UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECT OF SUN MOON AND LUNAR NODES (RAHU KETU) ON HUMANS USING AYURVEDA AND ASTRONOMY- ASTROLOGY DECODED LESSON 14

In the previous blogs of Astrology series, we discussed that how Astrology uses the principles of Astronomy, Ayurveda, Psychology and Geography. This blog will explain that how Sun, Moon and the lunar nodes (called as rahu ketu) which create eclipses affect our body and mind and how they are used in Astrology. To begin with let us understand the role/significance of Sun and Moon in our lives.

SIGNIFICANCE OF SUN IN OUR LIVES

Our body is governed by three fundamental forces called Pitta, Vata and Kapha in Ayurveda. Pitta represents all the chemicals in the body including hormones, enzymes etc. which help in transmitting information from one place to another like neurotransmitters (electrical impulses flowing through our nervous system) and also in digesting food like insulin, bile juice etc. Our body has millions of different chemicals/Pitta inside us that govern different functions, however for ease, Ayurveda has divided these into five groups basis their basic function and location. Out of these five groups/categories, Sadhak Pitta is the master Pitta. It represents those chemicals which excite our brain which is the CPU (central processing unit of our body and mind). So when we eat a spicy and/or warm food (warm in temperature or potency). it not only ignites our digestive system by igniting digestive pitta (called as Pachak Pitta in Ayurveda), but also indirectly triggers our Sadhak Pitta. It is this reason we feel excited after eating spicy food as our CPU/brain gets heated up. Similarly sunlight falling on our skin in form of heat ignites another sub set of Pitta called as Bhrajak Pitta, which in turn ignites Sadhak pitta which is why we are more excited in hot weather.  Likewise, when Sunlight falls on our eyes and in the center of our forehead, we feel excited as light travels through our eyes and optical nerve into our brain thereby exciting Sadhak Pitta. It is this reason that morning Sunshine wakes us up and a healthy person feels energetic in the morning. This Pitta which moves through our eyes is called as Alochak pitta in Ayurveda and is situated closest to our brain. Therefore in Astrology, whenever someone’s Sun is strong, it is bound to impart strong eyes too to that person with possible side-effects like short temper, excessive heat in the body etc. due to hot brain/CPU.

*** Of course, there are remedies to such cases like applying white sandalwood on forehead to reduce heat/light absorption especially those times of the day/year when Sun is too strong which can further heat up their brain and thus body. Other options could be putting medicated ghee or rose water in eyes.  

SIGNIFICANCE OF MOON IN OUR LIVES

On the other hand, the way moon pulls water on earth thereby causing high tides, likewise it pulls blood and lymph too in our body. And it is blood (and interstitial fluids called as Rasa in Ayurveda) that carries nutrition in the entire body and creates other tissues which is muscles, fat, nerves, bones, marrow and reproductive fluids. Therefore it is moon that regulates flow of nutrition in the body and thus creates tissues. So moon’s position in one’s natal (birth) chart represents the maximum/deepest tissues formed in one’s body and brain. Since Sadhak Pitta has to travel through entire body to gather information, it spends maximum time on that part which has natal moon due to deepest tissues there. This is the reason Moon represents Mind (or Mann in Sanskrit/Hindi) which is different from brain and is connected to changing emotions as the Moon changes places in the sky.

SIGNIFICANCE OF SUN MOON RELATIONSHIP IN OUR LIVES

Now Sun and Moon relationship has a huge role in deciding the extent of Sadhak Pitta in one’s life and since Sadhak Pitta is the Pitta of the CPU of the body (i.e. brain) or say processor of the computer, it plays a huge role in deciding how quickly, accurately and efficiently the brain will process the information. Now when Sun, Moon and earth are aligned, they cause “No moon day”. Also, the moon rises on a no moon day (or a new moon day) along with Sunrise. So, on a no moon day, the earth experiences more gravitational pull due to combined pull of sun and moon experiencing higher tides in ocean. In our body, while pulling force results in pulling up of fluids to the brain, the Sun results in high Pitta leading to heating up of fluids too in the entire body including brain. This results in high Pitta and Vata in brain thereby creating a rajasic mind (Rahu) high on adventure, enthusiasm in the initial days of life unless body burns and slows down and creates Saturn (Vata).

On the other hand, when earth is right in between Sun and Moon, it causes full moon. Full moon rises during Sunset and sets and near Sunrise. A native with this full moon or near full moon time in chart, experiences good Sadhak Pitta in the day (especially when born near Sunrise) but also experiences cooling down of Sadhak Pitta in night due to pull of moon (which is missing in the case of native born on or near new moon day). This is the reason that natives born at least 7 days after the beginning of waxing phase of moon and 7 days before the arrival of no moon (i.e in waning phase) donot experience excess of Sadhak Pitta in their life or their Sadhak Pitta gets time to cool down properly in the night.

