Do Transits From The Planet That Rules The Chart Warrant Special Consideration?
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25 years ago, Annalisa theorized that transits of the planet the rules the chart are always beneficial. This was innovative at the time because both my sister and I have Capricorn rising and the widely held wisdom at the time was that you were uniformly up a creek when Saturn came ’round.
Her basis was that the individual is naturally attuned to the energy of the chart ruler so had little problem aligning and while this makes logical sense I have never been able to draw a firm conclusion even though both my sister and I always benefit from Saturn transits because here’s the question:
Is it because she is right about this, or do we benefit because we both have Saturn strongly placed and well aspected? In other words, if Saturn were trashed in our charts would we still fare well? Libra has never been able to decide.
Is the chart ruler friendly to the chart… Period?
submit your own open question…
39 Responses to “Do Transits From The Planet That Rules The Chart Warrant Special Consideration?”
I’m a Scorpio Rising, and I don’t always handle Pluto’s energy well – I tend to have some other kind of heavy transit going on at the same time, though (like Uranus square Uranus, or Saturn squares and oppositions), so I have no idea what to think.
In my natal chart, Pluto is squared by Saturn, opposed by Jupiter, widely trine Moon, Venus and South Node, and sextile Neptune.
Word Angela. I am a Scorpio rising.
In my natal chart I have Pluto sextile my Ascendant but right now I have Neptune square Neptune, Neptune opposition Jupiter, Uranus opposition Sun and Uranus opposition Pluto.
Bartender. Make it a double.
As Sadge rising is hard to tell how my ruler could to harm me in some way. When Jup receives hard, very hard aspects (mainly if venus is hard aspected too) I can be unprotected and the very hard double T square on my moon shows all his toxicity. That was the case when Pluto -12Th squared Jup 9 house I literally collapsed. On the other hand a friend of mine haves a heavy saturn transit on 12th – He is fine and received instantaneously without guarantees or forms a loan that solved his life, when a dependant recognized him. He have a strong saturn in libra rising.
Saturn square Mars
That’s a good question, Elsa, I have a tenth house Aquarian sun opposite natal Uranus, so I suppose that would make my ruling planet Uranus, though I have Taurus on the ascendant. But I’m not monied, not even well off, so Venus, though it sits close to my midheaven isn’t even in the running.
Recently Uranus finished harassing my moon, and though we came close, I didn’t lose the house (not yet anyway). So maybe we don’t fare as badly as someone else who doesn’t have a certain planet as their chart’s ruler when it makes an important transit in their chart.
Scorpio Rising here. My Pluto’s well aspected, part of an earth grand trine; no hard angles. But I’ve definitely been jacked up by Pluto transits, particularly during my childhood, when it opposed my Aries Stellium. As for Mars, mine’s also part of that earth grand trine, but it has some hard angles to it from Neptune and Jupiter. My energy definitely goes up and down with the Mars transits. Cancer Mars was like glue, squaring all my Cardinal personal planets. Ugh.
your rising sign determines the chart ruler. I’m a leo rising so since leo is sun ruled, so is my chart.
mercury moves so fast…
but i’m usually pretty in tune with it.
though the rest of the world doesn’t seem to like it when i reorient my focus during mercury retrograde.
and i usually can use hard mercury aspects to get around to difficult communication. though maybe i could do such things at other points a little easier if i didn’t have two hard aspects to my natal mercury…
NO I don’t think the Chart ruler is friendly to the chart Period. IN fact it can be somthing like looking for a needle in a haystack. Or better yet finding a needle in a haystack, ouch!
well, i have a needs-work kind of theory about how people have it wrong about saturn and jupiter transits to begin with. saturn, for me, usually starts off with some kind of less-than-desirable or scary experience but moves on to be “beneficial”, whereas jupiter seems to be the opposite. my opportunities come via saturn. then again, i might have learned to work with that kind of slow energy because i initially grew up in a very saturn-like household & have a sun-saturn trine.
my chart ruler is venus, and i don’t usually even notice venus transits – if so, it tends to be pretty vague or emotionally based or neutral. if a planet transits my venus, though, it tends not to be missed. hard aspects are very much noticeable. saturn conjunct my venus when i was a teenager essentially changed my entire life, and other planets aspecting my venus before then and since are plenty obvious.
I’ve got Mercury lord Asc + MC rising, conj. Moon/Nep. and Virgo Sun in 12th.
