Category: Nakshatra (Page 8 of 10)

• Span: 06°40′ Gemini to 20°00′ Gemini
• Deity: Rudra, the roarer
• Dasha Lord: Rahu
• Symbol: teardrop, diamond, head
• Animal (Yoni): Dog (female)
• Shakti or power: Yatna shakti = power to make an effort

Rudra is a vedic god, said to be an incarnation of Shiva. His name can be loosely translated to “the roarer”, the word Rudra can mean “to cry” or “to howl”. Rudra is the god of storms, strong winds, destruction, death, time, auspiciousness and animals.

Rudra represents all things wild and uncontrollable; representing chaos, disorder, confusion, destruction and havoc. The main goal here is transformation or purification. Nobody enjoys hard lessons, but most people won’t change without a strong push. Similarly, without clearing things out, there is no space for new things. Rudra represents this clearing out, opening space for the new, as well as the purification of all things.

The name Ardra can be translated into “green”, “fresh” or “moist” again making reference to renewal, to some fresh manifestation. An alternative name is Arudra, making a clear allusion to Rudra. The main message of Ardra deals with the Dance of Shiva, the eternal cycle of destruction and creation, death and rebirth.

The main symbols behind this star are a teardrop, a diamond and a head. The teardrop represents the destruction, the traumatic events, the storm affecting us. The diamond represents the radiance, the creation, the freshness after the storm. The head represents the human condition, with a mental focus, stuck at manas or the mental level of consciousness.

This nakshatra has a strong liking for all things wild, unusual, weird and strange. These natives will usually involve themselves with alternative cultures, fringe ideologies, different religions and things somewhat dissonant from what is common around them. Obviously, there are degrees of this, but the very least is that the Ardra native will be attuned to a foreign language or foreign culture. At most, these natives could be daredevils, hurricane chasers or all kinds of bizarre activities.

Their form of communication is another clear marker. Their dark sense of humor is employed to keep a pleasant environment around them, they will have an alluring presence. There is a tendency here to shock with speech, to say harsh or exaggerated things in order to get a reaction. A sarcastic or shock jock nature is a frequent point with these natives.

These natives are usually very intelligent. Going back to the head symbol, this star has a strong mental focus, which strengthens their mind. This gives them quick wit, a good memory and a strong intellect. Usually these natives will have a few interest areas where they are very knowledgeable, and can easily recite facts about it. For instance, an Ardra native could be a geography buff, knowing all about different countries or different areas of the world.

The mental focus signalizes, also, that these natives live a lot in their own heads. A lot of their problems could stem from mental excesses or overthinking. An Ardra native, even when quiet, will always have something going in his mind. They are constantly thinking, constantly planning and calculating, constantly running scenarios on their head. They have frequent mental storms running alongside a calm exterior façade.

Transformation is a key thing in these natives lives, this is what the storms represent. Transformation is never easy, in fact, some say that each transformation/change in life is a small death. Similarly, Ardra will go through troubles, traumatic events, scandals, ups and downs and turmoils that will trigger change in his life. Usually, these personal storms tend to be short, happening and going away fast. Also, there is always improvement for the native after these events.

Learning to ride the tiger or weather the storm is very important for Ardra, learning to deal with transformation (and the work/sacrifice required for it) is a key lesson in their lives.

Ardra deals with extremes on all senses, and dealing with transformation is one of them.

On one hand, some Ardra natives might crave the constant transformation, the constant movement and agitation. These natives might be constantly creating situations, uprooting their lives and forcing change in their world. Change is good, specially for Ardra. But it can become a cargo cult. You can’t just change for the sake of changing, you have to take the time to learn your lessons, to understand what had to change and why.

On the other hand, some Ardra natives might avoid conflict and avoid change. These natives will go through a storm, they will pretend it didn’t happen, and move on without changing anything. With these cases, they will usually go through multiple storms, multiple troubles, in the same area until they change.

On the first extreme, I’ve met a woman who moved 5 times in about 3 years, all because “she needed a change” and she felt that moving into new homes would give her that. All while uprooting her children and going through all that trouble.

