A presentation I made for Asheville Friends of Astrology on October 18, 2019 on Transits as Spiritual Process. In this talk I discuss the effects of the outer planets in transit and offer some perspectives on how to approach planetary influences in a constructive and multi-dimensional way.

There is so much to share on this topic, but hopefully I have summarized the basics well in this video. After completing the presentation, I felt I wanted to explore an example chart further to show a bit more about how to read into the layers of a long-term transit on a personal basis, so I wrote the following piece on current major transits in the chart of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Thank you all who attended and sent along your chart information. I was happy I got to discuss the transits of several generational groups, as this can definitely help many people in those age groups connect with the current cosmic pulse. Please read on in the example below for a more focused analysis of a personal transit :)

Transiting Pluto & Saturn in the chart of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Hello everyone!

It was so fun doing this presentation. I love getting out and talking astrology and I hope my perspectives were interesting and that all levels were able to connect with what I shared, even if you are not extremely versed in Astrology (yet :)).

One thing I did not get a chance to do that I wanted to do in our example readings was do an in-depth break down of a chart with a “Personal” inner planet transit being affected by an outer planet. I did several generational and gave a rough interpretation of how these function – but the personal transits function a little bit differently, and I felt it worthwhile to dive into this a bit further with an example chart.

For this purpose, I thought it would be good to look at the chart of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (pictured above). I mentioned her chart in the presentation with reference to her generational alignments, so let’s start there.

The last few years Alexandria has been going through her Saturn return, one of the major life passages we all go through around the age of 30. This is a particularly potent Saturn return, as it connects to 5 generational, and in Alexandria’s case, 4 personal influences, in a very concentrated period of time. This shows me that AOC’s rise in her political career at such a young age, along with her focus on ethics in doing so, is not just personal, but also representative of the ideals of her generation. Uranus, Neptune & Saturn in Capricorn are all about shaking up and restructuring the ideals of larger society – opposing Jupiter & Chiron in Cancer, shows strong family values and principles of compassion, protection, and caring more deeply for those in need.

This is a formation that is prominent in 1989 in particular, so all of those born during this year (and nearby years) and going through their Saturn returns are having a similarly potent time of acceleration into their adulthood mission. This group has the major soul assignment of reforming society, and so it is no surprise that so many political and ideological considerations are currently ‘up’ in the collective as these folks start to come of age and into their path work — especially surrounding social issues and identity/tribe affiliations. This is a group of people that is especially frustrated with the incongruencies between their vision of an ideal society and the reality of the outdated system that we exist in, and are the most inclined to actually do something about it.

Alexandria’s chart features an angular, cardinal grand cross – which gives her grit, intensity, and a lot of energy towards jump starting change. Saturn since 2017 has been strongly triggering this formation, and it is undoubtedly a very intense process that she has gone through from being a community organizer to running for congress and being elected. It is a major redefining of self and coming into her sense of inner authority (Saturn transiting her first house). Nearly every aspect of herself has been tested, put under fire, and reformed in these recent years (Saturn making hard aspects to 4 inner planets, 5 generationals, and axis of career/home).

On the personal planet level, Alexandria has also been enduring a transit of Pluto to her natal Sun in the last 2 years. This is extremely fitting given what she is stepping into and echoes the themes of her Saturn Return quite well. In short, AOC’s natal Libra Sun ego identity is going through a MAJOR overhaul and transformation. Her chart shows that she has been engaging with this Plutonian energy intermittently since 2008 (when Pluto went into Capricorn), but this transit in particular is a climactic point. It is the last major Pluto transit to her chart for many years and it is coinciding with the conjunction of Pluto & Saturn — a major 35 year world cycle. The concurrent impact of these two planets (and Uranus, throughout the 2010s) on Alexandria’s life is extremely powerful. She has been working and evolving through intense changes for at least a decade to arrive at where she is now, and it has made her strong. This last stage of the process will cement her role and identity in her work going forward.

The transit of Pluto she is experiencing is a square – so a challenge or a conflict. Based off of the chart time provided by astrotheme, it also appears that Pluto is simultaneously crossing into her 2nd house, shifting from the house of self, into the house of finances and self worth. We can glean from this that at this time she is particularly challenged to remain strong in herself despite the many pressures, expectations, oppositions, and other trials that might arise from being a young woman in Congress. Her natal sun is in the 10th house of public life, and so it is not surprising that she should have a career where she is very visible. However, it is a big shift for her regardless – and she likely has grappled deeply with her public image, the public perception of her, and the impact and influence of her identity during this time period. As a Libra Sun, the sun is in its fall, so likely there are themes coming up around how far one leans into diplomacy and where/when it is important to assert oneself. Alexandria is learning this balance in a new way and with Pluto transiting, is likely further developing her inner strength and resilience.

