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RAHU AND KETU

The Dark Planets

Patrizia Grassi

MYTHOLOGY

The gods were losing their power in the fight against the demons and
they decided to ask for the help of these to carry out the enormous task of beating the ocean of
milk from which they would extract the nectar of immortality - the Amrita -. For this task,
they gathered everyone, each in charge of their part. As a pivot to beat they used the
Mount Mandara (Meru), the serpent Vasuki, lord of the underworld, coiled around
mount, like a rope for the beating and Vishnu in the form of a gigantic turtle like
base. It was not in the gods' plans to share the nectar with the demons.

They threw powerful magical plants into the ocean. Vishnu suggested that the demons
They were supposed to take the tail of the snake, but suspecting a trick, they did not accept.
this and insisted on taking the lead. Vishnu, who knew they would not accept it, placed on
the demons at the head of the serpent, whose poisonous breath would lull them and them
gods took the tail. Each one at their end had to pull alternately on the
gigantic rope. Shortly after starting, the demons began to feel the
effect of the suffocating breath and Shiva had to run to swallow the lethal emanation to
to prevent it from contaminating the ocean of milk from which the nectar would arise, since then
Shiva has a blue throat and Vasuki, upon getting rid of the poison, was purified.

As soon as the Amrita emerged, the demons took hold of it and began to
fight among themselves to decide who would be the first to take it. They stopped fighting for
the presence of a beautiful woman named Mohini, who was actually the same
Vishnu transformed. The demons, seeing her, asked her to make the decision.
he accepted and decided that the gods should participate and had gods and
demons in two opposing rows. While she first offered drinks to the gods
Vasuki, pretending to be a god, positioned himself between Surya (the Sun) and Chandra (the Moon)
Luna) thus being able to take the Amrita. Chandra and Surya discovered it and told it to
Vishnu who immediately threw his disc at him and split him in two. But he was already immortal.
and its two parts became Rahu, the head, and Ketu, the tail. The mother of
Vasuki took the head and cared for it, it grew a body. The tail was taken care of.
and educated by the wise Jaimini, to whom a head grew.

Both parties were placed in the sky as the ascending and

descendant of the Moon and they were allowed to occasionally devour the Sun and the Moon,
thus giving rise to eclipses.

DARK PLANETS

Rahu and Ketu are 'planets' without a physical body or concrete form. Due to their origin
Demonic is considered to be malevolent or harmful planets. They cause
deeply rooted defects emerge in the individual and produce conditions
unfortunate to confront the individual with the weaknesses of personality and, a
once recognized, to be able to eradicate them. Their function, as messengers of the forces
superiors, it is to eliminate the 'Asuric' or demonic tendencies within
we, dissolve the negative influences accumulated during the successive
incarnations, and make spiritual development possible.
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Externally they function as two parts but together they represent the law of the
karmic retribution. They act by presenting challenging circumstances, so that the
the individual feels the need to re-orient their life by looking within themselves, awakening the
awareness, develop intuitive perception and be able to withdraw from the
consequences of the whirlwind of personality. Together they provide the strength to
facing the efforts and risks that arise on the path of the search
spiritual.

They symbolize the seemingly opposing pairs, dualism, the struggle between good and
evil, spirit and matter, light and darkness, gods and demons.

The process of purification and the search for balance is neither easy nor pleasant.
those who subject us to Rahu and Ketu because, like in the churning of the ocean,
they create a psychological and mental vortex, where they face opposing forces to
obtain the nectar of immortality: the final release from the wheel of
incarnations.

The snake is the symbol of psychic regeneration and immortality.

knowledge, like poison, is bipolar: when misused, it can deadly poison,
while they are properly used as antidotes for all evils.

How shadowy planets act in the shadowy part of the individual.

Rahu, the head that grew a body, represents primal impulses.

that act on a psychological level creating desires for material satisfaction and well-being
The physical. Rahu awakens in the individual the need to obtain material achievements for oneself.
and, along with the yearnings, the dissatisfaction and disenchantment. It is necessary to activate and
tame the energy of Rahu to be able to control the subtle energies of the Serpent
Fire or Kundalini.

