Planetary transits

Transits — the passage of planets through the signs of the zodiac — are one of the key phenomena in astrology. As it moves through a sign, a planet brings its own, uniquely characteristic energy into the affairs of that sign. And if you also take into account that in every person's horoscope the picture built from «planet», «sign» and «house» is arranged in its own individual way, with a further set of factors on top of it — the constellations (nakshatras), the degrees, the strength, the mutual relationships, the aspects and so on — it turns out that for each individual the transit of one planet or another creates its own changes in life. Those changes may be favourable or not so favourable; they may show themselves very vividly or, on the contrary, barely touch an area of life at all; they may bring good fruit, or particular lessons that are difficult but important and deep.

After all, besides the planetary periods, the factor that actually delivers one event or another is the presence of the corresponding transit at a particular time. It is transits that make a concrete event in a person's life possible.

Each planet has its own term — the time it takes to travel through the whole zodiac, and the time it spends in a single sign:

The Sun — stays in one sign for 1 month and travels the whole zodiac in 365.4 days.

The Moon — stays in one sign for 2.5 days and travels the whole zodiac in 27 days and 8 hours.

Mercury — stays in one sign for about 1 month and travels the whole zodiac in 87 days and 23 hours. Mercury is retrograde three times a year for about three weeks each time.

Venus — stays in one sign for about 1 month and travels the whole zodiac in 224 days. Venus is retrograde for 1.5 months every 1.5 years.

Mars — stays in one sign for 1.5 to 2 months and travels the whole zodiac in 686 days. It is retrograde for 3 to 4 months once every 2 years.

Jupiter — remains in one sign for about 1 year and travels the whole zodiac in 11 years and 314 days. It is retrograde for 4 months every year.

Saturn — stays in one sign for 2 to 2.5 years and travels the whole zodiac in 29.5 years, being retrograde for 5 months every year.

Rahu and Ketu — stay in one sign for 1.5 years and travel the whole zodiac in 18.6 years. Rahu and Ketu always move retrograde.