"Mean" versus "True" = positions of Rahu - Ketu

Rahu-Ketu: Directory of Jyotisha Descriptions

Q:

Respected Madam, Namashkar, 

There is confusion in Rahu's Degree and Nakshatra in my chart. In India few softwares are stating 26:16 degree,while some are stating 27:15 degree, 

the problem is tht due to small change in degree of Rahu, it's Nakshatra is changing moreover the divisional signs in Varga are changing ie. in case of 26:16 scorpio Navamsha and in 27:15 Dhanu Navamsha. 

According many calculations are going wrong, I don't know how they are calculating, but this small error is making big difference in results. 

Major error would be In dashamsha, where instead of 4 planets occupying the Kendra, will be only 2( Sat and Mars), Big concern for my Fame of National and International question. 

How to confirm the exact Degree of Rahu on 7th Jan 1979. 21:07 pm Lucknow India. ./Vocation/voc21_aspiring_film_star.htm

A:

'Mean' vs. 'True' Rahu: a Jyotisha calculation choice

Namaskaram:

I personally use "Mean Rahu."

Conflict of Opinion within the Jyotisha Community of Practice

• There is an interesting discussion involving several international Jyotishi on this page http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vedic-astrology-jyotisha/293732-true-mean-rahu.html 

• If you follow even this brief discussion, you may observe that there is no consensus among Jyotishi, and that significant conflict on calculation points is acknowledged within the literary traditions of  Jyotisha (North/South, guru/pandit, various editions of the Sanskrit/Tamil classics, etc.) 

• I agree with the Jyotishi who says "you have to use what works for you" in terms of predictions. In practice, I agree with Sanjay Rath in this particular matter. (I do not agree with him in all matters however!)

Resolution through "Intuition First"

Congratulations: You have discovered something very important in the practice of Jyotisha! 

• It is necessary to meditate upon the nativity first, before attempting to predict solely upon numerical calculations.

• The Vidya of Jyotisha is a whole brain knowledge base. That is, both left brain and right brain must be engaged and interacting constantly in order to make consistently accurate predictions. 

Rational vs. Intuitive components of Jyotisha Reading

• There are actually two separate types of knowledge processed during a Jyotisha analysis & prediction. 

Rational Analysis

The rational analysis is essentially an array search of a rather large table of mathematical items and their human-life descriptors. This table of correlations is huge. Computers of course help these searches immensely. 

Unfortunately a computer "dump" of all possible results of major & minor configuration items in a nativity is almost useless, because it is both too large to digest and it contains so much contradiction. 

The more classical, traditional literature one consults, the more contradiction one discovers.

How to make sense of this ocean of conflicting predictive information in the texts? 

Intuitive Perception

The way to clear up the rational mess and to simplify one's search for meaningful predictive indicators is, IMO, to meditate briefly upon the nativity. In a meditative state the Jyotishi can receive guidance on central patterns to look for and how to frame the response to the client to that it is best pitched to their level of awareness.

Divinations are delicate operations, both intellectually and socially. Whether they admit it or not, most people rely on divinatory predictions to set their life expectations and to make important life choices. 

Their divinatory practice may be personal prayer, seated meditation, taking long walks in nature, reading holy books, or recording their dreams. Everyone seeks divine guidance in some way.

Many people seek guidance from astrologers. This is a heavy responsibility for practicing Jyotishi! Not only do we Jyotishi have the ego motive to make accurate real-world predictions (that is fun and very rewarding intellectually!) but we also have a spiritual motive to channel the greater good through our predictions. We all want to live in a better world. The Jyotishi who can help raise individual consciousness of karmic law and encourage compassion for Self and others via good predictions, is helping the world toward a better state IMO.

The Jyotisha must first establish a spiritual attunement, then proceed in a grounded mental state, with caution and respect, ideally remaining open to divine guidance during the reading or evaluation. 

The practitioner will find that predictions are much improved by firstly entering a state of awareness of the native's astral qualities & current needs. 

