Sun Transit in Magha

The throne of Magha stands at the start of Leo, under Ketu, with the Pitris as its deities. The Sun enters its own sign at Simha Sankranti and Magha in the same moment. Ketu, in the usual lists, is an enemy of the Sun. The graha is a king in the sign and a guest of the ancestors in the nakshatra.

Across a stay of about two weeks, the Sun's significations of father, authority and government are at their most formal. Honours are conferred, seniority is asserted, and family history comes up in every conversation about property and name. The heart needs care in the heat and damp of the season.

The Pitris are the fathers of the line, and Ketu keeps their memory. The Sun in Magha brings the father's father into view: a debt of the lineage, a family trait, a promise made a generation ago. Whatever position the person holds is shown to rest on those who came before.

Gemini, Pisces, Scorpio and Libra Moons and lagnas have the Sun in the third, sixth, tenth and eleventh, the houses Phaladeepika gives as favourable. Leo Moons carry the Sun in the first house and Virgo Moons in the twelfth. Capricorn and Taurus Moons hold the eighth and the fourth, where standing, health and home need attention.

The fortnight shows what the person does with inherited authority. Ketu strips the ornament from the throne and leaves the seat. A person who sits there in service finds the fortnight easy.

Offer tarpana, or a simple gift of food and water, to the ancestors, and water to the rising Sun. Recite Aditya Hridaya on Sunday and give wheat or copper. Speak of one's parents with respect during the stay, and settle any duty still owed to them.