#UttaraAshadha #Nakshatra in #Astrology
This Nakshatra deals with the #invincible trait of the natives falling into it. It is all about achievements, success, righteousness and truthfulness. It’s ambitious and wanting to make things happen. Its symbol is an elephant’s tusk which is sharp and can be cut. However, it’s all about doing the right action and doing the right thing. #Jupiter and the #Sun have a strong influence on the natives.

This Nakshatra deals with stars that give the natives musical ability. Their deity is #Vishwadeva which is the sun of the #universe. They are powerful in making things happen. This Nakshatra deals with fame and recognition. This is a very spiritual Nakshatra. They need a feeling of direction to act.

The people under this Nakshatra are extraordinarily responsible. One can depend on them conveniently. Because they are so truthful, sometimes they get into trouble. These natives are the ones who actually practise what they preach. No one can find any hypocritical behaviour in these natives. They are normally not taken positively for being right constantly because individuals need to gloss over language. This conduct particularly harms the proud sort of individuals. That’s why Uttara Ashadha natives have secret haters too, who can’t confront these natives because, anyway, what they said is true. All the haters can do is resent.

They have great communication skills. They are very much workaholics. They don’t have sympathy for other people at times, who don’t function as hard as they do. In the zodiac wheel, Uttara Ashadha Nakshatra is connected to the Sagittarius & Capricorn signs.

https://www.mypandit.com/astrology/nakshatras-constellations/uttarashadha/

#UTTARA_ASHADHA #NAKSHATRA

#UTTARAASHADHA NAKSHATRA
THE #STAR OF #IMPOSSIBLE #VICTORY

The full Moon of Saturday the 24th of July will be in the Nakshatra (lunar house) of Uttara-Ashadha. This will be the ritual day of Guru Purnima, which is a central day in the Tantric calendar of celebrating and honouring the teachers and elders who carry sacred wisdom.

This lunar junction of the Guru meets us annually when the Moon is in the star of Uttara Ashada. A position of power that encompasses the vast array of universal spiritual forces.
The other major Tantric festival that occurs when the Moon is in Uttara Ashadha, that is worth mentioning here, is Dusshera.
This is the 10th and concludent night of victory after the 9 nights of the Goddess in the Navaratri ritual festival.
The Navaratri ritual festival links together all aspects of the feminine mysteries, by traveling through a spiritual story that traces the path of the Goddess and her many expressions. This point of multiplicity is greatly poignant to the energy of Uttara Ashadha as we shall consider in the next section below.

This star signifies hard-earned victory and accomplishment.
Its victory is one that comes through drawing all psychic and physical forces into focus.

In our daily lives, we regularly apply this principle of gathering a multiplicity of forces together towards accomplishing an activity.
For example, the act of just going shopping, draws together many forces towards the single end of acquiring groceries.
It encompasses a vast array of activities… from finding our hat and coat and putting on our shoes, to navigating the many aisles of a supermarket, to gathering the right ingredients for the cake we are baking.
This is a mundane example of an accomplishment that many of us might take for granted.
It has elements of the accomplishment of Uttara Ashadha in that it draws together many elements and abilities. In the case of Uttara Ashadha, all the universal powers and skills are drawn together unto the attainment of the greatest of all victories… which is the revealing of the sacred heart.

Uttara Ashadha is sometimes called the star of victory and accomplishment, this is the wish and desire of this Star energy.
Ashadha is the urge and wish that focuses on the victory.

The god or gods that dwell on this Nakshatra are very interesting when considering the nature of the energy that this star carries to us.
The god of this star is Vishwadeva, who is not a singular being, but rather the collection of all goddesses and gods.
The Vishwadeva(s) is/are the collective of all the goddesses and the gods.
They are nourished by, and in turn nourish this star through the reflective lunar mediary of the Moon.

Vishwa literally means all and everything. Vishwadeva is the ultimate plurality of all sacred celestial beings. This multiplicity is the nature of the far-reaching force that is delivered by this Nakshatra.

