The moral battle of Jupiter and Rahu

Last month saw the complete conjunction of Rahu and Jupiter in Aries.

These two will remain together until the end of October, but are now heading in different directions. Their conjunction on the 24th-30th of last month represented the climax of their combined qualities, which can be summed up as the pollution (Rahu) of life/purity (Jupiter). This often plays out in practical terms as the destruction or deterioration of something that was once good. This may have made space for something new to enter in that area of life, but likely the process will have felt chaotic and confusing. You will have experienced these effects in whatever area of life is colored by the sign Aries (for Capricorn rising, this is the 4th house of home, family, for Libra it is the 7th house of partnership). Often the seed for these events will have been planted in that 24-30th window, if not in Spring of 2022 when Rahu first entered Aries, with results showing themselves only recently.

The general effect of this transit is felt in the minds of the collective (represented by Aries: the head of the zodiac). This can may be experienced as a darkening of the lens through which you see the world, or a loss of innocence. What was once wholly good and trusted may be questioned, creating an internal chaos and confusion that muddles the once crisp image you may have held of how life and your world work. This can be a productive doubt which brings you into contact with the traumatic nature of life (Rahu is the archetypal indicator for trauma), with Jupiter providing the space and support for realizations or revelations to be digestible. This can come through in mild or severe ways, depending on factors in your natal chart.

A characteristic feature of the process is a flip-flopping of what is considered good and evil. You may have found yourself on one side of a debate only to later change your opinion and be on the side of the fence which you once demonized. This is because relationship between good (Jupiter) and evil (Rahu)—to use the very severe, but understandable, Christian terms—is so intimate that they are almost inseparable. Extricating polluting influences from wholesome ones requires a deep, deep dive which will inevitably lead to a complete restructuring of worldview. This process if a major contributor to what I noted in last month’s transit report re: the collective confusion which can keep the general populace from seeing clearly during this time.

During this time, there can be moments when the sensation is of the bottom falling out from your world. That is actually the best possible outcome of this transit, as it suggests that the existing dysfunction is coming to light, even as that same dysfunction attempts to extinguish the light which would expose it. If the toxicity represented by Rahu does not precipitate some sort of fundamental restructuring of worldview, it is likely that it is creating some subterranean problems which are mysterious —with no clear cause or solution, even if it is as mild as a pervasive ‘brain fog.’

The buried treasure of this long transit is a move toward radical honesty and a sharp moral compass. What is ‘true’ and ‘good’ is liable to be polluted in the next moment, making movement through this astrological terrain a bit jungly. Staying light on one’s feet and willing to update allegiances and opinions are critical skills which this transit can develop. It will begin with honesty with oneself, which generally requires quiet time, sojourns into nature, meditation and retreat—things which can be difficult to create for oneself when things seem to be moving fast externally. The reality is that there is almost always time to check in with your body and breath.