Last Updated on May 20, 2022 by astrologerbydefault

There have been several questions on Sade sati. So I have put this post together to help you analyse this scariest term in all of astrology. The 7.5yrs when Saturn transits through the 12^th sign from the birth Moon, then over the birth Moon and finally over the 2^nd sign from the birth Moon. Sade sati is basically an analysis of Saturn’s transits specifically his highly significant transit over the birth Moon sign.

Currently Saturn is in Capricorn. So if you are birth Moon Aquarius you are now in the 1st phase of the Sade sati. If you are birth Moon Capricorn, the second phase is going on for you. And if you are birth Moon Sagittarius this is the 3rd phase.

When Saturn enters Aquarius, it will be birth Moon Pisces, Aquarius and Capricorn in the Sade-sati energy. Saturn is stronger when he transits in his own signs, so expect stronger transit effects as he moves through Capricorn and Aquarius.

First analyse the power of Saturn in your chart and what you expect him to give you in your life.

To begin with he acts differently for different ascendant signs.

• If you are a Taurus or Libra ascendant, Saturn is your Yogkarak. And if you are Capricorn or Aquarius ascendant then he is your ascendant lord. He cannot overtly harm you. Even if the Saturn linked things in life seem hopeless, you can use these as stepping stones to higher and better things.
• If you are a Cancer, Virgo or Pisces ascendant, Saturn is a class one malefic for you. Always be aware of what Saturn is upto in your life and take remedial actions in time to avoid serious problems.
• For the other ascendant signs, Saturn can be neutral to overtly malefic depending on his position in the chart.

Then depending on your level of study analyse Saturn in depth in your basic birth chart using the following points,

Which house and in which sign is he placed in? So which parts of your life is he controlling? Which houses does he own? Ie where are Capricorn and Aquarius signs placed in the chart? Which planets is he conjoint/ aspected by? So which other aspects of the personality is he influencing or being influenced by? If Saturn connected to the 2nd, 7th or 8th houses then you must check the longevity aspects, ie his Marak function. If the longevity is at an end, then he can indicate the timing or cause of physical death in his Sade sati. Is Saturn exalted/ debilitated? How comfortable is he in the sign he is occupying? Are there any modifying factors eg retrograde or combust? Has he matured? What kind of power does he have? Check his shadbala, avastha, ashtakvarga etc for more insights. You can go as deep as your level of study. Be clear on his karakatva, ie all that he stands for in your chart and then try predicting.

If Saturn is auspicious for you the here are some of his typical effects

• You have the ability to focus deeply on a topic at a time and can take your projects to their logical conclusions. Disciplined and intelligent, you can sacrifice anything for your goals. You are not concerned about money, but are interested in achievements which can be of use to the society. You will be recognised for something by the society. Leadership qualities exist, you are a leader who comes up from the masses. Servants and subordinates will work for you willingly. You intensely dislike inequality, discrimination, corruption, injustice and will not indulge in these things. You are very conscious about Time and will not be late or tolerate others being late around you.

If Saturn is inauspicious for you then here are some typical effects.

• The bones will be weak, some fracture or ligament tear, teeth will have problems etc. Your talents will not be fully available to you or you will use them for selfish activities or actions which are harmful for the general society. You will be denied recognition for your work even if you help others. Those whom you help may be selfish or jealous of you. Land deals never work in your favour. You may not be on cordial terms with your parents. You waste your time in unrealistic projects. You are generally attractive but will attract the wrong sort of friends. Life after middle age will be more successful than the first half. 

There are several ways to check the power of transits, remember Sade sati is essentially a transit.

1. Ashtak varga scores – check the score of Saturn in the three signs of the Sade sati. If he has scores of 4 or more then these times will go smoothly. Even if the total of that sign is more than 28 points then the keywords of that sign do not cause much distress and events remain at manageable levels. (Post here)

2. Janma navtara chakra – If you can draw this chart (post here) and track the movement of Saturn through the nakshatra-s during your Sade sati period you can get valuable pointers on how he is going to behave.

