Anyone from a hobbyist to a professional reader can tell you that the number one thing people wants with astrology is to predict the future, but can it really warn us about what is coming right around the corner? Let’s dive into predictive astrology and find out just how far into the future you can see.
What is Predictive Astrology?
After you’ve spent some time learning about all the odds and ends of your birth chart, you’ll find yourself ready to take the next step in your astrology journey: predictions!
So, like, horoscopes?
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While, yes, horoscopes, like the ones you grew up reading in the back of Seventeen magazine, are certainly a part of predictive numerology, they’re like dipping a toe in the shallow end of the ocean. It feels nice, but you gotta dive in fully in order to understand it.
In simple terms predictive numerology is the relationship between your natal chart and the always moving planets in our solar system. This corner of astrology is the subtle art of learning the patterns of what transpires when certain planets meet up, square up and hook up.
The terms you’ll need to get comfortable with in order to work some predictive magick here are natal and transit.
A natal planet is found in a birth chart (also known as a natal chart). Your birth chart is like a snapshot of the solar system at the exact moment of your birth. In a romantic sense, you are the living, breathing incarnation of that exact moment in the solar system (isn’t that so f*#%ing cool?)
A transit planet is the actual planet in our solar system, always moving and retrograding and bringing joy and havoc to our lives. Now, things can get confusing when you learn that the term transit also pertains to that thing that’s happening between your natal planet and the transit planet. When transit Mercury squares your natal Venus, that’s a transit! Just think of Mercury as the planet causing the transit to happen to you, that’s why it’s dubbed the transit planet.
What is an Aspect?
In our example above I mentioned transit Mercury in a square to your natal Venus, but what does that word square mean here, and what does it tell us about the transit?
As a transit planet moves through its orbit, it creates certain observable relationships to the planets in your chart. You may have heard of some of the more common transits such as conjunctions and squares, but what do they mean?
Conjunct 0°
This means that the two planets are in the same sign and (nearly) the same degree. This is the strongest aspect for obvious reasons. Imagine standing in a room with all the planets, this would be the energy of someone who is quite seriously attached at your hip. The two energies are unavoidable and work in tandem.
Sextile 60°
These are two planets that are two signs away from one another. For example, a planet in Scorpio or Pisces would create a sextile with a planet in Capricorn. The energy of this aspect is harmonious, the two planets are besties and can bring forth a shared vision.
Square 90°
These planets are in the same modality: cardinal, fixed or mutable. The cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. The fixed signs are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. The mutable signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. These planets are fighting for dominance and this aspect usually feels like butting heads but making no progress. However, it’s very energetically charged which isn’t always a bad thing!
Trine 120°
These planets are in the same element: fire, earth, air or water. Because these planets share an important common thread, these aspects tend to quickly bring on blessings and good fortune. However, sometimes it can feel like going too fast down a slide (and getting a major wedgie by the time you reach the bottom).
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Opposition 180°
These are the planets directly across from each other on the zodiacal wheel. Aries and Libra, Taurus and Scorpio, Gemini and Sagittarius, Cancer and Capricorn, Leo and Aquarius. You can think of these aspects as a tug of war or a telephone wire; either they’re battling or they’re working together. This is because these signs have the same goal but often radically different ways of achieving them.
Working with transits is where we get into the math of it all since we need to be able to read the angles and understand the degrees of separation between two things–this can be really tricky for first timers!
The story of a transit is told with a few moving parts: the planets are the subject matter, the signs they’re in set the mood or the tone, the house the planets fall in set the scene, and the aspect shows us plot.
For example, let’s say transit Aquarius Saturn is square Taurus Venus. We look at both planets in your chart and Saturn falls into the 12th house while Venus falls into the 4th house.
The planets are Saturn and Venus, so the subject matter is authority, responsibility, love, relationships. The signs they’re in are Aquarius and Taurus which are both fixed signs meaning that they are stuck in a stalemate. Taurus usually seeks comfort and pleasure while Aquarius is inventive and observant. The houses they fall in are the 12th and 4th meaning that this is all happening in secret and at home. Being that they are in a square aspect to one another we know that there is tension and energy, likely there is some sort of conflict taking place.
That alone gives us a lot to think about regarding this transit! What do you think it might mean? A married couple fighting but trying to keep it from the kids? One partner wanting to break up because of a secret affair? Breaking off an engagement? Or a simple argument about housematters stemming from secret resentments?
So now we come to the ultimate question, can astrology predict the future? The simple answer is yes, it can. Look at our example above, there were a couple different ways you could see that story unfolding, so it’s likely that one will come to fruition, but how much did we really predict?
Astrology is about studying patterns and that means that there is always the possibility that these patterns will create concrete results, however the best use of predictive astrology isn’t to be able to read a chart like a fortune teller. Instead look at it as a tool to reflect on the past and present moments. It acts as a guide to your natural ebbs and flows in life and it can be a great reassurance when things feel tough.
So, yes, astrology can predict the future, but what’s stopping you from using it for the past and present?
Jasmine Wolfe is a professional astrologer, tarot reader, numerologist, and witch. Being a Capricorn sun and Scorpio moon, her readings tend to focus on the more challenging aspects of life and what we can learn about ourselves when we lean into the challenge. Having entered the professional scene in 2018, she's grown a loyal following of students and mentees through social media. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok @satinsaturn or through her website https://www.jasminewolfe.xyz/
