Revati

• Span: 16°40′ Pisces to 30°00′ Pisces
• Deity: Pushan
• Dasha Lord: Mercury
• Symbol: Fish swimming in Sea, a Drum.
• Animal (Yoni): Elephant (female)
• Shakti or power: kshiradyapani shakti = power of nourishment through milk

The name Revati refers to an ancient goddess of the same name. She was known as the goddess of opulence, being associated with great wealth. She was also seen as a great protector of children, having caused great destruction to protect them in some of her mythology. In ancient times, couples who had trouble conceiving used to pray for her benevolence towards having children.

Revati was the wife of Balarama, god of agriculture and strength. Balarama was the elder brother of Krishna. With Revati being the wife of another god, it becomes important to understand both of their myths, as well as their relationship to truly understand this nakshatra.

As such, starting with Balarama. He is the god of agriculture and strength, known as the patron saint of agriculture. He is always depicted carrying a plow, the tool used to prepare the soil for plantation. Obviously, the clearer meaning of this deals with agriculture and nurturing, making the food that keeps us alive.

But another meaning deals with preparing our inner soil, preparing our hearts and minds to handle spirituality and wisdom. Balarama is related to the path of bhakti, which refers to spiritual love and devotion. He is said to cultivate the soil for bhakti, planting the seed of it, and removing the weeds that appear on the way.

Bhakti is a hard concept to define, as many definitions exist, and much debate arises from each and everyone of said definitions. But a simple concept refers to the idea of devotion, love for an image or notion of god, as a means of salvation.

This concept of devotion is seen on many religions, a good example in the West deals with the Catholic saints. With big festivals or celebrations made towards honoring and loving those saints, such as Saint Patrick (it is not just about getting drunk) or Saint Sebastian, for instance.

My personal concept of Bhakti stems from non-dualism, mixed with my own personal flare. Bhakti to me refers to loving creation, loving life, as loving god. Beauty, happiness and enjoyment represent god; and are deserving of our love. Destruction, violence, anger and despair similarly represent god; and are deserving of our love. This is a concept that usually causes anger, or shock, to many people. Which, frankly, only pleases me more about it.

If the purpose of life is to evolve, and reach a new degree of evolution, every experience is a path towards that. All the people that loved and cared for us, all the good times we’ve had, all the success that was bestowed to us. But also all the people that hated us, those that caused us despair and panic. They taught us to be stronger, maybe they triggered change in us, maybe we learned to let go. Everything is a lesson on the path, like it or not.

Some will understand it and pass with honors. Others will get angered and shocked by the concept, passing with the minimal grade or even failing the course. Even the anger at this concept is a lesson, about lessons. Not all are ready for certain lessons, and many will not understand what you try to teach. You will never reach everyone, you will never convince the world, and that is fine.

Going away from this tangent (was it really a tangent, though?) and back to our good old mate Balarama, after all this talk about love and nourishment, when does the strength show up? When love doesn’t work. Many of his stories relate to walking into a place, preaching love and peace, but being met with disrespect and even aggression. Which triggers him to pick up his plow, and give them a little loving violence.

Usually, his anger quickly ends, after acceptance is reached. His violence, or his strength, are means towards an end. Not an end on itself. This is somewhat true for most destructive deities, like Rudra. But here there isn’t much destruction, but rather short bursts of violence. Quick shows of strength to solve a problem or trigger change. His greatest strength is the power to change our hearts, and lead us towards improvement. As the song says, what you need is a big strong hand to lift you to your higher ground.

The story of Balarama and Revati’s wedding has many important connotations. Revati was an only daughter, and her father felt that no man was good enough to marry his daughter. So he took Revati and a list of candidates to Brahmaloka to consult God himself on who to choose.

Upon arrival, Brahma was busy. So they patiently waited for what it felt like a couple of minutes, shorter than the wait on your dentist. He presented his list to Brahma, which triggered his laughter. Time on the godly realm is different than time on earth, those few minutes were actually millions of earthly years. All of those in the list were long gone, earth was completely changed as well, for worse.