It is also of note that some Puranic writings highlight a specific number celestial gods who are also called the Vishwadevas.
These 10 Vishwadeva deities and are the 10 qualities of Uttara Ashadha.

Vishwa is a word that implies multiplicity, interestingly, there is no one unanimous account of what the Vishwadeva really is. Some accounts single out a specific number of celestial deities, some accounts signify all deities, while some Mantras and accounts acknowledge all Devas and Asuras as coming under the title of Vishwadeva. What is unanimous in all accounts, is the idea of multiplicity and the conjunction of many forces.

And so, #Vishwadeva is the god of this Nakshatra, as we have seen, it can be taken to mean the conglomerate of all #goddesses and #gods and even #Asuras, but it can also be taken to mean 10 specific deities who carry the traits of Uttara Ashadha.
Sometimes an additional 2 Vishwadeva deities are also given, but we will highlight 10 for now.

Let us list the qualities of the wisdom of this Nakshatra, by naming the 10 Vishwadeva’s, and consider the 10 wisdom qualities that the Nakshatra of Uttara Ashadha represents and transports.

1) Vasu is fullness, expansiveness, illumination and brightness. This is wisdom in a broad sense. Wisdom that encompasses all things. It is a wisdom that is both elevated in metaphysical principles, but equally, it is a wisdom that is able to articulate on a street level. A wisdom that is able to touch and make contact with any arena of life. This is a totally non-exclusive quality to put it in a nutshell.

SATYA

2) Satya is truth and reality without sentiment or bias or restriction to any singular perspective.
Again, it carries the fullness and broadness of the previously highlighted Vasu quality. And because of this vast perspective, it is able to see the wide picture of reality in which all perspectives are at once acknowledged. This is the quality of not leaning towards any particular side. It is a quality of not escaping reality through any drama, distortion or sentiment.

KRATU

3) Kratu is focus of intention and will. This is the measured expertise that knows how to apply just the right amount of exertion. It is the focus that has forbearance and a deep intelligence, measurement and strategy. Kratu feeds its own certainty. Once it has considered the best angle of action and is certain about its course, it will approach its action with the quality of a charging elephant that will attempt to go through everything with unwavering persistence and urge.

DAKSHA

4) Daksha is skill, it is geometry and dexterity, it is a subtle creative vision that is able to link all things together into inner and outer harmonious forms. This is the skill of ritual, the ability to cloth metaphysical realities in tangible form. This is the skill of Tantra.

KAALA

5) Kaala is Time. It is the power to have the awareness of the reality of time in the phenomenal world, and at the ‘same-time’ it is the quality and power to be able to go to that plane of reality which is beyond the constraints of time.
Interestingly, Kala pronounced with the shortly accentuated ‘A’, means artistry, an artistry with a love for carefully detailed beauty. This is the artistry that comes from timing. Timing and rhythm are like the forms in which beauty is distilled, refined and expressed.

KAAMA

6) Kaama is desire, it is the urge of the soul, the unstoppable wish and hope (remember that Asha in Ashadha means urge and hope) Dha means wealth, this is the victory of desire. Not necessarily the fulfillment of desire as one is apt to think. But rather, to be possessed of the secret urge is the wealth itself here.
Kaama is the root power behind all desire, it is the spiritual longing and wanderlust that underlies all desires. Pure desire, if you will.

DHRTI

7) Dhrti is concentrated ruthless firmness and focus, this is the focused shot of the arrow. It is the ability to hold to a thing with full psychic involvement and endurance and patience. This is a quality of a healer and a Tantric magician, who focuses upon a thing and therefore manifests it, through their sheer Shakti of focused power.