3. Ashtapadmadala chakra or the Kota chakra – if you can draw this chakra chart (post here), and track the movement of Saturn through the nakshatra during the Sade sati period it will help you in deciphering his results.

4. Moorti nirnay – There is a way of calculating the form or image of the planet on the day he enters a sign. This will indicate the overall nature of the results of Saturn in that sign. (post here)

Another way to gauge how your Saturn and Moon interact is to observe yourself and the things around you during the 2.25 days per month when the transit Moon passes over the birth Saturn. In fact, analysing the transits of the Moon is the first practical lesson that students of Jyotish must do.

eg if your birth Saturn is in Virgo, then observe how things unfold on the 2.25days when the Moon transits Virgo every month. You can use these observations to extrapolate what will happen during your Sade sati times.

• Some of the possible things would be getting late for your meeting or missing the bus. In your office the boss is angry with you, you have to skip lunch, you quarrel with your team, no one agrees with what you have presented, office gossip and jealousy is targeted at you and you are overall upset. Or you forget your wallet or meet someone who seems potentially useful but later turns out to be a drain on your resources. Your kids create a fuss and you get into a argument with your spouse or parents. Perhaps you remember something which makes you unhappy. Or a sense of lethargy, minor health upsets etc. Observe yourself and see if these sort of results are more on these 2.25days. If so then its a good indicator that the Sade sati period will require some care.

Astrology is about observing, trying to find underlying patterns, discerning common links, looking for repeating energies. If you can do this, you will be a great astrologer.

Sade sati cycles

Generally everyone with a reasonable life span will go through 2 or 3 periods of Sade-sati in life. Obviously the Sade sati period occurs once every 30yrs and lasts for 7.5yrs. 

The first Sade sati period in life will occur when you are still young, below 30yrs. In this period, the effects of the Sade sati are not very severe. But illnesses related to childhood will occur and the health will be affected. As this happens in the childhood, one must be careful as lifetime impacts on health are possible. Especially be careful of injuries to the bones, ligaments ie fractures etc. In some cases, death of a parent is possible if there are other patterns in the charts. There will be difficulties in education, in getting a job or in getting married depending on the age of the person. But if Saturn is favourable for your chart then his effects may not be prominent and you might not even realise that you were going through a Sade sati period.

Do try to remember how this period was for you in your young age as you can get an idea of how troublesome or helpful Saturn is going to be for you overall in life.

The second Sade sati period will occur in the age of 30 – 60yrs. This is the main period of active life so the intensity of the trouble is higher. There are more avenues for stress to enter your life. Over-work, tiredness, ageing, ill-health etc is a common feature of this period. Arguments with relatives, siblings and friends is possible. Death of both parents is almost sure in this time frame. You will be performing all serious things during this time, ie working, raising a family, performing last rites of the parents and being responsible for so many things on several levels. The intensity of profession associated work will reach a high pitch during this period.

However if Saturn is favourable for you or capable of supportive results then this period though stressful will allow you to work, make contacts, network with important people, gain a positive social image and status. 

The third Sade sati period, for some people will occur in the age of 60 – 90yrs. Generally this period signifies the end of longevity and physical death. During this time frame, there is an increase in ill-health, age-related diseases will hit, mental faculties may be reduced, one has to witness the deaths of relatives and friends, loneliness and overall worry predominates.

But if Saturn is favourable, then this period can grant spiritual growth, an understanding of philosophy, acceptance of the inevitable and a desire for Realization. Death if occurs now, should be seen as a positive change as the person will most likely move on into a higher energy state.

A fourth Sade sati is also possible in life in case someone lives beyond 90yrs. This time inevitably brings physical death and can be a time of general misery and loneliness.

But if Saturn is auspicious for you, then spirituality and a gentle death event will be granted in this last Sade sati. 

Analyse the three phases of the Sade sati. 

As you know Saturn is favourable when he transits the sign 11^th from the birth Moon. And is favourable when he transits the 3rd sign from the birth Moon. Sandwiched in between these two highly favourable time frames, is the Sade sati.

