Rahu in 1st House / Ketu in 7th House

Rahu in 1^st House / Ketu in 7^th House

Dear ardent readers here comes first in the series of Rahu/Ketu in Houses. The earlier series on Rahu/Ketu in Signs published in 2007 also is equally important and worthwhile reading, however care should be taken not to apply these writings verbatim on any chart, as there are many other factors, combinations, aspects etc which need to be studied always before coming to a conclusion.     

The Rahu in the First House is good for the native; it brings him a measure of support which will enable him to succeed in life. It is also a sign of wealth from the intellectual standpoint: a practical imagination, an inventive and fruitful mind. This position is good for the health.

The Ketu, being in the Seventh House, signifies worries and troubles regarding partners. It often indicates a very material union, so that if the planets are well-placed in the Horoscope this position will be fortunate for money and material things, but where marriage is concerned, not for the emotions.

Person must develop his/her own initiative and their own personal power. They would have relied too much on other people in the past, and have been dependent on or dominated by others. Now they must work and carve out their own destiny. Through their own efforts and own actions, they will gain the confidence and self-reliance they need.

This person tends to learn to do things for himself/herself, to rely on their own initiative. Life seems to force them constantly into situations where they will have to act under their own volition. He/she should develop a personality that the public identifies as being individual; and he/she needs to take a personal stand on things. Rahu in the first is forced constantly to project himself, depending upon the sign position. The sign would indicate the reason for the projection of self. He/she will need to accomplish things through the power of his personality, and to develop self-sufficiency.

Ketu in the seventh is self-negation. There is danger here that the individual will try to indulge in all kinds of relationships. His/her partnerships can become so involved that he/she may lose his/her individuality in other. This gives the probability that the person will marry successfully later in life. There is always a secret fear of losing the marriage partner. It gives innate knowledge and talent of how to be a good partner. Along with this comes dissatisfaction because of the Ketu person’s overly idealistic image of a partner. Marriage in this ideal sense may be tried many times and many times denied. He/she is not rational where partnerships are concerned, especially when Ketu is in the sign of Libra. Ketu in Scorpio in the seventh is troubled with sexual idealism and / or the partner’s financial status. The person is capable of councelling others despite his own personal problems, or more probably because of them.

This condition signifies that the personal values are more important than general public or partnership(s). Individuality is self-propelled; and this person may or may not take heavy partnership responsibility. In reality, the partnership activities are often a drag for them in many ways, but they have to learn to cope with that. Strong aggressive tendencies are displayed, and the personality can be action-oriented. Other people or partnerships become a medium of learning experiences with or without choice. In their recent past life, they have been too much marriage-oriented or in deeper public involvement.

This individual is here to go through experiences which challenge the self. In former incarnations, he/she fell into the trap of depending upon undependable people.

Spending too much time trying to help others understand themselves, he/she never stopped to reflect on how their same situations and circumstances played an important role in his/her own identity. As a result of putting the accent outside the self, it now becomes difficult for him/her to see who he/she really is.

These Nodes indicate past incarnations in which the individual submerged his identity in the affairs of others. Marriage and partnerships are so deeply rooted in his/her way of doing things that his quest of self is constantly viewed through other people’s eyes. He/she therefore allows their thoughts and opinions of him to influence his own sense of identity.

Ultimately he/she must come out of the bondage of trying to be all things to all people, and, in the light of his own singular vibration, establish who he/she really is. He/she must escape from living in the shadow of other people’s lives.

His/her soul memories of co-operation and teamwork are so strong that every time he/she falls back on them, he/she actually extinguishes himself/herself in the causes of others.

His/her first house Rahu now brings to him/her the awareness that somehow he/she has lost his identity. Submerged in the desire to please, he/she has made himself a reflection of an ideal peculiarly opposite to his own basic nature. This causes him much current-life pain as he/she desires to come out of himself/herself while at the same time not inflict hurt upon those near him/her.

He/she must ultimately learn how to assume gracefully the role of leadership. This is extremely difficult, because he/she has had so much prior-life experience in being submissive. He/she has sacrificed himself/herself so that others could achieve their goals.

All of his important experiences revolved around docile acquiescence. Now the highest growth potential is to establish a sense of self without shutting off completely the benefits of marriage and partnerships. Too often when he/she becomes aware of all he/she has sacrificed through his Ketu, he/she becomes an extremist, feeling that one state of existence inhibits the other. He/she starts focusing every part of the life energy around the desire to lead rather than to be led. Through an instinctive knowledge that his/her Achilles heel or weak spot is in the ways that he/she can allow himself to be put into the position of being taken advantage of in marriage, he/she develops the tendency to become too over-assertive. He/she tries too hard to make up for what he/she feels he/she has lost.

