Ketu in the 4th house
The results given by Ketu in the fourth house of the horoscope
Ketu in the 4th house Early separation from the mother and the loss of ancestral property. There may be frequent journeys far from home and the loss of the land for the sake of which this person laboured persistently. One may suppose the presence of a small number of close friends and an inclination towards heart illnesses. These people usually live far from their place of birth and visit unusual places. They have a sudden change of their professional status and are interested in the study of spiritual questions. (Tom Hopke)
Ketu in the 4th house, Rahu in the 10th house
Ketu in the 4th house does not give the person emotional comfort. This is the house of joy and domestic comfort. Ketu squeezes the indications of the house where it is placed. The person is eternally dissatisfied. It is difficult for him to acquire his own dwelling and to have a comfortable, cosy corner of his own, if there is no aspect from benefic planets for real estate (especially Jupiter and Saturn). Even if he has his own dwelling, most likely this dwelling is not very cosy. Perhaps the person will have to go through disputed situations connected with real estate. The person does not have close relations with the members of his family. He is in no hurry to return home after work. In the presence of aspects from benefic planets Ketu may not show its natural negative character.
The 10th house shows the profession, reputation, fame and glory. Rahu in the 10th strengthens the reputation in society. Politicians need this most of all. Therefore such a placement of Rahu is considered excellent for politicians and public figures. Such people are very busy with their work, and they have no time for family life. The main thing for them is to receive the next award, title. These are people who were domestic in a past life; and in this life they are meant to work for the good of society. These are very ambitious people who have grandiose plans. They obtain success without particular labour. They do not like to sit calmly in one place and work. They need activity where one can be active and obtain quick success. If Rahu is in the 10th house and at the same time the Rahu mahadasha falls in an active age, the person will have great success.
These people do not want to work in subordination and within established frameworks. They are called freelancers (a free schedule, their own master). The best planet in the 10th house is Mars. After Mars the best planet is considered to be Rahu. Rahu in the 10th house gives success that does not last long. It is considered that at the end of the Rahu mahadasha people discover that they do not have with them what they have accumulated. These people need to learn to stop in time in the pursuit of fame and success, without yielding to their passions. (Mahesh Dharmadasa)
Ketu in the 4th house
Ketu in the 4th house: disappointments and failures, the loss of real estate and means of transport, residence abroad at the expense of other people (perhaps as an adopted son), little happiness from the mother, an absence of property. A placement in suitable signs foretells good relations with relatives and residence in another country.
Ketu in conjunction with Mars in the 4th or 9th house shortens the father's life. (Shri Govind Swarup Agarwal)
Ketu in the 4th house, Rahu in the 10th house: the karmic task
This placement of the nodes puts the person into various extreme situations in life. The placement of Ketu in the 4th house suggests that the first half of life and especially childhood are full of unpleasant experiences. This may leave deep scars on the person's psyche. The 4th house has a relation to the emotional life of the person, which is laid down in childhood. An incorrect attitude of parents, friends or teachers may lead to mental disorders, which may manifest in later years.
Those whose Ketu is strong are tempered in these difficulties and develop a very perceptive mind, and those whose Ketu is weak become very subject to external influences.
A strong placement of Ketu in the 4th house gives psychic abilities, but in order to use them correctly for the good of others, the person must be a strong personality.
This combination of the nodes gives not very smooth relations with the parents, but there is a strong bond with one of the grandfathers or with one of the grandmothers. The native may receive financial support from relatives, but there is always some misunderstanding present. This placement of Ketu gives strong psychic contact with the mother, but relations with her may not always be pleasant because of a tendency to fall into extremes. In this placement misunderstanding between different generations manifests most strongly and therefore the sooner the native leaves the parental home, the better it will be for everyone.
This combination best of all contributes to going out into the world and leaving one's mark on history. Such a person has the abilities to head a large organisation or mission. This is a very favourable placement for outward success, especially if Rahu is somehow connected with other vitally important centres of the horoscope. The closer Rahu is to the middle of the 10th house, the more it can help the native to realise his plans. Usually Rahu in the 10th helps the person to come to the fore in the second half of life. Rahu in this position gives the person a strong sense of the goal of life and of his purpose.
Ketu in the 4th house of Moksha gives the person a sense of the presence of higher forces that create and sustain the universe. Immature souls may give themselves too strongly to these sensations and forget about the practical side of life, which one must learn to avoid. Again, one needs to understand what the harmony between the elements of water (emotions) and earth (practicality) consists in. A good analogy helps to assimilate this principle: “The earth needs water in order to give a harvest. However too much water will cause a flood, and a lack of water will cause a drought”.
