** Hari Om Namo Narayana! **
On their own, the nodes of the Moon are mere mathematical entities. They are not considered ‘bodied planets’ in the Jyotisha scheme of planets and are extremely difficult to predict concrete events with owing mainly to their unpredictable nature.
There are experts out there in the field of jyotisha who claim to have researched them thoroughly and boast of a range of techniques to employ in the chart when predicting with these entities. However, all of them agree that the nodes are not nearly a bankable method of event prediction as much as they are a key to unlocking the psyche of the native. At the same time, the nodes are the most bankable indicator in a chart of an event that simply has to happen.
Legend has it that the nodes of the Moon were born out of the dismemberment of the ‘asura’ (demon) named Swabharu. Right after the churning of the ocean as described in the ‘Shrimad Bhagavatam’, there started a fight between the ‘devas‘ and ‘asuras‘ over who would drink the nectar of immortality that was drawn from the depths of the ocean by the collective efforts of the both the devatas and asuras.
Vishnu, the all seeing, all knowing creator of the universe and all of the lokas, decided to intervene in this mess by taking the form of a beautiful enchanting woman ‘Mohini‘. It was decided that Mohini would distribute the nectar of immortality to both the asuras and the devas, the only condition to the arrangement being that the devas would be given the nectar first. The asuras, already smitten by the enchanting enamoring form of ‘Mohini’ readily agreed.
All of them but one; the demon named Swabharu.
Swabharu wanted to ensure that the demons were not dealt a rough hand and was already quite suspicious of the whole arrangement. So he sat assuming a position between the Sun god Surya and the Moon god Chandra. As Mohini reached where Swabharu was sitting, distributing the Amrita among the devatas, both Surya and Chandra realized that while there were only supposed to be 7 of them sitting in the row, there was this extra ‘devata‘ sitting between them that they had never seen before.
Both Chandra and Surya looked at each other, as if to say: “I thought he was with you?”
But in that confusion, Swabharu reached out and drank the nectar of immortality that Mohini had poured into a cup. As soon as he had drunk the nectar of immortality, he assumed his natural form and began to laugh, mocking the devatas. Furious at being cheated, Mohini too emerged into her true form as Vishnu and chopped off the demon’s head with his ‘Sudershan Chakra‘.
The damage had been done however and the demon was divided forever into two immortal parts: The head, which is the north node of the moon Rahu and The body, which is the south node of the moon, Ketu.
Since the demon Swabharu had become immortal having drunk the nectar of immortality, he continued to exist in his dismembered form as a ‘shadow planet’. While both the North and South node are parts of the same entity, they are essentially distinct in nature. In a birth chart, they are always 180 degrees apart from each other.
For our consideration, Rahu is the future and Ketu is the past.
In my experience I have found the nodes of the moon to function not in strict future-past roles but indicatory roles at least. For example, when you are running Rahu Dasha or Mahadasha, if you make Rahu the ascendant and read the chart for that period, you will obviously have Ketu in the seventh.
It comes as no surprise therefore that a lot of people running Rahu Dashas, run into people from their past lives or at least people that they have a lot of pending karma with. Rahu is very important in that it gives you a fresh perspective on being able to understand your past and move forward.
Ketu on the other hand provides you with that comfort of the ‘known’ and exciting opportunities for growth because in Ketu periods, just as with Rahu periods, you can put Ketu in the ascendant and read the chart like that, which puts Rahu in the seventh.
Most people will tell you that chaotic events in Ketu periods are a result of the inherent nature of Ketu being an unpredictable and chaotic violent energy while being ripped off and tricked, lied to are Rahu traits which are what many people feel are reflected in Rahu periods.
Truth is, if your past karmas have been good, in Rahu dasha you will only come across people who help you on in this life. (Because Ketu is in the seventh)
Similarly, if your past karmas have been good, Ketu dasha can be like a free run for you to build your future on without any hangups of the past. It can be a limitless experience where you realize you can tap into an infinite source of personal power you never knew you had. (Ketu in the first)
Now, how do we decode if the past karmas of a person have been good or bad? How will they play out in this life time?
Well, we start by analyzing Ketu. Ketu is the source. Ketu is where we all came from. Ketu is the DNA. Ketu is electric signals.. lightning. Ketu is that spark between the first two molecules of amino acids that lead to the formation of life.
** Hari Om Namo Narayana! **
