As I explained in my initial post for this series, I’m conducting an experiment in visual display to help people appreciate the role of the nodes as proxy agents. The nodes act on behalf of planets (1) with which they’re associated, (2) by which they’re aspected, (3) whose sidereal sign they occupy, and (4) whose nakshatra they occupy, in descending order of effect.

I’ve assigned numeric values for magnitude of effect to generate some topography in the visual display: association gets 8 points, aspect gets 4, dispositorship by sign 2, and dispositorship by nakshatra 1. Readers with better ideas are free to submit suggestions. Please consider this a work in progress.

Here’s the logic behind this graph: For the first week of March 2019, Rahu occupies sidereal Cancer ruled by the Moon (2 points), and Punarvasu nakshatra ruled by Jupiter (1 point). Meanwhile, Mars in Aries and Jupiter in Scorpio each aspect Rahu (4 points each).

Then on March 8th, Rahu moves into Gemini ruled by Mercury while remaining in Punarvasu. Mars and Jupiter no longer aspect Rahu, so its “power level” drops, as seen in the graph. But in the middle of the month, the Moon transits Gemini, engaging Rahu by association (8 points), which causes a brief “blip” in Rahu’s effect.

Their collective influence is shown in the blue band for Rahu. Note, this graph reflects magnitude of effect only, with no distinction between benefic vs malefic planets. Hopefully, this “nodal weather report” may evolve into that.

Meanwhile, for the first week in March while Ketu is still in Capricorn, it’s ruled by Saturn (2 pts), and Uttara Ashadha ruled by the Sun (1 pt). During this week, it’s associated with Venus (8 pts).

Then on March 8th, Ketu moves into Sagittarius while remaining in Uttara Ashadha. But once it changes sign, it comes into association with Saturn (8 pts). Meanwhile, the Moon transits Capricorn in the first week of the month, and Sagittarius in the last week, thus engaging Ketu by association (8 pts), causing brief surges in “power” for Ketu.

Their collective influence is shown in the red band for Ketu, again, indicating magnitude of effect only, with no distinction between benefic vs malefic influence.

As a general observation, we can say that Rahu exerts its greatest influence in the first week of March, affecting anyone with the ascendant, luminaries or key planets in the first pada (0deg00-03deg20) of Capricorn. Ketu exerts its greatest influence in the last week of March, affecting anyone with the ascendant, luminaries or key planets in the last pada (26deg40-30deg00) of Sagittarius.

Just to get all of this in perspective, here’s the graph of nodal influence for the first quarter of 2019. Thus far in the year, the greatest “power surge” of nodal effect came in the first week of February, when both Sun and Mercury were associated with Ketu, and a New Moon occurred in Capricorn.

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Alan Annand studied with Hart de Fouw, and is a graduate of the American College of Vedic Astrology. He’s also a former tutor for the British Faculty of Astrological Studies, and the author of several books.

Kala Sarpa is a first-of-its-kind reference book on a unique pattern in jyotish that is not discussed in shastra yet is part of India’s rich oral tradition.

Stellar Astrology, Volumes 1 & 2, offer a wealth of time-tested techniques in the form of biographical profiles, analyses of world events, and technical essays. Parivartana Yoga is a reference text for one of the most common yet powerful planetary combinations in jyotish. His Mutual Reception is an expanded companion volume written for western practitioners, covering the same subject of planetary exchange through the lens of traditional astrology.

His New Age Noir crime novels (Scorpio Rising, Felonious Monk, Soma County) feature astrologer and palmist Axel Crowe, whom one reviewer has dubbed “Sherlock Holmes with a horoscope.”

Websites: www.navamsa.com, www.sextile.com

You can find his books on Amazon, Apple, Barnes&Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.