To achieve happiness in the current life, he/she must learn how to balance equally his/her own needs with those around him. He/she must deliberately try not to rush his/her own growth and independence, with the understanding that the most beautiful flower takes time to blossom, while only the weed grows quickly!

The sign which contains the Ketu indicates the ways in which the individual during former incarnations submerged himself/herself in others. The sign which contains the Rahu shows the ways in which he/she can now establish his own sense of identity.

Good self-projection in terms of being true to self vs. good projection in terms of appealing to others. Excessive worry about partner’s well-being vs. attention to your own well-being. Self-generated vitality vs. dependency on others for stimulating vitality.

Possible results of sacrificing Rahu: You become dependent on the co-operation of others. You lose awareness of your own feelings about things. You lose your identity. You sacrifice yourself so that others can achieve their goals.

Possible ways to integrate Rahu: Learn to accept leadership roles occasionally. Remain sensitive to your environment, but try to avoid being overly influenced by it. Travel - preferably on your own. Seek direct, honest contact with others. Seek out new experiences.

In the first house, there’s a hang-up about leadership. This person is inherently strong and probably highly motivated, but often lacks moderation in his/her attempts to fulfill a leadership role. There’s a fluctuation between playing the dictator - which invariably proves unsuccessful - and a strong lack of confidence in your abilities. You feel if you can’t be the ultimate leader you may as well just put your life in other people’s hands. Either extreme produces clashes with others, since neither the dictator nor the pawn proves to be a totally comfortable role.

A less common tendency is to not care about how you look. This person, rightly or wrongly, wants to be accepted on the basis of his or her inner qualities. However, again rightly or wrongly, in our society relationships are often initiated on the basis of an attractive appearance. For this reason, those who neglect to develop this facet of their personality quite often don’t get to first base when it comes to forming relationships.

It’s interesting to note that in the process of balancing the first / seventh nodal axis, the person may for a time develop an almost narcissistic preoccupation with grooming and appearance.

Rahu in the first house wants to be thought of as ambitious, energetic, and lucky. In contrast, ambitions may have been thwarted by an early marriage or an unfortunate marriage that was based more on transitory romantic feelings than real love. Feelings about relationships and life in general are changeable, and often make a drain on energy, so that when opportunities arise, motivation to act on them is lacking. Sometimes there are problems from laziness or passivity.

Your focus for personal development will concern identity and relationship issues. You may become dependent on others and, in so doing, submerge your identity in the process, perhaps by displaying a passivity to their will, desires, and needs. You may lack self-esteem, as your self-image often reflects others’ perceptions and evaluations of you. This can be misleading, perhaps creating a distorted self-perception, particularly since you allow others’ views and opinions to influence your actions and behavior. Yet relationships will be important, and you can devote much time trying to satisfy these partnership needs.

You need freedom from dependency on others. Learn how to be more independent and forge a unique identity, instead of relying on others to define it for you. Through self-understanding, you can live by your own light. But, until this is achieved, you probably will remain too influenced by another’s persuasion. What may occur is that, through your desire to please others, you deny and repress your own identity, needs and desires; and through misplaced self-sacrifice, lose contact with your deeper being.

While you recognize the value of relationship co-operation and harmony, being too passive and submissive to more assertive personalities becomes damaging. There are alternate ways of relating, however, which can benefit all concerned. Discovering this alternate path is your challenge. You may have to assert your needs and desires in a way which does not create conflict. Perhaps due to previously relying on others to decide actions, when you become more assertive, you encounter friction with those who have almost taken you for granted. They may find it difficult to deal with the emerging ‘new you’. Such difficulties must be faced, and relationships must be rebalanced and adjusted; reverting to a submissive or passive attitude will be detrimental to inner growth.

Ideally, this developing self-expression will be balanced with an opennes to experience the richness and complexity offered by relationships. Initially, this may cause relationship challenges; and your assertiveness may be inappropriate at times. Careful moderation may be necessary, especially if you suddenly at as a ‘new you’ overnight, or try to dominate others. You need awareness of how you are treating others as you move from a passive to an active role in your relationships. Care is required as you unfold your personality, and when harmonizing your needs with those of partners. For some, the transition could involve dissolving older relationships and later forming new ones more suitable to the old phase. Growth rarely happens overnight; it will come slowly and with considerable effort. But retain faith that your struggles will create great personal benefit and freedom.

Here the individual stands out against the backdrop of his or her environment. In the 1^st house, the native introduces himself or herself. The 1^st house is an extrovert house. The native seeks recognition and makes an effort to be noticed. With the Node in the 1^st house, what is required is the courage to stand up and say, ‘This is what I am, and I am not going to change for anyone’.

When the chart is examined as a whole, it is usually found that the ego has problems in sufficiently being itself, and that this is something the Moon’s Node urges us to work at. If, with the Node in the 1^st house, I run into difficulties, the most likely reason is an inability to say, ‘Whatever happens, I am going to be myself; and it is for me to decide whether or not I can do it or want to do it’. With the Node in the 1^st house, we must learn to stick to our point of view.

