केतु (Ketu) - South Lunar Node

Etymology and Sanskrit Roots

The word केतु (Ketu) has many layers:

• Literal meaning: "flag", "symbol", or "signpost"
• Esoterically, it marks a point of karmic resolution
• It also symbolizes righteous detachment and psychic sensitivity

In astronomy, Ketu is the southern lunar node — the tail of the serpent that causes eclipses, corresponding to the headless body of the Asura decapitated in the myth of Rāhu and Ketu.

Astrological Significance

Ketu doesn't rule any sign directly, but is often linked with:

• Mokṣa (liberation from the cycle of rebirth)
• Renunciation, asceticism, mysticism
• Sudden losses that provoke spiritual inquiry
• The past-life mastery we carry into this life

Whereas Rāhu is worldly obsession, Ketu is spiritual detachment.

Ketu can also rule over:

• Monastic life, occult sciences, past-life recall
• Devotion without ego, non-attachment, mystical visions

Ketu’s impulses are inward, silent, and powerful.

Mythology of Ketu

In the Samudra Manthan (churning of the cosmic ocean), the demon that became Rāhu was split in two:

• Rāhu: the head (desire, hunger, illusion)
• Ketu: the body (instinct, memory, transcendence)

Though headless, Ketu “remembers” the knowledge absorbed before severance. It acts from inherited karmic memory — not desire.

Hence, Ketu governs:

• That which you've done before (karma)
• Areas you've mastered but now outgrown
• Instinctual wisdom without active awareness

Spiritual and Psychological Meaning

While Rāhu urges “gain,” Ketu urges “let go.”

Ketu represents:

• Past-life debris — both gifts and scars
• Deep spiritual sensitivity, psychic voids
• Mystical longing; dissatisfaction with the world
• Vairāgya (detachment) and subtle transcendental insight

Ketu creates a vacuum — and in that emptiness, something divine can arise.

It teaches that peace is found not by control or grasping, but by releasing the ego’s hold.

Challenges and Afflictions

Afflicted Ketu may bring:

• Confusion, apathy, emotional detachment
• Feeling invisible, misunderstood, or ungrounded
• Sudden reversals, loss of relationships or health
• Overdependence on logic or spiritual rationalism as escape

Remedies include:

• Selfless service and humility

• Meditation or spiritual retreat

• Worshiping Lord Gaṇeśa or chanting:

  ॐ कें केतवे नमः
  Oṁ Keṁ Ketave Namaḥ

• Donating blankets, coconut, or sesame on Tuesdays or Saturdays

Modern Relevance

Though subtle, Ketu influences many areas today:

• Spiritual seekers, healers, shamans
• Detachment from mainstream culture
• Minimalist lifestyles, renunciation movements
• Drug detox, trauma release, and mystical therapy

Wherever people are letting go of identity or craving authenticity, Ketu is present.

Conclusion

Ketu is the final gatekeeper to liberation — the embodiment of surrender. Its invisible hand guides us from surface knowledge to intuitive realization.

When we stop grasping and truly relinquish, Ketu opens a hidden door to deeper truths.

🕊 Journal Prompt: What part of your life is asking to be released, not controlled?