The mischief mongers – Rahu and Ketu

We as humans, whether we care to admit or not, are creatures of curiosity and intrigue. Adam, Eve, the serpent and the apple, remember! Similary, the curioius and cunning Asura, Svarbhānu, got himself cut up on account of his greed. The top-half of Svarbhānu came to be known as Rahu, the lower half as Ketu. These physicallly non-existent shadowy (Chāyā) Grahas tend to influence our current life Karmas as much as any other Graha.

Rahu and Ketu always give the results of the planets they are associated with in the following order:

1. Planets they are conjunct with
2. Planets aspecting them
3. Their dispositors
4. Their Nakṣatra lord

All the celestial beings are larger than life enigmas that conjure up the various circumstances and events that we call the circle of life. Rahu though leads the pack by being the superstar among Enigmas. Rahu’s outlook on life is real simple, “Yeh Dil Mange More” (the heart wants more). Enough, satisfied, fulfilled etc. are words that do not exist in Rahu’s lexicon. It wants more and it wants it now and it doesn’t give a damn of how it gets what it wants.

Rahu is simply put the most powerful of amplifiers that there is. It just takes on nature and Kārkatvas of the planets it associates with and amplifies them. e.g. Rahu with the 7th lord or Venus would take on the Kārakatva of relationships and in turn indicate an intense craving for and / or in relationships. That in turn could lead to anything ranging from obsessive and possessive behavior in relationships to multipe relationships and infidelity.

It is also the maverick, the bohemian, the one that boldly goes where no one has ventured before. It therefore is indicative of anything futuristic, bold thoughts, bold ideas, bold speech.

Rahu, like Saturn and Mercury is a Eunuch and therefore when associated with indicators of relationships could indicate homosexuality and bi-sexuality. Also, given it’s dare-devil nature it could also be indicative of exploring sexual frontiers that haven’t been explored before which could very well tip over into the realm of perversions and sexual compulsions.

Not surprisingly some of its karkatvas are,

Fast cars, fast women, flashy clothes, lots of cash, alcohol, drugs, junk foods, computers, electronics, internet, sexual escapades, politics, high intelligence, chronic / hard to detect illnesses.

In a birth chart , Rahu / Ketu on the ascendant or the Moon suggests irregular behavior – irrational , lawless , rebellious and unpredictable . Aside from potentially destabilizing the body’s vital systems , it’s often an indicator of aberrant mental and emotional behavior . The nodes push the envelope in physical , moral , social and legal ways , often with a streak of creativity , insofar as originality represents departing from the norm.