Yes, under the influence of Rahu, the individual does not make contact with his
superior nature, a psychic imbalance will occur with a tendency towards
sudden depressions, extreme and irrational likes and dislikes, perversions,
emotional storms, ambivalence, tendency towards addictions, reactions not
conventional attitudes self-destructive, temperament suicidal. These
Imbalances of karmic origin do not respond easily to physical therapies.

In astrological texts, it is described as the significator of the paternal grandfather.

foreigners. Low-class people, traitors, smugglers, thieves, robbery,
wickedness, intrigues, deceptions and scams. Gluttony, insatiability, harsh words and
falsehoods, false and irrational arguments. Swamp, dump, toilet. Snakes and
your bites, poisoning and intoxications. Skin diseases,
eczemas, itching, swelling, degenerative and hereditary diseases.
Illusion, disenchantment, and fear.

Its effects manifest in sudden changes of course, dislocation of plans,

projects that fall apart, expectations that are not met.

The graphic symbol of Rahu is formed by two circles connected by a

semicircle. The circle itself represents the entirety of being, the divine potential
content within the person to be developed in a particular incarnation.
The two circles in the emblem of Rahu symbolize two successive incarnations.
If we orient its symbol towards the east, so that the top of the arch
matches the ascendant, the two circles will occupy houses 4 and 10. The circle
left (house 4) represents past lives and what the individual must extract
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of them to become themselves. The right circle (house 10) represents life
future, the final destination of the person. The semicircle that unites them passes through the houses of
horoscope that indicates the way Rahu operates. House 3 is value or courage, the
energy and the will necessary to carry out the purpose. House 2 is all
those things that tie or enslave a person to the physical plane: family,
belongings and death. House 1 is the individual in their current incarnation and the
conditions of their birth. House 12 is the liberation from the enslavements of the
house 2, the renunciation of materiality; is also analogous to the river Lethe, the healthy forgetfulness and
necessary to continue the work without the burdens of the past. House 11 is the fruits of
personal efforts, the rewards.

Ketu, the tail that grew a head, represents the understanding of the laws.
hidden from creation. Activate the principle of thought, causing dissatisfaction
intellectual and the need to solve philosophical problems. Ketu produces
introspection induces deep thought that reveals the illusory nature of the
material objects with subsequent disappointment and discontent, which in turn generate
in the individual the will and tenacity to acquire spiritual knowledge.

Under the influence of Ketu, the individual isolates themselves from their environment and from their

contemporaries, can age more quickly, have the feeling of being different
to others, being 'weird' or misunderstood and suffering segregation from their
similar. If it does not connect with the higher principle, Ketu will bring circumstances
adversities to confront his illusory pride and to consider inner exploration.

Astrological texts describe it as the significator of the maternal grandfather,

minorities. Ascetics, mystics. Maternity room and deathbed; pains, fevers,
wounds, diseases that cause wasting; witchcraft. Detachment,
Independence, emancipation. Philosophy, understanding, consciousness of the self.
individuality. Liberation and separation.

Just like Rahu, the effects of Ketu are destabilizing, they produce storms and
tensions bring cataclysmic changes that topple false structures of the
personality and allow the divine spark to find the appropriate field for its
expression.

The symbol of Ketu is the inversion of the symbol of Rahu. If we orient it towards the
west, so that the center of the semicircle corresponds to house 7, the circle
left will be over house 4 and the right over house 10. They represent the
countless past and future lives through which it takes place the
elevation of the soul towards perfection. They mark the Nadir and the Zenith: the purest essence
the individual's intimacy connects through Ketu to the pinnacle of the achievements that the soul
reaches in an incarnation. This process develops in different phases.
represented by the houses through which the semicircle passes. The arc begins at the
house 5, creative capacity, intelligence and Dharma or accumulated merits of
past. In house 6 are the difficulties and stumbling blocks, the effort and determination that
the individual puts himself in overcoming them. House 7 is the search for balance,
inevitable comparison between the self and others. House 8 offers the possibility of
experience the profound transformations necessary to carry out the process
of spiritualization, indicated by house 9, through which it will incorporate into its
consciousness of the higher principles.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR INTERPRETATION

