We’ve all had to endure a year of the punk planets in Cardinal signs. I’ve yet to run into anybody giddy enough to say, Oh, this has been one of my favorite years EVER!
I mean, come on, it was pretty tough on everyone. We’re all a little cranky. But even though it’s been a rough year, we hang on to hope and cross our fingers that 2012 will be better, doomsday prophecies or not.
Here’s a way to take a look at 2011 and rate your planets or, better yet, rate how you lived up to the planets’ expectations of you.
Year End Review
Spend a little time evaluating each planet’s role in your transits this year. Give an overall rating for the inner planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars). They travelled through lots of signs and houses in your chart, so it’s a little harder to pin them down.
For the outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto), include the houses they visited in your chart as part of the evaluation.
Don’t look for things like Saturn squared my Sun and I didn’t feel like leaving the house all year or Pluto conjoined my Moon and I was miserable.
Instead, you might write something like this if Saturn was in your 3rd house:
- I set some boundaries on how I communicate with my neighbors. I won’t be a part of neighborhood gossip anymore. 4 stars
- I improved my vocabulary and can now work the NY Times crossword puzzle in 15 minutes! 4 stars
- I never got around to those driving lessons I promised myself. 0 Stars
- I told Aunt Ada I’d visit her monthly, but missed a couple of months. 3 Stars
Get the idea?
I created a little worksheet to help you out with this. You can download it here. If you need some help with the houses, download this. Forget about aspects for this exercise.
If you’d like a life review, use this worksheet with your natal chart.
Don’t make snap judgements or give yourself a pass/fail before you start. You might surprise yourself with your overall review.
Just for fun, let’s go ahead and rate the planets, too. Take this poll and vote for your favorite planet of 2011, the one you were happiest with.
Auntie Moon 
Excellent self-inventory, CJ, and the poll is neat! I have to say that because of the two terrible falls, bringing on injuries to my hands and a head injury, I haven’t had any favorite planets this year, and I am majorly pissed off at Uranus and Saturn. They are both on My List (as my mother used to say when she was displeased with us.)
You’re in great blogging form, girlfreind! Donna Cunningham
Maybe I did the poll backwards and it should have been the worst planet of the year.
Uranus was my guiding planet this year.
it’s been in my 9th house, publishing – and I managed to have a book accepted for publication – a pivotal, life-changing experience for me, and one that entails a foreign influence – the Publishers are in the UK. One day I just decided to send things off and they were accepted. A Whim to send in for submission and a Shock to get it taken!
This transiting Uranus has touched my Natal Moon(9th conjuction) , ASC, 2nd house Mercury, Uranus, 3rd house Pluto, & 5th house Neptune.
As a Fixed Fire chart, Life is very fast-moving, and I’m happy about it.
Lobbying for a planet is encouraged! What a great example of a 9th house Uranus. Congratulations on your success, ej.
Tr saturn libra has been a misery…
I have 5 cardinal planets + cardinal angles..
It sat on my natal Neppy at 16 libra & until next Oct will square ASC- 25 cancer & sun- 28 cancer,,
It is a punky, lethargic, melancholy kind of effect…
The best thing for me to do is get lost in my designs, crafts, books & dog..
Astrology is timing & timing is everything- so we astro types know when to wait… &
not bang our head against stone walls..
I am of the belief that saturn DOES reward…
Be it- better self understanding….larger tolerance capacity -etc
Very possible what seems delayed now may not have been best for us in the long run
after all..
By Gum- You can’t keep we angular sun & jupiter types ‘down’
My N jupiter aries conjunct MC has ‘saved’ me from much
For this aspect I truly give Thanks
Cardinally Cruified,
Krista
What you said about Saturn transits: “It is a punky, lethargic, melancholy kind of effect…”
“I hear ya loud and clear!,” (she said, sinking deeper into the sofa.)
Saturn, Saturn..go away, come again another day..*sigh*
Not too soon, though!
I think Jupiter saved my butt this year.. just saying.
Yes, he was keeping an eye on you and yours.
He hid from me, so I didn’t vote for him. 😦
Some ‘planet’ is watching over me..
I fell off a ladder 2 mths ago when Tr mars was trine N jup 13 aries
My MC is 9 aries.. Tr uranus creeping towards it.
I hit the wall & then the ground… HARD
How I didn’t break my cheekbone, eyebone or neck is astounding..
I even hit my teeth..
I’ve often heard having N jupiter conjunct the MC is akin to an
angel on your shoulder.. Maybe it’s true.
~~~~knitting away saturn squares
Krista
A Blessed New Years to you all..
For these threads- I give Thanks.. I fell less ‘alone’
” ~~~~knitting away saturn squares ” Love that!!
I don’t have any planets in cardinal signs! So I’m relieved of that – already dealt the previous year with direct-hits from the Saturn-Uranus opposition, thankyouverymuch (same area now enduring ultra-long irritating Mars transit). As a matter of fact, Saturn entered my 3rd house this year, making its first pass at my North Node at 22 Libra. That coincided with NaBloPoMo, the blog-post-a-day month of November, and since my blog is 3rd House Journal, I did take up the challenge this year – so points for me! I did also make an effort to still myself and respect my coworkers’ blah blah blah moments as every bit as important as my own, um, more to the point sharings (still working on it).
In the New Year, I’ll be working on those communication skills (but with Neptune opposing my Virgo Mercury…), looking to leave my current job for a new one (see irritating Mars transit above), and maybe more journal writing. At least Jupiter’s transiting my MC – yay! – and will spend the new year in my 10th house.
Happy New Year, CJ!
Happy New Year to you!
Sounds like you aced that Saturn in the 3rd with the blogging and the coworker moments, Les. I can’t think about that Mars transit yet. Sounds like a lot of work to me. There’s nothing to do but gear up for it, I guess.
Mars has already been hitting my Sun at 18 Virgo square Saturn at 19 Sag. So for me it’s not gearing up for it so much as finding ways to vent the energy so I don’t get myself fired or hurt my back or something. Not a good transit for sitting at a desk all day – couldn’t get time off this past week. (sigh) Anyway, off to do some venting!
Donna Cunningham and I put together some ways of handling Mars through the houses in this article: https://auntiemoon.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/pdf-of-shovel-ready-projects.pdf. Maybe something will ring a bell for you on what to do with Mars. He’ll retrograde on January 23rd at 5Virgo, a great time for making plans on what to do to release his energy when he goes direct on on April 14. That could indicate 3 months of frustrated effort because Mars doesn’t like to backtrack. We’ve got to find a reason to make him want to do that.
Oct 9, 2012- Saturn will shift into scorpio….
As a quad crab with a pisces moon- I say YAY……
Cardinals will still be dealing with uranus aries ( my MC is 9′)
& pluto- Cappy
BUT- as for saturn- it will be time for bulls, lions, scorps & aqua to cope..
Krista
Hi CJ, Love the form for ranking planets for the year. Ingenious idea! This year was a good year to test our mettle, for sure. I had to move everything from my house due to potential flooding and then… move it back when the house we were buying fell through. Yes….. Saturn rules the 4th. It might seem like all this was happening outside of me but it was really my own actions and decisions that resulted in this exeperience. I always said I never wanted to live in the flood plain but … maybe it was exactly what I needed, do you think? Thanks for your gems of wisdom.
Hi, Iowastargazer! Glad you like the worksheet.
I’m wondering what was going on with your Moon during that time. Any Uranus/Moon aspects? They’re often at play with moves.