Bhog se Yog Tak (via Rahu)

It isn't easy to understand Rahu, and it is even harder to tame it. It isn't mind/mann/moon. It is the unconscious — a large part of which is hidden even from your birth chart. Hence, Rahu is called a mystery.

One can do poojas, mantras, and remedies for Rahu, but unless you understand it, you cannot truly remedy Rahu. Understanding your own unconscious patterns, wishes, desires, and roadmap is essential. Rahu does not work in isolation. It operates in accordance with your moon, lagna, ascendant, the house and sign it occupies, and the aspects it has, among other factors.

Analyzing Rahu in your chart is not a simple game. It takes a sharp eye to grasp the complexities of Rahu. In today's article, I have tried to address one dimension — just one more thread in the understanding of Rahu.

Read on...

Rahu: The Demon You Need in Your Life

We’ve all been told that demons are bad. They should be killed, exorcised, or thrown into some dark cave, never to be seen again. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: without your demons, you’d still be sitting in a cold, dark corner of life, waiting for some “angel” to bless you with a miracle. And that’s not how evolution works. In Vedic astrology, Rahu is that demon. Not the blood-drinking monster of mythology, but the shapeshifter inside you who says:

“You know you want it. Go get it.”

Rahu Is Not Evil — It’s Hungry

The scriptures painted Rahu as the one who swallowed nectar before it was his turn. Greedy? Sure. But also visionary. Rahu saw an opportunity and took it. That’s why, in astrology, Rahu represents unprocessed desires. These are the experiences your soul hasn’t “tasted” enough times to get over. This is why Rahu makes you obsessed. It will not let you sleep until you taste what it’s asking for — whether that’s money, power, fame, beauty, sex, food, travel, spiritual highs, or sometimes, self-destruction.

The Pain–Pleasure Dopamine Loop

Modern neuroscience calls it the dopamine cycle. Here’s how it plays out:

1. Craving — You see it, hear it, smell it. Rahu lights up your brain: “That. I want that.”

2. Action — You go for it.

3. Reward — Pleasure hits. Dopamine surges.

4. Plateau — The high fades. You need more to feel the same.

   
   

This is why addicts don’t stay satisfied. Rahu is the zodiac’s addict archetype. But unlike a real addiction, Rahu can be trained — if you stop fighting it like an enemy.

Bhog → Yog

Here’s the part most “spiritual” folks skip: For many people with a strong Rahu influence (life path 4, mulaank 4, Rahu mahadasha, Rahu in the 1st or 4th house, Rahu linked to Moon) — the way to Yog (union, mastery) is through Bhog (indulgence). You can’t transcend something you’ve never tasted. Half the ghosts disappear when acknowledged. If your Rahu wants sex, go have sex — but with awareness. If it wants money, go make it — but track every rupee. If it wants fame, go build your audience — but watch your own ego rise and fall.

The Plateau Is Your Teacher

Rahu will keep you running until one day, you hit that moment: You got the thing. You’ve had the taste a hundred times. And… it’s boring now. That’s not depression — that’s liberation. The plateau is your signal that the karmic craving is burning out. You’ve extracted the juice. You’ve lived it. Now, Rahu shifts. It picks a new obsession, and you start again.

Why Demons Are Necessary

Demons in mythology aren’t just villains — they’re catalysts. Ravana pushed Ram to rise. Kansa pushed Krishna’s story forward. Without friction, there’s no fire. Without hunger, there’s no innovation. Rahu is that “villain” in your chart who forces you to level up. It doesn’t care about your comfort. It will drag you through dirt if that’s what it takes for you to learn. That’s why the people who demonize Rahu are missing the point. You need Rahu. You just need it on a leash of awareness. It needs to know it is being watched by you.

Three Rules for Training Rahu

1. Feed It — On Your Terms

Set aside a fixed time daily or weekly to indulge the craving. Don’t resist it 24/7 — that’s how people break. For example, if Rahu wants power, play strategy games, lead projects, or debate. If it wants sensory pleasure, cook, taste, touch, and explore.

2. Turn Bhog into a Skill

Learn the science, art, and discipline behind the indulgence. If it’s sex, study tantra. If it’s money, study finance. If it’s beauty, study aesthetics. When Rahu’s chaos meets Saturn’s structure, you get real mastery.

3. Anchor After the High

Pleasure without grounding turns into recklessness. After indulging, move, sweat, breathe, and journal. Close the loop.

Addiction vs. Alchemy

Addiction is when Rahu drives, and you sit in the passenger seat. Alchemy is when you drive, and Rahu sits in the back, whispering ideas. The energy is the same — the direction changes. Rahu energy built empires, led revolutions, and created art that outlived centuries. It also destroyed kings and toppled dynasties. The difference? Awareness and discipline.

Finally,

Stop trying to kill your Rahu. You don’t kill the hunger that fuels your evolution. You feed it, watch it from the corner of your eye, learn from it — and in that process, it transforms from a chaotic demon into a wise ally. And if anyone tells you demons don’t belong in spiritual growth, smile. Because you know the truth: Without demons, gods have no reason to show up.

-Shimon