Ketu, the shadow planet of spirituality and escape, is in the Gandanta zone between nakshatras and zodiacal signs from October 3rd to December 5th, 2026.

This is the final part of Ketu’s stay in Magha and Leo before its shift into Cancer-Ashlesha at the end of this transit. The Gandanta zone is the sensitive karmic knot-end part of the zodiac, which creates extra intensity and transformative potential, often through unexpected events. This is a time to finish up an old project and consciously eliminate obstacles before a new phase of activity begins.

Gandanta is associated with untangling past-life influence that lingers on into your world today, where you carry out soul cleansing and find otherworldly, etheric experiences. You may go through periods that your rational mind cannot easily process, where it’s better to go with your intuition and not over-analyze. Ketu sits close to expansive Jupiter through this whole transit, with Ketu moving retrograde and Jupiter going forward as it crosses the Gandanta zone by November 1st.

This is a great opportunity to absorb spiritual teaching, with Ketu focusing on intuitive understanding and Jupiter underpinning your academic knowledge. You may go on a pilgrimage or push your spiritual path forward in the form of a guru who makes esoteric teaching accessible. Be sure you are with the right person, however, as this passage can be changeable and unstable, and relationships are subject to unexpected change.

Symbolically, the handover from fire to water signs creates a boiling point, and though you emerge purified, it can be volatile and testing on a psychic level. Affirmation and intention-setting at this point are powerful, though you may have to free yourself from an attachment that still seems important.