Krittika

• Span: 26°40′ Aries to 10°00 Taurus
• Deity: Agni, the fire god.
• Dasha Lord: Sun
• Symbol: Curved knife (scalpel), Flame, Peacock.
• Animal (Yoni): Ram (male sheep).
• Shakti or power: dahana shakti = power to burn

The name Krittika translates to “one who cuts”, and it deals with the Krittikas, the wives of the sages who guided humanity towards development. This is associated with the myth of the birth of Karttikeya. Which is the story of a time when the gods had lost control to the demons, so they asked Lord Shiva (the most powerful god) for help. He said he wouldn’t be able to act directly, but that he would send a son to help. Karttikeya was born, but being so young he needed to be nurtured or cared for. He was delivered to the Krittikas, who raised him in hiding, as the demons knew about the child and wanted to kill him before he had the chance to grow and destroy them. With the protection of these 6 wives, he was able to grow and recover the skies for the gods.

The myth of Karttikeya has many variations, but here are a few common threads:

• 6 symbolism: in some variations, he is said to have 6 heads, one for each mother. In others, he is said to have been born 6 times.
• Secrecy and revelation of secrets.
• Nurturing, care and protection.
• Fighting demons, defending all that is good.
• He is the son of Shiva and Parvati, brother of Ganesha.

The idea of six heads shows one that can see in all directions. Six is also reminiscent of the 5 human senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing), combined with extra sensory perception. Overall, the point of the six wives or six heads is to show a vision of everything pertaining to human life, all that we feel on earth.

Sincerity, openness and telling the truth are all important things. But let’s get real, people get killed and persecuted all the time for telling the truth. Secrecy is necessary. Similarly, sometimes people simply aren’t ready for a message, they can’t visualize it until it becomes clearer than a pink polka-doted elephant with a siren. So keeping something secret, while it develops, is important. The importance of secrecy is highlighted here.

Nurturing and care goes both ways here. Karttikeya is one of the strongest warriors, according to mythology, yet he needed nurture and care. We all need it. Tenderness, love, care are a key part of earthly life much like the 5 human senses. And there is a give and take of it. He received care of the Krittikas, but he also gave care back. By protecting the gods, the world and creation.

The idea of fighting demons has two main meanings. The first one being the idea of the honorable warrior, fighting for defense, fighting for what is right. Rather than simply being destructive or reckless. The second meaning deals with the imagery of demons themselves.

Most religions have demons, or the concept of demons, inserted in one form or another. They represent negative forces, negative trends and vices. Demons are an allegory to human vices or excesses. Wanting your way enough to lie, cheat, steal and kill for it. Being lustful enough to commit atrocities. And all kinds of excesses.

Demons and vices are a part of living on earth and the senses. The 7 deadly sins of Christianity are an example of this. Controlling ourselves, controlling our senses and not falling into excess are key lessons of life. Karttikeya relates to that process and these lessons. Of course, some people choose to only see the evil in the other, so demons are seen as something external. The bad guys. Rather than understanding the need to fight our own inner evil and harness our inner good.

As the son of Shiva, the strongest god, Karttikeya (also called Murugan) becomes one of the strongest warriors among gods. Another son of Shiva is Ganesha, the elephant god. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, seen as one of the most intelligent deities, capable of breaking any barrier and overcoming any trouble.

The stories about the two brothers always show the dichotomy between brains and brawns, intelligence or force, Ganesha or Karttikeya. A similar dichotomy tends to exist in the lives of Krittika natives.

As I write this text, I am also working on writing about Mars in the signs, which is very poetic as the story of Karttikeya is seen as the birth of Mars.

In the western world, Mars was a Roman deity, associated with many positive things. He was a defender of the people, god of agriculture and seen as an inspiration for the Romans in general. Meanwhile, the Greeks had the equivalent Ares, who was depicted as a reckless and destructive deity.

With Mars, in astrology, there is usually this dichotomy in interpretations of the planet. With a positive and constructive view, or a negative and exaggerated view.

Mars is the primordial male principle, the primordial male force on earth. The Sun is a male force, an important one, but it relates to a godly and elevated principle. The material and more tangible male principle is Mars. Similarly, the female equivalents are Venus (earthly and tangible) and Moon.

A negative view of Mars deals a lot with a fear of the male principle, a fear of masculinity. The job of an astrologer is to notice patterns, and I can’t help myself, I notice them all the time everywhere anywhere. Doing research for Mars, I’ve noticed how the more negative views on the planet stem from this type of fear.

