SCIENTIFIC RATIONALE

We were told as kids in India that looking at the solar eclipse would harm us and to stay indoors. That's because kids will be tempted to look at this new phenomenon if they are outside and their eyes can be easily damaged. Even adults can damage their retinas temporarily or permanently and please see modern science corroborating that in the link below.

A smart way of deterring kids and people further from possible permanent retinal damage is to add the karma and bad for your future dimension. Not much of a future if we are blind due to circumstances that were preventable. Wise rishis, or the ancient researchers, hoped people would listen more if there was more of a scare attached to it.

One of the ladies in our Saturday community classes shared that she was in Goa, India during one of the solar eclipses when pregnant. The locals forbade her from even going out. Her husband did not heed their advice and went out on his bike, looked up, had an accident and broke his clavicle. We are human and it is difficult to ignore this marvelous cosmic event when out and hence best not to be doing much that requires focus.

Eye Damage From Solar Eclipses: Why it Happens (& Prevention) – NVISION (nvisioncenters.com)

STORY OF RAHU SWALLOWING THE SUN

The story behind it is that Rahu swallowed the sun. Rahu is an asura. Sura is “light” in Sanskrit and when you add "A" before then it negates. So A - sura is one who is not in the light. Another example is himsa, meaning “violence” and ahimsa, meaning “non-violence.”

Someone with Asuric qualities has little or no compassion or empathy due to the clouding / eclipse of the heart and consciousness. Hence my grandfather, my first guru, would tell me when I was little to stay away from people like that. I thought he was too jaded… and then I learnt 😊💖

For those of you who know the story of the churning of the ocean, towards the end of the story Lord Vishnu decapitates the head of Rahu while he drinks the nectar of immortality.

Rahu's severed head by then has tasted the nectar and he is still enraged as his head goes flying. The head still has its old vasanas of engulfing and destroying and the head swallows the sun. This was because the sun was the one who told Lord Vishnu when Rahu started consuming the nectar. Of course Rahu does not like the truthful all seeing Sun especially if he is inconvenienced. This vengeful harming energy is what we will receive if we look at the solar eclipse.

So if all of Rahu's rage and darkness does not scare you or your kids from taking a peak at the sun on the 8th of April, then let science convince you not to do so. And if you must look then please get eclipse glasses, which are different from sunglasses.

RAHU IN INDIAN ASTROLOGY ( JYOTHISH)

Rahu and Ketu are called Chaayagraha or shadow planets. They have no mass or substance. Yet their malefic effect is felt in the astrological chart. Chaaya means shadow. They exist only as shadows as they are not actually in existence. However they cast their shadow on clear thinking or higher aspirants by veering the practitioner into materialism and delusional thinking.

I saw the documentary Bad Vegan on Netflix where we see this lady Sarma get pulled into a web of lies and delusional promises by her husband. In later interviews she even says "I wish he used drugs to manipulate me" as now I don't even have an excuse for trusting and going along with his delusions. That is the power of Rahu: it entices you so much into delusional grandeur, instant power and money. In Sarma’s case immortality for her and her dog was the hook. The first wife of this con artist husband who is interviewed says that she knew him and his dad to be petty thieves who both stole her jewelry to feed their gambling habit. Now he had graduated into swindling millions from this New York Vegan restaurant owner, Sarma.

I am sure many of you have had people sell you yet another scheme that you do not need or build a castle in the air of everlasting love and prosperity that was far from the truth. This illusory trickster energy of Rahu is very prevalent during the eclipse and we can use it for our benefit rather than being trapped in its detrimental effects. Rahu typically brings dissatisfaction, obsession, scientific rationale confusion, chaos, occultism and fear. Because Rahu is only a head, how much ever he eats he is not satiated and resembles a person one can never please. It is never enough.

THE ECLIPSE IS AN AUSPICIOUS TIME FOR REBALANCING AND SADHANA

Jyothish is the name of Indian astrology. Jyothi means “light and jyothish is that which illuminates our path forward so we can cultivate self awareness about our predispositions, challenges and possibilities going forward with the least resistance.