Mercury’s transits don’t affect me very strongly, but its retrograde periods certainly do. And something else: 22 yrs ago progressed Merc. turned retrograde: a true turning-point in my life. Last year it became direct again: again lifechanging.
“Can anyone give me a hint as to how to know the Chart Ruler?”
“your rising sign determines the chart ruler.”
Yes and no.
“The Ruling Planet is usually the designated planetary ruler of the Ascendant, but can be another strong planet (such as the Sun-ruler, Moon-ruler, most elevated etc) if the ascendant-ruler is weak by sign or aspect.”
It is a bit like i can’t see the wood for the trees when have a venus transit. Because it is ruler i think it is somwhat of a backdrop on which other transits, occure.
Beth– so how would you determine a secondary chart-ruler?
I mean, my sun-ruler and moon-ruler are equally powerful and fairly well aspected.
well, of course i pay attention to sun/moon rulers as well.
but i sure know uranus transits can smash things up like crazy. calling that good, or bad is a little hard to gauge. though i will say i’m growing the instincts to get out of the way over time, which i guess maybe i could thank my moon for? or maybe it’s just easy to see the liberation in the mess which validates it for me….
old school rulership-wise, well saturn transits hurt 
and i’m getting better about learning how to work with them, but i’ve a saturn/uranus square natally so i tend to see the two energies in conflict.
so, all my ruling planets are in hard aspect to something (in the case of mars, a square’s the _only_ aspect.) but in my case i think that means i’ve been forced to get really in tune with them because otherwise i end up hurt. so it seems like six of one, half a dozen of the other, as far as the original question goes….
Beth– so how would you determine a secondary chart-ruler?
Eeek! A secondary ruler? Don’t we have enough problems with just one?
I would consider the planet with the highest position in the chart to be “stronger” than another. I would look to see if that planet was in a Gauguelin power zone above the ascendant/descendant axis. I I would look at the aspects to those planets. When all else fails I would get a glass of wine, because that much thinking would give me a headache! Then I would go with my gut, because in the final analysis you have to feel your astrology for it to make sense. Otherwise, it is just words.
I’d have a hard time backing the statement that all transits of a chart ruler are beneficial, because so much depends on the condition of the rulers in the natal chart in the first place! I’d put it like this: all transits of a chart ruler have an enhanced effect, and will trigger the potential in the natal chart by a higher factor than if it were a transit of, say, the fifth-strongest planet in the chart.
Other planets can affect you fairly strongly if they are tightly bound with your natal chart rulers or are “strengthened by sign,” I’ve discovered. For instance, one of my chart rulers is the Moon (Cancer AC) and it’s in Capricorn in my 6th. My natal Saturn opposes it almost exactly. I feel Saturn transits very keenly most of the time, even though that’s the only Saturn/Capricorn energy in my chart. Saturn transits trigger Capricorn (my ruler Moon and my noticeable daily routine) and my natal Saturn (which puts stress on said Moon.) It’s annoying when it’s Saturn, that’s for sure.
I also have so many Aquarian planets, such a strong Uranus placement, and such a heavy 11th house that Uranus transits get me, too, even though it’s also not a “ruler.” I like those, though…Uranus transits are wild!
If you keep records and pay attention, you can get a decent feel for which planets affect you most. It may or may not be one of your official chart rulers, as Beth pointed out. Yeah, it’s pretty complicated, but so are people, lol!
Venus is my chart ruler, so it’s hard to say, lol. I’ve never noticed anything bad coming from Venus minus the intermittent Venus Pluto corpse extravaganzas.
I’d say yes and here’s my reasoning. Your chart ruler gives you greater access to yourself. If it has hard aspects then you are better off knowing your hardness than pretending otherwise. I think a transit from your chart ruler is like a blood transfusion – the right bloodtype replenishes you, the wrong bloodtype can kill you.
I am a Scorpio rising with three Sag planets in my first house. When Pluto transited my first house, it was at times hell on Earth. But the result is I have an authentic definition of myself. No one can tell me who I am but me. Sounds simple, but many people don’t know who the eff they are. So I think my Pluto transit was a boon. It was painful for my Sag and Virgo, but I came away with a certain solidity that can never go away.
The moon is my chart ruler and I do think that I am definitely more attuned to it, where it’s at and what aspects it’s making. There are times of the month (when it’s reaching cancer) that I just don’t feel so good and then times when I do (when it gets home in my chart, so to cappy). I also know that I’m fairly attuned to where it is in my progressed chart. When it finally reached gemini & my 11th 
I went all social & sparkly. Now it’s getting ready to head into my 12th house, soon after it will go into cancer. I do feel that energy already. Already I feel a need to withdraw more, and take space for myself (right now with groups, but I can see that coming at home as well).
