The transits of the luminaries and inner planets through the houses are barely memorable afterward. Even if you are paying attention as they are happening, there isn’t anything that will register as a strong blip. This doesn’t mean nothing actually coincides with their transits, it’s just that their effect are taken in stride as the simple ups and downs of daily life (e.g. a nice meal, an uncomfortable ride in a crowded subway, a fleeting feeling of anxiety, etc.), and before you know it, you are moving on. The only exceptions to this are when Mercury or Venus go retrograde, or when Mars transits through a house, since in either case these planets spend a longer amount of time in the house, thereby raising the chances of leaving an impression.
Which brings us to the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter spends roughly a year in each sign. Saturn takes its time, staying in sign for 2.5 years. The span of a house is not generally equal to the span of a sign for births that happen in higher latitudes–some houses span less than 30 degrees, others more. However, for the most part, we can still the transit of Jupiter and Saturn through a house to take the same time as through a sign, since deviations from the mean will not noticeably alter the significance of these transits.
When I look at a chart for planets transiting through houses, either to project in the future (prospecting), or to reconcile the past (retrospecting), my first take is on Jupiter and Saturn. The houses where these planets are transiting are far and away the most important considerations. A whole lot can happen in a year (Jupiter) or two (Saturn).
Wherever Jupiter is, there are possibilities. Jupiter opens your eyes to options and opportunities. It also expands and amps things up. So if Jupiter is transiting the 5th house, say, you see new possibilities for creative activity (take up a hobby?), or new growth options for your child (activities that engage him or her, a club he or she can join to make friends or pursue specific interests), or possibilities for romantic pursuits (enter/renter the dating scene), and so on. In short, possibilities and expanded/emphasized activities in the realm of 5th house significations.
Or, say, Jupiter is transiting the 9th house. The year or so during which Jupiter is in this house is likely to open doors to various intellectual, knowledge gathering pursuits, be it actively diving into a new field of interest (such as reading voraciously on technology, say) or embarking on a new course of study (maybe you start taking online courses in finance), or traveling a lot more than usual (a much awaited trip to Europe?), and so on. Jupiter will amp up some signification or the other of the 9th house during this time.
Saturn being a very different animal than Jupiter, its transit through a house has an entirely different quality. Mainly, it’s about examining your circumstances carefully and viewing them objectively to see what is really afoot. It’s about separating the wheat from the chaff, about coming to terms with reality. This is no time for being delusional or naive about stuff. Saturn’s brings qualities of maturity and sobriety to everything.
Since Saturn stays in a house for over 2 years, its day-to-day effect is less sharp, but it’s overall effect is no less important. In fact, after Saturn has come and gone through a house, its impact will last longer than Jupiter’s because it has had more time to build up that impact and can do a more thorough job of it. So say Saturn is moving through your 5th house. Unlike Jupiter, this is not about new possibilities. Rather, it’s about examining one’s choices, and coming to terms with the 5th house areas of children, self-expression, creativity, acquiring knowledge, etc. There are a myriad different ways in which one or more of these areas might manifest. You might give birth or become a parent, which brings with Saturnian weight and many new responsibilities. Your child might be off to college, leaving you more time to do all the things you always wanted to do for yourself. You might be in the throes of a creative enterprise, working toward a deadline. You might start a new course of learning, perhaps even in a Saturnian apprenticeship type setup.
The angular houses, which are the 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, and 1st (so called because the ascendant/descendant and MC/IC angles are the doorways to these houses) are especially important when considering the transits of Jupiter and Saturn. The reason is these houses are the most powerful in terms of visible manifestation, of things that come to fruition in the outer world. The 1st house of self: Jupiter and Saturn through the 1st can change how you present yourself to the world, including literally gaining (Jupiter) or losing (Saturn) weight. The 4th house of home: Jupiter might bring an expansion to the home and family, while Saturn could compel you to throw out the clutter and downsize. The 7th house of relationship: Jupiter might open up opportunities for romantic and business relations, while Saturn might bring commitment and stability to an existing relationship. The 10th house: Jupiter might have you pursue new horizons in your career, or take up professional positions in which you educate or enlighten others, while Saturn might come with an increased sense of authority in your position as leader.
I have touched on some very specific outcomes in this post, just by way of illustration. Since there are so many combinations of house + planet significations, your personal experience might be (literally) very different than any of those I have described. However, whatever the actual circumstance might be, it is bound to resonate with some combination of house and Jupiter/Saturn significations. When you allow yourself to examine your circumstance with these significations in mind, you will get much closer to understanding how a particular house in your horoscope reacts to the transit of Jupiter or Saturn, and how you can prepare yourself to make the best of a repeat transit of Jupiter or Saturn through that same house in the future.