Ancient Indian Vedic astrology states that Rahu is the cause of many disturbances in the course of life. Rahu symbolises the head of the dragon, always greedy and always wanting more than what is due to him. He introduces volatility, chaos, and disruption in the smooth flow of life.
But Rahu is not all evil. This north node of the moon is also a place of great opportunity, spiritual awakening, and freedom from the cycle of reincarnation. To comprehend Rahu’s true identity, one must look at his background and the myths surrounding him.
Rahu is one of the most famous demons who got a chance to drink the divine nectar during the churning of the ocean. He transforms himself into a deva (God) and steals a few gulps of that divine ambrosia of the gods. Soon, devas come to know about the deceit, and great Vishnu cuts off Rahu’s head with his Sudarshan chakra.
Since Amrit had already reached Rahu’s belly, his head attained immortality, but his body perished. That severed head went on to become the mighty planet, Rahu, while the torso became Ketu, the south node. Endlessly desiring, never satiated, Rahu’s disembodied hunger propels him to this very day.
If Rahu’s placement or Drishti (aspect) is on any particular Rashi or planetary position in the birth chart, the native will sail through the turbulent waters of chaos and instability in the particular aspect of life signified by the planet or house. Rahu sows discontent, revolution against the established order, and desire for something that cannot be attained. Obsession, eccentricity, and deviation from the norm are certain. This makes Rahu a great disruptor.
In some cases, Rahu’s glance bestows an unexpected blessing, which forces the person to step out of his/her comfort zone, which is the zone that people grow in. Rahu provides the spirit of never being satisfied and always looking for the next level. The flame of passion and the desire for change are within. Outer chaos reflects inner conflict and transformation occurring. It is not an easy journey, but it can take the spiritual seeker to the state of moksha.
It is also possible to achieve big success with the help of Rahu if the planet is friendly towards you, just as demons receive celestial powers through meditation.
Now, turn attention to human relationships, ties between people created through multiple lives and are significant for the current life’s story. Such relationships as parent-child, husband-wife, or siblings are due to faraway threads of karma that bind people together across many lives. But modernity is witnessing the emergence of new forms of bonds which do not fit into conventional categories – karmic bonds with strangers, platonic relationships, beyond gender and social hierarchy.
Rahu has a significant role in revealing such karmic soulmate connections in this Kaliyuga era. Wherever Rahu extended his shadow, he introduced change and new ways of interacting that broke the conventional set-up. When Rahu is a sign of love and bonds, the probability of getting into a situation that is against the set rules is high. Perhaps your soulmate is a gender you never thought you would be attracted to. Or perhaps you develop a profound soul-kissing relationship with someone who is not your blood relation or from your community. Any forbidden fruit always looks most tempting!
These unions are not always easy; Rahu makes sure of that. It is full of rises and tumbles, misconceptions, rough periods, and the desire to be different from what others expect. However, there is the potential for tremendous growth and self-actualisation as well. Close relationships that challenge your identity and help you discover the essence of who you are behind the roles you play.
Finally, Rahu, as the Lord of karmic knots, desires you to free yourself from the chains of limited identity and conventional mentality. Only then can you be free. Despite all the turbulence and disruption, Rahu is actually the agent of change, the force that helps you evolve towards the best version of yourself.
Traditional roles, such as mother, wife, uncle, etc., can make us stay in one role all our lives and not grow. But Rahu takes us out of our comfort zone and introduces new friends to the soul while disrupting old relationships to remove the veil of the conditioned ego. However painful or bitter it may be, every Rahu experience helps in shedding the outer sheath of the ego. Lovers who are not allowed to be together break down conventions. Getting ready for this new weird family prepares you for the real family of everything and everyone in the universe other than blood relations.
When Rahu transits a house, the winds of destiny blow and change that part of your life according to the past karma. The chaos Rahu brings is only the mirror of the internal conflict one has to go through to change the soul. Every reincarnation is an opportunity to pay off the old karma and free oneself from all the chains. Rahu’s tidal forces of change assist you in going through three steps of that journey – first, get shaken out of the status quo into seeming chaos. Then, learn how to dance in the middle of that chaos while surfing the waves of change. Finally, we arrive at the core of the whirlpool, the calm, the real self that has been hidden behind the lies.
So welcome this energy in your karmic carnival of relationships. Those entangled connections are the greatest gifts to advance your spiritual development. Neither hate nor fear Rahu’s thunderbolts, for they unveil the true sky of enlightenment when the clouds of karma clear. Love every Rahu connection for the kundalini awakening it offers! When all the stained karmas are washed away, Self-realization is the flower of even the most entangled seeds.