First phase –  During these first 2.5yrs of the Sade sati, Saturn will be transiting in the 12^th house from the birth Moon. So you will see a change, from Saturn’s helpful and positive face to his strict face. Things will gradually tighten around you, as the restriction and constriction linked to Saturn takes hold. Quarrels, lack of rest, confusion, ill-health, fear, rumours, gossip, humiliation, insults etc occur around you and more frequently. Unnecessary travelling, reduction in productive work, salary cuts, etc are also possible. The intensity of these things will slowly escalate and will reach a high pitch in the second phase.

Second phase – during these 2.5yrs, Saturn will be transiting over the birth Moon. This is the worst phase of the Sade sati. Any association of Moon with Saturn is a restriction on nature, nurture and nutrition. Your needs will not satisfied, there will be an emotional restriction and overall constriction. Thought processes are affected and you tend to think the worst of everything, which is often correct. Mental agony, loss of reasoning ability, loneliness depression, misery, lack of rest, denial of comforts and an environment of fear around you. Whomsoever you rely on for support, emotional and mental, will cause you pain. Specifically your mother or maternal figures will cause you distress and be a source of stress. Your relatives, friends, family members will not support and you will have to find the necessary resources within yourself. You will be forced to become self reliant, to get by will little, budget and make use of all that you have as an resource crunch will exist. Physical disease and loss of health is also common. A possibility of starting on addictions, as increase in vaat creates a tendency to form bad habits bad habits. Saturn increases vaat, so ‘dryness’ is manifested in several ways which includes lack of love. The last part of this phase can be unbearable and one must take adequate care on all fronts.

Saturn transiting over the birth Moon means that his keywords and the aspects of life that he controls will always be in the forefront. Temporarily the lenses of your perception are going to be be colored with Saturn. This changes you on a very deep level. Whatever Saturn signifies in your chart, will overpower your entire existence for 2.5yrs.

• eg Libra ascendant, Pisces birth Moon, Virgo birth Saturn. Here Saturn is Yogkarak, in 12th house from ascendant sign and in 7/7 axis with Moon. He will force you to get deeply into meditation, your dream/astral states will dominate your existence, guidance from spirits will be there, you will earn status and fame if you are in some profession which is cut off from normal society, he will separate you from self-ego, your spouse, material concerns, you might be cheated by others who take advantage of your this typical nature, he will untie you from all that is holding you back etc. Ultimately it will be a beneficial phase.

Here, do analyse the power of your birth Moon. A strong birth Moon will have some of the following characteristics, more the patterns more will be his strength. Exalted, in his Mooltrikon, in his own sign Cancer, or in Cancer or Taurus navamsha, aspected by benefics, placed in kendra or kona in your birth chart, having an ashtakvarga score of 4 or more, a high shadbala score, a high ishta phala score, favourable avastha, etc. If your birth Moon is powerful enough then the stress induced by close proximity to the transiting Saturn will be more bearable.

Third phase – during these 2.5yrs, Saturn will be transiting in the 2^nd house from the birth Moon. Generally this period is more hard hitting on the emotional and mental levels. The effects of the second phase above continue in full force. The troubles of the past 5yrs are now unbearable for your mind and body resulting in loss of motivation, lethargy and inactivity. The real hidden nature of the people and events unfolding around you are shown to you in stark detail. This can be one of the most depressing periods in life. But towards the end of this 2.5yrs stretch, gradually things perk up and there are unforeseen opportunities for gains. 

As this period gets over, Saturn moves on to the sign 3^rd from your birth Moon which is one of his exceptionally positive transits. 

