When not to quit your job

When a career risk can complicate matters

When might it not be a good time to quit your job? At work, we all go through phases when we feel like resigning and searching for another role, starting a business or taking another major career risk. We may also begin focusing on a part-time activity that affects our existing job.

If you follow one of these paths during the Dashas I am going to identify, I think you might complicate your situation rather than solve it. That is the gift of astrology.

Start from the foundation

I like to start from the foundation. I learnt this from volume two of the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, which is dedicated to the Dashas. It says that the general effects of a Dasha relate to the general nature of its planet.

If you are going through Saturn's Dasha, for example, you will feel the general effects of Saturn. I am trying to identify certain difficult Dashas from the Dasha table without looking at your chart. The whole birth chart still needs to be read and will always remain important, but we can identify certain key phases that might be difficult.

Vimshottari sequence begins from the Moon

The Vimshottari Dasha system has nine planets, each assigned a number of years during which it rules our life. Together they cover 120 years, which is the lifespan of a human being in Kali Yuga, the current era, as per Vedic mythology.

Where does this sequence begin? If the Moon in your chart is in a Nakshatra ruled by Venus, for example, Venus is your starting point. You are likely to experience Venus's Mahadasha first, followed by the Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury and Ketu. The sequence may continue if you go beyond 120 years.

The exact starting point is determined by the degree of the Moon. There is a logic to this: the Vimshottari Dasha system is supposed to determine our state of mind, so it is based on the progression of the Moon. This further highlights the importance of the Moon's position in the birth chart.

Read Mahadasha and Antardasha

The next table shows all the Mahadashas and Antardashas and how long they last. This is where we can identify the difficult Dashas.

The end of Jupiter Mahadasha

If you are at the end of Jupiter's Mahadasha, it is likely not a good time to take any kind of chance with your career. Saturn's Mahadasha begins after Jupiter's.

If you take a big chance at the beginning of Saturn's Mahadasha, or in the weeks or months just before it, things are likely to become stuck and you may not find enough opportunities.

One Jupiter Antardasha exception

Within every Mahadasha, the first Antardasha is ruled by the same planet as the Mahadasha, and the sequence then continues. In Mars's Mahadasha, for example, the first Antardasha is Mars, followed by Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn and so on.

The end of Jupiter's Antardasha normally leads to Saturn's Antardasha, so it is also not a good time to consider a change.

There is one exception. If the Mahadasha is Saturn and the Antardasha is Jupiter, Jupiter's Antardasha is followed by Mercury's period rather than Saturn's. The rule therefore applies at the end of Jupiter's Mahadasha or at the end of Jupiter's Antardasha, except when the Mahadasha is Saturn. These phases can be difficult, and you should not take a chance with your career.

Mercury ends, Ketu begins

I also look at the end of Mercury's Mahadasha or Mercury's Antardasha, because Ketu comes after Mercury. These are the phases just before the beginning of Saturn's or Ketu's Dasha.

Saturn can bring the frustration of delay, while Ketu can bring the frustration of denial. If you take a career chance expecting something big, you are likely to be disappointed. These planets are not linked to massive success on the material plane, especially not quickly. It is not going to happen.

A few weeks or months before Mercury's Mahadasha ends, you are approaching Ketu's Mahadasha, so taking a chance is not a good idea. The final part of Mercury's Mahadasha is also under Saturn's Antardasha.

The longer Saturn-to-Ketu transition

I would go further and say that you should not take a chance from the beginning of Saturn's Antardasha. This is a long phase, and I know a long phase will contain cycles of some nature, but I think this is an exception and you must exercise extreme caution throughout it.

Saturn's long Antardasha leading to Ketu's Mahadasha can bring extraordinary change. Significant change can take place during the long Saturn Antardasha, while Ketu's Mahadasha can be seen as a new life, new circumstances and a new beginning of some kind.

Donald Trump's two Saturn periods

One example is Donald Trump. During his Saturn Antardasha in 2019–20 and the following year, he lost his presidency for the first time. It happened right in the middle of Saturn's Antardasha.

The same logic can be applied beyond Mahadasha and Antardasha to the Pratyantardasha. According to his Dasha table, he entered Saturn's Pratyantardasha on 14 June 2026.

Just as he did not have a good time during Saturn's Antardasha and lost his presidency, I think there are likely to be issues for him now and that he is losing popularity. Saturn's Pratyantardasha will not have as profound an effect as its Antardasha, but Saturn is nonetheless going to cause him some concerns.

Hitler's Mercury-to-Ketu transition

Another example of the Antardasha rule is Hitler. What I regard as his biggest mistake came in June 1941, when he opened an eastern front against Russia.

According to the Dasha table for his birth details, this happened at the end of Mercury's Antardasha, or the beginning of Ketu's Antardasha. Things did not go in his favour throughout Ketu's Antardasha, and by the end of 1941 his mission had failed by a reasonable measure.