In Hindu astrology, Rahu and Ketu are considered malevolent, along with Saturn.
Mars and the Sun. As such, they produce unfortunate effects for affairs of the
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houses they occupy. Although an aphorism specifies that the influence of the malevolent is
unfortunate for the 'living things' signified by the houses, while for the
"Non-living things" are beneficial.

The planets and signs are also classified as 'gods' and 'demons'; the
"gods" are: Sun, Moon, Mars and Jupiter and the signs they govern (Aries, Cancer, Leo,
Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Pisces); and the demons are: Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and
Ketu and the signs it rules (Taurus, Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Capricorn, and Aquarius).

Rahu and Ketu, due to their condition as demons, are friends of the planets.
"demons", so in the signs ruled by them, they are well found. They are
enemies of the "gods" planets, therefore they are wrongly located in their signs. The
the exception is Jupiter and its signs, as Virgo is considered the home of Rahu and
Gemini is its exaltation; and Ketu is domiciled in Pisces and exalted in Sagittarius.

The movement of the nodes is generally retrograde, but they have brief
periods of direct movement during which their negative effects diminish.

The nodes behave like the planet with which it is in conjunction and in some way.
way it eclipses or brings out its dark traits.

RAHU AND KETU WITH THE PLANETS

Failures or power outages. Economic downturns. Corruption. Questionable money.

origin. Materialism. Issues with the father or with authority figures.

Rlun Depression, sadness, mental unrest, distrust, selfishness. Poisons.

Problems with the mother or with women

Suicidal tendencies, unnecessary risks, dangerous situations or dangers

hidden. Problems with siblings.

Verbal fireworks, misunderstandings, mistrust. Fears, phobias, vertigo.

Disorder of ideas.

Fat lumps, infections, strange conditions (psychosomatic).

Rape, bestiality. Deception, false illusions. Problems with the children and with
animals. Ritual impact.

Rven love disappointments, harmful loves, jealousy, betrayal, diseases

venereal, late relationships. Black magic, strange potions. Intoxication.

Deep deficiencies, extremely depressive. Secret or hidden things,

conspiracy. Persistence. Economic hardship. Enmities. Delays and setbacks.
Phimosis, vaginismus.

Self-sufficiency, opportunity, spontaneous help. Sudden money, money leak.

manirroto. Absence of the father. Problems with fire, burns.

Klun Feeling of being extra, tendency to hide, going unnoticed,

anonymity. Lack of peace of mind, nightmares. Separation from the mother or absent mother.
Heart problems
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Sudden events, shocks, unforeseen circumstances. Instability. Flight.

escape. Liberation. Violent situations.

Verbal violence, insults. Spontaneous speech. Discoveries, studies.

Originality. Gastric problems, ulcer.

Sudden violent accidents, violent death, bodily violence. Cancer, cysts

malignant, terminal illness. Violence or problems with animals.

Who Sexual imprudence, frustrating sex, sexual abuse. Sudden infatuation,

unrequited love. Uterine issues (perforation, hysterectomy).

Ksat Dangerous, unusual or harsh situations, wars. Lifelong marks.

Atheism. Retreat, isolation (prison?). Life and secret purposes.

RAHU AND KETU IN THE HOUSES

Axis 1-7: This axis is unfortunate for married life, it produces insecurity and
low self-esteem. Diseases that are difficult to diagnose and cure. Healing with medicine
alternative and natural cures.

Self-destruction, negative thoughts, addictions. Strong or direct:

strong personality, will, beauty, intelligence, wealth, and spirituality
responsibility.
In 7: Dissatisfaction. Weak or sick spouse; insecure, 'strange' or deceptive;
spiritual, psychic or discerning. Strong or direct: Particularly spouse
intelligent, special, spiritual or detached.

