Within Vedic Astrology there are many different methods of predicting the future. One of the most used, most reliable techniques is the method known as “Transits”. The basic scheme of applying this technique is straightforward: first determine the zodiacal positions of the planets for any date under consideration, then take those planetary positions and juxtapose them against the positions of the planets as they were at the time of birth (i.e., the birth chart). The resulting pattern is analyzed for effects due to the interaction of the transiting planets with the natal pattern.

The key to this system of prediction is knowing what the result will be when a particular planet is interacting with the pre-existing planetary pattern in the birth chart. The initial approach is to consider what house (area of life) the transiting planet impacts by way of transposing its zodiacal sign position to the birth chart. For example: if Jupiter is moving through Capricorn, as it is now and through most of 2009 (using the sidereal zodiac), and the birth chart is Leo Rising, which makes Capricorn the 6th house sign, then the transit of Jupiter, the planet of prosperity and enlargement, can be counted on to create more opportunities in the employment area for that person.

Going beyond basic affects due to the sign and house the planet is transiting, we can examine how the transiting planet interacts with other areas of the zodiac and, by extension, of the natal chart. Using the current example: since Jupiter is considered in Vedic Astrology to fully influence (aspect) the signs (and therefore the houses) which are in the 5th and 9th positions from itself (called the “trines”, i.e., 120 degrees away), then both Virgo and Taurus are benefiting from Jupiter’s transit in Capricorn. In the Leo rising chart, these signs are respectively the 2nd and 10th houses, i.e., Income (the 2nd) and Career (the 10th). So, at this point in the analysis, we see that people born with Leo rising are favored to earn more in their career through employment opportunities in 2009.

The next part of the analysis looks to see if the transiting planet is interacting with any of the birth chart’s natal planets. Each planet has “natural significations”. For instance, Venus is the planet of Love and Romance. Using the example of Jupiter transiting in Capricorn, if the birth chart has Venus in Capricorn, then 2009 will bring Opportunities (Jupiter) for Love and Romance (Venus). If we are still looking at the Leo rising chart, the romantic involvement will show up in the 6th house of employment, i.e., a romance with an employee or a co-worker.

Here’s another example: Mars is one of the faster moving planets, taking about 6 weeks to pass through a sign of the zodiac. By transposing the sign that Mars is transiting in the Heavens to the natal chart under consideration, we find out what part of that persons chart Mars will be affecting while it remains in that sign of the zodiac. Since Mars is the planet of Energy and Action, its transit usually gives noticeable results and is worth keeping track of. At the time of this writing, Mars is transiting in Sagittarius. Wherever Sagittarius shows up in your Vedic Astrology birth chart, that part of life will be “energized.” If you are Sagittarius rising, then the key word for you is “Action” for the six weeks of Mars transiting through your ascendant sign. Mars likes physical activities, so keeping busy is important. Mars is also combative, so beware of a tendency confront others. Mars in Vedic Astrology is considered to cast its full force 90 degrees in front of itself, thus the transit of Mars in Sagittarius affects Pisces as well. Since Pisces is the 4th house of the Sagittarius rising person’s chart, Mars’ transit puts stress on activities involving the home, as well as creating the potential for conflict with the mother.

Compared to the rest of the celestial bodies, the Moon moves very rapidly; it takes a little more than 2 days to move through a sign. In Vedic Astrology the Moon is of great importance in determining events on Earth. Therefore the Moon is given special consideration in the study of transits. Its influence shows most particularly when it enters a sign already occupied by a transiting planet, and often performs the function of “setting off” the event promised by the analysis of the other planet’s position. Thus the Moon becomes the “seconds hand of the cosmic clock”. For example: during most of the coming year, 2009, Jupiter will be transiting in Capricorn. The Moon will move through Capricorn for about 2 consecutive days in each lunar cycle, i.e., about once a month. Whatever the planet Jupiter signifies by its transit in a particular house of a natal chart, that potential will be significantly increased when the Moon goes into Capricorn each month. By keeping track of the Moon’s position, we can pin down the most probable dates for events related to any particular transit we are trying to predict for.

When several transits are occurring simultaneously in a sign or affecting a sign by aspect, the available energy for events increases; more so if there is simultaneously interaction with natal planets in someone’s birth chart. Although the probability of something happening becomes high, predicting exactly what will transpire becomes more difficult since there are multiple significations of various planets interacting with each other. Here is where the Vedic Astrologer must rely on the many techniques and formulas used for assessing the power and quality of each transiting planet in a particular sign, to determine which of the planets has the upper hand, and will therefore dominate the outcome. Making an accurate prediction of the interaction of planets with each other is the main subject of both ancient and modern texts written about astrology, and an area of continuing observation and study by all astrologers.

For instance, the current transit of Saturn in Leo will be going through a period of higher likelihood for negative events due to the planet entering its retrograde phase for the first five months of 2009. Since Saturn is simultaneously opposed in the Heavens by the Uranus transit in Aquarius during early ‘09, the dates during which the Moon transits through either Leo or Aquarius create an even higher probability for significant events in the world. If in a person’s natal chart, there are any planets placed in the last degrees of Leo or Aquarius, that person will be at risk for something unpleasant happening in their life, especially on those days when the Moon’s transit contributes additional activation. The house affected will tell what area of life the event is to occur in.

With 12 celestial bodies to account for (if we are including the outer planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, as well as Rahu and Ketu), it is obviously quite a task to figure out what will happen on any particular day. It gets even more complicated when the transiting positions are transposed to the picture of the natal chart. The astrologer therefore concentrates on which transits are dominating the situation. We have to remember that the birth chart pattern has a lasting quality to it; in a sense, the birth chart has a measure of “resistance” to the impact of the transiting planets. But when a particularly powerful planet, such as Saturn or Mars, comes into intimate contact with a planet, sensitive point, or an activated house of a natal chart, then we should pay attention. The transits form an ever-changing pattern in the Heavens akin to the hands of a Celestial Clock; it is through the study of astrology that we learn how to tell time.