The Planetary Path

Sometimes, you’re walking into a big astrological moment, and you know it.

Maybe you see Pluto squaring your Nodes, an upcoming eclipse on your Venus or a Saturn about to station on your Moon. These kinds of transits can indicate turbulent periods of your life, but during them, you also have the opportunity to learn a lot about yourself, your astrology, and your life path.

In my experience, regardless of how much you research, life always manages to surprise you during these transits. However, preparing ahead of time enables you to respond to these curveballs in a way you take pride in.

This two-session offering is designed to help you anchor into your growth edge during these times.

What do we do in these two sessions?

Session 1:

In our first session, we meet on or (preferably) before the peak of the transit, to identify the most intense dates, discuss potential themes, and strategize on how you can support yourself through this period.

Session 2:

In our second session, we meet after the skies have settled down for you. We discuss what actually happened, curveballs and all, and I help you connect those events to the rest of your chart. I also provide future dates when the same part of your chart will be activated. On those future dates, you'll likely experience an echo of the same themes, but you'll be much more prepared with the self-knowledge you've developed in these two sessions.

Approached this way, every transit is a step on the planetary path that lasts your whole life. You're always growing; you're always moving, always headed somewhere.

Difficult transits are nothing to fear. Instead, they're an opportunity to collaborate with the stars to co-create the life you desire.

This Offering Can Support You During the Following Transits:

Note: this is a non-exhaustive list. If you are preparing for an astrological transit I haven’t mentioned, and you wonder if the Planetary Path is for you, please feel free to reach out to me.

  • A Mars or Venus retrograde tends to be more intense than a Mercury Retrograde. A Saturn or Pluto retrograde can be doubly intense.

  • Eclipses are caused by the lunar nodes. If you have any planets in Aries / Libra or Pisces / Virgo, you may have an eclipse on those planets in 2024.

    *A stellium is a group of planets close together, usually in the same zodiac sign.

  • Most people have heard of Saturn Returns, which are famously challenging. They occur roughly every twenty-nine years when Saturn returns to the same spot in the sky as it was when you were born.

    The other transits in that cycle are less well known, but I always feel them. A reversal occurs when it’s halfway back to that spot (roughly 14 years). A square happens when it’s a quarter away from where it began (an opening square occurs after roughly 7 years and a closing square after roughly 21 years). Personally, I feel all of these.

    We can also track Jupiter cycles, which occur roughly every 12 years, and Uranus squares or reversals (a full cycle occurs every 84 years, reversals at roughly age 42).

  • Saturn is often known as the growing up planet, so Saturn transiting your Sun, Moon, or Ascendant tends to be very intense. Saturn on either Node tends to push you down your life path.

  • Pluto moves magnificently slowly, which means that Pluto transits last longer than others—months rather than weeks. These are hard to predict but often intense. If there is a retrograde over that spot, you may experience that transit up to three times.

    Pluto rules all buried things: secrets as well as treasure. Most people work so hard to outrun the secrets that they miss the treasure altogether. I’ve done both in my life, and I highly recommend pausing to look for the treasure.

Astrology Session : Testimonials

  • “Transformative. I'm more at peace now than I have been for many months. It has given me a greater understanding of myself. Not only my creative outlets but who I am deep down and how I express my deepest self.”

    Anne W.

  • “Totally wonderful! Shelby’s unique vibe gave the reading a depth I hadn’t experience before. Her understanding of astrology merges with how that applies directly to your life and how you are creative. I really felt like it was a safe space so to be in, get vulnerable and understood. Shelby’s feedback was always spot on and gave me great light in the way ahead.”

    Virginie N.

  • “Honestly the whole session was mind-blowing, and I really appreciated the story telling aspect you brought to the table. It was really helpful to see major themes. Also you had such a calming energy and I immediately felt like I could tell you all my life stories, which is very much a gift of yours.”

    Anonymous

  • “I wish that everyone had the opportunity to learn about their chart with Shelby because she offers wisdom in the most beneficial way imaginable. Listening to the replay was just as potent and insightful. Messages are filled with hope, validation, and guidance.

    Morgan B.

  • “A lot of astrology interpretations can be somewhat negative or fatalistic but I liked how you gave it a positive angle. I feel so much more empowered now :) so thank you for that!!”

