The Solar Eclipse – The Thwarted Revenge of Rahu + Ketu
As per the ancient Vedic legend, eclipses occur when the shadowy demon Svarbhanu gets his retribution on the Sun and the Moon by consuming them and stealing their luminous rays. The story is told in the ancient Puranic texts of the time before creation when, after a long and terrible war, the gods and demons worked together to churn the galactic material called the Milk Ocean for the prized Amrita. Amrita, a nectar of immortality, was being churned so as to be consumed only by the gods. One of the asuras, a serpent demon named Svarbhanu, took the form of a deva (god) and managed to take a drink of the Amrita, making them immortal. Lord Vishnu, the sustainer of the Universe, alarmed by such a terrifying prospect, quickly decapitated him, permanently severing his body in two. Rahu is the head of the serpent demon without the body. Ketu is the tail without the head. Lord Vishnu needed to find a spot for them, so he placed them at two specific points in the sky – Rahu and Ketu refer to the intersection of the paths of the Sun and the Moon and are known as the north and south lunar nodes, respectively.
Lord Visnu determined this course of action was the only way for the immortal demon to be contained, but his bitter enemies were now the Sun [Surya] and the moon [Chandra]. According to Vedic lore, the permanently two-bodied Rahu and Ketu create confusion and exact revenge at the time of solar and lunar eclipses.
In an individual Vedic birth chart, the Rahu/Ketu axis tells us what we must do to be freed from worldly desire. The nodal axis travels slowly, changing zodiac signs once every year and a half. But wherever they are, Rahu and Ketu create confusion. Rahu’s domain is the confusion of ignorance; Ketu’s territory is the confusion of certainty. The study and understanding of Vedic Astrology is a spiritual practice that naturally engenders reverence for its inherent guidance and wisdom.
According to Vedic Astrology, eclipses can be a terrible time to start or make key decisions about projects, relationships, jobs, or anything else important in the material world. This is because auspicious beginnings are more associated with the light, ideally the light of a healthy, full Moon and the daytime Sun. When Rahu and Ketu swallow up the light of the moon and Sun, our material world can shift in unseen ways. It is thought that anything you begin at the time of an eclipse could turn out very differently than you expect. Conversely, Tantric yogis [we will get some more info out about Tantra Yoga so you can understand the difference between the more Western practices and Eastern] consider the time of an eclipse special, wherein specific spiritual practices can be undertaken and have significantly more power allowing for rapid personal transformations Eclipses are a great time to stay in, meditate, and do your inner work. With the veil of Maya thin, eclipses are a great time to stay in, meditate, and focus on your inner landscape.