On the second extreme of avoidance, I’ve had a man who had several setbacks, all lining him towards abandoning a certain profession, which he didn’t even enjoy. He chose not to do it, in order to please his family, who had a long dream for him to pursue said career. After years of trouble, multiple complicated incidents related to this career, he finally changed and things went well.

A key point is to learn balance, to change and transform in a conscious manner. Although, if I had to pick the worst path for Ardra, it would be the one where a native avoids change. This star is all about transformation. If a native goes overboard, uprooting and changing all the time, some troubles will occur, but the natural flow is happening. If a native never changes, not only is he creating problems, but the flow of the nakshatra is being interrupted. This avoidance of change, a lot of times, stems from a degree of laziness on the part of these natives

The shakti or power of this star deals with making efforts, reaching goals. Similarly, the diamond symbolism alludes to effort, as finding a diamond is a hard thing on itself, but polishing and making it perfect is even harder. These natives, on their best, are hard workers for themselves and the world. But, in some cases, learning about putting in the effort and creating gold becomes an important turning point in life.

Something that I notice about these natives is that their lives require a little bit of chaos at all times. Even when they are still, or when they are supposed to be resting, they will find something to do. They will get involved with some mental activity or arguments. An example is singer Cher, who has an Ardra ascendant, she used to watch C-SPAN (a political channel in the US) and call-in the shows as a listener to argue about politics. Similarly, these natives can be frequently found on online arguments and discussions.

This “required chaos” becomes specially interesting for the natives who avoid change. A lot of times, they will find sudden troubles or issues knocking on their door, uprooting them and again reinforcing the need for change. Alternatively, subconsciously they will create or build-up tension towards an argument/conflict. Said conflict becomes another storm in their lives, triggering transformation. They will feed the elephant in the room, until it grows tall enough, to put it metaphorically.

Catharsis is a key thing for Ardra, releasing the past, letting go of things and moving on. This is what the teardrop represents, a short burst of sadness, to clear things up and allow us to move on.

Another key point of their existence is finding depth, understanding things to their deeper details. Ardra loves to analyze things, dissecting and going deep like a butcher, tearing ideas/things apart to understand their inner workings. These natives can be great researchers, analysts and critics. They are always able to find out (and point) areas for improvement.

In any area of knowledge, these natives will tend to develop great insight. Usually, some of their areas of focus deal with technology, electricity, aerospace and air-travel, as well as most areas of occult knowledge. Maybe even a combo of areas. These natives are very multifaceted, with multiple diverging interests.

Emotionally, these natives tend to be like a child, they can go from crying to smiling in a very short amount of time.

Ardra’s wild energy creates some issues on an emotional level, these natives can act in antisocial or negative manners at times. These natives can be extremely ungrateful towards people that helped them, not thanking them, not recognizing them or not cutting them some slack when these people need help. Similarly, these natives have a hard time admitting and accepting their own errors, they love playing the blame game. Blaming people for theirs mistakes, finding a way to pin their faults onto others.

Two big areas of growth for these natives, that will improve their lives and karma, deal with learning about gratitude and acceptance. Being grateful to others, giving back to those that helped you. Accepting and admitting your own mistakes, learning from them and moving on, instead of paralyzing yourself on a blame game.

As a daily star, Ardra favors all activities related to electricity or technology. It favors discarding old items, demolishing things or any kind of clearing of the past. Good for confronting problems or long standing issues. Great for research and analysis. Excellent day for worshipping fierce deities, like Rudra and Kali.

This star is unfavorable for new beginnings. Not a great moment for marriage, travel, ceremonies or friendly activities.

Predictively, Ardra will represent people that carry this wild and caustic energy. 11th lord here could show unusual and chaotic friends, for instance. Any planet in Ardra shows turbulence, transformation or ups and downs. For instance, the 2nd lord could show the parents divorcing or separating. The 10th lord could show ups and downs in career, or a major change in career at some point. A final meaning deals with controversy or conflict, Ardra planets will tend to shock or create some degree of upheaval.

