“Man, who could have predicted that ending, huh?”
This, from the seat in front of me as our airplane readies for takeoff. Later, after landing, I hear snippets of the same conversation, as I find myself inadvertently eavesdrop on fellow passengers as they await connecting flights at the airport. Some version of this same conversation circles around the terminal, fueled perhaps by America’s appetite for surprise twist endings.
There’s even a cartoon in the USA Today depicting a man scaling a mountain peak to meet his bearded guru. The caption reads: “Never mind the meaning of life… why did the Seahawks throw on second and goal??” The question on everyone’s lips.
But to me, it was a no brainer.
Don’t get me wrong- I didn’t predict the score, nor how the final scenario would play out, and I certainly missed the mark on the over/under wrongly picking the game staying UNDER 47.5 points. But… as Ventzi and I I studied the horoscope for the moment the game started (surprisingly on time this year), two things stood out like a sore thumb: first, the favorite would win, slightly edging out a worthy and evenly-matched underdog. Second, there would be a dramatic reversal or twist at the end leading to great disappointment… and controversy.
And so it was.
The south node of the moon, called “Ketu” in Vedic Astrology happened to exactly conjoin the 10th house cusp at kickoff. The 10th house indicates the outcome of a match, and Ketu- Rahu- the lunar nodes- are the clown jesters of the horoscope, with a reputation for reversals and unpredictable outcomes. Rahu (the north node) usually gives triumph and sudden elation- though one followed by scandal and let down. More on this later. Ketu, who is Rahu’s mirror image, always traveling 180 degrees from Rahu, signifies devastating disappointments, and the soul-searching emptiness that follows. It’s a “moksha” indicator in the chart- a significator for spiritual release and freedom, in part because it rips the things we cherish from our grasp. Ketu in the 2nd house? No money. Ketu in the 5th? No kids. And Ketu in the 10th, you are stripped of the glory that was so close you could taste it.
While this may have been the acrid taste left in the mouth of Seahawks fans and their players, Rahu on the other hand delivered an almost too sweet to swallow win to their opponents. But Rahu also comes with a price. In the next few weeks, Patriots lovers may well have reason to rue Rahu’s rapid success, due in part to possible scandals or other distasteful revelations.
Just like human beings, football games, tennis matches, and other competitions have a birth, life span and an ending. Everything in this universe is a space-time event, and the science of Jyotisha can give us insight into the nature of such events, and whether they will end in triumph or ignominy. For the Seahawks and Patriots, only time will tell how long the court jesters of the sky will dog their legacy, the subject of wide-eyed conversations in airport terminals everywhere.