    Anonymous

  • "Overall, I thought it was a fantastic session and lots of fun to talk about these kinds of subjects. The way you explained my natal chart was very insightful for me, and it gave me a deeper understanding of how astrology can play a part in someone's life and their personality. A personal astrological reading is far superior to a generalized mainstream explanation so I am very glad I was able to have this personal reading."

    Jonathan C.

  • "Yes, absolutely blown away by the session. I had a major breakthrough, understanding that soul contracts were in play. Add to that the realisation that so much of what I have experienced in my life is because of the moment my soul decided to enter this human form. Shelby really goes deep. I felt 100% safe, seen, and understood."

    Merran G.

FAQs

  • Many astrologers find some of my natal placements intimidating, because the typical interpretation of them is fairly pessimistic.

    These natal placements include:

    • Venus conjunct the South Node

    • A out-of-bounds moon conjunct Chiron

    • A packed twelfth house, including 12H Saturn square my Sun and 12H Uranus opposite my Moon.

    Plus, I’ve had more Pluto transits than most people I know, and Eris has been dancing between an opposition with my Venus and a conjunction with my North Node for almost two decades.

    If you google any of these placements or these transits, you’ll discover predictions of woe. This was partially why I resisted astrology at first. For someone with such a supposedly doomed chart, I’m pretty cheerful, optimistic, and even successful.

    When I actually investigated periods in my life when these natal placements were activated, I did discover stories of difficulty but also so much insight over my life purpose.

    For example, the 2021 solar eclipse on my Gemini Moon-Chiron conjunction was one of the most painful and pivotal moments in my recent life. I faced health challenges and the death of three elders in my family, but it was also when I started developing and sharing wisdom specific to me. When Mars retrograded over that same spot in late 2022, I tried a million different things—very little panned out the way I planned, but because I tried, I gained extraordinary insight and developed necessary new skills.

    Looking ahead, I see that Jupiter will retrograde over that same spot in Fall 2024, expanding all of these themes, and knowing my Moon-Chiron conjunction so well, I face it with courage and resolve rather than anxiety. Since life is determined to throw us curveballs, I may not be able to predict it completely, but I can lean in to the themes and show up prepared.

    Basically, I have found a lot of comfort following my own planetary path, one that takes me well beyond typical astrological interpretations.

    I created this offering to help others to do the same.

  • To help you know what to expect, here is what happens for every two Planetary Path Sessions

    a) You book your appointment through this website.

    b) I’ll send you a Google Form questionnaire.

    c) You fill it out at least 48 hours in advance of our appointment, which gives me time to examine your natal chart and organize materials to support you through this time.

    d) We meet together over Zoom.

    • You bring yourself. I bring your natal chart and my research around the dates you’ve provided.

    • Unless you would really prefer that we didn’t, I record the session so that you can review + rewatch later. That way, you don’t feel like you need to take notes.

    e) After the first session, I send you the recording and a follow-up PDF, filled with materials to support you during these transits.

    f) After the transit is over, and your life settles down a bit, we regroup in our second session. We discuss what actually happened during the transit in order to help you integrate the experience. Then we look ahead to future transits so that you can be prepared for your next chapter.

  • Yes.

    • You must know your birth date and birth place. Birth time is extremely helpful, but it’s not absolutely required with my methods for this offering.

    • You must have an open mind about astrology (no experience with it with required though).

    If you’re missing any of these ingredients, then this offering isn’t the best fit for you. You might explore other offerings at the JourneyPen Project.

  • Yes, you definitely need to be eighteen or older.

    If you’ve gotten to know Shelby Bach through The Ever Afters, and/or if you’re still a young student, that’s fabulous—this offering probably won’t serve you as much as others will.

  • The two-session offering covers my research and support on up to eight dates, but usually less. This is due to time constraints.

    Through another offering, we can also investigate the following:

    • A full Jupiter cycle – 12 years of your life

    • A full Nodal cycle – 19 years of your life

    • A full Saturn cycle – 29 years of your life

    • Venus Retrograde cycles, occurring every eight years

    • Natal placements that are often interpreted as problematic

    If you are feeling called to investigate complete cycles or tricky natal placements, I offer that as a mentorship. We can investigate dozens of dates to better understand how certain planetary elements are showing up in your life.

    The investment—both time and money—varies based on how deep you want to go, so please reach out if that’s something you’re considering.