Also, it is important to be aware of the opposite Node, as there is a tendency to be ruled by the opinions of others, and to wait for them to tell us what to do. The Ketu is, of course, in the 7^th house. But reliance on someone else, and hoping that another person will put our chestnuts out of the fire for us, so that we have no need to fight for ourselves, amounts to stagnation or falling back in development.

In hard aspects to the 1^st-house Node, the tendency is to use the Ketu reflex by currying favor with the other person; we get on well with this person because we are friendly and hide the less amiable side of our character. Thus a false picture of yourself is presented, which considerably blocks our development. Certainly, in the 1^st house, one has to cultivate one’s image, but it should be presented as honestly as possible.

If the Node in the 1^st house receives soft aspects, the partner, represented by the 7^th house, will be very supportive without having to be asked. This is not as bad as when the native asks for support. The motivation is what matters. If the native tries to help himself or herself, the partner may also come along and help. That is not stagnation. Action has been taken. As the Node is on the Ascendant itself, the whole 1^st-house theme must be taken very seriously. In soft aspects, and very much more so in inconjunct, it is observable that often the native does not care to emphasize the ego, because it is not the ‘done thing’. This can be a big mistake, since without parading our ego we have no real chance in the world. The world will not know who we are. It is preferable to try and make the best possible impression on people than to make none at all. The Node on the Ascendant is a placement in which the native almost always has to call attention to himself or herself. The world has to be made to look at him or her. It is very important to put the self forward and to keep on improving the personal image.

Rahu in the first house. If the Rahu is in the first house, the person’s greatest growth, evolution, and fulfillment come through developing his/her own personality and personal power. He/she has been too dependent on marriage partners in past lives, and has relinquished his individuality and authority to his/her mates. The person must follow his/her instincts and impulses, and learn to care for his/her own destiny. He/she must not allow himself to be dominated, manipulated, or overshadowed by the feelings and wishes of others. There is a great likelihood that the person will become enmeshed in early marriage and soon feel smothered and controlled. He/she may (with great effort, pain, and struggle) eventually free himself in order to develop and nurture his own personality, ambitions, and self-expression. Then the possibility of growth, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment becomes a reality.

The person should beware of compromising too quickly and easily. He/she must work on confidence and self-reliance, and use his/her own judgement. He/she will be happier and healthier when he/she learns to value his own opinions and stand up for himself. The person gains a great deal from decisiveness and dynamic action, and should therefore take the initiative as much as possible. Men or women with this Rahu placement are well-advised to cultivate and nurture their masculine side. The person should be more assertive, and express his/her emotions when provoked. He/she must not, in the event of anger or irritability, give in to his habitual patterns of suppression and self-denial. In this lifetime, his individuality, self-esteem, and ego needs are of the essence.

The person must let go of his compulsion to create peace and harmony in the environment. Toward this end, he/she will be forever thrust into circumstances where he/she feels compelled to declare his convictions and take appropriate action. The person should focus on his/her physical body, be more daring, and allow the fiery element of his personality to come through more often. In ancient Hindu astrology, the Rahu in the first house and the Ketu in the seventh indicates a beautiful and powerful appearance, serious ups and downs in married life, and a strange, eccentric, or highly spiritual spouse. Sign positions of the nodes are of much higher significance as well

New Series on Rahu/Ketu

Dear All Ardent Readers
First of all I apologize for not posting articles for quite sometime now. But that was with a reason, where a preparation of new series of articles was taking shape, yes, this is the series on Rahu/Ketu in Houses. Earlier series was on the effects of Rahu/Ketu in Rashi's or Signs. My sincere request to all is not to apply these articles verbatim on charts, but to take them only as a reference, as the very same meaning of what is given in the explanation could change drastically with the different planetary dispositions. Basically these articles are only for the purpose of learning vedic astrology and again I would sincerely request readers not to request for "Readings" as these would not be entertained.
Enjoy the articles

Reterogrades in Transit - An Overall Analytical View

Even if one does not have natal planets in retrograde, one can still experience them during their retrograde transit. They can temporarily block the elements and create problems in the subconscious if we are not aware of them. The two most difficult retrogrades are Mercury and Saturn. Mercury as it happens so often and Saturn as it can transit over one point of the chart again and again; and create lots of problems. It is important to know retrogression of planets in a given year. The retrograde motion of one's dasha ruler can change the direction of events. Retrogrades indicate a concentration of energy in the part of the zodiac where they are active. If one has planets in that area then they will have major impact which could be both positive or negative depending on the overall chart status. Retrogrades make life appear to be stuck either for good or bad, or sometimes neither moving forward or backward.