To be fair, there is a little bit of truth into both views. Mars in a chart can show strength, organization and proper action. Or if afflicted, it can show destruction, chaos and recklessness. That goes back into what we said above, about harnessing our instincts, controlling our senses and desires. Mars is this primordial force, primordial fire, this strength that needs to be harnessed in the proper direction.

Going into the deity, Agni. Agni translates into the catalyst, the initiator, the one in the front. He was the leading figure in ancient Vedic literature, as he was supposed to open the path and deliver messages to the other gods, specially in the form of sacrifices. Agni is the god of fire, depicted as an ever-young figure, red in color, with two faces, 7 tongues, black eyes and hair, 3 legs and 7 arms. He is seen riding a ram, which is traditionally a figure of virility or masculinity. He carries in his hands an axe, a torch, prayer beads and a flaming spear.

A lot of primordial forms of religion deal with fire rituals, sacrifices as a central point, Agni represents that. Most modern religions have some form of offerings or sacrifices. Agni also represents that. Agni, in a modern conception, was internalized. The fire is internal, the sacrifice can be done by actions, concentrated effort, mantras, prayers or other forms rather than just a physical one.

Agni here represents many things. The first being the beginning of transformation, or beginning of differentiation. It is the first thing, that is launched and transformed into many others. The power of transformation or change. It also represents the idea of activating something, or promoting something, Krittika changes much depending on what we feed to the fire.

Going into the symbols, Krittika is related to many cutting instruments. Knifes, axes, scissors, needles, etc. But the main one is a curved knife, or a scalpel. All cutting instruments suggest dividing, transforming and changing something.

The scalpel also suggests dissecting, which is a particularly Krittika endeavor. Not only just in the usual Meet Your Little Friend Frog kind of way, but in dissecting everything. It could mean opening up a remote control to understand how it works, or it could mean understanding an idea fully. There is an intense desire to dissect ideas here, to learn their tids and bits, understanding the details behind them.

Krittika natives tend to be very opinionated and straight forward. They are very well disposed for any kind of critical or knowledge related profession, with high discrimination capabilities and courage to express their opinions.

Also, as with any knife/sword symbolism, this shows dualities. The knife cuts both ways, so it could denote constructive endeavors, like creativity or development of knowledge. Or it could denote destructive endeavors as fighting, vandalism and crime.

The fire symbol alludes to Agni again. Cutting and cooking food are both procedures of purification and improvement, toxins are eliminated, and digestion is made easier. In the same manner, Agni denotes all kinds of digestion. Mental digestion, as in the understanding of new ideas and endeavors. Spiritual digestion, as in the acceptance of a sacrifice or penance. As well as the average physical digestion.

The symbol of the peacock is an interesting one. It derives from Karttikeya, who is usually depicted riding one. So let’s talk about birds! Peafowl, with the female peahens and the male peacocks, are a type of bird native to India; but kept all around the world as ornamental birds. The male birds are much bigger and colorful than the female birds, being the most flashy portion of the species. When mating, the females approach the males with the biggest feathers, with some peacocks ending up with multiple partners at times. Krittika natives can be exuberant and flashy as peacocks, specially the male natives. Usually, these natives tend to be very attractive or sought by others.

A similar situation, on the animal kingdom, deals with lions. The male lion is the one with the big and beautiful mane, the lioness has no mane. Frequently, at zoos, people will confuse the lioness with other big cats, such as panthers or pumas. But the male lion is unmistakable. The idea of a species where the male is more prominent than the female alludes to the male principle being strong here. In Leo, this deals with the lion. For Krittika, this is done with the peacock.

So interpreting the points above, one thing that stands out is the idea of a male principle. We see this by Karttikeya and Agni, two strong deities that show this type of force. We see this by the birth of Mars, said to happen here. We see this by the peacock symbolism.

The male principle deals with action, transformation, creation, creativity and expression. Going out into the world, dividing and conquering. Krittika can lead towards many creative types, it can also represent warrior and those very strong.

A second important point deals with discernment, discrimination and criticism. The name Krittika itself relates to the word criticism. The scalpel, the fire and Agni all relate to this idea. Krittika natives are very fond of dissecting things, understanding things in their minimal details, finding the nuance behind things, etc. They also tend to be great at editing, cutting or dealing with information. Giving opinions comes naturally to these natives.

On fire itself, as this is the primordial fire energy, through Agni. What do you feed the fire? Do you touch it? How close are you to it? This relates to many things.

