Author, Greece 2015
In Vedic astrology, the study of the nodes of the Moon: Rahu, the north node and Ketu, the south node, are the most profound aspects of horoscope interpretation. They represent two calculated points on the ecliptic which, when lined up with the Earth, Sun and Moon, create either a solar or lunar eclipse. They are known as 'shadowy planets' because of this, but are no less relevant. Rahu is seen as the head of the demon Svarbhanu in Vedic myth and Ketu, the headless body; both representing two dynamic forces at opposite ends of our evolutionary spectrum - where we are coming from (Ketu) and where we feel compelled to move towards (Rahu).
The eclipses brings me to the topic of shadows. Both Rahu and Ketu represent the shadows which are cast over the Sun or Moon when we experience an eclipse. They are not physical bodies in the sense that the planets are, but we can see them when we see an eclipse. We all experience shadows in our own way, of course. This would depend on the position and strength of these calculated points in your own horoscope, as well as the position and strength of other influencing factors - especially the planets which rules the signs in which they are positioned.
Some only experience fear from being in the shadows, while some work away happily in the shadows, and others tap into profound revelations about themselves and existence by being able to view things from a different perspective. I have personally experienced Rahu in particular as a time when there is a sense of being blind-folded and unable to see clearly. Ketu can give great insight into one's true nature.
Without looking at any particular horoscope, we can see that the experience of shadows is very different for everyone and can bring up many different feelings and thoughts for each individual. Also, the experience of either eclipse point varies dramatically, as they both represent the two ends of a spectrum. This is quiet literally the case on the colour spectrum, as Rahu represents ultra violet and Ketu represents infra red. They are both outside the range of colours visible to the naked eye, so they act outside of our conscious awareness for the most part i.e., subconscious. But when we are in a Rahu or Ketu time period, and especially when we experience an eclipse, we can bring their influences out into the open, as it is during an eclipse that either Rahu or Ketu are visible.
On September 28th we experienced Ketu in all its glory, blazing across the face of the Moon as a reddish colour. For those with Ketu active in the horoscope this can lead to an awakening. When we are influenced by Ketu we can literally awaken to who we really are - and however briefly, we can disassociate with the one we have spent our whole life identifying with. I, for example, identify with being a male, 5 foot 8 inches tall, with black hair and blue eyes, a son, a brother and husband. Ketu allows a deeper experience of Self such that when we venture into this Self we find that there is nothing there but awareness of what is there.
So it is appropriate that, as I begin a period in my own life in which Ketu is activated, I have come across 'The Headless Way'. I was first introduced to the 'experiments' which are proposed in order to experience the void at our center some time ago, but it did not click with me at that time. During the full lunar eclipse of September 28 2015 something did click. This lunar eclipse saw the Moon line up with the south node of the Moon, Ketu. This time the experiments of The Headless Way worked their magic!
I would find it hard to describe the sense of peace and spaciousness which accompany such revelations, so instead it would be better to point the reader in the direction of the experiments themselves so that one can experience them first hand. You can go to the website, headless.org and try them for yourself. And even though I find myself being met with blank expressions when I try to explain them to those close to me, I feel it necessary to pass on what has been such a profound and enriching experience so that others may benefit from it at some point in time.
The experiments recommended in The Headless Way are so simple that you may miss the experience and may have to return to them at another time in your life; a Ketu time-period perhaps!
I can experience my still point at my center with all of life's experiences arising and falling within that stillness. The experience is instantaneous and doesn't require hours of meditation to achieve. I can simply become aware while cooking dinner and remember who I really am and... there it is - the void that is aware. I have tried many other means over the years and some work at different times, of course, but this is by far the easiest route to experiencing such a sense of awareness that I have come across. One literally becomes headless!
If you are able to tap into Ketu you can remove all of the illusions of being a separate self. Of course, I am not always in that space, but when I do I can be wide open and present for whomever or whatever I am experiencing. Ketu represents our origins; our true nature; our essence which is pure awareness without the interference of the mind and its attachments. Ketu removes our attachments which ends in an experience of disillusionment. You may think the word 'disillusionment' is an unsavory experiment and an experience to be avoided at all costs. However, the cost of holding onto our illusions is great. Giving them up is priceless. Rahu, represents our illusions which must be given up at some point in order to experience our true Selves, which is, as all the great spiritual teachers point out, a non-self.
So, this begs the question: What is at our core? What or who are we?
Well, we are nothing but the capacity for experience, it seems.
