The Midheaven, or MC as it is sometimes called in astrological books, is a point in space, which was “straight up” from our birth moment. If you were to look straight up at the Zodiac at the time of the birth, you would be looking at the spot, which is called the Midheaven.

The Midheaven in the middle of our 10th House, which rules career, rise, high position, and attainment. When we stand up, we are under the Midheaven. Our head, in a sense, points up towards the Midheaven. If someone rises high in life, say a famous person, or a successful person, or a President of country for example, then you know for sure that they have a significant Midheaven, or tenth House, in their charts.

The Midheaven is a point in the Zodiac, just as the Lagna is the point in the Zodiac. So, we record the Midheaven as a point in a Sign with so many degrees, minutes and seconds. Planets near to this point, or owning the Sign this point falls in, or aspecting this point will affect the rise, career and other attainment factors in the life.

There are a number of other such points we look at in charts. They are, for example, the middle and starting points of the Houses in the Bhava Chart, or House Chart. Then there is the Yogi point, another mathematically calculated point in the Zodiac. Of all the points, the Lagna and Midheaven are the most significant.

Vedic Astrology does not use the three outer Planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. God and the Sages saw fit to exclude them for their own reasons, and we follow suit. They probably represent Gods or Goddesses as the others do, and they probably have some effect, but for whatever reason they have been excluded, that is enough for the Vedic followers, we need not speculate about the matter.

There are a number of subtle Planets mentioned in Jyotish classics. The most widely referred to are Mandi and Gulik. These Planets are calculated points, like Rahu and Ketu for example, and not Planets that have actual mass. Most modern Jyotishis do not make any use of them, and some of the computer programs therefore do not calculate and list them at all. Their effects remain largely untested to Jyotishis in the West therefore. Perhaps someday, they can be brought into the computer programs and more heavily tested.

I would like to say that, while I respect all Vedic revelation as significant, I am also practical. There are many parts of the even the great Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, the cornerstone classic of the science of Jyotish, which we in modern times no longer use. This is more due to lack of time and energy to learn and incorporate all the principles and techniques given therein. It is hard enough to digest just the basics these books give, what to speak of the numerous advanced techniques, which they give without much explanation as the correct application of the techniques. Since you can get so much from just the basics, and my purpose, that of spreading Vedic thought, is helped plenty by the spread of the basics, I myself am not excited to the point of taking action, on many of the finer and obscure techniques found in the classics.

More on Rahu and Ketu

When the Moon crosses the node point, it wobbles slightly in its orbit due to the gravity field generated by the node. The node is an indicator of a junction of planes, the plane on, which the Earth and Sun relate when the Moon crosses that, he is affected by their presence in space. An eclipse is when all three of them are aligned. Normal, non-eclipsed conjunctions are all other times the Moon crossing this plane, but not in direct alignment with the other two. So, eclipses are the most intense nodal conjunctions because they carry the additional gravitational effect of alignment along with "crossing the plane".

The Moon's orbit is not along the elliptic, but has its own angle. Hence, it sometimes "rises above the Earth" and is sometimes "below the Earth". When it comes up, that is crossing Rahu. When it sets, that is crossing Ketu.

So, these are all necessary things to know to easily interpret these conjunctions in a human chart.

In both cases, you must first understand that the wobble of the Moon is because of gravitational forces that are generated by the Earth and Sun. This translates to "sensitivity to vibrations based on the interactions of the Souls and the field of action” or “sensitivity to the manifestations of desire and Ego". The Sun is the Soul, the Ego, the being, and the Earth is the field of action.

So these people are always sensitive, usually therefore more mentally hyper, and often therefore seen as difficult, "weird", psychic, abnormal, outcastes, depending on many factors.

The rising of the Moon above the Earth represents awareness. The Moon is trying to come above to protect, to cover and shelter. The Northern course represents the caring of the Gods for all beings. The other course, which begins at "Ketu's gate" for the Moon, and, which also therefore lasts a fortnight as does the other, represents the Moons giving up care, or renunciation, being "under" all things taking place here, and overwhelmed by them. Rahu is the incoming breath of the Moon, and Ketu the outgoing.

Those born with Ketu conjunct Moon are overwhelmed in their feelings of sensitivity, and feel the need to retreat to counter this feeling. Therefore, those with Rahu Moons will be more involved, and actually argue and carry on as if they care about everything, whereas those with Ketu Moons are more disinclined to be involved, and tend to philosophize away the problems they are sensitive to. Rahu is involved, Ketu is retreating.

Wherever is Rahu there will be some involvement there, things of that House run more out of control, and cause us to be involved in the material world, the matters of that House have a hook of obligation, so it feels, into our Souls, and makes us to act and perform here. This will be a House very hard to renounce, very hard to ignore.

