The transit of Saturn is generally unfavourable in respect of the house (from the radical ascendant) he transits unless he be transiting his own house or unless he be the lord of the ascendant. (i.e., unless Capricorn or Aquarius is the rising sign), when he does not damage the affairs of the house he transits. For example, if Scorpio is the ascendant and Saturn by transit is in the first house, he will be inclined to cause ill-health. When he transits. Sagittarius he will have a tendency to adversely affect finances. In Capricorn, he will not during his transit damage the third house because Capricorn is his own sign. When he transits the fourth house Aquarius is his own sign. When he transits Pisces, the fifth house, he will spoil the fifth house affairs of the native. The native may have stomach troubles due to sluggish digestion or formation of gases (traits of Saturnine diseases), or the native's children may suffer in health or career, and so on.

Saturn also has a depressing influence on the radical planet whom during the course of his transit he aspects. For example, suppose Scorpio is the ascendant and the Sun, the lord of the tenth, is in Pisces. Now when Saturn during his transit, stays in Gemini, he will be fully aspecting the radical Sun ( the Sun occupying Pisces in the birth chart), with the result that affairs pertaining to the Sun may suffer or have a setback. The Sun is the lord of the tenth house, so the native's career may have a setback or advancement may be thwarted. Saturn is the planet of death and delay and so he spoils matters by prolonging issues or keeping them pending and by procrastination. He also causes harm from low people, aged persons, labour, servants, enemies and opponents. In the above example, the Sun is the lord of the tenth and we have explained how his transit would adversely effect the native's career. But the Sun is also Karaka for health, vigour, personal push, respect, father, government, persons in authority and so Saturn during his transit through Gemini will also spoil or damage one or more affairs over which the Sun presides. IN this way Saturn by transit spoils the affairs pertaining to the planet he aspects. But if he be the lord of the ascendant, he will not do so, or if he does any harm it will not be in such great measure.

Now we shall revert to our original line of delineating the effects of planets: The effects, of Saturn in the twelve houses as counted from the Moon-sign are:

Saturn stays for two and a half years in one sign; so his transits are very important. When Saturn transits the twelfth, the first and the second house as counted from the radical Moon the period comes to seven and a half years (two and a half years in each of the three signs) and the combined period of seven and half years is generally referred to in India as the Sadhe Sati (the phrase literally means seven and a half years). This is generally considered a period during which the native does not have peace of mind, one thing after another crops up to keep the native worried. Few indeed are lucky who do not have a death in the family during these seven and a half years.

Here again persons in whose nativity the Moon is in Taurus (because Saturn would be the lord of the ninth and the tenth, both good houses from the Moon sign) or Libra (because Saturn would be the lord of the fourth and the fifth, both good houses as counted from the radical Moon) or Capricorn or Aquarius (because Saturn would be the lord of the Moon Sign radically) do not fare so badly as natives in whose nativities Saturn is the lord of an evil house as counted from the natal Moon.