[THREAD]

#astrology #vedic #sidereal

The Sun and Mercury are currently transiting the Nakshatra of Ashwini (0°00’ – 13°20’ Aries).

Learning new things—especially occult things—is particularly auspicious under Ashwini, so it’s a wonderful time to learn about this Nakshatra.

Ashwini is the 1st Nakshatra in the cosmic sequence, marking the beginning of the Cosmic Cycle.

Ashwini is known as the ‘Harbinger of Usha (the Dawn)’, and represents the birth of the Universe—the Original Light that springs into existence from the Primordial Waters of Creation.

Ashwini emerges from the Void, the unmanifest potential of the Universe—a transition from Darkness to Light.

Here lies a major Gandanta point, which marks the end and the start of the Cosmic Cycle.

This is the Pisces-Aries/Revati-Ashwini Gandanta, a pivotal point in the cosmos.

Here, the soul has just arrived from the previous Nakshatra of Revati, where it—having traveled through all the 27 Nakshatras—reached its full maturity and constitutional completion.

It is in Ashwini that the soul embarks on a brand new journey of karma and spiritual evolution.

The ruling deities of Ashwini are the Ashvins, AKA the Ashwini Kumaras or the Twin Horsemen.

The Ashvins are the Gods of Medicine and Healing, riding a chariot drawn by horses that never grow tired.

Youth, vitality, and rejuvenation are important themes associated with Ashwini.

The Ashvins are the cosmic children of Surya the Sun God, and Saranyu, the Goddess of the Clouds, who is the daughter of Tvashtar, the Celestial Architect.

In this story, Surya takes one of his forms known as Vivasvant, which means the ‘Bright One’, or the ‘Luminous One’.

According to Vedic legend, Saranyu felt that Surya’s brilliant solar light was far too much for her to tolerate any longer, and turned into a mare, escaping into the wilderness.

She left behind a ‘shadow self’ named Chaya, so that Surya would not notice that she had disappeared.

After a while, Surya realized what had happened, so he took the form of a stallion and ventured into the wilderness to look for Saranyu.

When Surya found Saranyu, they procreated in their equine forms, resulting in the birth of Nasatya and Dasra—the Ashvins, the Twin Horsemen.

It is said that the Ashvins proclaimed: ‘may we be possessed of good hearing and not be deaf.’

For Ashwini natives, this indicates heightened powers of listening, as well as the faculty of clairaudience: the ability to listen intuitively, and to hear in Spirit.

Listening is an important step in the acquisition of knowledge.

The ability to listen is the reason that Ashwini is so strongly associated with learning and education, and why it is so auspicious to commence any kind of educational venture under the influence of this Nakshatra.

Ashwini’s special ability is Shidhra Vyapani Shakti.

This means that Ashwini has the ability to heal and to achieve things quickly.

The Ashvins’ mother’s name, Saranyu, means ‘swift’ in Sanskrit. This emphasizes Ashwini’s propensity for speed.

A depiction of Saranyu and Chaya:

Surya represents Light, and Saranyu is said to represent Consciousness, so their reunion resulted in the birth of the combination of Light and Consciousness, embodied by the Ashvins.

The Ashvins are twins, and this duality is reflected in the dualistic nature of the Universe.

This dualism is present in the many dichotomies that exist in the world around us.

Ashwini represents dichotomies such as Light and Dark, Sunrise and Sunset.

And while Ashwini is capable of healing, it is just as capable of destruction, especially considering its ruling Grahas.

Ashwini is ruled by Ketu, the South Lunar Node.

Ketu is the Dark Void, the dormant, unmanifest potential of the Universe, waiting to be stirred into motion.

Ketu also represents the Karma of past lives. It is the essence from which the soul is birthed into the material world.

Ketu is known as the ‘Headless Planet’, without a rational mind, acting on solely its instincts.

Its head, the cerebral and analytical Rahu (North Lunar Node), exists separately from it.

Therefore, Grahas under the influence of Ketu can act in an irrational, ‘headless’ manner.

Hot, fiery Mars is the Rashi Lord, being the ruler of Aries.

Mars and Ketu are Pitta Grahas, which means that they have an inherently hot temperament.

This combined heat, along with Ketu’s ‘decapitating’ influence on Mars, can make Ashwini natives very aggressive and impulsive.

Ketu is also said to be the most spiritual Graha of all, and is known for its extreme ascetic tendencies.

In Vedic science, the horse, an animal that is integral to the essence of Ashwini, represents one’s desires, one’s creative powers, and one’s Prana—the Universal Life Force.

In Hinduism, it is said that the mount on which a deity rides represents the energies over which the deity has mastery.

The Ashvins ride on horses, and this indicates that one of the core themes of Ashwini is gaining control and mastery over one’s desires and one’s Prana.

This, along with Ketu’s asceticism, manifests in Ashwini natives in the desire to take control of their Essences in order to be the masters of their own Destiny.

A very famous quote:

‘I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.’ — William Ernest Henley, Ashwini ASC