I'm so proud to share my recent seminar that has been posted on my teacher's site! It's based on the essay I posted here last year https://trimtabtao.weebly.com/blog/rahu-and-ketu-on-the-virgo-pisces-axis....
0 Comments
Introduction
One way to look at Rahu and Ketu is to see these Nodal points as indicators of where the evolutionary development of our consciousness requires balance. No matter where the Nodes are in a chart, they are always on opposite ends of an axis. By balancing these two end points, we bring balance to our evolutionary development. This essay will explore the nature of Rahu and Ketu when they are posited on the Virgo and Pisces axis. Nature of Virgo and Pisces Virgo is the natural 6th sign of the zodiac. The archetypal energy of Virgo is described in the Yavana Jataka as: “A maiden standing in a boat on the waters while holding a torch in her hand embodies the sixth sign. Those clever in the subject of Time say it represents the belly and bowels of the creator. The lands of the sixth sign are grassy, suitable for women, sexual intercourse and crafts.”[i] From this description we can elaborate on the theme of digestion. Digestion is an activity that must be performed every day. It takes the complexity and variety of the input, and by applying the same process every day, it breaks that input down into building blocks that can be used to construct the body for tomorrow. As long as a person keeps consuming, they cannot escape the requirements of digestion. Anything that is not digested becomes toxic to the body and the future of the person. This can be seen in the choice of maiden as the archetypal image of the 6th sign because it represents purity (in contrast to toxicity). In terms of the journey through the numbers of the zodiac, the natural 6th sign is about breaking down the richness and complexity of the experience of the numbers 1 to 5 and making something useful from that by digesting it completely and building for the future. It focuses the person on reality and completing daily tasks as a way of securing the future of the person. In contrast, the Yavana Jataka describes Pisces (the natural 12th sign of the zodiac) as: “The final sign shows a pair of fish in water. It is said to be the best sign and represents the feet of Time. Its places are auspicious. Here there are gods, knowers of Brahma, pilgrimages, rivers, oceans and clouds.”[ii] From this sutra we can examine the theme of “oceans and clouds”. Ocean and clouds represent the transformative cycle of water through evaporation and condensation. The heat of the sun removes particles of water from the ocean, the coolness of the atmosphere returns those particles to the earth. The water particles change state and leave one place to materialise in another place. Returning this analogy to the zodiac we can see that the 12th sign represents all the strands of learning and experience from 1 to 11. The 11th sign is called the “water bearer” and all the separate goals of the previous signs have coalesced into an ocean of experience carried by the person. The 12th sign is where this ocean of experience prepares to transform, disperse and escape this particular place (chart) to be reassemble in another place (chart). It is not about doing tasks like the 6th sign, but about being released from experience. The Hero Journey of the houses For nearly 150 years, Western culture has been influenced by the view that myths from all cultures are fundamentally telling the same universal “Hero Journey”. This idea was made popular by psychoanalysis, Joseph Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” and more recently by Hollywood script writers such as Christopher Vogler[iii]. The “Hero Journey” delineates key steps such as the “call to adventure”, “crossing the threshold”, “revelation”, “transformation” and “return”. It often happens that the hero returns changed and all the values, beliefs and knowledge that he had before the journey have no meaning or satisfaction on his return. It is easy to see how the numerology of the zodiac tells the “Hero Journey” when the numbers run in sequence. When viewed this way, the natural 6th sign is teaching the hero to accept the magnitude of the hero’s calling by realising there is no escape and committing to doing the hard work the task requires no matter how impossible it seems. Then the 12th sign is what comes after the hero has completed the quest and returns to the ordinary world. It is marked by no longer being able to be a member of the ordinary world in the way the hero was before the quest. Rahu and Ketu, the Nodes of the moon, play with the sequencing of this quest. If Ketu is in Virgo, the Hero Journey makes sense. When Ketu is in Pisces it is exactly the opposite of what the Hero Journey myth might lead us to expect. Ketu is the descending Node of the moon. In Vedic mythology it represents the body and tail of the demon. In terms of the evolutionary development of consciousness, Ketu marks the conquered territory. It is where the forces of consciousness have