KURU

8) Kuru is ancestral power, it is the strong relation to the realm of the ancestors. It is a spiritual sensitivity that at once lives in the manifest world, while at the same time being aware of the subtle movements of the inner planes. Kuru is to see the multi-dimensional interrelationship between matter and ghost, or spirit and body. The word Kuru is derived from the root Kri, which means to do or to act. Our actions carry power when they are related to our roots. When the acknowledgment of our roots and heritage informs our action, then it is truly potent.
Kuru then is connected to actions of healing ancestral imprints, so as to potentise and bring healing depth to our action.

PURURAVAS

9) Pururavas is abundance, broadness and generosity. The generosity of Pururavas is the kind that comes from a trust in the invanquishable and self-perpetuating well-spring of the heart. Pura means fullness it is to be remembered. The quality of Pururavas is that it’s not afraid to take risks or to lose. There is a deep trust that beneath any apparent loss and failure, is am inexhaustible wellspring of reserve life power. Pururavas is on the way to Madravas because of this fearlessness and trust in life force.
Generosity is not just a saintly virtue. It is a natural quality of the wisdom principle of ever-fulfilling a inexhaustible force. When we move away from the inexhaustible force of nature, we simply become exhausted. Pururavas is natural power that is effective because it burns like a steady flame, we could liken this to the endurance of an elephant that knows deeply about the wise handling and distribution of its life-force.

MADRAVAS

10) Madravas is natural power and joy of heart. It is accomplishment and the celebration of the freedom of the sacred heart. We are here dealing with a joy that is not dependent on any condition or form of entertainment. It is an inner natural power of spiritual essence that is not obscured by any hint of Ahamkara

So as we have now seen, The Nakshatra of Uttara Ashadha draws from a wide array of universal forces.
This star brings together the collection of a vast array of attributes. Let us say that it is the star that possesses the celestial toolbox, and has access to the broadest and most diverse range of spiritual instruments.

THE CELESTIAL TUSKS

The two twin stars of Ashadha are represented by Yogins as the elephant tusks of the celestial realm.
Uttara Ashadha is the matured elephant power that represents the full potential of grounded celestial forces in an earthly sense.
The Yogins connect to, and invoke the penetrating force these dual astral-tusk-points of energy, in rituals where Uttara Ashadha is worked with.

#Ganesh is the grand Chakravatin, which means he is the earthly foundation structure upon which all the other Chakra spin.
Ganesh and all creatures that have #tusks are connected to Uttara Ashadha Nakshatra. The tusk obtrudes beyond the sphere of the body towards the sphere of vision… in a similar way that horns do.

This is the star of focused victory. A focus sharply focused with a penetrating sharp tusk like urge of vision.
The tusk of Uttara Ashadha points – through its focus – towards a victory to which it is very close. Remember Uttara means mature, and the wise force of maturity is implicit here.
This star has the celestial blessings of its ruling deity, which as we have seen, is in fact the collective of all goddesses and gods, or alternatively, are highlighted as a group of the 10 qualities of wisdom.
This is indeed a heavy Nakshatra, possessed of the force of wisdom, we could say the heaviest.
It is like the weight of Ganesh, the elephant god who sits at the very foundation of the Chakras. It is the very weight of deep Saturnian wisdom in the cavern of the soul.

Uttara Ashadha is the focus of celestial forces into the vessels of earthly being. It deals with bringing together the most celestial with the most earthly, as we shall soon see in the next section.

The symbol of this lunar house is a tusk. Indeed, the energy that this Nakhatra imparts has the ability to bring us the tenacity of teeth and bone. The elephant and other tenacious creatures with tusks are linked to this Nakshatra.

Uttara-Ashadha is often considered to be the 21st Nakshatra. This is interesting when we consider that the number 21 is sacred to the Ganesh, the god with the elephant head.
The number 21 further links Ganesh to Nakshatra.
Ganesh rituals are well-known to involve 21 offerings along with the chanting of his 21 names. Ganesh as well as many other deities – as we shall see – are linked to this Nakshatra.