Brahma advised him to marry Revati to Balarama, after a lot of penance and prayer. Their return to earth, and the marriage itself, were a fish out of water experience. Coming from a previous yuga, of higher development, he and his daughter were taller and more developed beings. Their knowledge and wisdom, from a previous time, weren’t common or even that much valued in the newer times. They stood taller than everyone else in many ways.

Balarama accepted the marriage, even considering Revati’s excessive height. A natural problem solver, he took his plow and shrunk her down to the normal size of the time. They lived a happy marriage, with two children, that later died in war.

Going into the deity, Pushan, he is the god of paths. He is in charge of guiding and providing light to all paths. Obviously, this refers mostly to lighting up the path towards enlightenment. But he is also associated with navigation, travel and movement.

The planetary ruler, Mercury, has somewhat similar connotations. It relates to travel and communication, which lead us towards new grounds or discoveries. In mythology, Mercury is the messenger of gods, transmitting knowledge between the earthly and godly realms.

The secondary symbol of the drum also relates it to bringing messages, as drums were used to get attention for announcements in ancient times. The drum, a hollow instrument with a contained chamber, we have the symbolism of an incarnated soul. The soul is infinite, but it is limited by the current incarnation. Forced into acting a certain script, much like the beat of a drum or Revati being shrunk by Balarama.

The main symbol of the fish swimming relates it to following a path, following the path of life or the soul. It also relates to adapting yourself, or being immersed into the current incarnation and mission. This nakshatra is variable, with many possible expressions, and a nature not quite fixed. It flows like a fish, adapting to what is around it. Mercury, the most adaptable planet, becomes fitting as a ruler with a similar meaning and adaptability.

Obviously, the fish also relates it to its sign placement, of Pisces. The true ending of the zodiac, materially, is Aquarius. That is the sign of culmination, of results and fruits of labor, as seen by the 11th house. Pisces is the endless flow of possibilities. Could be an ending, could be a beginning, could just be a Tuesday filling paperwork. Pisces is loose and formless, it allows for endless possibilities. Similarly, Revati expresses this same infinity.

Revati is also said to consist of many, yet faint, stars. Some scholars say 27, others say 36, other say 32. I say 69. If there is no agreement, let’s go for fun. The reason for the discordance on the number stems from these stars being very dark, and hard to observe.

The symbolism of multiple faint stars represents this aspect of infinite possibilities. You have a great number of stars, but they either don’t stand out, or they vary in brilliance with time. Showing numerous possibilities, numerous paths and a variable expression for the constellation.

One of the first, and most common, meanings of Revati nakshatra deals with wealth. As Revati is the goddess of opulence, this star tends to indicate wealth. Natives either are born well off or they easily find success in life. The Pisces sign, a lot of times, tends to indicate wealth; but Revati is specially prominent for that.

A common thread between Revati and Balarama is the providence of nourishment. Him by his knowledge of agriculture, her as a mother who nurtures her children. Nourishment here relates to knowledge, wisdom, love and divine inspiration.

Revati nakshatra has a strong tendency towards passivity and conformity. Revati will seldom make a native a rebel, or someone that rocks the boat. From the mythology, Revati was brought down to the height of her new epoch, for she wasn’t comfortable being different. She waited with her father while their world ended, and all of those around them died. Similarly, the drum signals something enclosed. And finally, the fish swimming symbol signals following a path, or conforming to a crowd.

The symbolism of standing tall can show many qualities. It could mean having great knowledge, great wealth or overall being separate from the average around you. Yet, as the native has an impulse to conform, they will adapt towards the mean most of the time.

Extremes of conformity tend to happen with these natives, from simple things like following fashion trends, to doing what has to be done in life rather than what they feel like doing. They are also very sensitive towards external opinion, and they might shy away from doing something if they feel that they could be judged poorly for it.