Examples:

• Vanessa Williams (Ardra ascendant 16° Gemini): American singer, actress and former beauty contestant.
  • She was crowned Miss America in 1984, among controversy, as many criticized her choice for the title.
  • Nude photos, taken in 1982, that she thought had been destroyed by the photographer resurfaced as they were bought and published by Penthouse Magazine.
  • The public scandal forced her to resign her title. After the scandal, she shifted her focus into a career as actress and singer.
• Temple Grandin (Ardra Mars 17° Gemini): American animal behaviorist
  • An autistic child, she grew up experiencing constant fear, anger and sadness.
  • Upon visiting her aunt’s cow farm, she observed how the animals reacted to stress, and this inspired her to find ways to manage her own stress, as well as in helping animals and livestock do the same.
  • She invented the hug box, a soothing device for autistic people. She went on to specialize on animal care and animal stress relief.
  • Scorpio Ascendant, Mars in Ardra becomes a focal point by ruling the ascendant.
• Kurt Cobain (Ardra Moon 19° Gemini): American musician who wrote anguished and emotional lyrics, died by suicide at the age of 27.
  • As a child, he was diagnosed as hyperactive and given amphetamine-based drugs. Those caused him insomnia, which were counteracted with sleeping medication.
  • His parents divorce was another traumatic event in his childhood, which caused him to antagonize both of his parents.
  • His life was filled with turbulations, emotional pain and overall inner suffering.

See more Nakshatra posts here

• Span: 13°20′ Leo to 26°40′ Leo
• Deity: Bhaga, the god of luck and happiness
• Dasha Lord: Venus
• Symbol: Front legs of a bed (divan), fireplace, platform, a hammock
• Animal (Yoni): Rat (female)
• Shakti or power: Prajanana shakti = power to procreate

Bhaga is one of the 12 Adityas, which are solar deities, the offspring of the goddess of infinity Aditi. Bhaga represents wealth, luck and happiness. His name can be loosely translated into “pleasure”. In ancient tradition, Bhaga mission was to distribute to each his own share of life’s good things. In modern understandings, Bhaga is associated with wealth and marriage.

Similarly, Purva Phalguni is considered the star of pleasure, as well as the star of marriage. The star tends to indicate wealth, and easiness in life. A Purva Phalguni native will generally lead a smooth life, even the poorer natives under this star tend to have fairly prosperous or pleasurable lives.

On the marriage front, this star is usually very romantic and very attracted towards marriage and finding a life partner. After marriage, the life of these natives tends to improve.

The name starts with the word “Purva” which denotes the former, this word shows up in other nakshatras, with “Purva” (former) and “Uttara” (latter) pairs of stars. The word “phalguni” refers to a fig tree or the color red. From that, two interpretations arise. The first one deals with fruitful, with fulfillment of desires, or the creation of things. The second one deals with the color red and its meanings, in regards to passion, and all the characteristics related to this color. Passion bestows intensity, and one issue with these natives deals with extremes of anger when they are hurt or disturbed.

The Phalguni pair of stars deals with passion and fruitfulness, the realization of desires, in their different phases. Purva Phalguni deals with enjoyment, opulence and a quest for pleasure. Uttara Phalguni deals with a more productive aspect of this, where a native seeks to create and mold the world towards his passion.

Speaking of the pair, the main symbol of both stars is shared, which is a bed. Purva Phalguni is said to represent the front legs of a bed, while Uttara Phalguni represents the back legs of a bed. The front of the bed represents the start of rest, while the back represents the ending of it. After a nice rest, we are good to work and produce, which is why Uttara Phalguni represents the more productive aspect of things.

The bed is usually said to be a day bed, or a divan, rather than a traditional bed with a mattress. This represents a nap, which is extra rest or extra relaxation, again reinforcing the notion of comfort related to this star. Similarly, some astrologers associate hammocks with Purva Phalguni. Another symbol is a fireplace, an item that provides comfort and warmth. The final symbol is a platform or stage, which is something that raises a native towards opulence, which could denote fame or an audience.

Venus as the ruler, obviously, resonates with all the natural qualities related to this planet. Love, luxury, fun, pleasure and most of what we have already discussed. But another side of Venus deals with the esoteric, as this planet is related to fertility and rejuvenation. Purva Phalguni natives might have a knack for the occult or the esoteric world.

This nakshatra usually indicates a good life, filled with comforts, and free of anxieties or worries. But the big issue comes with too much of a good thing.

