Ketu in Virgo

Avesalom Podvodny. Planets in the Zodiac Signs

In the sphere of consciousness, this is the most difficult placement of the Nodes. Here, as a result of many lifetimes, the individual begins to become aware of their own rigidity. They recognize their patterns and how deeply these affect them; yet it is difficult for them to release these patterns. In previous lives, they perceived the Universe as limited, where everything was well-structured. Now they see that truth extends beyond what their limited senses can measure or even perceive. The individual inevitably encounters situations, circumstances, and events that compel them to “let go” of the physical plane. Nevertheless, they still attempt to live like a salmon—swimming against the current, regardless of the natural flow of forces. They continue to seek order. Their need for strict regulation is so strong that rigidity and hardening in the body increase pressure on internal organs. They constantly suppress the desire to do what feels right, as they wish to maintain an image of respectability. In past incarnations, the individual built their understanding upon facts rather than hearsay. Now they accept only what comes from a “higher authority.” They seek ways to free themselves from the nervous excitability that continues to overwhelm and exhaust them, yet they impose conditions upon healing. The individual must learn to immerse themselves in the waters of Cosmic Consciousness, and in this baptism of mind, they may experience a new birth. However, first they must overcome their karmic fear of living in a corrupted world. The individual enters this life believing the world is filled with dangers, and thus constantly questions the people and conditions they encounter. Anything foreign represents a threat of illness—precisely because of such thinking, illness sometimes actually manifests. Many individuals with this Node placement carry forward sexual issues from past incarnations. Either a loss of sexual experience, or a strong determination to avoid emotional wounds through it, drives them to seek deeper understanding in life. Some are convinced puritans, while others are capable of being physically sensitive yet emotionally cold at the same time. The mind of such an individual is so analytical that life can easily turn into manipulation, akin to a chess game. They have a sharp eye for detail and never overlook the obvious. They are an expert at solving puzzles. They spend hours probing for an answer, yet they can become so absorbed in what they are doing that they often lose perspective. Discrimination from a past life compels them now to dissect what should be kept whole. Thus, although capable of extraordinary mental clarity, they do not possess complete peace of spirit. Through the North Node in Pisces, they must learn Faith. When they cease dividing the world into neat little compartments, they will receive the first glimpses of Universal Consciousness. Ultimately, they must come to understand that all is one, and the one is all. Before this occurs, they must stop seeing themselves as separate from the rest of the world. They will experience events that compel them to become more compassionate. When their carefully devised plans dissolve into nothingness, they begin to see other people in a different light. Symbolically, they feel the pain of the entire Universe, which strengthens Divine Love, and they cease to judge others. Becoming acquainted with a spiritual way of life will be a great advancement for them. While the hand of the past still clings to the limitations they themselves imposed, the hand of the future reaches for a higher alternative. Only their inability to fully release hinders the completion of the transition into a full state of higher mind. Yet they reach a point where they occasionally perceive it. Sometimes their remarkable intuition reveals to them the mysterious essence of being, but memories from the past incarnation of practical Virgo cause them to doubt everything. Thus, halfway between one world and another, these mutable Nodes remain in constant flux. Arriving at their destination, the individual is uncertain they have arrived, and so continues to turn back, restarting their journey again. Each time, they take another step into infinity, where ultimately they will dissolve the bonds of their rigidly formed past and be reborn anew as pure Spirit. The house placement of the South Node indicates the area of life still too rigidly embedded in an overly structured idea. The house placement of the North Node shows how the soul can loosen its grip on all rigid definitions of form and structure, to flow freely in the Ocean of God.