How Can We Use Rahu to Achieve Spiritual Growth?

Astrology and Spirituality

Spiritual growth or evolution is the main purpose of a human being’s life. Hindus believe in rebirth. Hinduism claims that when we die, only the body perishes. The soul is immortal. It is reborn in another body, and the birth-death cycle continues until the soul or Atman’s ultimate purpose is achieved – Moksha or union with Brahman or God. The soul may need to take several births before this happens. Over many lifetimes, the soul undergoes a process of spiritual evolution that enables it to unite with God.

A person’s horoscope can reveal a lot about a person’s spiritual growth. There are certain Yogas for spirituality that indicate how far a person has evolved in their spiritual life. Most of the classical astrological texts, however, focus more on the materialistic aspects of life. Which is not surprising as they were written by courtly astrologers in the service of kings.

For instance, Varahamihira’s Brihat Jataka, written in the 6th century, is an exhaustive astrological work. It discusses many aspects of predictive astrology at length, but there are only 4 stanzas that deal with the Yogas or planetary combinations for spirituality. So it would not be wrong to assume that spiritual astrology is a neglected and secretive part of Vedic astrology compared to other aspects. Maybe the ancient Rishis preferred to keep it a secret or taught it only to a deserving few.

Rahu as A Spiritual Catalyst

Rahu is an important planet that has a major influence on our spiritual growth. It’s the north lunar node, so it does not actually exist. Hence, it is called a shadow planet. Ketu is the south lunar node.

Rahu in Vedic astrology plays a role in how we deal with power, control, and authority. Rahu can increase ambition and risk-taking behavior. It can bestow opportunities that can bring a person immense wealth and fame. Rahu creates illusion and is very materialistic. It is never satisfied with what it has. Rahu takes 18 months to transit from one sign to another. Its Mahadasha period is 18 years.

Rahu has a strong malefic influence and can make the native’s life very difficult. Its presence in the horoscope reveals the karmic issues inherited from the native’s previous births. Rahu’s alignment with various planets causes different kinds of issues or bondages.

So, how does Rahu help us to achieve spiritual growth? Rahu helps us to attain clarity on the things that really matter in life – goals, values, and beliefs – which makes it possible for us to manifest what we desire in these areas. It shines a light into our dark places, thereby enabling us to journey toward enlightenment.

Rahu can prevent us from becoming too attached to materialistic desires. This helps us to focus more on the deeper aspects of life. We can understand ourselves better and realize who we truly are. Its energy makes us turn away from success in the external world. Instead, we embark on an internal self-discovery. This frees us from all preconceived notions about society’s expectations of success.

Someone who is under Rahu’s influence will choose unique methods for personal growth. These can be mindfulness or meditation practices. Or they can experiment with something like ayahuasca (a drink used for religious and spiritual purposes). In this manner, people begin to be more self-aware and discover the ancient wisdom within themselves. At the same time, they will push the boundaries that restrict their potential and achieve spiritual growth over time.

Ways in Which Rahu Brings Spiritual Growth

When the Mahadasha of Rahu is associated with the 5th or the 9th lord, and it receives the aspect of Jupiter, it is helpful for spiritual growth.

Spiritual benefits from Rahu can come in many ways. When Rahu is with Jupiter in the sign of Jupiter (Pisces or Sagittarius), when this combination is found in any of the Moksha sthana (4th house, 8th house, and 12th house), it can bring spiritual growth. 

Another way is to endure a very difficult Rahu Mahadasha. This can happen if Rahu Mahadasha occurs in Gandanta nakshatra of Mercury (particularly in the 4th pada). The Mahadasha of Rahu would then bring about great transformation. Even otherwise, the Rahu Mahadasha has a tendency to trigger a huge transformation in the native’s life.

‘Gand’ means ‘knot’, while ‘Anta’ means ‘the end’. So, Gandanta signifies the knot at the end. Gandanta denotes a knot within ourselves, some major issue that we need to resolve. To put it simply, Gandanta is nothing but a mass of bad karma that has accumulated in one’s karmic account. As the native has not cleared it over many births, it has created a knot. The native has committed the same sort of mistakes in many past lives which they never tried to rectify. Also, they are likely to commit the same mistakes in their present birth too. So their own karma traps them in a never-ending cycle. Gandanta experiences are often very painful, but they are needed if the soul is to grow into a higher dimension.

With planets that are placed in these positions, there will be uncertainty as they attempt to untie the secret knot that will help them progress to the next level. Such issues will manifest in one’s life in the form of trauma, personal relationships, or inner struggles. When life crystallises at a certain point, we may have to endure a very difficult time to prepare our minds for the next step in our soul's journey. This will happen only when you are reconciled with where you are at present. The present has to be accepted in order to move on to the future. The planetary positions in the Gandanta are very powerful. They hint at a very special purpose for our birth in this life. Many problems may have to be faced and adjustments made, to move towards the next level of spiritual growth. This can unravel the knot and lead to happiness.

During Rahu Mahadasha period, the materialistic aspects of life tend to dominate. In this position, Rahu can show you the unsavory aspects of life. Rahu can teach you many lessons. A lotus blooms from the mud. Likewise, Rahu will expose the native to nasty things during the 18 years of its Mahadasha. After that, when the Jupiter Mahadasha begins, the native would have experienced the worst, and they will be ready to enjoy the good aspects of Jupiter. The native’s mind would have become purified due to all that they endured during Rahu Mahadasha. Whether Jupiter Mahadasha brings negative or positive effects, the native’s soul would have begun the journey towards spiritual growth, thanks to Rahu’s karmic lessons.