Rahu – the dragon’s head
Rahu is a reference point in the sky, not an actual planet like Sun or Mercury. Despite not having actual physical presence, its impact is deep and powerful. Rahu stands for materialism and mischief. It represents fascination with foreign, travel abroad, technical professions, elderly people, theft, speculation, bad habits, revolutionary tendencies, underworld, and smoke. When Rahu is negative in a horoscope, it causes dissatisfaction, materialistic tendencies, fears, distorted mental makeup and fantasies. Rahu & Ketu are the shadowy planets in Vedic astrology.
General charterstics of Rahu:
Considered as cruel, significator of bondage, dark complexion, tamsic or arrogant nature, harsh or evil thinking, Rahu also represents Akash element and contributes for fear psychosis and madness.
Rahu is a shadow planet hence deals with the shadow actions or psychological aspects of a person. Rahu represents serpent head, it strikes too fast, hence is an indicator of accident. It has secretive deals. People with strong Rahu even try to understand mysticism and secrets of universe.
Rahu is responsible for profession in investigation, scientist, computer programmer, lecturer, psychologist, expert in mental diseases, politicians and work related to radio/telephone/ television and astrology.
Rahu is responsible for sinking with ship or drawing, pleasure with diseased women, life in a cave . Being a significator of Akash element Rahu is also responsible for journey by aeroplane.
Rahu can cause imprisonment if it is placed in 12th house.
Rahu like Saturn has separative tendencies hence breaks many houses and even business partnerships. It is responsible for marital or family discord. It is a planet of suddenness hence gives quick and sudden results. In human relations it, it commands the maternal -side and in-laws.
On the human body Rahu is indicator of skin diseases, causes abortions, and affects the nervous system, phobia, stammering, leprosy, tumours, serpent bits, amputation, leprosy, giddiness and early child deaths.
Significance of Rahu in Hindu astrology
Rahu relates to unconscious desires, ambition, pleasures, fear and uncultured behavior. It works much like Saturn and can bring unexpected losses, misfortunes, failure and frustrations in life. This planet is animalistic in nature. It awards the person with worldly comforts, unexpected success, gains, riches, power and strength.
When positioned positively in a horoscope, it gives victory over enemies and opposition too. But the problem is that there is always a sense of dissatisfaction. Rahu makes you never satisfied with your ambitions, gains, success, money and lifestyle. There is an insatiable hunger for more. It drowns the native into unconscious desires, which he is unable to comprehend but relentlessly pursues. This leads to addictions, obsessive behavior, overly ambitious nature, unrealistic expectations and fantasies.
Rahu is strongly associated with occult sciences. Also to the dark side of human character. It is revolutionary in nature, stands against the norms and conventions. It represents the illegal and the dark. The element of foreign also comes into play. Rahu also relates to spiritual energy quite conversely. It gives knowledge of the higher aspects of life, the occult and spiritual. It gives strong intuition and in-depth understanding of psychology
