Tag: Malefic

Ketu is not really a planet, but rather a mathematically calculated point in the heavens. Because of its lack of a “body” it represents uncertain, unexpected and unpredictable phenomena. It is intelligent and relates to mathematics and other abstract knowledge.

Wherever Ketu sits in a chart there we will find the sucking black hole effect. It feels forever like a hole into which we tend to want to put more and more of that thing to satisfy it. We cannot get enough where Ketu sits — we feel the lack of that house in our lives very much. Therefore many say that Ketu rules separations, cuts, loses and deprivations.

For the spiritually minded, Ketu is very good, and for the materialistic, very bad. It is good for the spiritually minded because it rules liberation from bondage. When Rahu‘s body was separated from his head, the body no longer was under the influence of Rahu‘s mind, and so was free. Ketu represents the ultimate freedom from ourselves, our spiritual liberation. Ketu is very final in this sense.

In Vedic thought, liberation, called “Mukti” or “Moksha” is considered the highest goal of life. After all our material role playing is through, we are to seek liberation from material bondage and misidentification, and seek out union with God (Yoga means union). So, liberation is the highest goal and Ketu is the “Moksha Karaka” or significator of Moksha in our charts.

When reading astrological books, one must remember that many of them were written, oddly enough, from the materialistic viewpoint. Indeed, today also, many people who are into astrology are into it for reasons of bettering their material positions, or finding out just how good their life (here on Earth) is going to be. Therefore, the books often say that Jupiter is the highest benefic. However, spiritually minded astrologers know that, in terms of real spiritual development, Saturn is above Jupiter and Ketu is above Saturn. Jupiter rules Wisdom, but Saturn rules Truth, yet Ketu rules Moksha, the highest achievement of all. So, Ketu is the most spiritual planet, with Saturn being next in line, and Jupiter takes third place.

Ketu signifies: Loss, liberation, perception, wisdom, lack of confidence, negation, self doubt, fantasies, confusion, indecision, illusions, drug addiction and alcoholism, psychic influences, fire, injury, death, spiritual insight.

Rahu is the point in the zodiac where the paths of the Sun and the Moon cross. If the Sun and Moon in their movement meet in this point, then an eclipse takes place. Eclipses “seize” the light of the Sun or the Moon, and it is this seizing quality that is characteristic for Rahu. Rahu is not an actual planet-ball, as the other planets are, but a point in space that is of great influence. The nodes Rahu and Ketu are always opposite each other in the Zodiac. They are calculated from the orbits of the Sun and Moon in relation to the Earth. They are gravitational line up points. They cause the Moon to actually wobble in it’s orbit.

It is a scientific fact, that when the Moon gets close to the nodes in it’s real orbit, that it wobbles due to the gravitational pull of the point. So, when in a chart we see that the person was born at a time when the Moon was close to one of the nodes (Rahu or Ketu) that the mind is disturbed, since the Moon rules the mind. This is a fact which you will see played out in the lives of those who have this. Since the nodes occupy two signs, roughly one sixth of the population has this. However, it is strongest when the Moon is really close to the Node it conjoins — or in other words, when the two are close by degrees within the sign — say within 5 degrees of each other. Then the effects become pronounced.

Rahu’s nature is that of anger, upsetness, anxiety, suddenness and other things which we would feel if we got our heads cut off right when we were getting something we wanted. Think of it: Just when you are about to get what you always wanted, right then something comes to totally ruin your plans. But, the secret is this: Anyone who is killed by the weapon of Vishnu is also highly benefited spiritually, so this plays out in our lives as well. So, the effects of Rahu can be said like this: Painful and troublesome, but ultimately for a higher cause.

Rahu signifies: Fame, extremes, foreigners and foreign lands, fulfillment of worldly desires, status, prestige, power, worldly success, outer success with inner turmoil, obsession, addictions, psychic, disturbances, collective trends, disturbances, poisons that destroy and heal, medicine, drugs and alcohol.