The carefree attitude of these natives rids them of mental anxiety, and a lot of the inner strife that plagues most people. But it also causes extreme bouts of laziness, procrastination and indulgence. A lack of discipline and time management is a strong possibility here, with the native taking prolonged “rests” and not doing what he is supposed to do or not being where he is supposed to be.

This is not the star of hard workers or achievers, in fact, they tend to be the complete opposite of achievers. You will seldom find them on the grindset, these natives don’t live to work, they live to rest and enjoy.

> Grindset: take 3 shifts, wake up at 5 am, barely sleep so you can study and get an MBA.

> Purva Phalguni: take half a shift, wake up at 9, have a comfy breakfast and start your day slowly. Don't forget to take breaks during work. Take a nap in the afternoon, enjoy your hobbies on your couch.

With whichever career they choose, their main goal is to find comfort. Their careers have to be manageable, giving them lots of free time and a relaxed pace of life. Purva Phalguni’s big effort in life is to build a “nest” — better yet, a bed — where they can be comfortable. If they find themselves comfortable enough, there is no need for more, no need for the rat race.

This part of their personality is an ambiguous thing. It could develop into a negative if the native ends up mooching off of others, or if he forgets about his own desires or goals. But usually, it is just another pace of life. Some want to live on the highway, working long hours. Others want to live on the beach, missing their appointments because only suckers swim with watches.

There is a big need for balance here, they need to learn how to have the life and the pace that they enjoy, but without letting go of their responsibilities. Developing will power is essential here. A lot of times, they improve a lot with help from people around them providing support, so having a support group/system could be a good idea. After marriage, they tend to find a healthy balance, usually with their partners helping them navigate things. With children, they also become more driven, as they want to provide and show the good things of life to their kids.

Purva Phalguni natives are usually warm, fun and very welcoming to the people around them. The one exception to this comes when they feel disturbed, when their comfort is threatened or interrupted, then they might engage into extreme bouts of anger and cruelty.

Purva Phalguni has the female rat Yoni, the previous star of Magha has the male rat counterpart. The rat is an animal that sneaks into places, that finds loopholes, breaching through barriers in his path. The deity Ganesha has a rat as his vahana (cosmic vehicle) for this exact reason; Ganesha is the God of new beginnings, the remover of obstacles, so it makes sense that an animal able to breakthrough blockages would be his vehicle.

Similarly, Purva Phalguni bears some of the qualities of this animal. These natives are usually good at finding loopholes, shortcuts or things that will make their lives easier.

One area where they are not lazy deals with physical activity. They are usually engaged with sports, gym or some kind of activity. Their main goal, a lot of times, is to have a nice and attractive body. But they enjoy the movement as well, they might be fond of jogging, specially in places like beaches or lakes.

A natural trend of this star is to always believe in their own luck, to always expect that things will improve or work out in the end. To be fair, a lot of times this actually ends up happening. However, these natives have to learn to put in the effort and work with their luck, instead of solely expecting for sudden changes.

The two big problems that afflict these natives are obliviousness and clutter.

Their carefree attitude could lead towards obliviousness. The native will drown himself in comfort, and he will forget about his responsibilities, both with himself and others. These natives could be stuck for years, not advancing in their lives or careers, forgetting about their own goals and desires at times, all because they can’t notice the smaller problems while things are fun and pleasant on the surface.

At least once in their life, they will have a dramatic break, a wake-up call, from this obliviousness. It doesn’t have to be a real tragedy, and it usually isn’t. But said event will be strongly felt by the native, and it might cause him great personal strife. Think of those movies where a wealthy person looses everything, ends up in a lower position, but in the end they get everything back.

The native will face some kind of discomfort, that might not even seem to be a discomfort for people looking from the outside, that will cause him to change. In one case, a native had a freelancing career, which he stalled frequently. Suddenly, he had to take a standard job, with a 9-5 shift and all the standard things; which would hardly be a tragedy for most. But this created extreme anguish, from the transition from his previous comfort into the new reality. Less than a week into this new job, he became a powerhouse in his freelancing business, seeking and getting new clients like crazy. All so that he could quit and return to the previous state.