Secondly one should engage the rational intelligence to begin a process of "pattern recognition" which can sort out the relevant factors from the less relevant "background" data. 

The astral "picture", obtained in meditation, is not rational. It is composed of light, color, texture, heat/cool, sound, and other sensual qualities. It is a bit like watching a dream-movie, or putting on a "virtual reality" headset. The astral picture gives the Jyotishi a psychic impression of the native which is then applied as a filter and guiding framework to emphasize dominant influences. 

Combining Intuitive Guidance with Rational Calculations:

The Jyotisha whole-brain judgment process happens pretty quickly, and often the two components are so intermixed that they appear to be working simultaneously. But it is important to realize that the intuitive information was in place FIRST.

For example, your own nativity is very striking: Shani/Rahu in lagna in an extremely hostile rashi - the social identity is in chaos. 

This native does not easily find his place in society. 

It is the mark of either "insanity" (shamanistic carryover from Rahu) or "genius" (breaking social taboos from a position of moral leadership, cf. Mahatma Gandhi) or both.  

The astral impression is red and black, with flashing lights & loud noises of crashing but also wide smiles of intelligence and excitement. Clearly the native has chosen a lifetime practice of encountering and negotiating conflict. There is a famous French novel by Emile Zola, "Le Rouge et le Noir" - about the violence and brilliance of the French Revolution. This book and its qualities comes to my mind, because of my own life path, when I meditate to estimate the intensity and scope of the nativity.

This is just a small, incomplete example of the astral picture which arises in meditation -- but I offer it for the purpose of establishing a practice skill.

Making accurate predictions using possibly inaccurate calculations :)

After the astral picture is detected, one is better positioned to negotiate calculation conflicts. Clearly Rahu is a major, major player in this nativity. Predictions related to Rahu mahadasha are mission-critical for setting the native's appropriate expectations of himself and his own performance. 

And also, when a client shows a powerful Rahu, there is no doubt of one's tremendous hunger for intense experiences both 'easy' and 'difficult'. This native in particular MUST develop their own internal guidance system based on shamanistic communication with Divine Intuition.

Making Choices in Jyotisha -- and Human Life in General

OK, that was a long lead-up to what I must say regarding Mean versus True calculations for Rahu. If you have a doubt about which version of the Rahu calculations is correct for you and your path, there are four things I wish to mention:

1. Good for you! You have discovered an area of volatility & disagreement in Jyotisha tradition. This awareness that you now possess will prevent your becoming superstitious or relying unduly upon outside opinion

2. The unique nature of your Rahu indicates profound Shamanistic capabilities. As you may know from studying traditional village shamans (or modern shamans such as macro-economists!) being a Shaman is a dangerous social position. It is easy to be run out of the village with burning torches. So you, above all people, MUST develop your internal guidance system, which means making the commitment to remain in a state of conscious 'background' awareness, even when you are actively engaged in the world. You have to check that inner radar screen constantly, to avoid getting into trouble with Rahu-related disabilities such as impulsive marriages and illness from pollution (both spiritual and physical).

3. In order to choose which of the options for Rahu (Mean versus True) you will use, you will need to run the calculations both ways, and look at the two sets of results. Which set of results better matches your astral picture? In a meditative state there is no anxiety or rational mind-spinning. You can just look at the picture. Do this first. Then run both sets of calculations and see which one matches your INTUITION.

4. This Rahu issue is important not only for your ability to use your Jyotisha charts as a reliable life guide, but also for your life practice in other areas of human choice-making behavior. I hope this situation can serve as a moment of life orientation, when one is forced to learn that intuition and logical reasoning should operate together as much as possible, but that intuition must come slightly first. Always honor your intuition. Intuition or the "inner teaching" is a channel for divine guidance. 

Sincerely,

Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

www.barbarapijan.com 

(nativity under discussion = ../Vocation/voc21_aspiring_film_star.htm )