This is the design for the south node of the Moon, Ketu. It is the counterpart of Rahu. These are not actual planetary yantras like the others; these are eclipse points, or nodes of the moon. They are known as shadow planets. Where Rahu is about manifestation of desires into reality, Ketu is concerned with a falling away of what is not needed on your unique spiritual path. Both the nodes highlight the unusual, the secretive and the mystical. Sometimes what working with Ketu brings can be difficult. It is learning the lessons of our 'shadow selves', sometimes hastening the dry periods of spirituality that give the illusion of separation from Source. Working with Ketu can bring you to a place where you feel you have no option but to surrender to your Source. It can be quite humbling because it allows what no longer serves you to fall away, even if your ego wants to keep it. For this reason, some people project negativity onto working with Ketu, mostly because they are afraid of working the dark side of the shadow to bring it into the light.
On the other hand, working with Rahu is like the healing balm for what is released from Ketu. Rahu is expansive and creative in a sense like working with Jupiter energy, but with the twist of being mysterious, distinctive, unique, quirky and more feminine. I experienced Ketu as quite painful to work with, and Rahu as fascinating and intriguing. But some may find Ketu very peaceful and meditative because they've already dealt deeply with aspects of their shadow, and conversely find a calm energy from Rahu. It all depends on what you need to let go of, and what you need to create. Essentially Ketu is a letting go, Rahu a creation of new energy.
Ketu's mantra is: Om Kem Ketuve Namaha.
There are a specific number of mantras to be chanted for each, specific days of the week to begin, i.e., Ketu on Tuesday, Rahu on Saturday...and there are specific forms of incense to be burnt. This is a more advanced Tantric practice (Red Tantra, not Black), and I've done it, but the notes are elsewhere. It would be best to work with the other seven planetary yentas first, one by one, chanting the required number of mantras while burning the incense, and THEN move to Rahu and Ketu. I was drawn to these first, and I jumped in too fast and made more work for myself than I needed to.
Of course, you could just work with Rahu and Ketu a little, by trying out gazing at the bind and chanting 108 repetitions of the mantra to get the feel of the energy. That would not be a full classical purashana practice, but one of just exploring. I should have done that to get the fascination out of my system, so my curiosity didn't overwhelm me as it did. My overzealousness ultimately brought much needed change into my life, but I made it more painful than I needed to by not clearing some other things first. But...it's done.
My teacher who gave me these mantras laughed when he realized I'd been overzealous. He just said, "Well you can't undo it now, the process will finish what it needs to do." And it kept working a year and a half later.
Work with the yantra that corresponds to the planet which rules your astrological moon sign first, then work with the other actual planets, and finally Rahu and Ketu.
The incense burned for this is civet.
The synthetic version is powerful and much more humane. It is made by Witchcrafts Artisan Alchemy:
...though the civet used by most Tantric adepts of this practice in India is the real deal, extracted from the anal scent glands of the civet cat. Civet is used in some Hindu temple rituals as well. It used to be used as a scent base for perfumes, and many perfumes in the West, as recent as the mid-80s, still had not been reformulated with synthetic civet. Use the synthetic civet. Don't abuse the cats. Don't perpetuate the horror of leaving the cats in tiny cages like prisoners waiting to have their scent glands torturously scraped once a month. It's awful. I used the synthetic and it was powerful enough.
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