Besides its main period, Rahu brings its fruits at the ages of 19, 38 and 42.
This placement of Rahu often requires the person to sacrifice his personal life for the sake of public life. The native must relate to this very carefully and understand that complete neglect of the affairs of the 4th house may lead him to deep inner dissatisfaction even after the attainment of fame.
Rahu in the 10th gives the person leadership qualities, which may be used either for his own aggrandisement, or for the good of those around him. Such a Rahu prompts the person to think and do much for the sake of his status in society, endows him with pragmatism, ambitions, a striving for recognition.
Ketu in the 4th usually gives the person deep knowledge about his roots and an attachment to them. It is necessary to learn to use the wisdom of the past (the 4th house) for the good of the people around (the 10th house).
Examples: Genghis Khan and Mahatma Gandhi.
“Bhrigu Sutra” 8.9-10
A person who has one of the shadow planets occupying the 4th house of the horoscope will have many ornaments and jewels, but will occupy a subordinate position. He will marry twice. If Rahu or Ketu are joined with a malefic planet, sufferings await the mother of the owner of the horoscope, but this will not happen when the shadow planets are joined with a benefic planet.
Other opinions concerning Ketu in the 4th house:
“Phaladipika”: Ketu in the 4th house — life in someone else's house, the early death of the mother, misfortunes, the loss of land and agricultural holdings await the owner of the horoscope. Perhaps he will have to leave his homeland.
“Chamatkar Chintamani”: Ketu in the 4th house — the owner of the horoscope will have no happiness from his mother and friends, will not live long in his own house, and will squander the property received from his father.
Note: Bhrigu Muni gives the same characteristics for the placement of Rahu and Ketu in various houses. His opinion is based on the fact that these planets are always in the seventh house from each other and both exert an influence on the house. However the other classical texts, apart from the “Brihat Jataka” and the “Saravali”, which do not describe the results of the placement of the shadow planets in the houses of the horoscope, hold a different opinion.
We should like to add several important remarks concerning the placement of Rahu and Ketu in the houses of the horoscope. Concerning the characteristics of these planets there are three main opinions: 1) they act as the lord of the sign that they occupy, 2) their nature is like that of Mars and Saturn, and also 3) the view of Kalidasa given below. An experienced astrologer intuitively understands what influences the shadow planets conduct when he analyses a horoscope or draws up forecasts.
Relying on the famous classical work of Kalidasa, the “Uttara Kalamrita”, it may be said that, being shadow planets, these planets are not regarded as the lords of any houses or signs. If Rahu and Ketu are in conjunction (in the same sign) with a planet, then they take on its qualities, become conductors of its energy, and in their periods, or bhuktis, act like that planet. When the shadow planets do not enter into a conjunction — they give the results of the planet aspecting them. And only when Rahu and Ketu are neither joined nor aspected by planets do they act as the lord of the sign in which they are placed.
If one of the two nodes and the lord of a triad are placed in conjunction in the 9th or 10th houses or if one of them is in the 9th, and the other in the 10th, a favourable yoga is formed, which will bring prosperity to the owner of the horoscope. If at the same time a malefic planet enters into a conjunction with or aspects one of the shadow planets, then the bhukti [sub-period] of the yoga-karaka will prove unfavourable.
And a last remark. Rahu and Ketu become beneficial when they occupy the positions of a triad or of a kendra from the lagna. The shadow planets also prove beneficial when they are joined with the lords of a house of a triad or of a quadrant. But if at the same time the lord of the 9th house also owns the 8th (in the case of Gemini rising), or the 12th (in the case of Libra rising), and also if the lords of the 9th or 10th houses are joined with the lords of the 8th and 12th houses, the beneficial results of the yoga are lost.
“Bhrigu Sutra” with commentaries by Indubala
«Jataka Bharanam» 17.101
The results of the placement of Ketu in the 4th house
If Ketu occupies the 4th Bhava, then the person does not receive happiness from his mother and friends, he will have a loss because of his father, he will have no brother. If Ketu is in the Rashi of exaltation or in its own Rashi, then the person will receive happiness for a short time, but chiefly he will be agitated and preoccupied with a journey.
Comments: The 4th Bhava [house] is the Bhava of the mind, the heart, close people. The presence of Ketu in the Bhava of the mind and soul must bring anxiety and agitation. Ketu has the nature and qualities of Mangala [Mars]. If any malefic Grahas [planets] are connected with the 4th Bhava, then the person's mother will have troubles and suffering, and the person — disputes (or litigation) because of land or a house. Besides, because of Ketu in the 4th house the person will live in his society in an atmosphere of quarrels and disputes.