EYE ON ASTROLOGY: UNDERSTANDING THE 7.5 YEARS OF SATURN IN CONNECTION WITH TRANSITS THROUGH CONSTELLATION—HOW WILL THINGS CHANGE FOR YOU WHEN SATURN GOES INTO AQUARIUS?
Most people know a little Vedic astrology get caught up in a huge fear around Sade Sat, the 7.5 years from Saturn goes through the 12th, 1st, and 2nd house from your moon. So over the past 2.5 years, the concern is that if you have a Sagittarius, Capricorn, or Aquarius moon, you are doomed.  With Saturn going into Aquarius on Jan 17th, we now have a new set of signs to be frightened of ie Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces Moon.
Sade Sat can also be applied to your rising sign and your Sun sign so if you want to get all bent out of shape, depending on your chart, you could have some level of sade sat happening much of your life.
Is it all bad? Of course not. Moreover, the 7.5 years is not all bad. It depends on when Saturn is transiting the 1, 3, 5th, and 25th stars from your birth moon constellation. If you were born with Moon in Dhanishta Nakshatra (Capricorn 23.20-Aquarius 6.40) then Saturn has been influencing your natal moon since last spring and will not shift until March 14th, 2023. If your natal moon is Satabhishak (Aquarius 6.40-20.00) then Saturn will more intensely influence your natal moon directly from March 14th for about 14 months until April 14, 2024. Â
Sade Sat is most difficult when it goes through the 25th nakshatra from your natal moon which is usually in the 12th house. So if your natal moon is Revati (Pisces 16.40-29.59) then when Saturn goes into Satabhishak on March 14th it will start the most intense part of Sade Sat for the next 13 months but then you get relief for 2 years until Saturn goes into Revati and the 1st position.Â
It’s not just simply a matter of sign change ie when Saturn goes into Aquarius on Jan. 17th The change of the nakshatras is key because Saturn impacts the mental level most with anxiety, fear, grief, and sadness. There can be an impact on the material level by a sign so if you have a moon in Pisces, expenditures, loss, foreign travel, and visits to ashrams may come up during the 12th house transit of Saturn. Still, Saturn has the most impact in transit during the last 10 degrees of the sign so that will be after April 14, 2024.Â
How many Ashtakavarga points you have in Aquarius will also impact whether the transit is more difficult or not. If you have less than 3 Ashtakavarga points in Aquarius and many malefics there it may bring out the dark side of Saturn which can be betrayal, abandonment, mental and emotional distress, building up of debts due to unexpected expenditures, loss of job or income, conflicts with family, an increase of resentment, lack of groundedness. Counteract all of this with meditation, yoga, exercise, and staying around positive people. Saturn has a purpose to teach responsibility, discipline, and focus and this is something that people may feel lazy about because Saturn is not necessarily a fun planet.Â
When Saturn goes into Aquarius, if your Moon is in Aquarius or your Ascendant is Pisces or your Sun is in Aquarius being born Feb. 12-March 14th, -Feb. 12th, you may be going through the more difficult 12th house transit of Saturn. Specifically, if you have the moon in Satabishak Nakshatra the impact will be felt most.Â
The most difficult part of Sade Sat is triggered when Saturn goes through the 25th nakshatra from your natal moon or ascendant called the Mananas nakshatra which governs the mind and Saturn can disturb it and create a huge desire for change and feeling unsettled. You might feel abandoned or betrayed or unfocused or changes around jobs or relationships may come up.  Remember that change is good. Stay rational and use judgment if it is time to make a change. God has a plan but sometimes changing, moving, or changing partners will not get rid of the inner unsettledness. There is a famous saying, “wherever you go, there you are.”  Make the inner changes with more meditation, yoga, a good diet, and exercise, and then see if you need to make the outer changes.
Some people buy an iron ring and wear it on their middle finger during Sade Sat. It may help a little but giving your power to gems and thinking all your problems will go away is not learning the lessons of Saturn.  Take action to focus, meditate, and be disciplined and Saturn will reward you with the calm strength of Capricorn the mountain, unshakable and steady. Be lazy and unfocused and Saturn will seem like an earthquake in your life. You do have a choice. Some mantras and chants and pujas will help calm the mind so that you can move forward out of fear.
There are mitigating factors in the chart that will make Saturn less problematic. If your 12th house or moon has high Bindu points or Jupiter or Venus is impacting your 12th house favorably or supporting Saturn, then it may not be as bad. Saturn after age 36 matures and ripens and that means the 2nd or 3rd Sade Sat may not be as problematic because we are more mature.
So remember, there is nothing to fear. Saturn is your friend but he is the type of friend that kicks your butt because he loves you. The Divine is always taking care of us if we understand its message. Listen, act, be disciplined, focus, and work hard and you will be taken care of. Venus always supports Saturn so lighten Saturn up with more fun, relationship type, massage, art, dance, painting, and fashion design.
You are safe, you are infinitely safe, my loved ones; if you only knew how the Divine cares and cherishes for you at every moment of your life and how much he protects you, there would never be another moment of fear in your life. You are loved and you are Loved!Â
 REMEMBER TO ALWAYS CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL ASTROLOGER ABOUT YOUR SPECIFIC CHART AND YOUR DASHA WILL HAVE A BIG IMPACT PARTICULARLY IF YOU GO THROUGH SADE SAT AND RUN MOON/SATURN OR SATURN/MOON.
Special thanks and honor to some of my Jyotish Gurus, Komilla Sutton, Andrew Foss, and James Braha for their insights into some of this material.
If you need help understanding your Sade Sat and how it impacts your chart, get a reading at www.appliedvedicastrology.com by hitting the Consultation tab.