The birth Moon sign and Saturn

Let’s examine the intensity of the results for each sign. If we rank the intensity of the negativity that Saturn will bring, as per the birth Moon signs,

• Cancer, Leo and Scorpio birth Moons will face the highest intensity of Saturn’s constriction in their entire 7.5yrs of the Sade sati. So take due care for the full 7.5yrs. 
• Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces birth Moon signs, the main 2^nd phase of Saturn over the birth Moon will be severe. The remaining 5yrs will be easily manageable with remedies and conscious efforts.
• For the other birth Moon signs, they must take special care for the 2.5yrs when the Saturn transits over their birth Moon as this time will be quite difficult. The remaining 5yrs will be problematic but can be managed with use of remedies and constant conscious efforts.

You can also do a generalised comparative of the three phases of the Sade sati depending on the planetary friendships. eg For birth Moon Aries, the 2nd phase will be the worst and quite traumatic, followed by the 1st phase which will be worse than the 3rd phase.

To fine-tune your Sade sati results.

First is to consider the effect of the Dasha. If in the Sade sati period you are undergoing the period of a strongly favourable benefic, eg your ascendant lord or yogkarak then the Sade sati though troublesome will not be able to cause significant damage in your life. But if you are undergoing the Dasha periods of the marak or dusham sthan owners, 6th 8th 12th house owners, then due care has to be taken.

• Suppose you are going through a dasha of Saturn himself in this Sade-sati. Then it will be a double dose of Saturn energy acting on you. This period can be the best possible or the worst possible period of your life.
• If Saturn is favourable for you, ie a ascendant lord, yogkarak, in-charge of auspicious houses etc then you will be elevated in life. There will be conflicts, but each of these issues will bring out some hidden ability from within you. You will realise that you have a lot of potential and this time will force you to utilise your potential. This will finally convert into gains, mainly on the social and professional fronts.
• But if this Saturn is malefic and inauspicious for you then you have to be quite careful as he can hit on the physical, mental and emotional levels and also affect your spiritual progess.

Next is the transits. These play a very important role in the intensity of the Sade sati phase. Specifically pay attention to the transits of Rahu Ketu and Jupiter during this period as they stay in a sign for longer periods of time 1.5yr and 1yr respectively. 

Jupiter transiting 2nd 5th 7th 9th and 11th from the birth Moon sign is supportive and gives favourable results. Rahu and Ketu give pleasing results only when transiting in the 3rd 6th and 11th house from the birth Moon. Factor this influence on you as they will be able to significantly change the overall impact of Saturn on you. 

• Eg if you are undergoing a favourable Jupiter or Rahu Ketu transit, then the unpleasant effects of the Sade sati will be reduced for 1yr and 1.5yr stretches a very significant thing indeed.
• But if you are undergoing an unfavourable transit of these three during the Sade sati phase, then due care must be taken to avoid escalating the negative effects of Saturn.

Sade sati is considered to be a time of general troubles, illnesses, fear and misfortune. And all these problems do happen. It is after all Saturn, the karmic enforcer affecting your Moon in transit. This time temporarily affects the lenses of perception, the astral body and the summary of your entire personality. Even the link that one feels with the Divine is restricted for this time.

But then there are always modifying factors, the most important being the power of the birth chart. If your ascendant sign/ lord and your birth Moon are powerful then you will be able to tide over the issues presented by Saturn with the minimum stress. In such cases, this time grants a sense of maturity. You try to reconcile the situations you are put into. Your perspective will allow you to accept events as they happen around you. You clearly separate from the things, people, relationships, thoughts, emotions etc which are no more of use to you. You become more pragmatic, more patient, more serious in life, ie you grow up. You are shown the real face of the things you considered precious in life and as you realise them to be wanting, you release yourself from their ties. It can be a liberating period if you can sensibly navigate through it. One tip is to never hold on to anything too strongly. If it is destined to be with you, it will. But if it is of no use to you, Saturn will tear you away from it and it would be best to accept and let go. 

Any way you look at it, the middle phase ie the transit of Saturn over the birth Moon is going to be the most traumatic 2.5yrs and this period will repeat once in 30yrs. Best be prepared.

Finally to reduce the impact of the Sade sati, you can take corrective actions, ie perform the remedies, the Daan and Mantra for Shani-dev during your Sade sati periods.