Life Tests Come in Threes

I've often heard it said that bad luck comes in threes. Maybe good luck comes in threes, too! Obviously, neither bad luck nor good luck come in threes all the time, but there is an astrological correlate to the idea of life tests coming in threes. The correlate I'm thinking of has to do with outer planet transits. Most of the time, an outer planet (like Pluto) will pass over a degree that activates a planet in your natal chart once as Pluto moves in direct motion. Then, at some point, the outer planet will retrograde and pass over that degree again. Finally, the planet will turn direct in its motion again, and it will pass over that same degree again. Add it all up and you get three tests (or opportunities) with that transit, depending on whether you think of these things as bad luck or opportunities.

This isn't an absolute rule. In some cases, you may experience an outer planet passing over a degree that affects your natal chart five times instead of three times. But three times, like the old saying about stuff coming in threes, is the norm. Some astrologers have handy rules of thumb to indicate how people normally react to each of the three times an outer planet transit is activated. In my own life, I haven't found any hard and fast rules of thumb to use. I react diferently depending on the transit itself, and so do most of the people I work with.

I actively encourage people to work with their outer planet transits (outer planet transits are probably my main astrological interest) and so sometimes the growth I see in an individual during a single transit is outstanding. At least to me. I continue to be amazed by how well people do when they work with these transits and how rapidly they seem to see results. So sometimes when a planet passes over the same degree repeatedly it will manifest in seemingly substantially different ways each time. The person has moved on beyond the original circumstances that the transit brought to light and so what's going on in the life is different.

Let me give an example to make this less abstract. Let's say a person is experiencing a transit of Pluto square Venus. The first time Pluto squares Venus, the person experiences what feels like extreme pain regarding the lack of love in his or her life. Being single seems like an urgent and even dire problem, even though it might not have several months ago. The individual, perhaps with a little coaching, springs into action. He or she actively works on issues that stand in the way of love. A number of months pass before Pluto retrogrades back to a square position and in the interim the person has started dating again.

This is a big change from where the person started, particularly if the person has been out of the dating game for awhile. Lots of progress has been made. When the Pluto square reasserts itself, the person may experience a painful rejection in their newly formed dating life. A relationship he or she thought was going somewhere, that had potential, fizzles out or turns sour, or the person gets unwelcome news, such as hearing that their new companion "thinks we should start seeing other people."

Back to square one? Not necessarily. The second Pluto square is sort of like the second test in the series. As in--are you going to give up when you face a setback or are you going to live and learn? People who actively work with their transits usually opt to live and learn, partly because they know they're going to get another chance. The process isn't complete yet. So the person gets back on the dating horse that just threw them, armed with an awareness (hopefully) of what it was about their first foray back into the dating scene that didn't work for them. They've developed a bit more knowledge about themselves and what they need.

So they go back at it and start dating again. As the final Pluto square approaches, something often happens. Sort of like a last gasp of the old pattern. A temptation of sorts. Another dating relationship turns annoying and unsatisfying. There is frustration. Sometimes there is anger and angst and pain. Often there is an opportunity to slide back into the state the person was in before the transit commenced. A chance to say "I give up; I cannot figure this love thing out. It's hopeless."

And then, seemingly miraculously, there is that final crossroads. I remember when I experienced a Pluto/Venus transit. I was right at that point of giving up. I didn't want to try anymore. Someone convinced me to meet just one more person, give things one more try, hang in there just a little bit longer. So I did. And that one more person turned out to be someone who broke my former pattern.

That final test, that last gasp of a pattern that is being broken by an outer planet transit, intrigues me. Sometimes I call that final obstacle, hindrance or setback a graduation tap. It's like your final exam before graduation, but the universe seems to expect you to pass the test. Because there's usually someone there to help give you that little push that will set you upon your new improved path. That will help get you over that last hump.

At least I hope there is. I only know the people I know; perhaps there are many more that don't make it through the final test. But if that's so, that seems like a shame to me. Maybe if people knew, really knew, that the third time's the charm, they'd understand that they just need to hang in there a little bit longer. That the graduation tap is the sign of an impending breakthrough.

What about you? Have you detected the pattern of threes in your own life? Have you dealt with issues, issues you cared about, that didn't get solved until you'd gone through the three tests? It's a subtle pattern, one that takes place often over the course of a year or two, so maybe it's not that easy to notice if you aren't looking. But if you have, feel free to weigh in.