K En 1: Intuition, spirituality, discernment; shyness, compulsive insecurity;

changing personality or multifaceted, falseness, lack of morals. Strong or
direct: Psychism, spirituality, deep intelligence; detachment, adaptability,
flexibility. Respect.
R En 7: Compulsive relationship desires, family disharmony, separation or
divorce. Powerful spouse, very ambitious, dominant, inflexible, deceitful or
extravagant. Strong or direct: Very powerful, rich, worldly, or spiritual spouse.

Axis 2-8: This axis is unfortunate for family relationships; it is unfavorable to the
education and knowledge; tendency towards eating disorders, alcohol, and drugs;
language problems, vulgar language, lies. sexual abuse.

R En 2: Unfulfilled desire for wealth, ill-gotten money; fertile imagination and

fantastical. Scars on the face, problems with the right eye. Strong or direct:
Good education, knowledge. Bright imagination, talent for poetry and the
oratory.
K En 8: Long or chronic illness, reproductive system conditions. Sadism.
Materialism. Good intuition. No benefit from the spouse's wealth. Strong or
Direct: Great interest in the occult and magic. Benefits from the wealth of the spouse.
Sexual attraction.

K En 2: Language problems. Poverty, depression, unhappiness. Strong or direct:

Good education and wisdom, spiritual knowledge. Good financial matters.
Good nutrition. Excellent language. Detachment.
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R En 8: Spirituality. Few worldly benefits or riches from the spouse,

difficulties in joint finances
sexual attraction. Long life, protection against chronic diseases. Successes
mundane, great material benefits. Great interest in occult topics.

Axis 3-9: This axis is favorable to courage, bravery, and will, achievements
material and spiritual, but
it is unfavorable for the siblings and the father or the teachers.

R En 3: Interesting personality, strong will. Skill in work.

detail-oriented and organization. Desires to communicate, literary talent and
artistic. Many movements. Strong or direct: Increase in the
positive qualities.
K En 9: Special mindset, interest in philosophy or religion, ethical awareness.
Interruption of higher education. Strong or direct: Benefits derived from
father. Luck, easy solutions to problems. Morality

K En 3: Good position for spiritual seeking. Liveliness, enthusiasm,

Interesting mindset. Fears, anxieties. Fights. Strong or direct: Broad vision.
Inclination to writing. Successful efforts. Brothers with spiritual concerns.
R En 9: Mundane benefits, authority, and power. Interruption in studies
superiors. Strong or direct: Spirituality. Luck, problem solving. Travel
long. Morality and good deeds.

Axis 4-10: This axis is unfavorable for the relationship with the father and the mother and for the
mental peace. Denotes a particularly meaningful life from a karmic perspective.

R En 4: Difficulties with the mother or mother with a difficult life. Desires to obtain
real estate, problems in obtaining it. Unhappiness caused by excess desires
materials. Many changes throughout life. Strong or direct: Possessions.
Beneficial influence of the mother.
K En 10: Successful career. Favors spiritual disciplines. Strong or direct:
Honors and fame. Influence over the public. Asceticism and spirituality.

K En 4: Problematic relationships with the mother, who may be weak or sickly.

Problems obtaining real estate. Mental imbalance. Strong interest in the
spiritual life. Strong or direct: Beneficial influence of the mother. Good
properties. Good education. Discernment.
R En 10: Renowned career and power, position of authority, influence over the
masses. Insatiable ambition. Professions that benefit society. Dedication to a
cause. Parents' support from an early age. Spiritual search. Strong
directly: Increase in profits.

Axis 5-11: This axis hinders the relationship with children, with older siblings and
romances. It promotes education, teaching, creativity, and the arts.

R In 5: Desire for material benefits, hedonism. Practical mind, intelligence.

Little spirituality. In Cancer or Leo: mental disturbances, hallucinations or
Madness. Strong or direct: Great intelligence, good character, morality and integrity.
Excellence in politics, arts, and crafts. Successful children. Investments and speculations
successful.
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K En 11: Impredictability. 'Weird' friends or difficulties with them. Many good ones.
qualities, good education. Success in businesses and good profits.
Genitourinary diseases. Strong or direct: Special or prosperous older brother.
Many opportunities. Many good friends.

