Ugh

Every now and then, mainstream news covers astrology in a weird way. I just read this one, about the fact that our galaxy is in motion, and got mad, and here we are. What the article manages to do is cast doubt that you may not be your sun sign because the position of the constellations has shifted as our solar system has moved. The annoying thing is that it’s a good point but it’s not the point I wish they would make.

If you were born a Taurus, you’re a Taurus sun forever. But: the solar system continues to move after your birth, so transits to your Taurus sun will start to hit later and later the older you get relative to when you think they should hit. If your Taurus sun is at 29°30’ and you’re about 38, an exact transit to your Taurus sun isn’t going to be exact until it’s aspecting 0°00’ Gemini. Doesn’t mean you’re a Gemini now.

There is no app that I am aware of that takes this into account (it’s called “precession correction” and Rob Hand describes it in his book Planets in Transit), so all the apps tell you you’re having transits that you might technically not be having yet, or worse, that a transit is over when it’s not. The first app I used told me the Pluto transit that was wrecking havoc upon my life was waning when it was not. This is why I don’t like astrology apps.

A few weeks ago, I spoke to someone convinced that her current Pluto transit was exact when it wasn’t and wouldn’t be for over another year, because she was matching natal planet degree to transiting planet degree and hadn’t heard of precession correction. I explained precession correction to her, but she remained wary.

Astrology is all about timing, so if the timing is wrong, what use is it?