Transits for the year 2021 — being your own astrologer

What can we expect in the year ahead? The aspects that transiting planets make to our birth chart can highlight areas that are likely to take on significance. Recently astrologer Peter Burns posted a planet tracks graphic as a service to the astrological community, which gives a visual guide to the transits of 2021. Here is a copy of Peter’s graphic.

Peter Burns

Planet Tracks for 2021
Peter’s 5th annual Planet Tracks graphic, free to the astrological community.

One way to work with the graphic is to start with the slowest celestial body Pluto and to work one’s way in toward Mars, which often acts as a trigger to other transits and also indicates areas of life where we expend a lot of energy.

As you can see in Peter’s diagram, Pluto spends the year 2021 moving back and forth within a few late degrees (24 – 26 degrees) of Capricorn, a cardinal sign. Since Pluto symbolizes dramatic change and transformation, any planets in these same late degrees of cardinal signs will be conjunct or in hard aspect to Pluto and therefore subject to the metaphorical “death and rebirth” symbolized by this dwarf planet. The exact degrees can be seen in the ephemeris for 2021:

2021 Ephemeris from Mars out.

For example, Donald Trump has his natal 10th ruler Venus at 25 Cancer 44, and it will be receiving an opposition from transiting Pluto throughout 2021, which will perfect in February and again in July. This opposition from Pluto to his 10th house ruler can symbolize a radical change in career maters, a chapter closing on one phase of development and the beginning of a new one.

In terms of Sun sign astrology, anyone whose Sun lies close to the range of 24 to 26 degrees of a cardinal sign (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) will acutely experience the transformative symbolism of Pluto in their lives in 2021. The same would hold true for any personal planet near these degrees of cardinal signs.

A similar analysis can be done for each of the planets listed above. Mars is faster moving and will traverse several signs and several houses of the horoscope, highlighting those areas of life and directing our energies and attention to the themes of those houses.