Fictitious Planet – Ketu
Like Rahu, Ketu is also a shadow planet. It is not a physical planet, it is invisible and a mere point in the cosmic arrangement. Ketu is for Moksha or liberation. It is a malefic planet but not as malefic as Rahu. Ketu does bestow mis-happenings in life but with the intention of future emancipation.
The Mythology of Ketu
When the Sun and the Moon recognized a demon in between the Gods while churning the nectar, the Sun beheaded the demon. While the head became Rahu, the corpse became Ketu. So, basically, Rahu and Ketu are the parts of the same demon.
Ketu in Vedic Astrology
Ketu is known as the tail of the dragon because it is at the south node of the moon and is placed at the opposite end of Rahu. In Sanskrit, Ketu means a sign or a banner. Ketu is the remaining body of Rahu and is represented as a headless body with 4 hands in the color of smoke.
Being at 180 degrees from Rahu, Ketu is completely opposite of Rahu in characteristics too. If Rahu runs after worldly desires, Ketu is the planet of otherworldly desires or spirituality. Ketu represents the process of evolution of the spirit or complete spiritualization. In worldly affairs Ketu is malefic but in a spiritual sense, it is benefic. It causes sorrow and loss which ultimately turns an individual into a god.
Ketu is also known as a point of bad karma from a native’s past life. A native reaps the results of all the egotistical and selfish deeds of his past life when under the influence of Ketu. The planet is famous for unexpected results. It frees the native from worldly shackles and takes them towards enlightenment. In Hindu astrology, it is commonly said that Rahu is the giver and Ketu is the taker.
There is a deeper meaning to that sentence. While Rahu makes the native indulgent in materialistic things, Ketu detaches the native from such hollow endeavors. Ketu is the least discussed planet in astrology and has a mysterious aura around it. Astrologers have always found Ketu difficult to predict and uncertain. No astrologer has till date been able to decipher Ketu completely.
Planetary configuration
Ketu takes 18 years to travel through the zodiac just like Rahu. So it stays in each zodiac sign for 1.5 years. Ketu is considered positive for Aries, Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio, and Sagittarius and is weakest in Taurus. It is powerful in Scorpio and Sagittarius. With Venus, Mercury and Saturn, it has a friendly relationship while it is the enemy of Sun, Moon, and Mars. Ketu has an average relationship with Jupiter.
Professions influenced by Ketu
When Ketu impacts positively, it gives professional success. It creates doctors, magicians, spiritual writers, hermits, astrologers, militants, religious professionals, and philanthropists. The religion-related profession can be anything like an architect who builds a temple or a shrine or a travel guide in a religious place. Positive Ketu also governs professions like charity, NGO, old age homes, orphanages, rest houses, meditation houses, donations, religious exhibitions, and museums. Ketu supports the professions ruled by Mars like military, explosives, weaponry, defense etc.
Favorable Ketu
When Ketu works in favorable aspects, it takes people on the philosophy of live simple and thinks high. Such a native focus on making other people happy and does not do that in the expectations of happiness in return. He does so selflessly. The native becomes flexible, compromising, adaptable, possesses good scientific knowledge and is always keen to listen and solve other people’s problems. Such natives are like saints at heart even though they are surrounded by luxuries. Natives with a benefic Ketu have a strong desire to do service for people and have a strong sense of intuition. They also have the ability to foresee the events that may bring happiness in the future.
Unfavorable Ketu
A favorable Ketu gives a lot of happiness but an unfavorable Ketu can give a lot of sorrow too. It has the ability to raise people with mental instability, physical derangement, strange illness, horrifying tendencies, scoundrels, fanatics, executioners, animal hunters, killers etc. It backs professions with danger, risk, and mental strain. The most dangerous aspect of an unfavorable Ketu is the near-death experience of the native-like an accident, a bomb explosion, a terrorist attack, an electric shock, falling off from a tree, falling off from the terrace and so on. Unfavorable Ketu also rules infections and the native suffers from viral infections. People born with unfavorable Ketu do not have a good dressing sense, have a bad hairstyle and also have strange tendencies. They even lack personal hygiene and appear insignificant in front of others. They are non-ambitious, have a wrong illusion about themselves, experience a lot of fights because others do not agree to their ideas and are generally paid lesser than what they deserve.
Ketu in different houses
- 1st house
Presence of Ketu in the first house depicts hardships in life. The native may be intelligent and wise, but he will be restless all the time. He may make extra efforts for earning, but finance will always be a struggle for him. The native will have a strong mind but low self-confidence. He will achieve success slowly, be in constant distress, be nervous, ungrateful, unhappy with life and anti-social because of constant obstructions and lack of opportunities. He may also see health problems in spouse and children.
- 2nd house
As long as a benefic planet like Jupiter also has an influence on the second house, Ketu becomes unfavorable in 2nd house. The native uses harsh language in daily routine because of which he is highly misunderstood. He is not well-educated because of lack of concentration, is well traveled but the trips would not reap any benefit, may have a high income but will simultaneously have even higher expenses and will always be dissatisfied.
- 3rd house
Ketu in the third house can be really favorable. The native will have a lot of money, fame, and success in life. He will be obedient and religious. Even his travels will reap him monetary benefits. But sometimes Ketu in the 3rd house can have malefic effects. If that happens then the native will have a wasted trip in all his travels and have an uncordial relationship with siblings.
- 4th house
4th house is ruled by the Moon, and Moon is the enemy of Ketu. So, Ketu in the 4th house can be very bad for the native. Here the native will always suffer from concern about his mother’s health, depression, tension, face diseases like diabetes, heart problems, have problems related to property and may become spiritual.
- 5th house
Presence of Ketu in the fifth house causes the most problems with progeny. Birth of a child may be delayed, a miscarriage could happen, the born child may have health problems and even the relationship with children can be disturbed. All in all, the native may not be able to watch his family grow. He himself could be disturbed, depressed, less educated, prone to gambling and suffer from health problems like BP, asthma and heart issues.
- 6th house
Presence of Ketu generally confers positive results. The native will be prosperous, famous, determined, happy, a respected person in the society, have a long life, and has a possibility of settling abroad.
- 7th house
Placement of Ketu in 7th house is not considered good. The native suffers hardships, disloyalty, deceit, troubled married life, lack of faith, extramarital affairs, humiliation, uses abusive language, has enemies, and may suffer from diseases like genital ailments, stomach cancer, hernia, and intestine problems.
- 8th house
8th is considered a bad house and Ketu gives very bad results. Here the native suffers from distress, poverty, bad marriage, ill wife, sickness, accidents, and injuries. The native may be alone in life and would not get support from family and friends when needed. He may also suffer from diseases like UTI, diabetes, and problems in reproductive organs.
- 9th house
Ketu in 9th house is considered good and the native may be learned, achieve success on the basis of hard work, be spiritual, have a sound financial position, change jobs frequently and respect elderly people. But if it is placed in malefic state, Ketu can give poverty and lack of ethics to the native.
- 10th house
The effect of Ketu here depends on the position of Saturn. Positive results mean good luck, great opportunities, generous personality, and career success. But negative effects mean the loss of a father, struggling life, hard career, and immorality.
- 11th house
The most important feature of Ketu in the 11th house is the courage of the native. He will face struggle but come out with hard work, faith and religiousness. He will be a good administrator, trapped in the conspiracy and may have problems settling down in life.
- 12th house
Generally, Ketu in 12th house makes natives suffer from legal complications, poverty, secrecy, interest in black magic, worthless journeys, and even imprisonment. But at the same time, he will have a comfortable and successful life, power of intuition and targeted energies at spirituality if Ketu becomes benefic.
