Saturn Transit in Vishakha

Vishakha belongs to Jupiter, neutral toward Saturn. Its deities are Indra and Agni together, and its symbols are a triumphal arch and a potter's wheel. Three padas lie in Libra, Saturn's sign of exaltation, and the fourth in Scorpio, the sign of its enemy Mars. The stay begins in strength and ends in strain.

Vishakha is single-pointed purpose, the arch one passes through toward a goal, with ambition, determination, rivalry, the long pursuit and the fruit that ripens late as its themes. Saturn agrees with late fruit. A goal held for years is reached in the Libra padas, and the Scorpio pada shows what the reaching cost.

The passage takes about a year in all, usually split by the retrograde into two or three visits. The retrograde often carries Saturn back from Scorpio into Libra, so the goal is seen a second time before the price is paid.

• Libra padas: Sade Sati for Scorpio, Libra and Virgo Moons; Kantaka for Cancer; Ashtama for Pisces.
• Scorpio pada: Sade Sati for Sagittarius, Scorpio and Libra Moons; Kantaka for Leo; Ashtama for Aries.
• Favourable by Phaladeepika: Leo, Taurus and Sagittarius Moons and lagnas in Libra, then Virgo, Gemini and Capricorn in Scorpio.

This stay lays bare the shape of a person's ambition. A goal chosen for its own sake survives the Scorpio pada.

The remedy is steady effort for a cause that is not one's own. Serve where the poor are fed, give sesame or oil on Saturday, and recite Om Sham Shanaishcharaya Namah. Honour the guru on Thursday, since Jupiter rules the nakshatra, and keep a small daily fire offering for Agni.