Transits and Misconceptions
The transits of different planets in different signs have always been given a great importance in astrology. Many people who believe in astrology think that the transit of a particular planet in a particular sign is the most important factor in predicting their future. And there are some astrologers also who think and preach that the transits of the different planets in different signs is the foremost thing that is going to decide the fate of the people. And therefore they make the people coming to them believe that a planet which is not associated with good results in a particular sign is supposed to be negative for everyone while on the other hand a planet associated with good results in a sign is supposed to be positive for everyone.
For example, Saturn transiting Leo is considered bad for everyone by these astrologers, irrespective of the other facts present in the horoscope and Saturn transiting Libra is considered very good for everyone as it becomes exalted in Libra. So it is thought by these astrologers that everyone will be blessed with this transit irrespective of the other facts present in the horoscope. And accordingly these astrologers believe that the people having the placement of Saturn in Leo sign in their birth charts or horoscopes will face the negative effects of Saturn throughout their lives while the people having the placement of Saturn in Libra sign in their birth charts or horoscopes will be blessed with the good effects of Saturn throughout their lives.
This is just a misconception in my opinion and there are no solid grounds or facts to support it, because if the transit of a particular planet is good or bad for everyone, then all the people in the world should be living the same lives, as all the planets are transiting some particular sign at a given time all across the world. So the good or bad results should be the same or similar for all the people across the world, which has clearly never been the case and it will never be. For instance, the recent transit of Saturn in Leo was supposed to give very bad results to everyone according to the belief of some astrologers and some people interested in astrology. But it has not been the case as many people have made fortunes in the past 3 years. And while there are a number of people who may have lost fortunes during this transit, there are also many people who have prospered during this time and have made assets of worth Millions or even Billions.
So clearly people are able to hit good fortunes even during the worst signs of transits for the planets which makes us believe that the good or bad results of a planet cannot be predicted on the basis of transits alone and there are other more important aspects present in the horoscope of every individual which need to be analyzed before predicting the nature, timing, strength and field of impact of the transit of a planet in a particular sign. And similarly the theory of transits does not hold good in case of natal charts or birth horoscopes as the fastest planet to move in a horoscope is the Moon and even this planet takes two and a half days to move out of a sign, which suggests that all the people born during those two and a half days should lead the same or the similar lives as all the planets are present in the same signs for these people according to the theory of transits.
Which is again not the case because people across the world have different lives even with a difference of two minutes in their time of birth, because even a difference of two minutes changes the possibility and strength of many good and bad yogas in a horoscope. So the complete horoscope should be analyzed to predict the nature, strength, field of impact and timing of impact, of a planet in a transit as well as in a birth horoscope. Saturn may give very good results even when it is placed in Leo and on the other hand I have seen many horoscopes with Saturn in Libra or Aquarius, and the natives are suffering terribly from diseases, failures, disturbed marriages or no marriages at all and other setbacks due to the bad effects of Saturn placed in these signs. So predicting the good or bad effects of a planet only by seeing its placement in a particular sign either in birth horoscope or in transit is not a good idea and should be avoided.
Then there is one more belief followed by some astrologers that all the good or bad results of a planet, transiting a particular sign, start with the planet entering that sign and continue till the planet leaves that sign and enters the next one. For example, the bad effects of Saturn in Leo for a person would start from the day it enters the Sign and continue till Saturn leaves Leo and enters Virgo. Which is again not the case, and most of the good or bad effects of a planet transiting a particular sign are observed only during 20-25% of the transit and not more than that. And though some general changes may keep on affecting the person positively or negatively throughout the transit, but these are comparatively minor changes and do not qualify as major good or bad effects. The major positive or negative effects of a planet transiting a sign, the field of impact of those effects, the strength of those effects and most importantly the timing of those effects can be predicted accurately only after analyzing the complete horoscope and not the planet in transit alone.
For example, the positive or negative effects of Saturn transiting Virgo would be seen by different individuals at different times and with different strengths depending upon the placement of Saturn in their birth horoscopes and the other important aspects in the horoscope which may influence the good or bad effects of Saturn positively or negatively. The effects and timings of this transit would be different for people with Saturn placed in Aries in their birth horoscopes and the people with Saturn placed in Virgo in their birth horoscopes. And even in case of people who have the placement of Saturn in Virgo in their birth horoscopes, the effects would differ depending upon the placement of Virgo sign in the birth horoscope, good or bad aspects received by Saturn, the nature and strength of those good or bad aspects and some other important factors in birth horoscope as well as in transit. And the timing of these effects would also be different even for the people with Saturn in Virgo in their birth horoscopes depending upon the complete analysis of the horoscope. Therefore it is not correct to predict the good or bad effects of a planet transiting a particular sign, just by looking at the planet and the sign alone and ignoring the other important details in the horoscope of the native who is going to feel the impact of the transit.
Himanshu Shangari