Venus shows
our seeking for pleasure, comfort, and luxury. She represents
the pleasure of the senses and the comforts of the body. She
gives sensual attraction and serves to make either the woman
or the man major appealing to the opposite sex. Venus is the
morning star, the light of inspiration that is first spark of
the sun of truth. Venus is our aspiration to the good, the beautiful
and the pure. Venus shows our natural tendency to beautiful
things. Venus represents the astral light. The Sanskrit name
for Venus, Shukra, means “brilliant light” and “heat”
and also indicates the reproductive fluid. A strong Venus is
very helpful in any chart, as it indicates our capacity to love
and our sense of refinement, beauty and purity. Love is the
strongest power, and is this regard Venus possess the power
to overcome even Mars.
SATURN
In Hindu mythology
Saturn is the son of the Sun. The Sun moves in a chariot directed
by Saturn. Saturn is the yogi in meditation. He can give complete
detachment and independence. He is the one who stand-alone and
goes beyond the limitations of the masses. The influence of
Saturn is to delay and withhold. As the slowest moving of the
planets, he retards things and holds back their development.
His Sanskrit name Shani, means “he who moves slowly”.
Saturn is traditionally the most difficult of the major planets,
the legendary king of the malefics. Saturn brings about limitation
and obstruction, hindrance in self-expression and in self-manifestation,
which may become oppression and adversity. Saturn is the pessimist.
Saturn is the negative guide. Saturn’s power to limit
or destroy should not be underestimated; its positive value
must not be forgotten. Our fear of Saturn measures the degree
of our attachment to the material world and our inability to
face the ultimate issues of our existence.
RAHU AND KETU
The nodes of
the Moon are very important in Vedic astrology. The north node
is called Rahu or the Dragon’s Head; the south node is
called Ketu or the Dragon’s Tail. Rahu and Ketu are regarded
as secondary or shadowy planets. The north node, Rahu, is said
to be like Saturn, while the south node, Ketu, is compared to
Mars, Yet the nodes have a subtler, more psychic and difficult
to neutralize force than these two malefics. That the two nodes
are malefic is quite logical. Vedic astrology does recognize
that the lunar nodes (more commonly the north node) can function
in a positive, Jupiterian manner, when associated with a strong
planet or in a strong position. Rahu is regarded as the main
planetary factor behind insanity, neurosis, neurological disorders,
possession by negative entities and other such abnormal sensitivities
of the mind and nervous system. Ketu creates doubt, disturbance,
and wilfulness, a critical and narrow vision in life that leads
to conflict and argument. While Rahu shows an individual carries
away by mass trends, Ketu shows the individual caught in his
own contracted energies, isolated, alienated, and obstinately
separate. The north node, Rahu is the shadow of the Moon, or
the negative Moon. It has the power to obstruct, negate, cover
or darken the Moon (the mind). The south node, Ketu, is the
shadow of the Sun or the negative Sun. It has the power to cover
or darken the Sun (the self). As the negative Moon or the negative
side of the mind, Rahu represents illusion, hallucination, trance,
psychosis, paranoia and other such negative mental states. As
the negative Sun or the negative side of the self, Ketu represents
self-doubt, lack of self-confidence, and lack of self-worth.
Rahu usually functions best when placed in a strong house, like
the ninth or tenth. Ketu means “a flag.” It has
the power to boost up the effects of strong planets with which
it is conjoined. A planet located in its own sign or exalted
while conjoined with Ketu gains considerable power. A strong
Rahu gives worldly powers and success, the fulfilment of outer
desires, but not usually inner fulfilment. It can give rise
to worldly desires than can never be fulfilled; however successful
the individual may be its outer good luck is combined with an
inner unrest. Ketu gives sudden and unexpected results for good
or ill, depending upon its placement.
