- Grahas
- Rahu (north node)
One of the nine
Rahu (north node)
Rahu is desire, and the pull towards what is foreign, new and just out of reach — a shadow graha with no body of its own. It magnifies whatever it touches: sudden rises, fame, foreign lands, technology and unusual paths, and with them restlessness and confusion. GP notes that it spoils the house it sits in yet gives the best of that house's lord, and that Rahu works fast in this age.
What it governs
- desire and ambition
- foreign lands, foreigners and foreign languages
- sudden rise and sudden change
- fame and high status
- technology and electronics
- politics and statecraft
- speculation and gambling
- paternal grandfather
- smoke, poison and chemicals
- snakes
- pilgrimage
- mantra and tantra
- illusion and confusion
- restlessness
- a break in studies in youth
The body
- abdomen
- skin
- breath and lungs
- spleen
- knees
- right eye
Relatives
- paternal grandfather
- grandparents
- people from abroad
Work
- work abroad and with foreign companies
- technology, electronics and repair
- aviation and airports
- photography and film
- research and science
- politics
- the stock market and speculation
- chemicals and pharmaceuticals
- gas and fuel agencies
- driving and transport
- second-hand goods
- leather and tanning
- construction labour
Places
- foreign lands
- anthills and places of snakes
- dark and hidden places
- the edge of the village
- jungles
- airports
- the south-west
Strong
A well-placed Rahu — in Aries, Taurus, Cancer or Capricorn, in its own nakshatras Ardra, Swati and Shatabhisha, or in the lagna, where GP counts it strong — gives bold ambition and a sudden rise: foreign travel and foreign money, success in technology, politics or the public eye, and the nerve to take paths others fear. Its results come from about 42 to 48.
Weak
An afflicted Rahu — with Chandra, Surya or Guru, or in the 8th or 12th — shows as restlessness, confusion and worry, shortcuts that cost you later, being misled or misleading, and an appetite that is never satisfied. The areas to care for are the skin, the abdomen, allergies and anything hard to name; see a doctor for anything persistent. Keep to the plain truth in your dealings, worship Durga Maa, and give black gram (urad) on Saturdays.