In 5: Few children and difficulties with those he has. Problematic loves.

Failure in speculations. Ability to discern, original thinking.
Spiritual practices and natural medicine. Mental restlessness. Strong or direct: Children
special or spiritual. Intelligence, objective thinking. Talent for art, the
sports and politics.
R In 11: Good placement. Wisdom. Wealth, benefits, and gains.
Rich, powerful, and influential friends. Strong ambitions, attainable goals.
tenacity. Unconventional gains. Problems with older brother. Strong or
Direct: Benefits increase. Famous older brother, special, beneficial for
the native.

Axis 6-12: This axis predisposes to the loss or expenditure of wealth. Difficulties with
subordinates. Enemies and envies.

R En 6: Good location. Good health, great vitality, and long life. Victor of
the enemies stand out effortlessly against the competitors. Excellence in work
retailers. Little idealism. Activities lacking ethics that are disrespectful or prohibited.
Strong or direct: Profits are increasing.
K En 12: Position of the spiritual seeker. Debts and unexpected expenses. Little pleasure.
sexual, expenditure of assets on pleasures. Strong or direct: Luck. Retention of the
riches, few unexpected expenses. Strong spiritual trend. Success in lands
foreigners.

K En 6: Excels effortlessly over competitors. Capacity for the

abstract reasoning. Rare diseases, difficult to diagnose. Problem of
overweight. Difficulties with subordinates and coworkers. Enemies,
envies and humiliations. Strong or direct: A lot of strength and vitality. Good relationship
with subordinates and colleagues.
R En 12: Waste of wealth, squandered assets. Tendency to seek strongholds.
sexual pleasures and little satisfaction. Mental anguish, physical suffering and
psychological. Immoral acts. Unfortunate events. Strong or direct: Frugality,
economy, without unexpected expenses. Great success abroad. Lots of sexual pleasure.

Yogas: Important combinations

Hindu tradition places great importance on charity houses (5 and 9), the houses
angulars and their ruling planets. One of the aphorisms about Rahu and Ketu with
The relationship to the houses is as follows: If Rahu or Ketu occupy the 5th or the 9th house and is
together with the ruler of an angular house, or if they are found in an angular house in
conjunction with the ruler of houses 5 or 9 yields very good results.

Mantras and gems

Rahu: Esonite (golden garnet) or the Garnet. Ketu: Cat's eye (not Tiger's eye) or
the Lapislazuli. Study the letter carefully to determine its need. In
In case its use is risky, it is preferable to recite the mantras Om Sri Rahu.
Namaha Om (Saturday), and Om Sri Ketu Namaha Om (Tuesday)
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KALA SARPA YOGA

The Serpent of Time

It is the planetary configuration where the classical planets: Sun, Moon, Mars,
Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn are located between the two nodes.

This highly feared configuration denotes an individual trapped within the axis.
karmic, and signifies a life of greater meaning and demand in the cycle of the
incarnations.

Kala Sarpa Yoga is considered very unfortunate. It is sometimes associated with

physical or moral deformities, great difficulties, setbacks of fortune and betrayal. It
more common is a sudden rise to positions of power or wealth, followed by a
disastrous fall.

When the planets are between Rahu and Ketu, great material success is achieved.
followed by a resounding failure. When they are between Ketu and Rahu, it is a sign of a
strong spiritual crisis, deep depressions, isolation and self-imprisonment.

The positive qualities of this Yoga are:

Great capacity for concentration and work that leads to success.

Ability to see life's events with a broader perspective and
objective.
Gives the individual an extraordinary opportunity to experience growth
spiritual, if it is understood that successes and failures are not personal challenges but
lessons that must be learned.

Text published on AstroClubhttp://it.egroups.com/group/astro_club

Text by Patrizia Grassi - all rights reserved.