Jyotish, meaning ‘light’ or divine light associated with heavenly bodies, is another term for Vedic astrology. It is a very old spiritual discipline or, better to say, a spiritual path.
Ketu and Rahu, the South and the North Lunar Node are very important elements in Jyotish.
This ancient path comes from India; its roots seize back into distant past, several millennia ago. The basic idea of Jyotish is the same as in other astrological practices.
Heavenly bodies are believed to influence lives of all individual human beings. Compared to other astrological systems, Vedic system seems to be the most precise, regarding the information and the results it offers.
It does not only reveal your destiny, but it also suggests a set of corrective measures that would help you overcome your weaknesses and deal with your ‘bad karma’.
This system is organized into cycles; planets, houses and aspects tell about personal experience of life, during one of the cycles. Vedic astrology reveals influences that are on the run during each cycle in the life of an individual. These cycles are periods of one to three years.
Jyotish could give us precious information; it points out things that could be taken into advantage, but also those that could disrupt our well-being.
Vedic system is closely related to the very concept of karma. Now, many authors debate over the purpose of interpreting your fate. If we take that everything is karma, in the colloquial sense, that everything was already written in the stars and determined, what could we do, anyway? What is the actual purpose of knowing your destiny, if you can do nothing?
Well, most of them agree that we do have free will. By our free will, we could affect our destiny. Yes, it is causal, it is cyclic and predestined, in a way, but we could still affect it.
Through Jyotish, we learn about what we could do and what we should do, in order to reach a better state of our being.
A bit complex path, indeed, and difficult to comprehend. In any case, Jyotish could be a perfect guidebook.
Rahu and Ketu – Lunar Nodes
Rahu and Ketu are closely related to one’s karmic path. We also know them as the North and the South Lunar Node.
In Vedic astrology, they are considered more powerful than actual planets. They are not planets, although calculations would treat them as such.
Astronomically, they are the points of intersection, places where the Sun and the Moon orbs cross. They are treated as imaginary planets. Rahu and Ketu could be best understood as karmic points.
These are opposite points in a natal chart and their meanings are opposite. Ketu represents traits that were over-developed, as they represent everything we carry through our incarnations and deal with at this moment.
The North Node, Rahu, represents characteristics that are not so well developed, but that should be. Rahu and Ketu help us realize what we should let go off and what should we become.
There was an interesting myth about Rahu and Ketu. They were one, long time ago. They were the serpentine dragon demon who has stolen the elixir of immortality from gods, but Vishnu, the creator deity, cut him into half. The dragon did not die, since he tasted the nectar.
Mad at the Sun and the moon who reported him, he swore to take revenge. In fact, it was his halves, Rahu and Ketu, who decided to do so.
Ever since that time, two entities, Rahu, the dragon’s head and Ketu, the dragon’s tail, chase the luminaries, furious and thirsty for revenge. They devour the Sun and the Moon, which manifests as a phenomenon we know as the eclipse.
In astrology, nodes play a significant role. They do not correspond to signs, since they are not actual planets. However, their influence is striking. Let us learn about Ketu.
Ketu – The South Node
The Dragon’s tail, Cauda Draconis, is a mystical and strange astrological entity, associated with illusions and with our past. It is a treasury of all the previous incarnations, a set of behaviors, habits and heritage of the past.
Ketu could be understood as a bag we carry throughout all of our lives.
However, the bag has to be emptied at times and better organized, so to say. It drives us back, preventing our progress.
Ketu stands for over-developed characteristics, meaning that we should overcome them and work on those that need further development. Ketu represents everything learnt, everything we are used to do.
It is a trap of the past. In this life, we tend to apply solutions and patterns from our previous lives, which cannot work well all the time.
The actual effect of Ketu energy would depend on the South Node’s position in one’s natal chart. If the position was favorable, Ketu could brilliant power of perception and of self-cognition.
Those with well-placed Ketu are very spiritual people, often presenting even with certain healing powers. Unfavorable position of Ketu leads to chaotic behavior, depression and lack of self-esteem.
The Tenth House in Astrology – 10th House in Astrology
The Tenth House is primarily associated with career and professional success, reputation, professional status and acknowledgment. This field tells about potentials and opportunities regarding this area of life. However, it really depends on your activity.
There are people with amazing indicators of success in the Tenth House, yet they did not use their potentials at all, even if they had a favorable starting point.
On the other hand, some people present with great courage and readiness to achieve amazing things, even if their starting point was poor. Reading your Tenth House could be very helpful.
For example, it could suggest things you may see unimportant and pointless, yet things that could actually make a big difference. It also warns about potential troubles regarding your professional life.