*** Time of birth is an equally important factor in one’s life apart from phase of moon. Let us pick up two examples of people born on full moon day/night. A person born right at the time of Sunrise (i.e. sun in first house) will experience full day of Sadhak Pitta before it cools down due to moon on full moon night or near full moon, thereby imparting strong Sadhak Pitta to see events accurately. Whereas a person born at Moonrise on a full moon day, will gain lot of kapha in brain before he/she gets Sadhak Pitta. Thus, most dominating dosha here will be Kapha through which Pitta will run subsequently. Such people are moon dominated with calm approach due to more Kapha unlike the first case where Pitta dominates which then gets cooled down by kapha in night. Also while Sun means Pitta and moon means Kapha, the planets which arrive after Sun in the chart are strongly perceived and read in terms of their effect whereas those after moon are closer to one’s mind.

HOW RAHU/KETU AFFECT OUR LIVES

Now it is important to realize that all Solar eclipse and lunar eclipse happen only on a no moon day and full moon day respectively. However, while no moon and full moon happen after every 29 days, they are not always accompanied by eclipse. This is because Moon’s orbit around earth is not at the same plane as the orbit of earth around Sun. Instead moon’s orbit is tilted by around 5 degrees. The points where orbital plane of earth around Sun and Moon around earth intersect, are called lunar nodes in astronomy and Rahu (ascending node) and Ketu (descending node) in Astrology. So eclipses (solar as well as lunar) happen only when Sun, moon, earth get aligned alongwith the node.

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While this figure explains what are nodes, I would suggest the reader to visualize this aspect through videos also with links mentioned below.

So please click the links below to understand in more detail..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5cqWqdMiBc

For detailed understanding of Moon’s movement and nodes I suggest you to watch this series of videos as under

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnI40uaeRtQ

Since Rahu ketu axis represents alignment of orbital plane with elliptic plane, their placement in the chart also represents how strong or weak the gravity will one experience. So, if moon and sun are also aligned with earth alongwith rahu ketu axis (i.e. when one is born on eclipse day), then this push and pull of gravity/fluids/blood in one direction will be even higher. This also means that closer the Rahu or Ketu in ones chart near the first house (i.e. brain or beginning of life), the more effect they will have on one’s life in terms of pulling or pushing the blood away/closer to the brain (experience/observations confirm that Ketu pulls the blood towards itself away from Rahu).

*** Question may arise that since earth rotates and so does moon, this effect should get nullified. But as discussed, the dosha/wiring created earlier in the body has the deeper effect. So the first deepest wiring has deepest effect because it is the deepest dosha that creates the direction of flow of energy/blood/conscience. Also, to note that a child’s body and brain are most moldable in earlier ages and that is why effect of planets is strongest during childhood that determines the deepest/basic wiring of the brain and body for the entire life.

All in all, we can visualize several combinations of placement of Sun, moon, rahu and ketu in ones chart and realize their different effects on one’s doshas.

MORE ABOUT MOON

Two more equally important facts to be remembered is that

• Moon takes 27 days to rotate around earth where earth takes 24 hours to rotate on its axis. In simple words moon is much slower than earth and is not stationed on a fixed point above earth. So when a fixed point on earth reaches the same place with respect to stars after 24 hours, the moon drifts ahead only on an average of 50 minutes (30-70 minutes). This is the reason that while new moon rises with Sun, the full moon rises at Sunset as it keeps drifting ahead.

• The moon’s orbit keeps wobbling around earth which is why not every time Rahu and Ketu get aligned in line with Sun and moon on a no moon or a full moon day. This is also the reason that Moon keeps changing its position in the sky during different weather conditions basis the tilt of earth. The table below shows a trend. In other words, the moon scans the entire sky over a period of twelve months and from our mind and body perspective, its varying effect is felt on the entire body (or say brain) unlike Sun which is more or less fixed in its time or rise and direction of rising and setting.

So, while Sun is fixed and provides power to brain through Sadhak Pitta, the moon keeps changing location in the body and mind throughout. And since moon represents mind as discussed earlier, one’s mind too keeps moving from one thought to another, even though the deepest mind remains located/fixed where the moon is placed in one’s birth chart. In fact, moon or the deepest dosha in the body also represent the psychology the person. To understand about role of psychology in Astrology, please read this blog..HOW PSYCHOLOGY DEFINES DIFFERENT TRAITS OF DIFFERENT HOUSES OF ASTROLOGY 

DEAR READER, THIS BLOG IS AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK “THE ROOT CAUSE”. YOU ARE MOST WELCOME TO USE THE CONTENTS OF THE BLOGS OR “THE ROOT CAUSE” BOOK AS KNOWLEDGE SHOULD NEVER BE PATENTED, HOWEVER I WOULD REQUEST YOU TO MENTION THE SOURCE OF THE CONTENT WHENEVER YOU SHARE. THIS WILL HELP TO PROMOTE THE ENTIRE WORK WITH THE ONLY AIM TO BRIDGE GAP BETWEEN CONTEMPORARY KNOWLEDGE AND THE VEDIC SCIENCES. THANKS IN ANTICIPATION 🙂

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