Rahu: Present and Future Karma

Rahu is not associated with a physical planet but with eclipses that shadow or affect the planets, especially the Sun and Moon. Rahu is called a shadow planet because it represents what is hidden from us and what prevents us from seeing the truth. 

Rahu represents our worldly ambitions, to become recognized for our actions, and is the ambitious energy that keeps us hurtling toward an illusory reward as we encounter our present karmas and create future ones.

Rahu in the realm of the world represents collective trends, fads, large-scale delusions, epidemics, paranoia, and psychic disturbances. There is often an unusual or futuristic bent to Rahu that gives rise to fascination with the world of fantasy, imagination and illusion as represented by mass media and the internet.

Rahu also indicates worldly desires, separation, adversity, phobias, crime, drugs, poisons, toxins, harsh speech, insanity, psychology, foreigners, deception, traveling in a foreign country, serpents, and fame. 

The purpose of Rahu is to manifest, accomplish, and conceal.

Ketu: Past Karma

Ketu is not associated with a physical planet but with eclipses that can shadow or affect the planets, especially the Sun and Moon. Ketu is sometimes referred to as a shadow planet, although its effects are very real.

Ketu represents detachment from the sensory world, a turning away from materiality toward a longing for spirituality. Ketu is the renunciate, the one who gives up pleasures and possessions and wanders the world to find liberation.

Ketu also represents our past karmas, and how we have spent our previous incarnations. It also represents higher knowledge, liberation, spiritual insight as well as psychic abilities, and transformational death. 

Ketu also indicates confusion, accidents, occult studies, sleep, dreams, directionless, fortuitous events, and surprises. 

The purpose of Ketu is to discontinue, renounce, and reorganize.