Astrology reveals a simple truth: desire is not the problem — it’s how we work with it that matters.
Desire
[dih-zahyuhr]
verb
- to wish or long for; crave; want.
- to express a wish to obtain; ask for; request.
noun
- a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment.
- an expressed wish; request.
- sexual appetite or a sexual urge.
Desire has always been painted as the root of all evil. Maybe in the olden days, when the soul’s journey towards liberation was blocked by desire, hence desire got a bad reputation. That is why in astrology, 11th house is still termed as the Badhak House as it blocks the 12th house of Moksha. I agree, desire is the root, but not of any evil, it is the root which leads us to the fruits of our evolution. There are 50 Shades of Desire in many other places in our chart – not just the 11th house – which lift us upwards or pull us into a downward spiral.
Let’s start with Venus. Venus is the natural, human kind of wanting — the desire for love, comfort, beauty, pleasure, and harmony. It is sensual, emotional, and relational. This is the part of us that enjoys music, affection, art, and connection. It is personal, warm, and usually gentle. But like everything else, Venus has its own shades. At the lower end, it can get attached — seeking love for validation or using pleasure to fill a void. Venus does not want chaos; it wants fulfilment.
Now, Rahu is a completely different animal. Where Venus wants peace, Rahu wants more. He is the cosmic risk-taker, the one who wants to taste the forbidden, push boundaries, and reinvent the rules. Rahu’s desire is restless. It is not content with the known; it wants to experience everything. That is why Rahu can make us chase things obsessively — fame, success, recognition, status. He is not about pleasure; he is about possession. Not everything is negative about Rahu. With the right influence and the right focus, Rahu gives you growth – exponential growth. No other planet has the capacity to give what Rahu gives, if channelized right.
So, to summarize
- Venus desires to connect.
- Rahu desires to consume.
And yet, both are necessary. Without Venus, Rahu burns out. Without Rahu, Venus stagnates. Together, they represent the full spectrum of human wanting — the sweet and the wild, the gentle and the daring, the revered and the forbidden.
Both Venus and Rahu have an Asura energy to them. Rahu was the asur Swarnbhanu, who had the desire to obtain the elixir and the focus to get it too. Venus is the Guru (the Preceptor) of the Asuras. The desire which emanates from both, good or bad, starts with basic human needs, satisfies basic human asks. If we equate it to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, these planets first start with the lower layers of the pyramid – the physiological. Food, nourishment, clothing, fashion, arts, sex are needs which Venus and Rahu seek, one through bliss and the other via cravings. But the path to the higher layers of the pyramid does not go around the base – it’s through it. There is a famous line in Indian folklore – “Bhooke pet bhajan na hoye”, which is also spoken by President Woodrow Wilson as – “No man can worship God or love his neighbour on an empty stomach”. We have to feed the basics to be able to upgrade ourselves.
Every planet has a higher purpose, a higher potential in our life, even the cruellest ones. Each of them gives us a choice, up or down, or we think we have a choice. Astrologically, our path towards the subtle energies will always go through the gross. We are born in our First house, we get nourishment from our Second, we get skills in the Third and likewise. The soul’s journey towards our 12th house must go through the ups and downs of all houses, and the ones occupied by Venus and Rahu point towards our desires. The key is not to block them, rather to seek. Understanding them, accepting them and fulfilling them is one of the responsibilities we carry – else risk a balance for the next life. Rahu is the first one. Its basal, its carnal, raw power. Focus on the higher purpose of Rahu and direct your energies towards it. Look Rahu in the eye and tread forward. Do not run away from your lion, tame it. Then comes Venus, the harbinger of love.
In my case for example, Venus sits in 9th and Rahu sits in the 8th. I must cross the hunger for the hidden, the occult, the illusions, the unseen – by diving into the depths of my 8th house. It’s not a taboo, it’s a gateway to the 9th house. Once I cross the hidden realms, then comes the love of the father and grace of the Guru. The path is to find the meaning of Dharma and attain higher wisdom, usually starting with religious pursuits. Travel too can become a tool to connect with the beauty around the world and thyself.
We explored the ‘What’, but what about the ‘How’?
To tame and evolve these desires, you need your Mars — the bridge.
Mars is simple – Mars is the one who moves things. He takes all that emotional heat and turns it into action, effort, and courage. And that’s exactly why Mars matters so much when Rahu is involved. Rahu can be wild, unpredictable, and honestly, a little dangerous. If Mars does not stay steady, Rahu’s intensity can turn Mars’ fire into a full-blown wildfire — all passion, no direction. But here is the beautiful part: Mars carries a very pure, very sacred version of his own energy — Hanuman. Hanuman is the perfect Mars: strong, disciplined, fearless, and wise. That is why he is called Bajrang Bali, the one who gives strength to minds that feel weak or overwhelmed. So whenever your desires feel messy, confused, or too intense, tap into your Hanuman-Mars energy. That part of you that can lift mountains and cross oceans. Mars is about giving you the strength to turn your desire into reality.
The house Mars occupies in your chart is where you can transform these raw energies into purpose. In my case, Mars sits in the 3rd house. The only way to evolve in this life is to act towards higher learning, travel, dharma, research, deep study into the occult and take matters into my own hands (3rd house).
This is the alignment that transforms desire;
– Venus refines the heart.
– Rahu expands the horizon.
– Mars grounds it all into action.
And when the three work together, desire stops being a trap — it becomes the very force that evolves your soul.
Yeh ishq nahi aasaan, bas itna samajh lijiye, ik aag ka dariya hai, aur doob ke jaana hai !!!
(Loose translation – “Love isn’t simple. Think of it like a river of fire and the only way through is to plunge right in.”)
Desire is not the enemy in our chart—it is the roadmap for our soul.