DUAL SINGULARITY OF FOCUS

Big obstacles are overcome by focused force and endurance – is the teaching of this Nakshatra, focus being the operative word here.
Uttara Ashadha is ruled by Surya (the Sun) and the quality of this Nakshatra is the transmission of powerful burning solar force through the mirror of the Moon.
Where an object meets the sun, there is a shadow, to take away the shadow is to take away the object.
Uttara Ashadha is certainly singularity of focus, but the paradox is that it’s singularity is aware of the multi-layered dualities of life. The dualities of life can be perceived as a singularity, for example, when the principle of sun and shadow are taken together. Sun and shadow are a unity when the object is in the picture, take away the object, and we have duality and endless metaphysical abstractions only. The object can’t be taken out of the picture if reality is valued.
The two tusks of the elephant bring together dualities by the space of life between them.

In the next concludent section of this text, we shall take a look at a spiritually cosmological teaching story that highlights the dualities of the tusk that saved the earth.

Uttara means mature and Ashadha implies a victory that is eternal.
But more accurately, it is the desire and urge to reach that victory that this star presents.
This star moves one towards victories by its power of enduring focus and discipline. It brings all seeming dualities and forces together in a single point. Or let us rather say, two unified points, like the tusks of an elephant.

The wisdom that Uttara Ashadha Nakshatra brings to us, is a wisdom that is aware of the dualities of light and shadow upon all its octaves.
To understand and know a thing comes through understanding and knowing it’s opposite.
To truly see the revealed, is to acknowledge and be aware of the unrevealed half.

Focus is a quality where all our powers are beamed in one direction and one direction alone.
Tantra is but the art and science of focus, ritual is focus.
Extraneous expenditure of our life forces must be reigned in and harnessed towards the most needed point in the path of our destiny, if we are to receive the teaching of Uttara Ashadha.

Uttara-Ashadha gives the teaching of enduring focus.
As already outlined, its focus is singular and unwavering – this is the quality of the Guru.
The Guru is an uncompromising force that endures in the vision for the very deep and enduring truths.
Guru Purnima is an age-old festival Uttara Ashadha Moon festival that honours the Guru.

In a world of beliefs opinions, likes, dislikes, dualistic information and endless modes of self-expression of all of these, we risk the very opposite of what Uttara-Ashadha wishes to show us.
If we spread our energies wide and thin, we risk dispersing our psychic spiritual power. But at the opposite spectrum, if we gather our forces together in concentrated unity and singularity of urge, we bring all the celestial forces to one point. This is the secret of communing with Vishwadeva.
It means to open ourselves to all the forces by maintaining a seat of power.
Like being in an observatory or a planetarium that sees all the multitudinous revolutions of realities orbiting the spirit that we are.

Uttara-Ashadha is the very opposite of light dispersing action. Guru is an adjective that means heavy, who is just like the elephant energy, that is the prominent earthly expression of the weight of this Nakshatra.
Just like the weight of memory possessed by the Elephant that never forgets… Uttara Ashadha gives power to mind and memory.
Heavy weighted enduring focus is given to us when the full Moon is in this lunar house.
When the full Moon meets this Nakshatra, it presents the gift of its qualities to us on earth.
We will open up in ritual to invoke and receive the lunar emanations of Uttara Ashadha Nakshatra.

THE POWER OF THE EARTHLY TUSK

Varaha is the Boar headed earthly deity of mighty tusk, who carries the lesson of Uttara Ashada very well, so let us consider it here.

The story of Varaha tells of how he saved the earth from drowning in the subterranean waters when the Asuric forces attacked and threatened to ruin the earth.
Varaha and Bhumi (Earth Goddess) are lovers, together they birthed Mangala (Mars). Varaha saved Bhumi from drowning in the subterranean waters by lifting her in his tusks.
The impossible concentration it took Varaha to lift the earth out of the enveloping waters in which she was drowning, required the exclusion of all else but the matter at hand.
Or rather we could say, the matter at tusk – for Varaha hooked the earth in his tusks and carried her to safety.