Ketu on the other hand creates a vacant House often, of the feeling thereof, therefore some will strive to fill it, therefore sometimes Ketu causes great success in the matters of the House where it rests in a persons chart, due to causing them to ever pursue "filling" that emptiness. It can make things ethereal and unseen, like me, I have thousands of friends, but I never see any of them (Ketu in the 11th).

Sri Chaitanya, the greatest personage of this Yuga, was born on a raging full Ketu eclipse rising. He was a genius, but his sensitivity tore away at his mind, and most considered him crazy. He was highly sensitive and visionary, to say the least. Normally persons with nodal conjunctions will take to the sensitive arts, the arts, drugs, religion, seclusion, or revolution, or anything other than normalcy. They are usually outcastes or eccentric in some obvious way.

The current times are highly significant. All Planets are involved in a square with the malefic in movable Signs. Only the Brahmins are excluded and they too do not directly aspect much of this at all. Cancer is aspected and contains Rahu. This indicates a higher than normal level of trouble crossing the waters of the world. It heralds movement of ships to resolve problems. It is not nice to see the Planets as they are now. It is very foreboding to me. I do not like to see all these powerful malefic almost entirely unguided by the Brahmins.

Right now Shani is aspected by Mars in debility and has the whole Sign ahead of him nearly. This is very hard for Saturn It means that Martian things are fighting harder than ever against restrictions. When this occurs, and restriction is weakened, then it supports the activities of the bullies and not the high classes, who has actions are more often rooted in old restrictions than the new, the young, the immature, represented by Aries.

Rahu and Ketu have actually little to do with the other Planets normal systems as they are outcasts, Rakshashas. They are one, but two parts on one being, an anti, godly power being, and a power demon originally.

The presence of Rahu and his other half Ketu in the heavens comes only because an eventful moment in Rahu's life wherein just as he was getting what he sought, he was slain, and henceforth having gotten a taste of the eternalizing (within this realm) Soma Drink, is now living on like a God, but is not a God. Ketu is the dead half of his body. Rahu is the ever-living head. One alive, one dead. One angry at the tattle tail Sun and Moon Gods, the other one dead but in the ecstasy of the touch of the deadly but liberating Sudarshan Chakra of Vishnu. So Ketu is more purified as he has no choice is ultimate Rahu is still toiling. The Rahu side of this axis represents toil, and the Ketu side detachment. Gain and Loss, in one sense, but Rahu's gain is not always material or external.

Rahu and Ketu come to us in the way that they were added to the heavens. Their presence in the heavens is ever antagonistic to the normal flow there, hence they are not welcome, nor wanted, especially by the luminaries. There is some connection with Venus due to the later being the Guru of Rahu. For that reason, I buy the theory that Rahu is exalted in Taurus if anywhere as that is the safest House for him as it is Earth and Venus ruled, so the other Gods have less say there, Venus is at least compassionate for Rahu, and he's on the Earth there, not in the Sky chasing the luminaries.

If a Soul takes to Jyotish during Rahu MahaDasha, then most certainly they lived previously in a land or home where the authorities are anti-Veda, because then they are learning Veda during the anti Sun and Moon Dasha. See? Someone said this. It is probably as I say. For them, that period was a tour away from their norm, and so their norm must have been non-Vedic. This is common these days in New Agers in the West. They will become hippy outcaste vegetarian love Jyotishi TM'er types and the like during Maha Rahu if placed just so in the chart, so as to oppose modern Western materialism. So Rahu these days in the West can often liberate a person, when properly placed, because "LIKE A DEMON AGAINST THE SUN" they pursue their cherished desire for Soma Rasa and often get it. Isn't that what we are after here? I am Ketu conjunct Moon myself. I am a nodal child born under a Rahu ruled Star and Ketu ruled Lagna Star, in Rahu MahaDasha. Hmmm.

The effects of Rahu and Ketu depend most on what surrounds them in all respects like other Planets. They are more reactive than anything though they react and attack rather than build, unless what they are building is foreign to the place and times, new, different, a growth, a revolution, an alteration for either creative better, taking on new and better foreign ideas say, or for the worse, spray paint and poison, revolution and killing. The House, Sign, and conjunctions are the greatest and main things to watch. Nodal conjunctions are important. The Houses they reside in is the most key, then the Sign, then the conjunctions, perhaps in that or other order. This is my understanding.

For example, Rahu in the sixth connects him with the persons and things the sixth rules. Ketu in the 10th connects Ketu with 10th House significations. The Sign colors the behavior and conjunct Planets become affected. This is like other Planets.