built their “fort” or safe zone in the conquered territory. Rahu is the ascending Node of the moon. In Vedic mythology it represents the head of the demon. In terms of the evolutionary development of consciousness, Rahu shows the new territory to be explored and conquered. It is the territory where the consciousness has never been before and has no knowledge of. By its nature, Rahu encourages the person to explore even if the territory is life-threatening. Ketu in Virgo When Ketu is in Virgo, it supports the numerological sequence of the “Hero Journey” because it indicates that consciousness has already conquered the skills of accepting reality and doing the hard work every day that will create a future for the person. When Ketu is in Virgo, Rahu is in Pisces and this also supports the “Hero Journey”. With this placement, the person is exploring letting go of their attachment to their identity as the Hero and all the tasks and accomplishments that go with it. Even with this placement, which supports the conventional idea of the Hero Journey, there are still risks. Ketu can cause the person to be too attached to their identity as a hard worker and ignore the opportunity to transcend their role. It can also give a closed mind which believes, from past experience (i.e. Ketu), that it is hard work which produces results and that this is a predictable and repeatable approach that should be used in all situations. In order to answer the evolutionary call of Rahu, the person must evolve beyond this belief. Rahu is trying to teach the person to let go of the fruits of their actions. However, the risks of Rahu in Pisces are that the person will not understand how to do this straight away. They might become frustrated and disheartened when their Ketu belief that “hard-work equals results” doesn’t function. The risk is that the archetypal “letting go” nature of Pisces might lead the person to deal with this frustration and disappointment by trying to escape into a world of addiction and experiences that avoid reality. Now, let’s examine Rahu in Virgo. Ketu in Pisces Where the placement of Rahu and Ketu significantly messes with the sequence of the “Hero Journey” is when Ketu is in Pisces and Rahu is in Virgo. When Ketu is in Pisces it is indicating that the person has already conquered the territory of detaching from the world. In this case, in order to evolve, the person must connect with the material world and do the hard work that is necessary. This is what will bring balance and prevent the person from being too detached. When Rahu is in Virgo, the person is being invited to evolve by giving attention to daily duties in the material world. Given their past-life foundation in transcending or escaping the material world, the person may find it hard to be enthusiastic about physical work. But Rahu in Virgo is showing that true evolution will come from daily attention to real things. This is a good example of how Rahu and Ketu bring balance into the evolutionary process. The nodes are not asking that a person blindly follows the “new-age”, cultural true-isms of the “Hero Journey”. Instead, the person must attend to the unique demands of their personal evolution, which in this case may seem counter-intuitive. Advice from a teacher to focus on spiritual practice could be harmful for this individual as it may over-emphasise the person’s existing habit to be detached from reality. This individual needs a spiritual practice that involves hard work in the real world, facing up to real world problems and a focus on building daily routine and nutrition for health. The risk for Rahu in Virgo is that it will feel overwhelmed by the task. It might seem hopeless or depressing. If Rahu’s compulsive nature is drawn to this perspective it can lead to wanting to retreat to the strong foundation in escapism indicated by Ketu in Pisces. Working with Rahu and accepting the challenge of learning how to do hard, physical work will bring balance to both Rahu and Ketu for this individual. Conclusion The nature of Rahu and Ketu on the Virgo-Pisces axis exquisitely demonstrates how the Nodes of the Moon encourage learning and balance across the chart. This learning and balance is unique to the placement in the chart and therefore unique for each person. The Nodes show that there is no ‘cookie cutter’ approach to spiritual evolution, each Nodal placement is an adventure tailored to the individual. It is important to remember that the Nodes do this in each of the zodiac dichotomies not just for Virgo and Pisces. For this reason the Nodes truly are powerful forces to be reckoned with. [i] Class 5 “The Power of Rahu and Ketu” Asheville Vedic Astrology 2019 [ii] Class 6 “The Power of Rahu and Ketu” Asheville Vedic Astrology 2019 [iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey |
AuthorI'm an Ayurvedic Life Coach, Teacher and Massage Therapist living on the 'Linha de Cascais' in Portugal. I love sharing Ayurveda and appreciation of Life with others. Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
|