Last Updated on July 30, 2020 by astrologerbydefault
About exalted/ucch and debilitated/neech planets again. I had written about Sun, Moon and Mars in my post here. Here let us talk about Saturn, Rahu/North Node and Ketu/South node. Exalted is when a planet feels at home and its energy perfectly matches the energy of the environment/sign. And conversely, when the energy of the planet is perfectly mis-matched with the energy of the rashi environment it is ‘debilitated’.
Astrology is just matching energies. Start by learning the basic keywords and see if you can you can understand the energies of the 12 houses/signs and the 9 planetary forces. If you want you can read on the combinations and yogas/doshas later but first learn these basics. Astrology is quite simple actually.
Saturn, is exalted in Libra and debilitated in Aries.
Saturn is the King of Karma! He subsumes his personality for the greater good of the society. He works anonymous among the masses and does not care about acknowledgment. He works tirelessly and endures so that everyone reaps what they have sowed. He is into redressing old hurts, balancing pending Karma and restores fairness and discipline. His work is his fulfilment. Saturn needs structure, discipline, maturity, hierarchy and austerity.He serves and in his service, he Rules.
In Libra/Tula the airy, intellectual sign of his friend Venus/Shukra, he gets maximum opportunity to carry on his work. Venus happily hosts his friend Shani and honors him as the agent of social Justice. And Shani supported by the intellect and inherent fairness of Libra, does his work with aesthetics and beauty. Karma is beautifully balanced! Saturn in Libra becomes great in public related legal issues and is exceptionally materially successful. He addresses old karmas by his legal/balanced service to a large section of the society. His spiritual activity will also be regular and he will learn about constraints and restraints on his personality, which then he will be able to work through. The only fear he faces here is the fear of illegality and unbalance, and this fear is addressed in the environment of the sign itself.
In impulsive Aries however, the rigid, slow-to-move Shani finds himself at a loss. Though Mars is neutral to him, he views the aggressive youthful Mars as an enemy. In Aries/Mesha, Shani, creates fears and resistance from the physical body and the environment both. He constricts innovation, instinct and competition. He demands that in the ‘Sign of the Champions’, rules, regulations and social equality be followed. He refuses to provide energies for explorations and new ventures. The body frame wants to be visible, win and shine, but Saturn insists on anonymity and drudgery. Saturn tries to perform his obligations but fails unless other planets placements help him. Aries’s energies are invasive and contrary to Saturn’s true nature of Social Justice.
Rahu, is exalted in Taurus and debilitated in Scorpio
Rahu is the ambitious one, always over-reaching and falling. Yet he never surrenders. He respects no boundaries and is never satisfied. He is an expert in camouflage and can pretend to be anyone or anything as long as thinks he can gain. He has the courage and daring to attempt, often over-extends.
Rahu is at his acquisitive best in Taurus/Vrushabh. The earthy energies of this sign allow him to indulge in his cravings for lineage, treasures, resources, hoards, food/drink, song and dance. The solidity of the treasure house fascinates his Serpent/Naag mind. He allows himself sensual pleasures and indulgence here. Here in Taurus he can break rules under a superficial garb of legality and earn even more wealth for himself. He can shine in the banking sector. He has gained a good family back-up for himself, and he leverages his assets to shine in the social area too. Thus Rahu’s every ambition is allowed expression in this house of Venus and he unfailingly takes advantage of it.
In Scorpio, Rahu suffers in a curious way. This watery sign is of secret thrills. The owner Mars lets Rahu use his energies, but to enter the mind and the shadows. Here Rahu becomes a successful tantric, energy-worker, an explorer, archaeologist, someone who works alone, away from the society. He delves into the past and the dark with ambitions and ideas of self-gain. He is then a knower-of-secrets, sometimes applauded in the society but generally feared. He cannot claim his social privileges and his assets of secret knowledge cannot be displayed. The society does not understand his ambitions and is wary of him. Rahu is denied social mobility here, which chafes.
Ketu, is exalted in Scorpio and debilitated in Taurus
Ketu is Apathetic. He does not care, one way or the other. He offers detachment and dissociation from the manifested. He is unwanted and does not want. Directionless, desireless and headless, he is the rootless wanderer. He is alone, ethereal and other-worldly.
Now this ‘Cut-off Ketu’ in the house of treasures is completely out of place. In the very physical Taurus he, the nebulous one, is not bothered with assets of the family, its money, wealth, resources, history etc, but conversely he is supposed to look after them. How can he? He has no head remember! He is not interested in sensual pleasures, partying, spending quality time with the family/friends and food/drink or song/dance. Utterly detached from social hierarchies and position of the family in the society. He has no permanent value and thus get no validation from the society. Ketu does not block the pleasures houses of Taurus, just that he does not attach to them. He might appreciate these luxuries but is not acquisitive, is rather detached. Venus’s sign Taurus fails to charm Ketu.
In Scorpio however Ketu feels better at home. Secret transformations are ok with him, place any ‘head’ on him, change his personality, it is all the same to him. He enters the terrifying forces of magic, occult, secrets, emergencies, death and rebirth with that same detachment of an observer. He can become a good doctor, surgeon, tantric, etc, it’s a pull from the past lives, but the thrill of exploration does not exist now. Been there done that! This non-attachment can actually lead to great spiritual development and then Moksh!
When analysing Rahu/Ketu placements, emphasis should be given on the house/sign owner, the planets/conjunct and aspecting both. These are nodes of great power and their power is directed and modified heavily by these other forces.
This was how exalted and debilitated Saturn, Ketu and Rahu behave. If you understand their basic natures its quite easy to analyse. Astrology is all about matching patterns and analysing them. The chart is like a palimpsest, it will reveal its secrets one layer at a time.
