Astrology enthusiasts keep a keen eye on planetary transits to make astrological predictions. Since ancient days the transit of planets have held responsible for occurrence of important events on the Earth. What is planetary transit? You hear about it whenever you switch to any astrological channels or magazines. No daily horoscope as provided in the newspaper is complete without the mention of planetary transits.
Planetary transit means movement of the planets in the sky. We all know that planets keep on moving in the sky and in astrology we study the effect of these movements on the life of general people.
The transit of planets plays a significant role in human life and is of great importance for making predictions in astrology. In this space, we will put light on the term ‘transit’ in detail.
- What is planetary transit?
- What is the importance of planetary transit?
- When do planetary transits happen?
- How they are important in taking day to day decisions?
- Which are the fastest and the slowest transits?
The best astrologers and astrology websites give information regarding all kind of transits and here attempt is made to explain this step by step.
What is planetary Transit?
As has been mentioned in brief, planetary transit is a terminology used for movement of the planets in the sky. But in astrology, the term actually has a lot more specific than it seems.
Most of the time, transits occur when a planet moves across your zodiac signs as depicted in different houses of your birth chart. In transit, we take reference from our rashi or moon sign and count the effects from right there. For example: if your moon is placed in Capricorn sign then Capricorn is your rashi and to know the exact effect of any transit, you will check it through Capricorn.
In astrology, there are certain houses which are considered good if transited by a specific planet and similarly there are bad ones also. In this example if Saturn transits through Taurus, then it will be considered an inauspicious transit as it would be fourth from rashi which is not considered good. For knowing the auspicious and inauspicious positions one needs to read astrological texts as it is beyond the subject of the article here.
What is the importance of planetary transit?
Our birth chart is a snapshot of our personality. It contains all information regarding our life. Different planets placed in different houses have specific meaning and when we talk about transit we have to take our natal planets into consideration. The "natal planets" or the planets
positions in the birth chart are the key to understand transit and its importance in life.
We are born with certain placements which talk about our personality. That means we will die as the same person as we were born without any shift in our personality. But does that happen? We make advancements or deteriorate our personalities and behaviors at different passage of time. How does this happen? The answer is planetary transit. We are submissive during certain years and in other years the daring ones. The planetary transits bring about these variations in life. For example, let‘s say that Venus was in Capricorn when you were born. When another planet, maybe Mercury, moves through Capricornnowand aligns closely with natal Venus, an astrologer would state that Mercury is transiting your "natal Venus."
The kundli or birth chart gives idea of an individual’s moods, strengths, weaknesses, actions, and more through the location of the planets in relation to the different signs of the Zodiac. With that in mind, if one feels a shift in his/her mood or behavior, another planet might be altering energies causing change.
Now in our example, the transit of Mercury on natal Venus suggests a blending of Mercury‘s chatty influence with Venus‘ "loving" kind of energy. The individual might start buzzing with thoughts of affection and may start putting words to feelings which he/she normally wouldn‘t.
The transit or gochar is known to bring the fruits we are destined to receive in this life based on our past life karmas. No one is perfect and is born on this Earth with some imperfections. The transit brings an opportunity to bring change in our attitude so that we may alter our karmas or deeds for good. Vedic Astrology sufficiently guides an individual about the impact these transits may bring in his/her life at the beginning of the Year itself.
In Vedic Astrology, transit of planets in various nakshatras also put significant impact and bring minute details of what exactly may happen in a person’s life. So, it is very important to talk to astrologer to deeply understand what these transits may bring for you in the year 2022.
When do planetary transits happen?
Every planet has a fixed cycle of moving through a specific zodiac. The details can be found in ephemeris or panchang and some astrological sites also give information regarding regular transits of the planets on daily basis. Planets travel around the sun passing through each of the 12 Zodiac signs. Each planet takes a specific amount of time to transit each Zodiac sign andthe amount of time that a planet takes to transit a sign depends on the speed of the planet and its motion which could be direct or retrograde. Placement of a planet under a Zodiac sign decides the result that a planet will give during that period.
- Sun:Sun takes approximately a year to move around the whole zodiac and stays in a sign for 30 days.
- Moon:Moon goes through all twelve signs in about 28 days. It stays for approximately 2 1/2 days in each sign.
