Here's an example of the ways transits to our natal charts can manifest in daily life.

One day this week, I got up and went into the kitchen to make some coffee. On the way, I grabbed some underwear that needed to soak. (Dear Virgos: I do scrub the sink before and after I use it for this purpose.)

As I was standing at the counter, having just finished the coffee, a glass container fell from the cabinet above, and shattered on the metal strip that surrounds the sink. I have no idea what caused it to fall. Tiny pieces of glass went everywhere.

First I got the cat out of the room, and once I saw the glass had gone into all corners of the room, I disposed of her food and water. In the hunt for pieces of glass, a great deal of cleaning and throwing away occurred. This included the freshly brewed coffee, and the soaking underwear, now sparking like new-fallen snow with all the tiny pieces of glass firmly stuck into the fabric.

Two hours later, I finally got that coffee.

How is this astrological?

Mars, ruler of sharp objects, is transiting my 3rd house, which is naturally ruled by Mercury, which also rules storage and cabinets. Saturn, in my natal 2nd, rules hard objects, such as the steel strip on which the glass container landed. Saturn is presently opposed by Neptune, transiting my 8th, and the 8th house is naturally ruled by Pluto and Mars. Mars, as I said, rules sharp objects, and Pluto rules garbage. A glass object (Neptune) mysteriously (Neptune) falls (3rd house - short trip ;-)) onto a metal object (Saturn) forming a boundary (Saturn) in a kithcen (6th house) transmuted (8th house and Pluto) the useful owned object (2nd house) into trash (Pluto) comprised of a vast multitude of sharp objects (Mars).

The clothing (6th house) in the sink would be worn over that part of the body ruled by Pluto. A square from Mars ruling sharp objects to Pluto ruling a specific body part related to the clothing in the 6th ruling clothing and also those things that can cause injury or illness to the body makes the threat clear, so the underwear was transmuted from clothing into trash. In the course of hunting down all the bits of glass, I came across a lot of ick that needed to be purged (Pluto is great for purging) from the kitchen.

Jupiter rules my natal 6th, and it is transiting the 4th, so the cat had the advantage of this protective benefic in the house of outcome. Further, with the Moon conjunct Jupiter there, last but not least, I finally got that cup of coffee.

And a much cleaner kitchen.

I've been doing a lot of research lately on Lillith and Icarus, and how they figure into various sorts of events. I've been keeping an eye on the news this past week, with the approach of a conjunction between Mars and Lillith, and the South Node of the Moon, at the place of an eclipse back in March. This group also makes a square to Pluto.

On Thursday the 24th, as Mars moved within 5 degrees of the conjunction to Lillith and the square to Pluto, Astronomers meeting in Prague announced the re-classification of Pluto! I had been focused on Earthly events, and had not considered the interaction of the planets and their impact on each other, and on our conception of them.

Not knowing the precise time of the announcement, I used noon for the chart shown above, which was produced using the excellent online service at Astrodienst (http://www.astro.com). Pluto is usually assigned co-rulership of Scorpio, and this is the rising sign, the matter at hand. Mercury in the Tenth trines Jupiter in the first = big news. The Sun and Moon are also in the Tenth - Sun representing the authorities in question, and the Moon the general community concerned with the news. Saturn is also present to indicate the re-assessment of Pluto's status. It is possible to consider the reassignment as a demotion, but personally, that seems to me to be an over reaction. The change is a result of a re-classification of objects in the solar system. At the time of the chart, Pluto enjoys only two positive aspects, both trines, one to Mercury, indicating the news is not bad.

Icarus, named for the boy who flew too close to the sun, is in 29 degrees of Scorpio, first house, and therefore disposited by Pluto.

This change is among the many that we will absorb as we go through the upcoming opposition of Saturn and Neptune.