If we were to tease this out further we could also look at the house AOC’s Sun rules. According to the birthtime given and the placidus house system, Alexandria’s Sun actually has no rulership of a house (this is a fairly uncommon situation) – as the sign of Leo presides in the 8th house and is “intercepted” – which basically means it is not attached to the walls of the house, and is therefore expressed from a more subconscious space. From this I get the sense that identity & community is something that Alexandria feels extremely strongly about because she is always in search of the fullness of her identity. The sign of Leo is in the 8th house, furthering this sense of mystery. So calling upon that aspect of trust in the process is even more imperative for Alexandria. Additionally the 8th/2nd houses relate to finances and it seems she has a gift for raising money organically in her campaigns. So even though these houses are intercepted, there is some kind of hidden gift in these deeper layers. Undoubtedly with Pluto moving across her Sun she has been feeling the growth, empowerment, and struggle in this area as well.

In addition to this Leo is the sign of Alexandria’s South Node, the point of the karmic past in the chart, so we can glean that the impact of Pluto’s transit to her natal Sun also draws out some of her past life gifts and curses. This is a time of unearthing the deep powers of leadership and authority that are innate to Alexandria, as well as releasing personal egotism in favor of collective/community action (North Node in Aquarius). This transit, in this way, is particularly karmic and important for AOC, and definitely shows another dimension to her rise to a public role and community leadership at this particular time in her life — it is fate, as it were.

If we wanted to keep delving, we can also observe the planetary rulerships involved with the transit. For Alexandria, the chain of planetary rulerships to her natal sun is as follows:

Sun in Libra ->
Venus in Sagittarius (12th) ->
Jupiter in Cancer (7th) ->
Moon in Aries (4th) ->
Mars in Libra (10th) ->
Pluto in Scorpio (11th)*
*(if you wish to consider Mars a ruler of Scorpio, which I personally do)

This is quite a chain of energy. So from this view, the impact of Pluto’s transit to AOC’s natal Sun is quite significant for the chart as a whole, because its influence echoes through so many areas of her chart — including 3 angular houses (the most potent houses of action and identity in a chart). Ultimately, we land on her natal Pluto in the 11th house. Pluto on the 11th shows Alexandria’s powerful and perhaps controversial presence in her community. Alexandria brings her ideal of cultivating meaningful one-to-one relationships, and deep desire to serve greater humanity to her role as a public figure. Pluto’s transit to her Sun encourages her to bring all of this forward and into embodiment. It is quite a lot to handle all in one transit, so it certainly will take Alexandria some time, even after the influence has passed, to integrate everything that is occurring in her life right now.

One last point I would like to mention is that any outer planet transit will have a tendency to “signal” back to the conditions of that same planet in the natal chart, even if it is not “talking” to it directly via an aspect. This can be the issues of the planet in its natal house, natal aspects, etc. For example, if Pluto is very harsh in the chart, Pluto transits might be felt more aggressively, as the energy demands attention whenever it comes up. In AOC’s case, her natal Pluto has a trine to Jupiter (chart ruler) & Chiron in Cancer in the 7th house — so Pluto transits are deeply intertwined with her relationships, soul quest, and identity in general. It is a trine (flowing aspect) so the impact is more subtle in her case.

This is just an example of several ways to go deeper with transit analysis. When going through a particularly intense transit, I find these layers and dimensions are naturally felt, and exploring them can really help ground what’s going on experientially into pieces that are easier to digest on the mental & emotional levels. Transits and astrology show us so well what a beautiful mystery our lives are — and just how multi-dimensional our own blueprint is. It is an opportunity to learn so much more about ourselves, as well assist us in going through our evolutionary processes.

Every chart will be different, but I thought that sharing how this works with a public figure like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez can show the potential of what can be discovered through a good intuitive and technical reading of a chart. Yes it is about identity (Sun) for Alexandria – but it is so much more than just that. And there is no question that Pluto is dredging up all of these dimensions of AOC’s life as she begins her career as a congresswoman.

Given Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s chart, it is likely this is a life long career for her and that she will make a major impact along the way. She was also born year of the Snake, which is the sign of the politician in the Chinese zodiac, so it really just seems she was made for the job. Just her presence in Congress is a breakthrough, opening the path for many others. It will not be, and has likely not been, an easy path. But she has a strong spirit and a lot of grace – which will take her far in the eyes of the public.

I hope that you enjoyed this transit profile on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and that these ideas help you along your journey.