If you move deeper and deeper into who you really are, what you really are is simply a void in which experience arises. At a certain distance you are the you that you probably most identify with. Your sex, name, status, etc. But if you go closer and closer you begin to see you as tissues, cells, molecules and atoms ... and then nothing - empty space. Ketu represents that nothingness which is actually also full of everything. Rahu represents the experience, and Ketu the void which experiences everything. But Ketu is not the experience, it is the void which is aware of the experience. In other words, Ketu is your true nature and where you came from. Yes, you came from a void and anything which you identify with in your body and mind, will one day return to that void. To have an experience of this void is to be empty for experience; to be fully open for life experience but firmly rooted in awareness. The relief that is felt from such revelations is immeasurable.
So, if you are more focused on the everything, your experience will create many ups and downs, but if, on the other hand, you are concentrated on the void from which the everything arises, you are tapping into your true Self; the non-self which is pure awareness.
The experience of a separate self (Rahu) and all that entails can actually facilitate an experience of the empty awareness that we all share (Ketu). You eventually must come to a point where all of that enthralled you must lose its power over you. This delusion of power represents a standing apart and alone that makes Rahu the most malefic consideration in Vedic astrology. I remember once going for a walk in a forest and seeing a tree standing apart from all the others. It had been exposed to the elements more than the others without the shelter of the forest and had turned a greyish colour (Rahu is depicted as smokey grey in colour in Vedic astrology). This standing apart and alone is an isolating experience on every level our being and one which Rahu represents, especially when Rahu has been triggered in an individual's horoscope.
Ketu, on the other hand, brings us back to the void from which we all arise. This represents an experience of connection, and where are unified power - our true power - comes from. But in order for us to experience this connection we must remove all of those illusions of a separate self. This is why Ketu is also seen as malefic in a material sense and why many have a difficult time with a Ketu time period. Think of all of those things which make you feel separate to others. It may be a job, a title, a desire, whatever. They must all be relinquished in order to experience a profound connection to the space that we all share and in which everything is arising and falling continually. Unfortunately, most of us are going to focus on the loss of those things and not focus and what it is freeing us up to experience, i.e., the void. The emptiness is a peaceful and profound experience. The emptying process is painful.
The World of Rahu and Ketu
While we as individual's (especially those who seek to experience the truth of who we really are) can experience Ketu as an awakening, the world at large is unconscious and it can bring up many obstacles as a result. Even the most aware individual is caught out at times and can experience Rahu/Ketu as an event or experience which, to the conscious self, seems unwanted and even unnecessary. The public at large experiences the eclipses in a turbulent way for the most part. The Earth itself can experience them as earthquakes, for example. There is always a shadow creeping over some area of our own personal lives and in various locations on the planet. Again, how we experience shadows varies from person-to-person at different times in our lives.
In 2016 , for example, there's a shadow creeping its way over rulers and the kingdoms they rule, represented by the sign Leo in the mundane horoscope. This leaves us open to a slight of hand; a secret world of power which can plan more easily behind the scenes on a global scale. It can also, however, grant us an awakening to who we really are, as the sign Leo represents the natural 5th house of the zodiac: our heart's desire for freedom of expression.
The eclipses of September 2015 began a period of awakening for many but again, even though individually there can be a profound sense of awakening, on a global scale the masses can experience the deception because of the way in which the rulers of the world plan behind the scenes.
Rahu enters the sign Leo in January 2016 and Ketu enters the sign Aquarius simultaneously, as these points are in exact opposition to each other. This sign axis represents those in power (Leo) and their ability to use that power to help those in need (Aquarius). This can be a tricky balance to maintain when Rahu and Ketu cross over this axis. Rahu shows a need to expand and develop, an urgency to manipulate to create and outcome which gives us the sense we are accomplishing something. It feeds the ego and our self-importance. Ketu, on the other hand, represents a need to let go of any attachments in order to experience freedom, which ultimately is everyone's freedom, not simply our own.
In 2016, the balance of those in power and those powerless is tipped more favorably for those who seek to gain recognition at any cost. This may be a leader of a country, a leader within a company, the head of a family, or quite simply your own sense of power over others. This may be a good time to ask yourself on which side of the spectrum do you find yourself? Is it the Rahu need for recognition or the Ketu need for a disintegration of separation. The repercussions stretch far beyond these personal reflections, of course.
Those with the sign Leo rising in their horoscope will want to let roar and strengthen themselves further, taking on more power in order to feel more important. In this process they may destroy others who stand in the way of their personal development. For those with the sign Aquarius prominent, Ketu transiting their sign plays into their ability to put aside their own immediate needs in typical Aquarius fashion. Ketu in Aquarius creates a need to cut away personal blockages which stand in the way of meeting with others fully.
Rahu transits alongside Jupiter while it is placed in Leo for the first half of 2016. Jupiter is also retrograde for the first few months of 2016; from January 8 until May 9. As Jupiter appears to move backwards in the sign Leo, Rahu transits in its usual backward motion; creating a disturbance to the way things are normally run. Governance and rulership are up for some major changes as these transits take place. As Ketu transits Aquarius it exchanges signs with Saturn, keeping the more philosophical impulse of Ketu closely tied to the realism of Saturn.