Ketu in the Tenth House – Ketu in 10th House
Natives with Ketu in the Tenth House and Rahu in the Fourth House, have to overcome their false convictions that they were the center of everything that is happening around them.
Previous lives made these people convinced that they were the most important factor to everything.
Their sense of dignity and self-importance is so strong that they could hardly resist it. They think many things were under their level, so they would never accept any minor position.
They were leaders in the past, so they strive for the same position in the current incarnation.
These natives are used to take up the command at the subtlest sign of other’s weakness and incompetence. These personalities are authoritative and commanding. They feel important and protective towards others, but they tend to be overly protective.
They often take too many people under their protection, testing their own ability to maintain control. This is a very lonely position, in fact. The person is occupied by the mission of a protector and a leader that there is not much place left for closeness with other people.
This person keeps the guard up and the walls thick, not letting others to meet their true, inner self. This person is like a brave commander in a uniform or armor, ready to protect and control.
Such a pattern possibly originates from early childhood. It is very common that such individuals were raised by ambitious and strict parents, who made them believe they were predisposed to stand at the top of the world.
On one side, it could be encouraging; on the other side, it is a demanding position that leads to fear of disappointment and also to loneliness, because everything that the native does is focused on success.
Ketu in 10th House – Life Appreciation
The current life, however, makes this native stop down from the pedestal and check out the base of its column. This is an uncomfortable and a disturbing new position, because the native discovers cracks and holes.
These persons are never satisfied, because they suffer from previous incarnations’ ideals and so they always feel as if they were not good enough, while at the same time, they believe they have to be the best. It is a childish view on life, for the greatest part.
This native hates being in the second plan, unable to accept any position except the highest one.
However, life would not have them on the top, at least not all the time, which is result of the natural dynamic of things. They hate dealing with such a situation.
The karmic lesson is meant to teach them to appreciate every step of the road and to value little achievements, instead of accepting and acknowledging only the grandiose ones.
Their dissatisfaction with not being the first and the best could reach such extremes that some of them become dangerously self-destructive. They fall into the deepest pit of depression, convinced that their life was meaningless and that nothing is worthy living.
They are desperate of major successes, so they completely neglect everything else. They do not appreciate life as it is.
This is a result of the pressure that very likely comes from the way they parents have treated them. These natives have to let go of such expectations and to form a new set of values.
They should dare losing everything they have, in order to gain something new. They should start appreciating small wonders in life; they should first start noticing them.
Ketu in the Tenth House – True to Oneself
Through such position of Lunar Nodes, these people learn that most of their ideals and expectations were actually imposed. They are naturally afraid of letting them go, because they know no life without them.
However, once they become aware of the fact that many things they strive for do not come from their soul, they are ready for this difficult, though promising transformation.
It would very likely lead to a conflict between their career goals and their family expectations and demands. It is crucial, however, that, as adults, these people resist those demands and follow their own intuition and heart.
Of course, it does not mean you should reject your family or all of their suggestions and advices. Do not be hotheaded, but think carefully through all of it.
This person has to face their roots and to establish a new cornerstone for the future. It should be a practical base, not a too idealistic, as before.
These people should overcome the urge to control others, realizing it is only a mechanism of distraction from their actual dreams and desires. It serves only to confirm their power, but it is the power channeled in a wrong direction.
Ketu in 10th House – Self-liberation
This Lunar Nodes position would eventually lead to self-liberation, breaking free from the cage of parental demands.
Just as in all other situations and karmic lessons, it does not mean you should go to the other extreme. The native should think with their own head, but still appreciate their parents.
You may follow your dreams, but do not fool yourself that you do not need your dearest ones. You do need them and they need you.
Previous incarnations made this native become focused on success that brings acknowledgment, praise and respect. These people have spent ages in trying to prove themselves to others. This time, things should go the other way around.
Stop trying to impress everyone, stop trying to prove worthy of your parents (or other people you look up to) expectations. You should do things because they fulfill your soul, not others idealized image of you.
This person will face the situation in which he or she should make a choice between being a beautiful flower in the wild garden or a dead flower in someone else’s vase. This illustration tells a lot. It seems as an easy choice, but it is not. These natives have first to realize what their dreams were.
Breaking up with others expectations would leave this native bare in front of the world, aimless and probably lost.
To be free is not always an easy road, no matter how positive it sounds. Natives with such Lunar Nodes position know this more than anyone else, once they realize what their karmic lesson was.
They know they should let go of almost everything, in order to build their own world, in which there will be place for others, as well, including all those who expect something of them.
This is a karmic lesson of self-liberation, modesty, life appreciations and finding personal purpose.