Re: Rahu & Ketu: A bit more
Hari Om
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Namaste
We have been taking a bit about the chāya¹ grahas, Rahu and Ketu. Lets spend just a bit more time on these nodes.
Rahu
Rahu is also known by another name , ahi. Ahi means snake ,the serpent of the sky, a traveller and a few other names. Rahu is the upper part of the serpent. It has a head, eyes, can see and desire objects.
Rahu as I have noticed again and again acts suddenly, just as a snake would lunge to attack, the action is complete in seconds.
When things happen instantaniously, (IMHO) one can consider a rahu influence. Why so? Rahu is considered by many as an agent of the laws of karma. From this karma, rectification is brought out and manifests in ones life. Why so? We will cover this idea below.
Rahu is also considered a mountain of darkness; From a material standpoint it’s the metaphor for the accumulation of material things that are aroused by Rahu, that then will be destroyed.
This mountain of darkness can bring the overshadowing of the Sun (the atma-kArka) and the moon ( amatya-kAraka)¹ via eclipses; That is, overshadowing the light of the atman and light of the mind, as both the sun and moon are called the luminaries in Jyotish.
We also know that the material influence in a person's life is quite strong, so is rahu can have a firm grip (attachment).
On another level Rahu and Sun combination causes loss of profession and prestige. Rahu and the Moon without beneficial aspects can give one mental depression, religious mania (some may call is this over-zealousness) except for those with Scorpio lagna.
Excessive Rahu can bring sudden fits of depression, excessive drug use and disturbances. Again 'sudden' is key.
Rahu in the first house will gives unpleasant influences, yet in the 10th house (house of careers) gives good influences, especially with foreign affairs. Recall that Rahu influences and indicates foreign lands and travel. So a 10th house career with foreign matters (ambassador, travel agent, foreign guide, and even spying) would flourish with a strong rahu influence.
This Rahu gives excellent research abilities, speculation, working with medicines, lawyers, and those which are erratic or cruel nature (slaughter houses, hides and skins, and perhaps sewage plants, foul smelling locations or positions) etc. But note, to form a complete ahi,snake ,the serpent of the sky, rahu must have its other half, ketu.
Ketu
As mentioned, Rahu is the upper part of the serpent. It has a head, eyes, can see and desire objects. Ketu is without a head, without eyes and there for cannot give graha dristi ( it does not cast an aspect on to other signs on its own, as rahu can).
Ketu is a mokshakaraka, the significator of moksha. With no head, there is no mind, no desires, no attachment, hence ketu as mokshakaraka makes sense. Many associate ketu with Ganesha.
Recall Ganesha too lost his head and then was given the head of the elephant. More can be said on what the head represents, yet there are Ganesha HDF posts that call this out if interested.
Ketu has many qualities, some where mentioned in the last post. The one that I find appealing is Ketu's ability to bring about the dawn of intuitive comprehension. This intuition is the conduit, the faculty to unfold the SELF (Brahman) within the individual. for this to occur Rahu assists. Yet as Ketu grows, the association with, or the empathy for Brahman grows over time i.e. insight and appreciation.
Ketu's name (केतु) is defined as bright appearance , clearness, brightness , rays of light;intellect , judgement , discernment. It is based upon ketu's innate ability or influence for this intuitive comprehension or cognition.
Yet Ketu's behavior can be considered enigmatic. One Jyotishi ( Bepin Behari) uses Mona Lisa's smile as an example of Ketu. Her mysterious expression, where one is not sure what emotion or thought is being entertained by Ms. Lisa, so its hidden mysterious at best, like Ketu.
Ketu when associated with education graha's (Mercury for intellect, Jupiter for higher knowledge) gives that person the natural desire for the occult, philosophy, Reality, etc. Ketu and Mercury gives analytical intellect and the ability to pierce deeper into subject matter. Ketu with Sani (another moksha graha) gives more influence for ascetic tendency and spiritual pursuits.
As mentioned they are malefics, but why?
Rahu produces disenchantment with material attachments; that is, 'satisfaction' is never complete and wanting still continues.
When the sun ( the karAka of the 1st house, ones innate self) is obscured by Rahu it suggest a restriction or past action/events being considered of being worked out and equilibrium restored to the native.
One can experience this many ways; mental illness, frustration, unwanted circumstances that have to be endured, association with undesirable surroundings, restrictions and the like. It’s the push away from the material side of life as if getting ones nose rubbed in it. The person feels this perpetual imbalance.
Balance is the gift of the Sun, Ravi. He regulates time, its even-ness, sama. Rahu brings imbalance.
Rahu & Ketu function together - they bring out the hidden potential of the native. Rahu is on the material side, Ketu the spiritual. Rahu accentuates the material side of life where not all things can be achieved, yet desired. This excess brings frustration. Then ketu is there for the introspection and to assist to reveal the disillusionment that the material side brings.
Both Rahu and Ketu produce results by churning. When I think of churning I think of mixed-up, dis-order, etc. When there is difference, duality, there is churning.
We see this churning in the story of the Bhāgavad gītā and Arjuna's displacement of mind in the early chapters.
He is experiencing the churn, the despondency that occurs within the field of life. Yet it is by Kṛṣṇa that it all makes sense as He guides Arjuna from the churning to a more stable field of being and the yoga of action. Be without the 3 gunas ( the field of churning).
pranams,
1. words used
- chaya छाय ( chAya or chāya) - shading or blending of colours; shadowy or granting shade.
- amatya अमात्य (amAtya or amātya) - a companion (of a king) ; who is the King? The Sun, Surya or Ravi.
- ātma - ātman आत्मन् - to breathe; the soul , principle of life and sensation; essence , nature , character; the sun.
- kāraka (kAraka) कारक - the action making , doing , acting , who or what does or produces or creates; instrumental in bringing about the action . A kAraka is a significator or entity ( in this post a graha or ~ planet) that signifies various matters on this good earth.
- graha ग्रह - we know as a planet yet a better definition is that which seized ; seizing, laying hold of, holding; The grahas have the influence to seize or hold the native to actions or karma.
- sama सम - same , equal , similar , like , equivalent , like to or identical or homogeneous.
- asama असम - uneven , unequal.