It’s hard to say if I’m more attuned due all my cancer placements, all my moon aspects or what. I do know that I am much more attuned to the moon. Mine is not making the greatest aspects for me and it’s in detriment/cappy.
Angie
I’m a Cancer rinsing and my moods change often. The Moon in my chart is in Pisces so I’m kinda used of the daily waves that this planet brings to me
I hope so. Neptune will soon be in Pisces on my sun. It the house it rules.
This is an interesting theory. Personally, it’s hard for me to tell, since my chart ruler is Mercury. I have noticed, however, that with Mercury Retrograde natally, I’m not as hard hit by the retros some other people are. This could actually add up to any other retrograde planet in natal chart as well, my other retrograde planet is Jupiter, and Jupiter retrogrades aren’t considered that tough, if I’ve understood correctly.
Seems sound. Venus has never caused me any trouble.
My chart ruler is Neptune and it is going into Pisces, my ascendant so I hope it is true.
Saturn is my chart ruler & I agree with @Annalisas theory. If it isn’t well aspected, at least you have been born with the “tools” to comprehend it… you don’t know any different! If it is well aspected, that can’t hurt now can it? 
Good or bad, the energy is familiar to you.
I’m a Scorpio rising, and while Pluto does smack me down, I feel like I have the guts to handle what comes my way; kind of a ‘go ahead and give it to me!’ vibe. I never feel mars transits at all; it’s like it’s invisible to me.
I do have very strong (badly aspected) Saturn though, and while I wouldn’t always call it beneficial in the moment, in the end, it is. Saturn blessed me last year during my Saturn Return, and I’m grateful.
Annalisa makes so much sense. I do think the chart ruler does strongly affect the person because it rules their body and what they experience. However, I would say that it depends on how the person utilizes the planet’s energy and what it represents in their lives. We are more attuned to it because we have had it all our lives and are used to it, so we fare well if we have learned to use it. But I don’t think it depends on having favorable aspects – it could have lots of hard aspects, but the person might know by then how to make lemonade with what’s on hand, so it works well in the end.
A horrible event to can bring clarity as well as a great event bringing over-expansion. I really think it depends on the person’s mastery.
I was a bit worried over a current hard Pluto transit to my Venus, which is my chart ruler. I was afraid I was going to die in a plane crash, or get murdered in Mexico, or have all my unsavory shit from last year destroy me, etc… So far, I’ve traveled and had a great experience in a dangerous place, been offered an job that suits my needs, and my new marriage is getting better everyday while I’m able to leave some things in the past behind. I pondered this same question as well, but it seems so far that your sister is right (at least for me). Especially given the hard Pluto transits I’ve seen others in my life recently endure.
The more and more I learn I have to agree with Annalisa and Elsa. I’m a Cap rising too.
Mars is very strong in my chart, from Scorpio in 9th, which Gauquelin would say is influential.
Uranus is the chart ruler for my Aqua asc.. and forms the apex of a cardinal T that becomes a very tight grand cross with Chiron, and Uranus also forms a water grand trine.
The Cardinal cross is what makes sure that hard transitting aspects from Uranus will and do jar, namely conjunctions (and the squares or oppositions) that shake everything in my life up and then the grand trine which has Mars there gets into philosophical mode and takes action to transform the chaos.
So primarily in response to Elsa but also to Beth Turnage, my experience is that my highest planet Mars is strong, as the back up to what the chart ruler Uranus brings, but that the ruler sets the pace of what’s to come in accordance with the intentions of the initial blueprint of the natal chart aspects formed by and to the ruler.
GREAT topic, thank you!
merc ret seems nicer to me than most. i mean, things go haywire but i roll with it pretty well. i can also feel it coming on weeks ahead and get the urge to clean up all the hanging business while i can…
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What a great question. Hard for me to know personally, since my chart ruler is the Moon. But this could be why I like all the Moon sign transits… I can’t really name a bad one for me. I even find something to like when the Moon’s in Capricorn, because it’s in my 7th and I’m a Libra. This is so on a different par than a Saturn transit though, it’s hard to judge. I will say that every time the Moon crosses my NN in Scorpio, I’m in a terrible, uneasy mood. I can’t figure out why, but I know because I’ve been journaling it.
Sure would like to hear from some Scorpio Risings about Pluto transits.