Rahu, the Shadow

0
5096

Rahu is one of the navagrahas, one of the nine energy centers (planets) of our solar system. Each graha in the heavens represents a component of our cognition and karma in our inner world. It holds a particular resonance in you as a power of your being.

Surya (the Sun) stands as the radiance of the Self which is pure creativity as per its own intrinsic nature, it manifests your world. Chandra (the Moon) being the fastest moving entity in the sky, represents the fastest element in the body which is the mind. Buddha (Mercury) stands for viveka (discrimination) and intellect. Guru (Jupiter) is the principle of wisdom and knowledge, Shukra (Venus) is love and creativity, Mangal (Mars) is action and Shani (Saturn) is responsibility.

Unlike the above luminaries and planets, Rahu and Ketu are lunar nodes which do not exist in the physical plane, but are in fact shadows that influence the mind. They represent the points of intersection of the paths of the Sun and the Moon as they move in space. The eclipses occur when the Sun and the Moon are traveling through these points. In the Vedic tradition it is believed that eclipses take place when these planets are swallowed by the demon Rahu. This is symbolic of the overwhelming of the mind that occurs in particular periods – during Rahu transits or influence – and which is swallowed by ignorance, unconsciousness and deceit.

According to the puranas, during the samudra manthan (churning of the Milky ocean), Rahu became overwhelmed with the desire for amrit (divine nectar) owned by the gods. He somehow wanted to possess the amrit through inauthentic ways. He stood in the line of the gods, got the nectar and drank it. The Sun and Moon gods realized it and alerted Mohini (the female avatar of Vishnu) about the same. Before the nectar could pass his throat, Mohini cut off his head. The severed head however, remained immortal due to the effect of the amrit and became known as Rahu, whereas its body and tail became Ketu.

This story has a deeper significance. Rahu represents the ego which desires immortality without the transformation. It holds the mind in a strong grip and throws the individual consciousness into suffering. The mind holds on to a pattern-based logic, perceiving it as being the ultimate truth and treading the path of destruction.
Rahu represents one’s root pattern which creates a cause and effect reaction (karma), which is not ready to complete itself and die – but is ever ready to create chaos and contradictions, ultimately causing one to leave the Master believing it as a fair decision! It can swallow spiritual knowledge and destroy the consciousness to prove that the Master is wrong. Rahu stands for inauthenticity, lack of integrity, destruction, anger, arrogance, greed, violence and chaos as well as morbid emotions, illegality, obsession, crimes and addictions. Nithyananda explains, ‘When your inauthenticity overwhelms you, when you give in to your inauthenticity, it causes irreparable damage to you. When Rahu wins, it takes almost 12 years for you to break the pattern. If you have the will to break the pattern, the pattern breaks.”

Rahu also stands for what one could not achieve in his or her past life. It stands for a strong desire and attachment to things for which one took this birth and which eventually become an obsession in this birth. Rahu tells you that you conquered most of things in your past life, but whatever you didn’t conquer, you need to conquer that in this life! It tells you that you want to conquer that particular thing in this life and you won’t be satisfied until you get it. To understand where Rahu functions, Jyotishis (astrologers) usually look into your horoscope and observe the bhava (the houses of your birth chart) where it sits and which other grahas (planets) it aspects. Its location in bhavas will influence a particular area of your life, like your perception of yourself, your speech, money, family, creativity, health, relationships, sexuality, fear of death, career, or even your perception of enlightenment!

Rahu will strive for the objects of its desires and accumulate them with a lack of discernment, taking the person through the ups and downs of greedy attachments and painful renunciations. Rahu declares: “Oh Existence, I want to be one with you, but before being one with you, I also want this and this from you… give it to me first, only then I’ll accept to be one with you and to flow in gratitude.” Rahu is discontentment incarnate.

Understanding one’s root pattern (root patterns are root thought trends people have, that makes them cognize life events and people a certain way) is the first step towards aligning Rahu’s energy. It can be completely tamed through svapoornatva (completion process for completing with yourself) and poornatva (completion process practiced with others) techniques, surrendering to the Master and following the Guru (Jupiter’s principle) in outer life. Guru tells us to live with integrity, authenticity, responsibility, enrich one’s own self and others, not to give up on oneself and others and to practice meditation and yoga and be in satsang (Being with the higher truths).

Nithyananda has given many special meditation techniques and initiations that reveal your root patterns, transform it and heal Rahu’s energy for you to gain control over your life. These techniques are made available, shared and bolted in your inner space through the incomparable Inner Awakening program, recommended to all persons undergoing Rahu dashas (Rahu transits) as well as people wanting to gain mastery over their unruly mind, emotions, lack of clarity, obsessions, failures settings, depression, addictions to become masters of themselves!