Rahu Transit in Magha

Magha is the throne, the seat of the Pitris, in Leo, the Sun's sign, and Ketu rules it. In Magha Rahu stands on its counterpart's ground, and the usual lists say little about how the two nodes regard each other. The Sun, owner of the sign, is Rahu's enemy. A shadow over the king's star is an old image in the texts.

The stay is around seven months, backward from the fourth pada to the first, and splits into two visits when the true node runs direct for some weeks. Ancestry, authority, lineage, ceremony and the honours that come by descent are the themes. Rahu enlarges the desire for a throne, and the doubt about deserving it.

Ketu stands in Shatabhisha for the first half of the stay and in Dhanishta for the second, so the axis pairs an inflated wish for rank with a withdrawal from the crowd. Matters of the father's family, inheritance and the ancestral home come forward. The heart and the spine need care.

Gemini, Pisces and Libra Moons receive Rahu in the third, sixth and eleventh, the houses Phaladeepika calls favourable. Leo Moons carry Rahu in the first and feel a hunger for recognition and a fear of losing standing. Aquarius Moons have Ketu in the first and Rahu in the seventh. Virgo Moons hold Rahu in the twelfth and Capricorn Moons in the eighth, and the lagna is read the same way.

Lineage and pride are under examination. Wanting the throne shows what it costs, and honouring the ancestors brings their help.

Worship Durga with Om Ram Rahave Namah, and offer tarpana, or simply water and sesame, for the Pitris. Take no intoxicants. Give Parashara's dana for Rahu, dark cloth, sesame and oil on Saturday, without telling anyone it was given.