The primary mode of Rahu is to expand. He is a voracious grabber of good things in life, like Venus, but is expansive like Jupiter, and can generate sudden events like Mars, and powerful forces like Saturn Rahu is very Karmic. You will find politicians rising into power during Rahu MahaDasha say placed in the 10th we find it enhances the career overall, but is the way of that expansion good or bombastic in many respects?

Rahu in the first generates lots of worry in the head. Rahu in the first makes the person a wanderer, a foreigner, standing out, appearing a little aggressive at times. Rahu means "the unexpected, uninvited guest from another land, hear to steal something, not wanted". This can never be all good.

It can however turn into: "Your Rahu is giving you the power to go into an established order or place or industry or endeavor, and somehow or another usurp a position there, and reap the richest rewards". Yes, Rahu sometimes is turned positive and aggressive, allowing the native to capture something spectacular. Rahu often creates spectacular and stellar "grabbing" achievements in the House it tenets. The results of that House may really stand out after being discovered, just as Rahu was discovered. But the reaction may be also rejection by the common, but love and acceptance from an opulent minority, such as us here. We are an opulent minority in the world (Rich in knowledge) seen often as DEMONS in our countries, depending on the place. So these days in the West Rahu rules over astrology very much so. The fact that I have Rahu in the 5th and the 5th lord in the second directly connects foreign ideas and creativity that is unusual in my head (Rahu in the 5th) with my mouth (the 2nd) and hence it is supportive of preaching Hinduism in America and Astrology etc.

The House where Rahu tenets become foreign and suffer the stigma of being unwelcome in its environment very often. So Rahu in the 1st is hard on the person himself or herself, making them seem odd, outcaste, a little too unique, etc. However, they can therefore be the source of something new and original. They are often leaders of innovation in some way.

Look to where the Lord of the House of Rahu has gone to understand how he is reacting to Rahu, or where the lord’s personal interests lie, and it might give a clue as to why Rahu has attacked that particular House.

Ketu is a killer, and strips the House where it tenets of life in a way, but can promote it in another way. The way it does both is through its strong empty feeling. By promoting an emptiness in that House, the person often struggles to refill it. This can result in accumulation and abundance for that House, hence Ketu in the 11th increases riches, by creating a feeling of constant poverty or drainage of the 11th.

Ketu in the 7th causes a feeling of loss of connections with others, a natural result of Rahu in the 1st, which makes one often rejected and abandoned for being outcaste. This happens subtly throughout life for those bearing the mark of Rahu in the 1st.

Rahu always causes Ketu straight across. Thus, the nodes affect an axis always. On one side, there is concern and expansion (Rahu) and on the other side, there is detachment and loss (Ketu). They are head and tail of Karmic reality too much abundance and involvement for the mouth of Rahu caused him to lose his body but he became eternal in a sense.

So, you will over endeavor and toil where Rahu is, because you are driven too by past Karmic material attachments like Rahu. You will achieve much there, because of demon like endeavors. You will get rewards, but you will suffer for your sins of theft, and all along you will ignore the other side in some senses, and your detachment for the Ketu side will grow, or your feeling of loss there, depending on Ketu's particular color in the chart, and thus this is one way that various imbalances and Karmic reactions will manifest, the Rahu Ketu axis is always key in discovering where some of our main problems in life will be, losses, deaths, diseases, weird and dangerous events. These two certainly carry these things.

On the other hand, they carry such drive and passion that they drive much of what goes on here. Without our Rahu and Ketu sides, we would not be struggling so as we do. We would not be learning as much. So, they are where the lesson stick will fall in this life, as well as SOMETIMES where serious fruits will be handed back to you from successful past lessons.

They are never considered really benefic in the sense of "all good", as they must always carry some of the heavy Karma their birth is associated with, but they can be truly honorable in the right chart. They can be the source of things such as valor, endeavor, bravery, in ways, and certainly things like fleeing a hostile environment, being revolutionary, fighting bad governments, being the underdog, being a Yogi or spiritualist of many good types, focusing on things such as mysticism, death, the afterlife, God's valor, God's ultimate law (Ketu especially is aware of this as he's dead because of it!).

Ketu is the highest Planet in Jyotish spiritually, because he rules the ultimate truth for us here. Jupiter can teach us all about Dharma, but Ketu really drives it home. Ketu and Saturn help us to realize the teachings of Jupiter and they alone teach us that we must be humble. Jupiter is too soft as is Venus. The malefic teach the hard side of our lessons and hence in a way, are braver, more caring, in a way, than the benefic, which would spoil us rotten if left alone to do that.

