The Essential Guide to How the Planets Orbit … and why this is useful information to know!
The Universe creates a special pattern every moment by the way that the planets orbit our Sun. Our planet Earth takes around 365.3 days to orbit. The Moon takes around 27.3 days in its orbit around the Earth. Those 2 particular pieces of information are not only well known but give us our sense of time and rhythm of the weeks, months and years. For thousands of years (maybe longer), and now, we observe the changing months and seasons in relation to the position of us and the Sun. And the Moon’s cycles help us understand our night time skies and, amongst many other things, planting crops.
However … might it be useful to know about the other planetary orbits?
And how do the signs of the zodiac fit in with all of this?!
The Constellations
In astrology we talk about the signs of the zodiac and these are the names given to 12 constellations of stars that envelope our planet Earth. From Aries through to Pisces, the clusters of stars give us insights, points of reference in the sky and specific themes as we observe and note the passage of the Sun together with the planets appearing to move through each of those constellations. The energy of the Sun moving through the sign of Taurus will have a completely different flavour to the passage of the Moon through Leo … and this is where astrology gets exciting! Think of all of those potentials for ‘what if’s’ and ‘I wonder what’ or even ‘should I do this or do that?’!
Looking at maps
In a birth chart (map of the stars for the moment of arrival here on Earth) all of the signs of the zodiac are shown. And then the stars and planets are plotted and added in. From the date, time and place of birth we establish exactly what was happening in the sky above just at that moment of birth down on Earth. And, most amazingly of all, there will never, ever be another map identical to that one.
Those Orbits
Mercury has an orbit of around 88 days which means that he travels around the whole zodiac about 3 times in one of our calendar years. Together with a Venus orbit of around 225 days and Mars at approx. 687 days (each year) these planetary phenomena are easy to watch and to apply their circuits to our birth charts.
The longer term orbits in years are: Jupiter 12 years; Saturn 29.5 years; Chiron 50 years. This is so very interesting as we see longer term influences unfold for us as these planets (and yes … Chiron is an asteroid but a VIP in asteroid lore!) as they offer their incredible energies to us at significant points in time. And in seeing how this dance of planetary bodies above us interacts with ourself down here on Earth adds so much information for our daily life and indeed our Soul’s evolution.
Shall we take just one of those planets for instance? Understanding a Saturn energetic influence is a key to our long term plans for career, how we work and our Soul Path. We consider where he is at a moment of birth and then (as a broad example) when he forms an opposition in the sky roughly 14-15 years on or indeed returns to the same placement approximately 28-30 years after birth. And of course a Saturn return can occur 3 times in a lifetime currently.
And then …
With Uranus taking 84 years to return to the place where it was at the moment of birth we see more people have their Uranus return than ever before. This can result in people in their 80s making quite life-changing decisions such as a move of house, major travelling or even going into a new business. In our life time we will not see people having their Pluto returns (a 248 year cycle!) or even opposition at age 124, however I have no doubt it will happen at some point. And think of the deep insights that could very well emerge.
You may like to read this article about exactly what a transit is and how the planets ‘talk to each other! Just click here.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this short guide. Let me know and keep in touch!
As always, with love from Alison
