Planetary Transit in Astrology and Horoscopes

Vedic Astrology has two primary methods for making predictions: transits and Dashas. The two methods are complimentary and work best when used together. There are some fundamental differences between the two. Dashas are based on the position of the Moon at the time of birth, and the entire sequence and timing of Dashas is fixed accordingly.

Dashas reflect an unfoldment of life from within, naturally taking the awareness through each planet's portfolio at a time, in a prefixed sequence. Transits are based on external, astronomically defined events: the ongoing movement of the Grahas through the zodiac. Grahas represent how the ever-changing environment affects us, externally and internally. Dashas are key to predict when our potential will manifest because our attention is directed to it, whereas transits predict how the environment triggers physical and psychological changes in our life.

The two methods work together intimately. When we are in a Graha's Dasha cycle, that Dasha will generally give results according to it's placement in the chart. But the exact timing of when those results can be expected, within the many years the Dasha may last, can often be determined from the transit of that Graha. The Dasha provides the awareness to be on the area of life, but the transit provides the opportunity it to manifest. You can think of it as someone who wants to catch a plane. When he has made up his mind to fly, he will fly whenever the next flight becomes available. The readiness to fly is analogous to enter a Dasha period indicating travel, and the availability of the flight is analogous to a favorable transit.