Someone wrote to me: “You mention Ketu is in the "ecstasy of the touch of the deadly but liberating Sudarshan Chakra of Vishnu”. Does this mean Ketu is similar to being void like, yet can really only come alive so to speak by the heart attributes of (God ) Vishnu?”

My thoughts: Vishnu is God, and all good, and his personal weapon used when he is here in this realm is the Sudarshan Chakra, which is the wheel of time so to speak, but it is a disc weapon hurled from the forefinger of Vishnu, and he is always pictured holding it up in the air on his right hand. He protects the good with this, and kills the bad.

When we are here, we are attached to our current bodies, and their sense objects, even though we know for sure we will be kicked out of our entire accumulated situation here at death. Still, we are attached emotionally to the life we are currently in. So, death is not welcome.

When the Disc of Vishnu kills oneself, one gets full liberation to the Spiritual World. This is because God is all good. So being killed by Him has to also be all good. Plus, he says so over and over everywhere in the scriptures where the subject arises.

So Ketu is dying and getting liberation, so simultaneously he weeps, in a sense, for the loss of the old life, and steps through the door, to the new bliss he is given. This transition period is Ketu's energy. Ketu is putting this always on everything the rainbow of mental transition from one life to the next. So, in Ketu Dashas, especially if the native has Ketu with Moon or in First House, there will be a loss of identity and individuality while you transition into the new consciousness. It is a rebirth.

The type of ecstasy given by being liberated by being killed by Vishnu is that of Vaikuntha. The Soul must go through the Viraj River on the way out of the material world. So some time is spent lamenting, then the rainbow changes and the Soul begins to perceive the new light that awaits them, and they are moved forward forcefully by event, and then they begin to realize that they are being lovingly held. The feelings get better. A swim through a river is taken. It washes off all identification with all your past lives. You feel the dropping off of layers of Ego and misidentification. It is the Supreme Cleansing process.

On the other side of the Viraj, you come out a spiritual being, and you are taken on a plane through many realms until you arrive at yours. When you get there, you will remember that this is your home, and you will know everything. That is Vaishnava liberation.

Ketu is the moment of death in this world and the transition to new awareness. The type of awareness Ketu can give will depend on the Sign, and the usual things we look at. Ketu is a loss point to sum it up. A death and rebirth point. At least it increases awareness of those things, and often does some killing in the House it resides. Close to the Moon, it brings these matters to the mind repeatedly throughout the life. It gives visions, sensitivities, awareness, extremely wide scope, and awareness.

Because of this nature of His, when in the 1st House it causes the being itself to experience wideness in life, and therefore lack of identity is the result. The person finds it hard to be firm on anything because they are so very sensitive to impulses. They feel other people very acutely, and all input affects them. They are like walking antennas or antennae, whatever. They pick up everything. If you hold onto their foreheads, you can hear radio stations......(I'm kidding).

So, they naturally come into contact with weirdoes, that is, Rahu in the 7th, because those weirdoes are walking around looking for someone sensitive enough to understand them. It takes a Ketu to like a Rahu, I always say this.

Ketu is the moment of awareness that you do not care anymore because there is no use in caring anyway. It has guaranteed to be over. When He realized that His head was no longer connected to Him, Ketu's identity became separated from Rahu's. At this moment, the intense feeling of inevitability, the moment of death, the most sure event to prove to us that we are not the boss here, is the moment when we flash on all that we will no longer know and see and be with. It is the moment we flash and feel loss, then realize it is absolutely futile to look back, and at that moment the blurry goodness of the blurry light that lies ahead begins to warm your emerging new spiritually confident conscious self at that moment with warm light, and off you go, if you're ready.

Ketu is the moment that the heart stops beating. The quietness at that moment is louder than life actually. It is the sudden missing heartbeat that you thought you couldn't hear usually, that suddenly you realize is no longer there, and after about 2 seconds of that, you meet Ketu in your mind. You are either ready or not. You will be where Ketu was as the disk left the exit side of the throat of Rahu. We will all be there at one moment soon enough.

Ketu Dasha, and a nicely placed Ketu, will make the native peep into awareness of Ketu in advance. Such a person accepts Predeterminism, and if gifted can side by side accept the appearance of free will as the intent of God for the learning process of the misidentified Souls.

Such a detached person, caring neither for defense of either side of this dilemma, accepting that either way there is a flow coming at them called "the environment", which is of it is own nature and whims, not under the control of my emotions. Therefore, the detached and released Ketu realized person becomes then a viewer of the flow with a positive attitude and cooperation. Where divinity is served, they flow, where not, they flow away, and they follow the light, not caring for life and death here, because they have accepted it already.

Ketu is the door to liberation. Proper placement and Dasha etc. will make one realize liberating experiences.