Saturn and Jupiter retrograde once a year.

Mars and Venus once every two years.

Mercury retrogrades at least three times a year.

While analysing the transit effect of the retrograde planets remember the following:

One should be aware of Mercury retrograde. They are stress points in the year. Mercury retrograde creates communication problems and makes life uncomfortable. Stress, arguments, delayed journeys - all can make life troublesome during the Mercury retrograde. So do problems with computers, Internet, and other technologies. Double check all appointments, travel programme and journeys- remember not to stop your life. Decisions made during Mercury retrograde can be changed after it goes direct. Stress levels can climb sky high. Arguments can result from crossed wires. Mercury retrogrades at least 3 times a year so its awareness has a huge say in the quality of one's life. Gemini and Virgo need to be doubly conscious, it will make their life a lot easier.

If a natal planet is on the same degree as Saturn stations, then we should expect that to be a major issue to contend with. This becomes even more important during difficult Saturn transits like Sade Sati, which is itself a troublesome transit(Exceptions are there for this as it could be positive for some). Saturn stationing over the exact degree of the Moon will bring untold mental stress. The house rulership and placement of the Moon will show where the problem is about. Also Saturn can transit over the same point three times, which concentrates the energy of its difficult influence.

The stationary points of Jupiter can positively enhance good qualities. It can make people think in wrong ways. Or encourage the possibility of getting wrong advice. Traditionally in India, marriage, auspicious events and new ventures are not planned when Jupiter is retrograde.

The stationary points of Mars. This can lead to war or aggressive tendencies. Mars retrograde can increase stubbornness and can herald a time for war. The impact on dasha, antar and prayantara dasha rulers. Past issues can become dominant. There can be a change in the direction of life. When your Lagna ruler retrogrades, it will have a major impact on your inner self. Venus retrograde indicates a focus on past relationships. Venus brings problems with relationships. It is not a good time to marry

Saturn Retrogression

A humble submission is not to apply any article on "Jyotish" to any chart in a verbatim-manner instead the chart should be read in totality.

Saturn retrogrades usually do not know when to stop working. Or they may not like work at all. As Saturn is the karaka of misery, it is important that one must not give into a negative attitude to life and embrace depression as a habit. Saturn is usually depicted as the poor man. The poor(This is a relative term) are usually hungry - for food, for material goods, for good things in life. Saturn retrogression can make individuals hungry with desire, wanting more and more even when the hunger has been appeased and they may be materially very well off. They need to watch for greed. Saturn rules Vayu element. Vayu is air and Vayu needs to be used constructively otherwise it can become unnecessarily be destructive. Retrogrades do not know how to use their energy so if they do not take care, Saturn can become destructive force for them.

This retrogression period can cause unexpected delays and interruptions. Obstacles unthought can spring up taking your priority. The period usually lasts for 4 and half months, during which many feel frustrated and unable to handle hurdles. This is the right time to sit back and reconsider all that one is doing. Its not a proper time to make new starts, but rather learn from the failures in the past and the ones in hand. In individual horoscope, the house that occupied by Saturn will see the effect of retrogression, i.e. that aspect of the life will get affected, along with the general benefic/malefic effect.

Persons with Saturn Retrograde in their birth charts do not like to be known in public, they find security in intellectuals or spirituals. They easily yield to external influences. They appear shy, uneasy, introvert, lacking in self assertion or attempt to cover their lapse with the pretext of arrogance. They feel alone, isolated, separated from their friends and are seldom understood and very reserved.

Some salient aspects of Saturn retrogression are

1) Individual feels they're never good enough inside( It could be a false alarm)
2) Indulgent outward behavior may mask inner feelings of inadequacy
3) Hides fears

Saturn deals with karma, limits, responsibility, tradition, conservativeness, authorities, long term goals and accomplishments patiently created, taking responsibility, creating structure, and setting boundaries. Once a year the planet Saturn goes into retrograde for about four-and-a-half months. During this influence, one will probably find it unwise to attempt sudden changes or to rush through things. We must take practical steps and accept limitations while we take serious steps toward our long term goals. Saturn retrograde can cause oneself to become our own hardest taskmaster, limiting our actions or leave oneself feeling blocked and pessimistic. .

Saturn retrograde in one's natal chart, indicates that one is likely to have been abused by those with power over oneself, perhaps having faced unfair situations at home. One may need to declare personal boundaries, to work out conflicts with authority on a karmic scale. One could feel that fate conspires against one's desires but it’s really oneself putting the brakes on, through feelings of persecution or inhibition in the house where it is placed until we work out how to face doing or confronting whoever or whatever it is that threatens us. Our lesson is one of patience and steady application of hard work as we overcome the impatient urge to cut corners. Everything we gain will be hard won but we will eventually succeed, win the respect of others and actually can shine where we faced difficulties before.