Revati usually makes for very charitable and generous natives. They will help those that ask them. They will actively seek to help people. They will often be involved with charitable deeds and initiatives. At times, they may carry relationships or friendships that are completely outlived, just to keep helping a person. Similarly, they tend to love animals, and they could be very involved with rescue and adoption of animals. Specially dogs, cats and softer creatures.

Revati bestows the native with excellent communication skills. There is a mystic, almost hypnotic, quality to the way these natives communicate. They have an easy time convincing others, or captivating people with their words. As usual with Pisces, they could miss a few details here and there, but the macro of their communication is usually good and productive.

Going back into the swimming fish, Revati is an endless ocean of possibilities, for good and bad. For good, you have everything. For bad, what will you have? Extremes of confusion, indecision and a lack of direction could arise of the amount of possibilities available here.

The natives have extreme sensitivity, they feel everything very strongly. They can easily get lost in music, or in a movie, or anything somewhat flashy or ellusive. It is a similar influence to a strong Neptune, for those familiar with the outer planets. Similarly, they are easily hurt by words, negative comments or even stares. The tendency to conform, combined with heightened perception and sensitivity, makes for fragile emotions.

As usual, let’s delve into the negative. The 7 to 10 people who have researched and wrote on nakshatras, as well as the 50 or more people who shamelessly copy them, will only discuss the positives. Life isn’t only unicorns, so let’s get into the dirt. I beg your pardon, I never promised you a rose garden.

Standing tall, being apart from others, can mean being delusional. And these natives might live in a fantasy world, believing things that make no sense. Or constructing a view of what they want someone/something to be, rather than dealing with what things really are.

Similarly, they have great powers of communication, which can be used for bad to manipulate people into doing what the native believes to be better. Revati might feel entitled to control, or manipulate others, as they feel that they know best.

When you put these two characteristics together, believing in illusions, combined with manipulative qualities you get a jolly disaster. The native will create a sandcastle in his head, of what someone else is or should be, and they will move oceans and mountains to create their illusion. This manipulative trend could destroy relationships, or even people, if they allow themselves to be manipulated.

With Revati, there is usually a micro and macro divide in their lives. They will conform to social rules, be kind and generous to strangers and do everything to the world. All while mistreating their close relatives and friends, attempting to manipulate and control them.

This divide between the world, and those close by, can be seen in the symbolism. First of all, standing tall can mean not seeing the little things, or what is closer to you. The idea of someone from another era, a fish out of water, coming into the current one similarly shows this. Her husband and children would never know how life was in her time, she was detached from them.

Illusions can also lead them towards irrational fears or erroneous paths. The native will, at times, lie to deceive/influence others. And they will get high on their own supply, believing their own lies. Similarly, they could harbor bizarre beliefs or illusions that create them a lot of practical problems.

The natives can also have too much faith, or too much reliance on their own luck. A somewhat similar trend happens in Purva Phalguni. In both cases, the natives tend to have excellent luck and good fortune. But you can’t run your life solely on that.

A grounding, and stable, figure is of great importance in Revati’s life. This greatly reduces illusory trends, as well as excesses and the more negative behaviors possible. And yet… Revati will many times resent people who provide this kind of influence in their lives. Revati natives need a Balarama, someone to plow them, shrink them back into reality. Friends, family, mentors can provide this for the native.

---

Summary:

Similarly to what we’ve seen with Uttara Bhadrapada, things get more and more abstract as we reach the end of the nakshatra belt, and it gets harder to explain or even give fixed traits. As greater variety shows up, the traits become more subtle and their outer expression more loose. With Revati, where the symbolism around it shows variety and adaptation to surrounding conditions, it becomes specially complicated.

But, overall, Revati natives tend to be generous people. They tend to either be born in wealth, or have luck acquiring it. Their work will, in some manner, provide charity or support to those in need. They will be very fond of music, movies, art and any form of escapism. They will love traveling, and tend to have good luck while doing it. They have a hypnotizing form of communication, which they can use for good and bad. At times, they can be aloof, prone to illusions or they could see themselves as different or better than others. They are easily swayed by external opinions and circumstances, they are rarely rebels, and tend to conform to the crowd. Passivity, receptivity and conformism tend to be qualities present here.

