Rahu in Taurus

by James Kelleher September 01, 2020

Rahu in Taurus

September 19, 2020 - March 16, 2022

Rahu enters Taurus on September 18, and begins its eighteen month sojourn in its sign of exaltation. For those of you who don't quite understand Rahu, join the club. Although it is considered to be a planet in both Vedic and Western astrology, it's not really a physical planet. Rahu is more like a shadow that is cast on the Sun

or the Moon at the time of an eclipse. Actually it is really only a point of intersection where the orbit of the Moon and the plane of the ecliptic converge. But that definition is a little too astronomical for most people. So a simpler way to understand Rahu is to remember that when an eclipse takes place, it is because a shadow is cast over either the Sun or the Moon. That shadow is Rahu or Ketu. It doesn't have a physical body, but like a planet, it is an orb that moves through the sky. When it happens to line up with the full moon or the new moon, then we have an eclipse.

Of course, the ancients described this with a little more dramatic flare. Rahu was a demon who wanted to get the nectar that makes the gods immortal. He found out that it was being given out at a banquet. Rahu dressed up as a god and, in disguise, he got in to the banquet. He was sitting in between the Sun and the Moon when Vishnu gave out the nectar. When the cup came around to him, he took a sip and immediately became immortal.

Unfortunately for Rahu, the Sun and the Moon saw through his disguise and turned him in. Then Vishnu threw his discus and cut off Rahu's head. Now, Rahu was already immortal, so having his head cut off didn't actually kill him. But as his head was toppling from his body, he cursed the Sun and the Moon for being cosmic tattle tales. From that time on, his head has floated through the sky, and whenever he has come close enough to the Sun or the Moon, he gobbles them up, and then they come out his neck. Which of course, is how people in ancient times described an eclipse.

In astrology, Rahu represents the principal of intense desire. After all, he was a guy that wanted what he wanted at any cost, even if it got his head cut off! No wonder that when people are influenced by Rahu, they sometimes feel a bit compulsive, or even obsessed. Rahu represents addiction and greed as well.

On the positive side, Rahu is the planet of revolutionary change. The United States, for example, began in a Rahu period, symbolizing the Revolutionary War. During a Rahu transit of a house in the horoscope, it is common to revolutionize or redefine what that house signifies. A good Rahu represents changes that open a person to more freedom and more opportunities in the domains of life it influences.

When a planet is exalted, it tends to be on its best behavior. That means it tends to produce more of its positive side. That said, no rule in astrology is absolute and there are many exceptions to every rule. For example, Rahu is one of the most important signifiers of the Corona Virus. During Rahu's transit in Taurus, it is quite likely that many more people will get the virus and the number will go up significantly. However, it is also likely that there will be improvements, either due to the virus mutating or due to medicines and protocols that are evolving to combat the virus.

In the individual horoscope, however, each of us will experience the influence of transiting Rahu in our own unique way. Here is a description of what might happen for you during this transit, based on your Vedic chart. Of course, I can't see your individual chart, so the only thing I can use to make the predictions listed here is your Sun sign. When you read the predictions for your Sun Sign, be sure to check that your birth date is correct for that sign. Remember, in Vedic astrology we use a sidereal zodiac, which means that the birth dates for the signs are different than in Western astrology. If you happen to be a student of Vedic astrology or if you know your Vedic Moon sign, Sun sign, and/or your Arudha Lagna sign, then you can read the results given for those signs as well. I know that sounds confusing but reading the results from each of the four points can show other areas of life that might also be affected during the transit.

Vedic Sun Signs

Apr 14 - May 14 (Aries) Rahu will be transiting your second house during this period, so it will be affecting money, speech and food. In each of these areas avoid compulsive tendencies. Try not to spend compulsively. If you have any addictive tendencies with food or anything that goes through your mouth, this is the time to deal with them. On the other hand, this is also a time that can bring some positives in the same three areas if you channel your desires well and redefine your relationship with finances, food and speech.

May 15 - Jun 14 (Taurus). Rahu will be transiting your first house, the house of self expression during this period. This is a great timeto put yourself out there in your work or in your creative endeavors. This could take the form of an increase of ambitious energy. On the other hand, sometimes this transit can give you so much to do that it becomes a little overwhelming. Take a deep breath, and pace yourself.