First one being how assertive we are. Too high of a fire, and we come too strong, we run over people, we can even commit crimes. Too weak and we do nothing, we let people run over us. Second point being the use of our senses. They stimulate us, they make us happy to live. But if we are too lustful we can go astray, we can get addicted, we can create many problems. The third one deals with what we feed the fire. What we read, what kind of people we keep near us, what do we think, etc. It all has an influence on us.

The idea of nurturing and care, provided by the Krittikas to Karttikeya, also signals the need for tenderness and love. Krittika is a star that tends to indicate a strong craving for love and romance. But also for taking care of people. This natives can be involved with foster parenting or taking care of children.

The secrecy behind the birth of Karttikeya also is reflected as a need for secrecy by Krittika natives. They tend to keep secrets or hide things. Usually, this relates to something that they find precious or special, and that they want to protect from outside forces.

Krittika’s relationship with secrecy, to me, is no surprise. This is the star of discernment, and knowing when/where and to whom share something is a key lesson in discernment that we all must make. “Do not cast your pearls before the swine“, is a phrase that alludes to this. Not everyone will appreciate something, not everyone will understand something, not everyone will tolerate something. Remember, a fire can make food, but it can also burn Joan of Arc at the stake.

A final point relates to the physical appearance of these natives, which usually tends to be very attractive, specially the men. There is usually something striking or noticeable about Krittika natives, regardless of their size, age or race.

As usual, let’s delve into the negative. The shadows here deal a lot with the fire element and with Mars. If you understand the negative connotations that can arise out of these, there is no need to read much of this paragraph. Being overly combative, aggressive or brash can happen here. Being excessively lustful can happen. Addictions, specially to sex, are possible here. Destructive potential exists, but it is eliminated if the native learns to control his instincts and keep good company.

Another negative deals with criticism. These natives can be overly critical, to the point of offending or alienating people. Similarly, excessive secrets can create distance and problems with others.

The common thread between all of these points is the need for balance, need for making sure that the Krittika fire burns like a warm fireplace rather than the fires of Rome.

As a daily star:

This is usually a good and enjoyable day of the month. It is favorable for most things, but specially for anything that requires fire, enthusiasm and courage. It is a great moment to deal with improving yourself, maybe abandoning an old habit, maybe making a decision. The energy here is transformative, so we can use this for good, by making swift changes.

As it shows fire and strength, it is not the best moment for rest, and we could be interrupted or even be overly active to enjoy a calmer pace.

→ Favorable activities with Krittika: Any activity related to fire or sharp objects. Surgeries, cooking, sewing, getting your hair cut — check the professions above for more, not typing twice. Fire rituals and religious ceremonies in general. Nurturing and caring for others. Purification or self-improvement. Anything requiring discernment/discrimination, like making a judgment or a decision. Good for new beginnings, making big and strong changes, giving up old habits and forming new ones. Courageous or brave endeavors.

→ Unfavorable activities with Krittika: Rest and relaxation. Activities related to water. Anything requiring diplomacy, or delicate speech, is unfavorable as Krittika favors fierce and direct communication.

On a predictive manner, Krittika tends to indicate: fire/enthusiasm, secrecy or nurture. Planets placed here will tend to indicate one of these paths. The 3rd lord here could show a powerful communicator, for example. The 10th lord could show a need to keep secrets in career. Any relationship point, like the 7th lord or Venus, placed here would show extreme nurture in relationships. Either the native craves a very caring partner, or he himself is very caring and nurturing to his loved one, maybe even both.

Mercury or the 3rd lord here could show a cutting tongue, as the native could be excessively critical or direct in speech. Again, something that needs to be controlled or harnessed properly.

Examples:

• David Beckham (Krittika Ascendant at 4° Taurus + Mercury + Ketu): British soccer player known by his good appearance and charm.
  • Warrior and Mars: Athletic themes.
  • Attractive: His talent for sports gave him prestige, but his fame mostly came from his sex-appeal and charm. He was vastly used in ad-campaigns and endorsements.
• Mariska Hargitay (Krittika Moon at 27° Aries): American actress, mostly known for her role in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”.
  • Warrior and Mars: Her most known role is that of a police officer, which relates very well to this theme.
  • Nurture: Her role, as a police officer dealing with sexual abuse victims, inspired her to do real life work in that area. She has a charity and frequently speaks to inspire and help real life victims.

See more Nakshatra posts here