Saturn is known for his ring. Saturn rules restrictions — or things that surround us on all sides. All types of blocks, restrictions and obstacles are the ruling lot of Saturn. The wedding ring is related to Saturn, because it represents a restriction that prevents certain types of actions — namely, courting other spouses and therefore the ring is a symbol of a block or restriction.

Saturn is the outermost planet in the Vedic scheme of things, and so has “the last laugh”. Saturn is final, being the last one. Saturn rules all types of final things, or things which are insurmountable. Saturn is “the bottom line” in many ways. Therefore, Saturn rules Death as well as Unconquerable Time. All things decay in time, and Saturn rules this decay, or the effects of old age. Saturn is old, and low, the worker, the downtrodden, and the dirty.

Saturn rules the colors Navy blue and black, which are akin to seriousness, coldness, and finality. Things turn dark when they are dead, when the color of life has gone out. The sky is either blue or black because the distance we are looking at when we look at the sky is always insurmountable, being such a far distance. When we look across the land the trees in the distance are more “grayed out” than the closer trees, because that distance, being insurmountable, takes on the dulling effects of Saturn. If something is hazy or unclear, it is because it is “out of reach” and that is Saturn again. When Saturn affects a house or planet in a chart, then it “shuts it down” to some degree, by means of its strong oppressing power. Saturn has the ability to oppress anything. When it aspects the Moon, or Mind, then the person feels the effects of Saturn in their mind, which basically leads to depression.

Saturn is large and slow, and so it rules these things. Large slow things cause a lot of pressure, and so does Saturn. When Saturn affects something, it slows it down, puts it under pressure, and ultimately crushes it under its tremendous weight and restrictive power. On the good side, these things give it rule over focus. Focus is a funny thing — it means application of pressure for a certain goal. Saturn can make things it affects highly focused or controlled, which at times is a very good quality.

Because of all these things, Saturn is considered a “first class malefic”, or in other words, a planet capable of doing great harm. But that is spoken from the angle of vision of the materially oriented. Materially speaking, Saturn is usually malefic, except when his reduction and crushing capacity is used, in the chart, against the enemies of our material progress. For example, if Saturn is situated in such a way as to crush the twelfth house, or the house of losses, then our losses are crushed, which means we don’t lose as much.

But Saturn has another good side. Consider the diamond — it is created from black coal under great pressure for a long time. Saturn rules coal, pressure, and long periods of time. So, Saturn creates the diamond, which is very beautiful and extremely hard. When a person is under Saturn, they eventually become beautiful and hard, or shining and strong. The trials and struggles that Saturn puts us through teach us hard lessons.

Therefore Saturn rules the side of the religious peoples which is strong in principle, unbending, renounced from material motivations, and so forth. Saturn has a lot to do with the dark blue color worn by most Police officers, and the black worn by many Priests. Men often wear dark suits to do business, because it promotes a no-nonsense, dead-serious demeanor in their business dealings.

Saturn rules the low workers or Shoodras, as we say in Sanskrit. This is because he rules all things low and difficult. Things which are cold, dark, hard and created under pressure are ruled by Saturn, so he rules many types of metal like iron and steel, as well as the tools of hard work. Because he is an old man, he rules old things.

Saturn is the slowest moving graha, and represents the more time related aspects in life: endurance, sense of responsibility, hard work, longevity and reclusion. It is typically described as the bringer of grief and misery in life, but if it is auspiciously placed in a chart it will be one’s best insurance against poverty. Saturn is best placed in Tula (Libra) where is called exalted. Opposite from there, in Mesha (Aries) it is least auspicious and called debilitated. Saturn is lord of the signs Makara (Capricorn) and Kumbha (Aquarius) and also of the houses where these signs are located.

Saturn signifies: Discipline, order, structure, dependability, stability, separation, solitude, limitation, obstruction, poverty, death, disease, oppression, pessimism, worry, fear, bad luck, old age, delays, retarded things, concentration, paralysis, depression, stunted, deprivation, bondage, fixed assets, land, property, endurance and long-lasting, doubt, phobias, darkness, sorrow, longevity, detachment, decay.