Humanity's shared fears allow us to think on a larger scale and connect with one another and our shared pain which arises from a sense of separation.
OM TAT SAT
The eclipses brings me to the topic of shadows. Both Rahu and Ketu represent the shadows which are cast over the Sun or Moon when we experience an eclipse. They are not physical bodies in the sense that the planets are, but we can see them when we see an eclipse. We all experience shadows in our own way, of course. This would depend on the position and strength of these calculated points in your own horoscope, as well as the position and strength of other influencing factors - especially the planets which rules the signs in which they are positioned.
Some only experience fear from being in the shadows, while some work away happily in the shadows, and others tap into profound revelations about themselves and existence by being able to view things from a different perspective. I have personally experienced Rahu in particular as a time when there is a sense of being blind-folded and unable to see clearly. Ketu can give great insight into one's true nature.
Without looking at any particular horoscope, we can see that the experience of shadows is very different for everyone and can bring up many different feelings and thoughts for each individual. Also, the experience of either eclipse point varies dramatically, as they both represent the two ends of a spectrum. This is quiet literally the case on the colour spectrum, as Rahu represents ultra violet and Ketu represents infra red. They are both outside the range of colours visible to the naked eye, so they act outside of our conscious awareness for the most part i.e., subconscious. But when we are in a Rahu or Ketu time period, and especially when we experience an eclipse, we can bring their influences out into the open, as it is during an eclipse that either Rahu or Ketu are visible.
On September 28th we experienced Ketu in all its glory, blazing across the face of the Moon as a reddish colour. For those with Ketu active in the horoscope this can lead to an awakening. When we are influenced by Ketu we can literally awaken to who we really are - and however briefly, we can disassociate with the one we have spent our whole life identifying with. I, for example, identify with being a male, 5 foot 8 inches tall, with black hair and blue eyes, a son, a brother and husband. Ketu allows a deeper experience of Self such that when we venture into this Self we find that there is nothing there but awareness of what is there.
So it is appropriate that, as I begin a period in my own life in which Ketu is activated, I have come across 'The Headless Way'. I was first introduced to the 'experiments' which are proposed in order to experience the void at our center some time ago, but it did not click with me at that time. During the full lunar eclipse of September 28 2015 something did click. This lunar eclipse saw the Moon line up with the south node of the Moon, Ketu. This time the experiments of The Headless Way worked their magic!
I would find it hard to describe the sense of peace and spaciousness which accompany such revelations, so instead it would be better to point the reader in the direction of the experiments themselves so that one can experience them first hand. You can go to the website, headless.org and try them for yourself. And even though I find myself being met with blank expressions when I try to explain them to those close to me, I feel it necessary to pass on what has been such a profound and enriching experience so that others may benefit from it at some point in time.
The experiments recommended in The Headless Way are so simple that you may miss the experience and may have to return to them at another time in your life; a Ketu time-period perhaps!
I can experience my still point at my center with all of life's experiences arising and falling within that stillness. The experience is instantaneous and doesn't require hours of meditation to achieve. I can simply become aware while cooking dinner and remember who I really am and... there it is - the void that is aware. I have tried many other means over the years and some work at different times, of course, but this is by far the easiest route to experiencing such a sense of awareness that I have come across. One literally becomes headless!
If you are able to tap into Ketu you can remove all of the illusions of being a separate self. Of course, I am not always in that space, but when I do I can be wide open and present for whomever or whatever I am experiencing. Ketu represents our origins; our true nature; our essence which is pure awareness without the interference of the mind and its attachments. Ketu removes our attachments which ends in an experience of disillusionment. You may think the word 'disillusionment' is an unsavory experiment and an experience to be avoided at all costs. However, the cost of holding onto our illusions is great. Giving them up is priceless. Rahu, represents our illusions which must be given up at some point in order to experience our true Selves, which is, as all the great spiritual teachers point out, a non-self.
So, this begs the question: What is at our core? What or who are we?
Well, we are nothing but the capacity for experience, it seems.
If you move deeper and deeper into who you really are, what you really are is simply a void in which experience arises. At a certain distance you are the you that you probably most identify with. Your sex, name, status, etc. But if you go closer and closer you begin to see you as tissues, cells, molecules and atoms ... and then nothing - empty space. Ketu represents that nothingness which is actually also full of everything. Rahu represents the experience, and Ketu the void which experiences everything. But Ketu is not the experience, it is the void which is aware of the experience. In other words, Ketu is your true nature and where you came from. Yes, you came from a void and anything which you identify with in your body and mind, will one day return to that void. To have an experience of this void is to be empty for experience; to be fully open for life experience but firmly rooted in awareness. The relief that is felt from such revelations is immeasurable.