Jun 15 - Jul 15 (Gemini) Rahu is transiting in your twelfth house, the house of meditation, introspection, expenditures, and distant places. In a non-pandemic period this transit would tend to create foreign travel. In the days of Covid 19, it could produce a road trip in a trailer or camper van. Travel or other positive, mildly exciting activities could also become the source of expenditure, so make sure you keep an eye on your finances. And this is a great time for putting some attention on your spiritual practices.

Jul 16 - Aug 16 (Cancer) During this period, you might focus a good deal of attention on your friends or on groups of people. Of course, Covid 19 had given a whole new meaning to both of these things so group experiences may be more likely on zoom and friends may be encountered through a mask. But Rahu is the planet of masks and also of technology, so I guess it's right on time. But this transit should give you more desire to reach out to others or possibly to impact the masses. It can also produce financial gains.

Aug 17 - Sep 16 (Leo) Rahu will be transiting your 10th house, the house of Career. This can be good for your employment, since it gives a desire to work hard and to be productive. You might need to pace yourself, however, because Rahu in the tenth can sometimes produce a tendency to obsess on projects and to work overtime. But this is an essentially positive transit for your career.

Sep 17 - Oct 16 (Virgo) Rahu is transiting in the 9th house, the house of higher education and long distance travel. This is normally a positive transit. During this period you might travel. Normally Rahu here would bring foreign travel, but with Covid 19 going on, it might just produce a road trip or two. This could also be a good time for any educational pursuit, especially for education in technical or scientific areas.

Oct 17 - Nov 15 (Libra) During its transit of Taurus, Rahu will be passing through your eighth house, the house of change. Rahu is also the planet of change so you have a double dose of change on your plate now. For some people this will bring a change of residence or job. But it is really just a period when your life is redefining itself and when you, as a result, are feeling a bit of a restless itch. Avoid making changes just because you are restless. Make sure that the changes you make now are well thought out, and then get a second opinion.

Nov 16 - Dec 15 (Scorpio) Rahu is transiting your seventh house, the house of relationships, during this period. This period could produce romantic attractions, and it sometimes produces attractions that seem too good to be true. If you meet someone during this period and feel like they are your soul mate and want to marry them two weeks later, I would like to suggest that you slow down and get to know them over a period of time. But if it doesn't produce romantic attractions, then it might bring a number of interesting interactions with people from various backgrounds, countries, or ethnic groups. You will probably feel more like reaching out and connecting with others in a stronger way

Dec 16 - Jan 13 (Sagittarius) Rahu is passing through your sixth house now. On the positive side, this is a great time for expressing ambitious energy and doing well in an employed situation. This period is also good for promoting your health through alternative healing modalities. On the negative side, in some cases this can also make a person more prone to hard-to-diagnose or hard-to-treat physical symptoms. The key here is just to be proactive with your health and to stay on your routines of diet, exercise and social distancing.

Jan 14 - Feb 12 (Capricorn) During this transit, Rahu will be passing through your fifth house, the house of education, children, romance, and creativity. This can produce an increase in activities related to any of these domains of life. With education it suggests being obsessed, which is good for studying hard. It is especially good for subjects like math or science. For romance, it can be a bit addictive or obsessive, so you might want to ratchet the energy down a notch or two in that department, if you fall in love during this period. In the creativity department this transit is very good and helps you think outside of the box, bringing greater innovation. If you have children, try not to obsess about them or to smother them with attention.

Feb 13 - Mar 13 (Aquarius) During this period, Rahu will be passing through your fourth house, the house of the home, mother, and vehicle. For some, this period will produce a change of residence or a desire to make some changes within the home. For others, it will just give a restless desire to change residence. It might cause your mother to spend money or to redefine herself in some way. In some cases this can also suggest health or financial problems for the mother. In regards to vehicles, this period could give you a desire to purchase a car that is foreign or one that is technically advanced in some way.

Mar 14 - Apr 13 (Pisces) Rahu will be passing through your third house, the house of communication and information. This is a period when you might feel more fascinated with what you are learning, studying, or reading. This transit can be good for research, even the kind of research that gets you surfing the web obsessively in order to find a new toaster oven or computer. This can be a very busy period, filled with errands and numerous small tasks to complete. Since the third house is the house of communication, and since Rahu tends to be compulsive, it might make sense to not always say everything you think. The same thing goes with sending emails. If you find yourself writing an email where you think are expressing your opinion a little too emphatically during this time, might I suggest that you wait, and get someone else to read it first? Just a thought.