When a child is under the influence of Rahu, the child may become rebellious and get into bad habits like drugs or wrong company and worse even engage in criminal activities. When elders get an inkling of this looking at the child's Jyothish or birth chart then they start doing the remedies even before the problem arises in many cases. Here is a list of remedies:

The child Is asked to feed fishes.
The child release fishes in the pond or river.
Coconut is donated on behalf of the child.
Drinking coconut water. Coconut water is cooling and has many electrolytes to balance the system.
Sleeping early and waking up before sun rise.
Keeping and taking a pinch of nutmeg on Saturdays. Nutmeg has a calming sedating effect and counters the hyperactivity of Rahu influence.
Eating early and only healthy sathvic foods (foods that are filled with prana).
Wearing or keeping silver. Silver is a cooling metal.
Keeping objects given by the guru as a reminder of leading a life of dharma (maintaining cosmic order) and for protection from unhealthy short cuts.
Rahu can veer one towards drug addiction and criminal behaviour, so keeping good sangha or uplifting and good company is important to counter that effect.
Giving thanks to, serving and giving dakshina to the Guru, mentors or guides as egoism and “I am always right” may take over.
Sweet speech. One is asked to cultivate kind and pleasant ways of speaking. Rahu’s influence can make one short tempered even over trivial matters.
Soothing music to calm the agitated mind.
Truthfulness. Speaking the truth to counter the malefic effects of Rahu which creates a leaning towards deceit.
Jalabishek. This is bathing the linga of Shiva with water everyday reverentially as a prayer.

These remedies enable the child and even adults to develop a compassionate personality and connect with the water element and cool off. Rahu is a heating planet and builds excessive fire, aggression and dissonance. There are other specific remedies depending on the exact house Rahu is impacting in the birth chart.

The best remedy for Rahu is Shiva. Shiva as you know means consciousness, auspiciousness and change for the better. He rules over snakes and all darkness is enveloped and embraced by him and transformed into goodness. Shiva is goodness personified and therefore any negativity in his stream is embraced into harmony. Chanting Om Namah Shivaya or, the more powerful form, Om Rudraya Namaha is good to balance Rahu.

Chanting Rahu stotra or mantra helps. Connecting with the energy of Rahu itself can create an opening for transformation. This energy of nectar or amrita that he imbibed can be celebrated. Yet we choose to immortalize the good.

There are stories of Hanuman (the monkey being, who is a devotee of Rama) as a young boy who mistakes the sun for a fruit or mango and wants to eat the sun. As Rahu goes to engulf the sun, young Hanuman chases Rahu too and he is scared. Rahu is no match for Hanuman. Chanting the Hanuman mantra during this time is also a great protection against the malefic effects of Rahu. Hanuman is a counter force to Rahu. Om Hanumathe Namaha.

The Buddha also suggested certain chants to overcome the ill effects of Rahu.

Foundational Arkaya Tantra Yoga practices are structured to calm and soothe the nervous system. They are invaluable practices during this time to be with all there is. As we do the sadhana (evolutionary practice) we start to observe things through karuna sakshi bhava (compassionate witnessing). The good, bad and the so-called ugly are embraced into ease through grace.

You are invited to join the Arkaya Community Satsangh every Saturday from 9 to 11 AM PST on Zoom. Your first community class/ satsangh is free. Go to www.arkaya.net/communityclass

Rahu gives one a lot of energy and it is important to channelise this energy well. There can be positive outcomes of Rahu where one succeeds in politics. We can learn to embrace our shadow into the light during this time of Rahu. We can turn curses into blessings by loving even the darkest recesses of our minds and using water and salt to wash away old patterns that are disharmonious. This is a time to put back into those who have invested in our evolution. We can counter the effects of Rahu through humility, offering money and materialistic things to spiritual mentors and supporting good causes. Rahu’s materialism and greed can be countered by giving.

This is a beautiful time for transformation where all parts of us can be seen, gleaned from and released into goodness to work for good. Like in the symbolism of the story of the churning of the ocean we enlist and befriend our negative emotions but never immortalize them. May this Rahu period of the eclipse be a time to dive deep into and heal the trauma and chaos we hold and unconsciously enact in our lives.