- Mercury:Mercury takes around 1 year to travel through all 12 Zodiac signs. Mercury stays for 14 to 30 days in a sign depending on the motion.
- Venus:Venus stays for approximately stays for 23 days to a little over 2 months in a sign (depending on the motion).
- Mars:Mars takes about 2 years to travel through all the Zodiac signs. Mars stays for about 1.5 months in a sign.
- Jupiter:Jupiter takes about 12 years to travel through all 12 Zodiac signs. Jupiter stays for 1 year in a sign.
- Saturn:Saturn is a very slow moving planet. It takes around 29.5 years to travel through all 12 Zodiac signs. Saturn stays for approximately 2.5 years in a sign.
- Rahu and Ketu:Rahu and Ketu always move in a retrograde motion. Rahu and Ketu take around 1.5 years to travel through each Zodiac sign.
Not just sign but their stay in various padas of nakshatra is also important which brings varied results for varied people. The relation between the natal placements, transit and running dasha all are taken into account to make accurate predictions.
How the transits are important in taking day to day action:
Who doesn’t want to know how his/her day will pass through in advance? In astrology we can make out predictions on day to day basis. For such exercise, generally the transit of moon is considered in relation with other planets. We see the position of the moon daily and then after analyzing the natal placement of the moon a learned astrologer may predict about the day.
Ashtakvarga system also proves to be a great tool while making day to day predictions. It is a point system based calculations and is widely used in making predictions for the day, month or years to come. We check the ashtakvarga points of moon in relation with others to know what the day may bring to you.
Which are the fastest and the slowest transits?
The "inner planets" (the moon, sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars) move through the signs relatively quickly, so their transits and effects are for the smaller period. Meanwhile, slow-moving or “outer planets” like Jupiter and Saturn and also the nodes Rahu and Ketu bring major changes in life and have long lasting or permanent effects on life.
A planet also becomes retrograde and combust during its course of transit which can be noted through the transit calendar. However, transits don‘t always have short term effect on your life. Sometimes, they simply change the overall vibe of your day-to-day activities — it depends on which natal placements are being transited.
The transits are always understood in relation with natal planets. Any transit over the natal sun or moon will bring specific changes and will influence much, across different areas of life. You happen to meet people as indicated by the significations of the planet. For example you are likely to meet scholars, knowledgeable and learned people during the transit of Jupiter over your natal Sun or ascendant etc. "Essentially, transits influence who you meet and what you attract."
Some important facts about planetary transit
- Planetary transits are generally considered through the Moon sign and for deep analysis from ascendant as well.
- Transit of slow-moving planets is more important as they bring long lasting effects.
The Rahu/Ketu axis indicates the areas of concern during their transit. For example, if axis falls over 1st and 7th houses then it demands attention to general health, marriage and relations with spouse and others, partnership business, etc.
- Transit of Jupiter is known to bring auspicious fruits of the house it is transiting in or over the lord of that house.
- Transit of Saturn over a house puts pressure on that area of life like if its transit is in fourth house, you may have to change your location of house. It also causes delay in the significations of the concerned house.
- Combined transit of Saturn and Rahu bring karmic debts in spotlight related to the house of transit.
- The transit of Saturn is very important and needs to be analyzed thoroughly with the help of an astrologer. Various astrological conditions like sadesati and dhaiyya of shani should be taken care of.
- Analysis of the transit of Saturn in relation to the natal Moon is the most important analysis as Saturn- the karmic planet stays in a sign for the longest period of 2.5 years. Therefore its transit is the most significant among all planets.
it is important to remember that transiting planets behave differently. Keeping track of the planetary transits is fundamental to understanding how the planets bring good and bad times in life.
Know about crucial conditions like sadesati and dhaiyya in advance to cure them effectively at the right time. Sadesati is the time when nothing seems to fall in place and the person has to face severe difficulties. But if you are lucky enough to have a strong and benefic Saturn in your natal chart then the transit of Saturn will bestow immense wealth on you. Know your shani with the best of astrologers at Future point and take timely remedial measures. Knowing about the transits ahead of time through ephemeris or a table listing all of the planets‘ movements in the upcoming months and years is a key to success and prosperity.