Unlike the other planets, Rahu and Ketu travel in a counterclockwise direction over the natal charts spending around 1-2 years in each of the signs. This year, they are changing signs or making a transit commencing on November 17, 2009. Rahu is shifting from Capricorn into Sagittarius, while Ketu is moving from Cancer into Gemini where they will remain for the next 18 months.

Major transits like these can give us interesting insights about our future. We take this occasion to examine this upcoming transit with respect to individual Vedic rising signs (also called Ascendants or Lagna) or Moon signs. Please note that the results can range from aggravation to atonement depending on the individual's chart and predictions from your expert astrologers.

Rahu and Ketu can bring positive or negative effects on your life, and this is completely dependent upon their positions in your birth chart! As mentioned, Rahu and Ketu are unique in the sense that they always appear in the chart in a retrograde direction. Both of them contain key clues about your karma from previous lives as well as important issues for you to work on in this one.

Astronomically, Rahu and Ketu are the mysterious unseen points in space causing the eclipses. While they are not technically planets, their influence is so significant that they were given the status of planets by the ancient sages as they can seize hold of our consciousness. In Vedic legend, Rahu and Ketu are each part of a snake that was cut in two. For most of us, no single planet is 100% malefic or 100% beneficial. The effect of this upcoming transit depends on how we respond to both favorable and unfavorable situations as there is always a free will.

Rahu has a positive side and can offer great boons in communication, innovative ideas, new inventions and improved technology. Ketu is sometimes called the saintly planet as Ketu can help push us to be motivated for spiritual liberation. Rahu can help make us extroverted, affirming and ambitious, while Ketu's influence can push us to be more introverted or detached. However, both Rahu and Ketu can have a poisonous side as well and their malefic energies are dreaded as Rahu can trigger out of control behaviors such as addiction, and Ketu can make material comforts evaporate.

Rahu's transits show where someone is likely to expand, become driven, try new things and disperse their energy into materialistic pursuits. Wherever Rahu is in your birth chart is an area you may have avoided in your recent past lives, and it is an area you may have to work on this lifetime. Ketu's transits shows where someone is likely to experience restriction, detachment, completion or focus and deepen their spiritual pursuits. Wherever Ketu is in your birth chart may be a place you have felt more comfortable in past lives and may be where you naturally wish to focus again now. However, you must first deal with the lessons of Rahu before the fruits of Ketu can open.

In general, if either Rahu or Ketu are your current major or minor planetary influences, and you see the predictions below could be difficult for you, we recommend a home remedy of lighting lemon lamps during Rahu periods or anytime on Sundays, Tuesdays or Fridays. You can reduce the malefic effects of any prediction by performing targeted remedies such as homas, poojas or proxy mantra writing. You can also augment benefic effects of any prediction through remedies. A transit period is an excellent time for everyone to send these planetary beings some love and respect!