Symbols of #Rohini #Nakshatra
The symbols of Rohini Nakshatra are very interesting and worth considering if we are to get an understanding and insight into the red woman Rohini.
While reading into these symbols, let us remember that the word Rohini comes from the root word Rohana. Rohana implies fertility and growth.
The #Bull
There is firstly the bull. The bull of virility is implied – male desire and reproductive desire are enhanced by evoking the Rohana Shakti of Rohini Nakshatra. Rohini Nakshatra is in the constellation of Taurus, which further is signified by the symbol of the bull.
The #Tree
The symbol of the #Banyan tree is also given to Rohini Nakshatra. The Banyan tree is a tree that ever keeps growing and is therefore a perfect symbol of for the fertility that Rohini transports.
The Banyan tree is considered a holy tree to the Yogins and is to be found growing in places of power and temples in India.
The Roots of the Banyan tree grow from above downwardly, so it presents a paradox to the usual tree. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna mentions that the Banyan tree is a reversal amongst the trees that reflects the spiritual world within. The paradox that it presents is a subject to meditate and ponder upon.
Ponder upon it…
Whenever one becomes
like the moon,
they are crowned upon the head
of the infinite wisdom of Yog.
Mantras of Rohini
The Bija (seed mantras) of Rohini are sounds that relate to the womb energies of fertility, along with the rhythmical Lunar movements of the mind and the Venusian sexual chakra. These mantras are practiced in Tantric ritual When Rohini visits the Moon. Some of them are:
Ohh,
Vhaaa,
Vheee
& Vhuuu.
When intoned with a specific shape of the lips, these mantras activate the Nadis (energy lines) of the Moon ruled movements of the astral mind and the womb and Shakti chakra. The womb is the source of fertility and birth, the dark creative cave where Rohini shines brightest – for she is creativity itself.
Rohini is also a word for the maiden at her first ever menstruation. Working with the star of Rohini helps in balancing issues of fertility, sexuality, menstruation and menopause. Rohini addresses the hormonal rhythms and sexual function in both male and female on both physical and psychic levels – it is to be remembered that Rohini is the Moon’s favorite lover. She brings stability to the sensitive astral self, as she balances the Lunar forces that intersect with the mind.
Bull Power
Rohini Nakshatra is found in Vrishabh (Taurus). Rohini is the star #Aldebaran, a star of great red radiance and the brightest star of Vrishabh… the eye of the Venusian Taurus which is the Shukracharia (Venus) ruled zodiacal constellation of the Bull. The Ox pulled cart is a symbol of Rohini that alludes to this detail.
The Bull is a virile potent force of tempestuous nature, very much the active expression of Rohini – it can run amok in our lives or it can be channeled as in the case of the agricultural Ox. Rohini is not a castrator but a boundless force of growth that can be put towards ploughing the field of our lives and reaping harvest. We find that Kamadhenu – the great wish fulfilling cow who represents the feminine aspect of Taurean force – is also another name for Rohini Nakshatra.
Between the #Moon & #Sun
If we consider the previous Nakshatra to Rohni we find Krittika (Pleiades) and see that it’s ruling deity is Agni, who is the god of heat and Fire. Rohini is then followed by Mrigashirsha Nakshatra (Orion) which is ruled by Soma, who is the fluidic cooling Moon god. We see that Rohini is ruled by the deity of creation Prajapati Brahma.
Rohini is quite literally balanced between the energies of heating Agni and cooling Soma. The implicit wisdom inherent here is that Rohini brings creativity through the balance of Moon and Sun. Hatha Yog is often interpreted as the union of the Moon and the Sun, or the union of Hot and Cold, Woman and Man, Earth and Sky. Ha refers to the heating solar force while Tha refers to the cooling lunar force. Rohini is the creative energy what weaves them together and is born of their union. Practices of Hatha Yog open creativity in all dimensions of our being.
Stars in Herbal Medicine
Brahmi is an Indian herb, but it the word Brahmi is also another name for Rohini Nakshatra. Brahma the creator is the deity of this Nakshatra and has as his Shakti (feminine power) Brahmi… hence this being another name for this Nakshatra. Rohini it is, above all else, the star of creativity.
The Indian herb Brahmi
is taken to improve memory
while at the same time
acting as an aphrodisiac.
This synchronicity reflects the Moon and Venus involvement of this Nakshatra. The Moon’s most beloved Nakshatra is Rohini. The Moons memory is intense in remembrance of her, and the love for her, even more so. The Moon rules the movements of the Mind, whereas Venusian energy manifests in love and sexuality. Brahmi is a good herb for balancing Rohini afflictions in the support of healing the feminine.
The Red Fertile Woman
Rohini is the red Star in the eye of the Taurian Bull. It is the star known as Aldebaran.
The word Rohini means fertility and growth, but is also translatable as the red woman, it implies the fertile menstruation process and reproduction. The fertility of Rohini is the red blood of Life.
Consider all the connotations of the colour red that you can, from passion to heat, from blood to birth.
