Planet Ketu in Astrology
Planet Ketu or Dragon’s Tail is a shadow planet -chayagraha with no physical entity in the solar system. Ketu in Vedic Astrology is called as the South Node of the Moon and symbolises intuition, salvation, and past incarnations. Ketu is depicted as the tail part of a headless dragon or a snake. It is commonly perceived as a malefic and inauspicious planet. However, if Ketu is well placed in a bath chart it delivers far more auspicious results than benevolent planets in Astrology. Ketu’s position in one’s chart holds information about past lives, spiritual transformation, and unconscious part of the mind. Ketu governs spiritual pursuits and spiritual liberation. Just like Rahu, Ketu also has no lordship over zodiac signs. He shadows and add values to the lord of the sign it is placed in. The benefits are furthered if this dispositor is the ruler of the Kendra or Trikona Bhavas.
The friendly zodiac signs of Ketu are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Capricorn. Cancer and Leo are inimical with Ketu. Ketu shares a friendly relationship with and inimical towards Sun and Moon. Mercury, Venus and Saturn are also friendly towards Ketu. Mars is another enemy planet of Ketu. Rahu and Ketu are two parts of the same body that makes them friendly to each other. Ketu rules Nakshatras -Ashwini, Magha and Moola. It is believed that Ketu gets exalted in Scorpio and Sagittarius; gets debilitated in Taurus or Gemini. Ketu rules soles of the feet and nails in the physical body. Ketu represents ‘Maternal grandfather’ of the native.
Positive placement of Ketu makes the native a spiritual warrior and keen on raising Kundalini energy for spiritual salvation. Ketu bestows ample wealth yet leaves the native unattached to the material wealth. Ketu dissolves self-identity, unhealthy ego and make us lose excessive interest on lucrative lifestyle. He blesses spiritual wisdom, powers of discernment, and Vedic knowledge of the self or Soul. Ketu also gives psychic abilities to the natives making them divine light workers of the healing arts, like reiki, tantric healing, sound healing or pranic healing. They also possess inherent wisdom on healing herbs, food science, and its effect on the physical system. Ketu at its best expression gives mystic power to see spirits, ghosts or ‘non physical energy entities’ along with abilities to consecrate or handle Chi energies. Ketu also gives clairvoyance to the native making them see beyond the naked eye.
Weak or poor placements of Ketu results in fake spirituality, proxy meditative nature, and duality issues. It also imparts eccentric personality to the native making them do crazy things in the name of spiritual pursuits. Their psyche is deeply influenced by Ketu. Sudden accidents due to imprisonments, weapons, sharp objects, epidemic situations, or electricity is usually caused due to undignified Ketu in the chart.
Position of the Ketu in different houses and different signs of the horoscope has varying effects. Though these effects are reliant on lordship, affliction, conjunction, constellation, and aspect some common attributes are discussed here.