attention to whether you’ve been too hard on yourself lately. If a forecast describes conflict, take it as a nudge to choose your words, and don’t assume anyone’s about to fight with you.
Please don’t make serious decisions from one: medical, legal or financial choices need real advice, and it’s a poor reason to end a relationship, or to stay in one that isn’t safe. Good timing is a nice idea, and how you and the other person are actually doing tells you far more.
Transits are about your own chart and the sky. Comparing two people is a separate technique, and you’ll find it under what synastry is.