Rahu Transit in Jyeshtha

Jyeshtha, the eldest, lies at the end of Scorpio. Indra is its deity, Mercury its lord, and an earring or an umbrella its symbol. Mercury is Rahu's friend in the usual lists and Mars, who owns the sign, its enemy, so Rahu in the star of the chief becomes a contender for a seat that belongs to someone else.

The stay lasts about eight months, backward from the fourth pada to the first, and splits into two visits when the true node runs direct for some weeks. Seniority, protection, rank, occult power and the burden the eldest carries for the rest are Jyeshtha's themes.

Rahu inflates rank and its resentments. Disputes over who is senior, who protects whom and who decides come forward. Ketu stands in Mrigashira at the same time and moves back into Rohini for the second half of the stay, and the axis pairs a Rahu that wants the chief's seat with a Ketu that has stopped searching for anything.

Virgo, Gemini and Capricorn Moons and lagnas receive Rahu in the third, sixth and eleventh, the houses Phaladeepika allows to Saturn and to Rahu. Scorpio Moons carry Rahu in the first and feel the strain in the body and in their standing. Taurus Moons have Ketu in the first and Rahu in the seventh. Sagittarius Moons hold Rahu in the twelfth and Aries Moons in the eighth.

The stay shows how a person carries responsibility, and whether seniority is used to protect.

Worship Durga and recite Om Ram Rahave Namah. Parashara's graha shanti asks for mantra and dana, and the traditional gifts for Rahu are dark cloth, sesame and oil on Saturday. Avoid intoxicants, and protect someone junior without being asked.