As a daily star:

Revati’s day is a good break after the harsher days of the Bhadrapadas, specially Purva Bhadrapada, showing a softer and calmer day. It is a good time to socialize or deal with positive matters. It can be a time of relaxation, inspiration or reflection.

→ Favorable activities with Revati: Good for any positive, generous or friendly deed. Great for marriage or religious ceremonies. Great for charity or generosity. All forms of creativity, but specially music and fantasy. Excellent star for travelling, specially for long-distance travel. Business dealings and exchanges. Studying, reading or reflecting. Great for occult studies. Rest and rejuvenation, as well as treatment of disease. Great for making endings, specially if they are friendly or mutual in some way.

→ Unfavorable activities with Revati: Anything violent, brash, bold or aggressive. The softness here is not great for sports, surgeries or anything hard. Overcoming troubles or creating restrictions doesn’t bode well today.

Predictively, any planet placed in Revati will show standing tall in regards to that planet. It tends to show luck, good fortune, a talent or good skill. Venus here could show good relationships, for instance. A 7th lord here could show luck in business and enterprises. A lot of times, it can be related to arts or expression. Influencing the 10th lord, it tends to show the native as a leader or someone prominent in the field.

When it influences anything related to the marriage partner, it tends to indicate a taller partner, with a character akin to the nakshatra. When it influences the ascendant, or lord, it will similarly tend to indicate height for the native. When influencing mother (4th or Moon) or father (9th or Sun) it could show some distance from them, physical or emotional, as the parents will stand taller.

Examples:

• James Dean (Revati Ascendant at 19° Pisces): noted actor and sex symbol
  • Standing Tall: Even with a career that lasted only 5 years, he is still remembered to this day for his acting, being a great symbol of Hollywood and the movie industry.
• Lee Iacocca (Revati Ascendant at 22° Pisces): self-made businessman, car-industry mogul.
  • Wealth: born in an average working class, immigrant family, he rose to great wealth working on Ford.
  • Standing Tall: He had great knowledge and vision about cars, being known as the father of the minivan and other important shifts in the industry.
    • He had great knowledge, was a great leader, but he didn’t have infinite power. He was ultimately fired by Henry Ford II, who had way less vision and wanted to be in complete control.
    • Conformism: He spent years dissatisfied with the vision and direction of Ford II, because he enjoyed the perks of being president.
    • He ultimately moved on to Chrysler, who was in a complete crisis, and turned the company around into profitability in just a few years.
    • A titan of industry. He is still remembered as a great executive, and his name has even become a part of popular culture, through songs mentioning him.
• Linda Goodman (Revati Ascendant at 29° Pisces + Sun at 26° + Venus at 22°): American astrologer and author, known for popularizing astrology.
  • Standing tall: Her books helped popularize astrology in the US, and she is still referenced by Western Astrologers to this day. She also had famous and notable clients for her time.
  • Venus in Revati, 3rd lord: Luck in communications, publishing of books.
  • Generosity: She would give lavish gifts to her friends, such as cars and jewelry. Which lead her into bankruptcy in the 80s.
  • Wealth: She made millions as an astrologer.
  • Illusions:
    • In 1973, her 21-year-old daughter Sally committed suicide.
      • Linda called this a government conspiracy, a cover-up, and spent half a million dollars trying to prove this case.
    • On a similar note, she claimed that Marilyn Monroe, Howard Hughes and Elvis Presley were alive and in hiding.
    • Later, she refused treatment for her diabetes, leading to further health complications.
  • Extra:
    • She had 5 kids. 3 of them died in childhood, plus her daughter killing herself.
    • It has been an observation of mine that Revati can, at times, indicate troubles or distance from the native’s children. In extreme cases, with aggravating factors (present in Linda’s chart), through death. But it usually means emotional distance or something less tragic.

See more Nakshatra posts here