So, if you are more focused on the everything, your experience will create many ups and downs, but if, on the other hand, you are concentrated on the void from which the everything arises, you are tapping into your true Self; the non-self which is pure awareness.
The experience of a separate self (Rahu) and all that entails can actually facilitate an experience of the empty awareness that we all share (Ketu). You eventually must come to a point where all of that enthralled you must lose its power over you. This delusion of power represents a standing apart and alone that makes Rahu the most malefic consideration in Vedic astrology. I remember once going for a walk in a forest and seeing a tree standing apart from all the others. It had been exposed to the elements more than the others without the shelter of the forest and had turned a greyish colour (Rahu is depicted as smokey grey in colour in Vedic astrology). This standing apart and alone is an isolating experience on every level our being and one which Rahu represents, especially when Rahu has been triggered in an individual's horoscope.
Ketu, on the other hand, brings us back to the void from which we all arise. This represents an experience of connection, and where are unified power - our true power - comes from. But in order for us to experience this connection we must remove all of those illusions of a separate self. This is why Ketu is also seen as malefic in a material sense and why many have a difficult time with a Ketu time period. Think of all of those things which make you feel separate to others. It may be a job, a title, a desire, whatever. They must all be relinquished in order to experience a profound connection to the space that we all share and in which everything is arising and falling continually. Unfortunately, most of us are going to focus on the loss of those things and not focus and what it is freeing us up to experience, i.e., the void. The emptiness is a peaceful and profound experience. The emptying process is painful.
The World of Rahu and Ketu
While we as individual's (especially those who seek to experience the truth of who we really are) can experience Ketu as an awakening, the world at large is unconscious and it can bring up many obstacles as a result. Even the most aware individual is caught out at times and can experience Rahu/Ketu as an event or experience which, to the conscious self, seems unwanted and even unnecessary. The public at large experiences the eclipses in a turbulent way for the most part. The Earth itself can experience them as earthquakes, for example. There is always a shadow creeping over some area of our own personal lives and in various locations on the planet. Again, how we experience shadows varies from person-to-person at different times in our lives.
In 2016 , for example, there's a shadow creeping its way over rulers and the kingdoms they rule, represented by the sign Leo in the mundane horoscope. This leaves us open to a slight of hand; a secret world of power which can plan more easily behind the scenes on a global scale. It can also, however, grant us an awakening to who we really are, as the sign Leo represents the natural 5th house of the zodiac: our heart's desire for freedom of expression.
The eclipses of September 2015 began a period of awakening for many but again, even though individually there can be a profound sense of awakening, on a global scale the masses can experience the deception because of the way in which the rulers of the world plan behind the scenes.
Rahu enters the sign Leo in January 2016 and Ketu enters the sign Aquarius simultaneously, as these points are in exact opposition to each other. This sign axis represents those in power (Leo) and their ability to use that power to help those in need (Aquarius). This can be a tricky balance to maintain when Rahu and Ketu cross over this axis. Rahu shows a need to expand and develop, an urgency to manipulate to create and outcome which gives us the sense we are accomplishing something. It feeds the ego and our self-importance. Ketu, on the other hand, represents a need to let go of any attachments in order to experience freedom, which ultimately is everyone's freedom, not simply our own.
In 2016, the balance of those in power and those powerless is tipped more favorably for those who seek to gain recognition at any cost. This may be a leader of a country, a leader within a company, the head of a family, or quite simply your own sense of power over others. This may be a good time to ask yourself on which side of the spectrum do you find yourself? Is it the Rahu need for recognition or the Ketu need for a disintegration of separation. The repercussions stretch far beyond these personal reflections, of course.
Those with the sign Leo rising in their horoscope will want to let roar and strengthen themselves further, taking on more power in order to feel more important. In this process they may destroy others who stand in the way of their personal development. For those with the sign Aquarius prominent, Ketu transiting their sign plays into their ability to put aside their own immediate needs in typical Aquarius fashion. Ketu in Aquarius creates a need to cut away personal blockages which stand in the way of meeting with others fully.
Rahu transits alongside Jupiter while it is placed in Leo for the first half of 2016. Jupiter is also retrograde for the first few months of 2016; from January 8 until May 9. As Jupiter appears to move backwards in the sign Leo, Rahu transits in its usual backward motion; creating a disturbance to the way things are normally run. Governance and rulership are up for some major changes as these transits take place. As Ketu transits Aquarius it exchanges signs with Saturn, keeping the more philosophical impulse of Ketu closely tied to the realism of Saturn.
Humanity's shared fears allow us to think on a larger scale and connect with one another and our shared pain which arises from a sense of separation.
OM TAT SAT