This native didn’t care, previously, about his freelancing career. He did the minimal effort, with the minimal time. He couldn’t see his own luck, his own fortune, in having an enjoyable career. Purva Phalguni natives can be blind like that at times, not seeing and appreciating their own luck. This is why their lives usually improve after marriage, as their partners tend to help them see what they can’t, grounding them in reality.

Asking for opinions from people around them, keeping track of tasks/responsibilities (and procrastinations) becomes really important here, as this helps the native see and go beyond his blind spots.

On the second point, of clutter, this is a key trouble area in their lives on multiple fronts. When we hear this word, we first think of hoarding. Although physical clutter is frequent here, with natives keeping boxes, piles and stashes of things; clutter can come in other forms.

These natives can overbook themselves, creating mental clutter and confusion, not knowing where to run. Wearing too many hats, or having too many duties in life, can cause this. With the native not wanting to say no, and keeping multiple conflicting appointments in his life, creating clutter.

Their desires and projects can, similarly, become clutter. An old outlived project could linger in their life, as they refuse to abandon it. Even though they avoid it at all costs, even though they no longer have the passion they had for it, they would keep that old pursuit as clutter. Learning to let go of things, specially if they have outlived their utility to you, is an important lesson for these natives.

An example I’ve met dealt with spiritual clutter. This native would attend service and practice rituals of three different religions. Sundays at catholic church, Wednesdays at seances, Fridays at an alternative religion that literally decries seances. She believes all 3 paths, and this frequently troubles her, as they constantly clash with each other.

As a daily star, this is a great day for fun, relaxing and romantic activities of all kinds. It is a great day for getting help from others, asking for support, appeasing people and dealing amicably with others. Artistic activities are also favored. Dealing with construction, decorating and purchasing homes. Buying clothes, improving appearance and everything related to beauty. Rest and relaxation.

Not favorable for losing face, dealing with shame or reducing your ego. Not a good day for planning and organizing. Not the best moment for intellectual activities.

Predictively, Purva Phalguni always denotes a sense of comfort, opulence and glamour. For instance, a 9th lord in this star would show that the father is an elegant man, the 4th lord could show an elegant mother. The same goes for all persons and objects associated with other houses of the zodiac, for instance, spouse for the 7th lord. Another indication deals with a blind spot, an area where you will “wake-up” from a previous illusion of comfort. A final point deals with a need for breaks or rest, so a 10th lord here would show that the native would prefer a calmer career, that gives him more free time.

Examples:

• Matthew McConaughey (Purva Phalguni Moon at 19° Leo + Rahu, 4th house): American actor known for playing parts of bon-vivants, playboys and generally carefree characters. He himself has a laidback lifestyle, living near the beach, running with his shirt off and generally having fun.
• Zac Efron (Purva Phalguni Moon at 16° Leo, 9th house): American actor, started his career as a teen sensation in the singing series “High School Musical”. Similarly cast for charming roles, like McConaughey.
• Martha Stewart (Purva Phalguni Venus at 16° Leo, 11th house)
  • Venus rules the 8th house, which shows the family of the husband. Using the “wake-up call” principle, she had a big surprise post marriage.
  • She married a man from a wealthy family, in her Venus dasha in 1961, only to discover that they were mostly broke. Breaking the expectation from an easy life, that was usually entailed from such a marriage.
  • Her in-laws were bon-vivants, with her mother-in-law keeping a carefully decorated apartment and both of them frequently travelling abroad to luxurious places.
• John F. Kennedy Jr (Purva Phalguni Ascendant at 18° Leo + Rahu): easy-going, good looking and charismatic. Once called “sexiest man alive”. His life exuded themes of this star.
  • He was an average student, and didn’t pay much attention. At a time, he flunked an exam an had to repeat a grade in school.
  • He had a hard time saying no, and matching his own desires with the expectations of those around him.
    • He wanted to go for drama school, he instead went into law school, by his mother’s intervention.
    • He didn’t want to get into politics, but was pressured by his family to enter functions related to it. In the end, he thrived and didn’t run for office.
  • He enjoyed working out and taking care of his appearance.
  • He went into publishing with George magazine.

See more Nakshatra posts here