Rahu (North Lunar Node), the Shadow Planet : Embrace the Demonic Path.
In astrology, the Lunar Nodes are the two points where the Moon’s orbital path crosses the ecliptic. The North Node is where the Moon moves into the northern ecliptic hemisphere, while the South Node is where Moon enters the southern ecliptic hemisphere.
The importance of the Nodes has been highlighted by the so-called « karmic » astrology, but we can trace its use since the birth of babylonian astrology.
While hellenistic and arabic astrologers have not written a lot about the Lunar Nodes, most of them (Valens, Ptolemy, Ibn Ezra) have stressed the inauspicious, negative and malefic effects of the North Lunar Node, especially when it is « with » the Moon (i.e . Conjunct the Moon).
In contrast, indian/vedic astrologers possess an extensive literature about the Lunar Nodes because they are part of the vedic mythology. Svarbhānu was a demon (asura) who stole the Amrita (elixir of immortality) from the Gods. Surya (the Sun) and Chandra (The Moon) noticed that and denounced him. Svarbhānu was beheaded, and his head came to be known as Rahu (the North Lunar Node), while his body came to be known as Ketu (the South Lunar Node). But henceforth immortals, Rahu and Ketu gained the status of planets (Graha) as the other Gods, and could influence the lives of humans.
Thus, Rahu became one of the nine planets (Navagraha) of vedic astrology, but is considered a Shadow Planet (Chaya Graha), that is, he has no causal form but rather is an acausal presence. Rahu is the demon of eclipses for its desire to consume and swallow the Sun and the Moon as a revenge, but as he is a head without a body, he can’t « digest » them, and they always escaped, leaving him with an unquenchable hunger. This endless cycle is responsible for the eclipses.
Consequently, in natal charts, Rahu is a strong and dark influence. He is the owner of desire, obsession and extreme passion. Rahu is a compulsive force that amplifies your desire or specific behaviour, but being a demon with unquenchable hunger, he instils unsatisfied sentiments inside us. So, someone under Rahu’s influence remains unsatisfied, always wanting more and more.
Rahu represents all that is « exotic », i.e. everything stranger to the norm, odd, unusual, unconventional, taboo, forbidden, eerie, sinister, uncanny, bizarre. Rahu also stands for ambition, materialism, fear, mischief, obsession, over-attachment. A person with a strong Rahu/North Node (that is, conjunct the Chart Ruler, a luminary, an angle or in the 6th, 8th or 12th Houses - The Dark Houses -) is a lover of the strange and unusual, endowed with a dark and mysterious aura and may « transcend » to the dark side of life.
In signs, Rahu/North Node adds a sinister tone to their related characteristics. For example, Sagittarius are known to be Truth Seekers, always wanting to expand their knowledge and absorb wisdom. Hence, Rahu in Sagittarius gives us Forbidden Truth Seekers, looking for taboo knowledge and dark wisdom.
The same goes for conjunction with luninaries and personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars). Rahu supersedes then distorts the qualities of the planets and thus grants them a dark undertone. Traditional western astrologers and vedic ones emphasise the power of the Moon/North Node conjunction because Moon rules our primordial needs, our emotions, our intuition (and in vedic astrology, our mind). With the insatiable Rahu in the dance, the critical importance of this conjunction is obvious. It is said to enhance personal strangeness, intuition and psychic abilities, and to give a strong interest in the occult, mysticism and metaphysical subjects. Not forgetting that, with this placement, our primordial needs become unquenchable…
So, here lies an important Key : Rahu/North Node pushes us to want more and more, and amplifies our drive to turn our desires and aspirations into reality and concrete deeds. Therefore, positively used, this can lead us to impressive, great, and memorable - immortal as Rahu - accomplishments.
Then, let’s embrace the Demonic Path of Rahu…