Kali Ma & Rohini
In Kali Ma we see the symbol of blood in a pronounced way. Kali Ma is the Mother of the womb energy. She is the dark cavern of the womb.
The creativity of Kali Ma can be seen as being the opposite of Rohini.
We are talking about the destructive side of creativity here!
Kali Ma is the blood of death. Although life and death appear to stand at opposite poles, they are inseparably interwoven with each other.
The process of destruction leads to birth, as birth leads to destruction. We can also say that birth follows destruction.
The Tantrics refer to the feminine womb as Kali Mandir – this translates as the Temple of the Dark Mother.
The womb clothes the spirit In flesh.
It is creative and life giving, yet the birth into form and manifestation that the womb brings, is the death of the spirit from its previous energetic state.
How many wombs can you think of that usher something into manifestation? A pen for instance, could be seen as a womb for birthing a book.
When death approaches, we again enter birth in the cosmic womb, as we part from form.
In this way, birth and death are really the same thing. We might say that they do not follow one after the other, but rather, are ever moving towards each other.
Rohini is the side of blood to create, and Kali Ma is the side of blood to destroy.
Looking from an absolute vantage point… When creation and destruction are seen as forces that magnetise each other, then Kali Ma and Rohini can be seen as one.
But when we envision Kali Ma and Rohini from the perspective of dualistic opposites, they seem Poles apart.
There is a teaching story that presents this Paradox of creation and destruction. It is a story that centralises around blood.
Bloody Tales of the Tantric Goddess
The stories of Kali Ma tell of the fate of the near invincible Asura Raktbija.
Raktbija epitomises the self perpetuating destructive urge.
He would not be defeated and would simply recreate further forms of himself wherever a drop if his blood would spill.
Rakt, in his name means blood, and Bija means Seed.
So literally, his name means, he who’s every drop of blood is a seed.
By this power to reproduce himself, he seemed invincible.
In battle, he only grew more and more powerful and numerous.
Only Kali Ma had the ferocity to consume his endless duplicates and defeat him by drinking every drop of his blood until there was nothing left of him.
Kali Ma is the consuming force that can never be escaped or sidestepped.
As the consumer of the seed and blood Asura Raktbija, she is called Rakteshvari.
Her infamous bloodlust knows no limits.
The story goes on to tell that when Raktbija was consumed by Kali Ma, she became unstoppable and continued to consume life until Shiva intervened as a way to stop the all consuming raging bloodlust that threatened to consume everything including him.
The solution was to place an innocent child before her.
Kali Ma’s motherly instincts were aroused and in an instant she became the nurturing mother of womb power.
This fantastical tale is full of codes. When we meditate upon this story and glimpse behind the ‘outer story’ and into the deeper meanings of the ‘inner story’, we see into the energies of creation and destruction and how they meet.
The Head in her Hand
Kali Ma holds a head in her hand. This is a significant symbol as we will soon see.
As we have already seen, Kali is Rohini in her Destructive creative aspect. Kali cuts the head off and stops the familiar motion of the mind.
Rahu is the North node of the Moon that eclipses the sun. Kali Ma carries the power of Rahu in her Left hand.
Let us pause and Look at opposites for a moment:
Rahu is the separated head of Ketu the South lunar node.
Though they are separate, they can’t really be separated. They are always 180 degrees from each other as mirror opposites. Rahu is the automatic response of habitual consuming consiousness that does not pause to contemplate deeper layers of being. Rahu simply feast eternally and hungrily as everything simply passses through him with no body to retain any of it. Rahu is never satisfied.
That is what Kali Ma holds. She at once has the power of Rahu – (As the story of Raktbija demonstrates) – and she also has the power over Rahu.
Kali Ma is the dark that envelops and eclipses the eclipser of the sun that Rahu is.
Kali Ma is a Darker shade of solar eclipse!
Ponder on this…
Now, astrologically speaking, Rahu is exulted in Rohini Nakshatra. This detail gives away who whole story and decodes the code.
The Nakshatra of Rohini is the dwelling Place of the Creator Brahma. It makes sense that the most fertile creative constellation should house the creator! Kali Ma is the destructive creatress – she can be seen as the opposite to Brahma.
Ponder on this…
The Shakti behind the Shakta
In conclusion, let us consider that in peering into the mysteries of the Dark Mother Kali Ma, we have to bring the poles of Destruction and Creation together if our vision is to go deeper than surface layers.
Tantric practices reunite these perhaps divorced principles. The principles of creation and destruction are the two universal categories into which all things fall.
The deeper mystery is that the meeting of these principles of destruction and creation, creates a marriage where there is only one category for everything to fall into. This category is the wide open mouth of Kali Ma, the creative/destructive tunnel of eternity.
This is the singular Vision. This is the Eye of Shiva that destroys duality.
Kali Ma is the Shakti behind the Shakta that is Shiva. Shiva is the destroyer of time, and Kali Ma is the destroyer of the destroyer of time.
https://healinginthewillows.com/?s=rohini