Varaha presides over the Dhatu (physical element) of bone – this is the most hard of the Dhatus, and symbolises strength solidity of focus.
Varaha, in saving the earth, drew together all skills and abilities towards the single end.
The tusks are sharp and – being two – represent the dualistic forces concentrated into one action to achieve the victory that it is our Karma to accomplish.
What that victory is, is a personal journey to discover.
The discovery and realisation of our destiny requires dualistic forces to come together. This is the focus of Varaha, he is a most mighty deity… mighty of focus.
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#Uttara-Ashadha can be seen to signify the imminent victory of the very real and deep pressing matters. Its imminent victory comes through the application and uniting together of all extraneous forces and subtle energies.
Its victory can’t be assumed without endurance and determined clarity of focus.
This endurance and determined clarity of focus is a Saturnian quality.

The story of Varaha saving the earth from drowning in the waters holds a Saturnian code within it. The Saturn ruled constellation of Capricorn is known as Makara to the Yogins. This is the constellation of the crocodile, who gives us the wisdom and power to articulate deeply between the dualities of its realms of mastery – water and earth.
Just as the mighty and fearlessly focused Varaha and Bhumi reveal the initiation of earth and water through the power of the tusk.

https://www.ancient-tantra.com/61-uttara-ashadha/

#ASHLESHA #NAKSHATRA

Ashlesha Nakshatra is the celestial snake constellation.
The stars in the head of the Hydra form Ashlesha.
The word Ashlesha is comes from the root Shlesha, which means to entwine or to wrap around.

This is one of the Nakshatra’s that has a collective as its presiding deities.

Review also the text on the collective deities called the #Vishwadeva who dwell upon the Nakshatra of Uttara Ashada.

The collective deities of Ashlesha are the #Naaga serpents. In the course of this text we will be looking at some of the implications of the Naaga serpents.
It is a vast and fascinating subject that we will attempt to look at from the stance of this ritual work.
There are many mythologies of serpents in the Yogic teachings that carry encoded teachings. Consider that Shiva wears the serpent Vasuki around his neck.
Vishnu rests upon the serpent with an infinity of heads who is known as Ananta Shesha.
Ganesh wears the Serpent belt around his thick waist.
Krishna battles with the venomous serpent Kaliya.
Or the serpent.
Buddha was sheltered from the storm for seven days and nights by the Mukhalindh.
These are just a few serpent teaching symbols and stories of Yogic wisdom.
Khodiyar Maa is also a Tantric Goddess connected to the Naaga serpents. You can review a past text about Khodiyar Maa here.

The constellation of Ashlesha Nakshatra brings us the teaching of the etheric serpents that the Yogins call the race of the Naaga.
These serpents relate to the Kundalini serpent of the central spinal channel in a direct and yet subtle way. The Naaga energies are the basis of reality. They are the etheric matter that informs all phenomena from behind the veils of awareness.

How the celestial serpents relate to our experience of the personal Kundalini phenomena will be a study of this nights ritual. The ritual of Naaga Panchami spans India across many thousands of miles, there are many unique and particular regional celebrations and rituals that mark this festival. The sun is in Ashlesha Nakshatra between the 3-16 of August and this is when the ritual of Naaga Panchami takes place. It is ritualised on the 5th lunar night.
Naaga Panchami is a time when snakes are most present and prevalent on earth.
It is a time when the snake constellation of Ashlesha spreads its teaching to us on earth. The 5th lunar day is known as Panchami. It is the Moon phase that is sacred to the Naagas, rather interestingly, Ashlesha consists of 5 stars in the head of the Hydra constellation.
The 5th lunar day is a day of release and reception of lunar and etheric force. Every Panchami is reserved by Tantrics for work with the snake energy. But Naaga Panchami is the main Panchami of snake power in the Tantric calendar.

The Naagas inhabit the deep subterranean realms that are beyond the reach of Moon and sun. Naaga Lokh is the world of the Naaga. It is a place of unparalleled beauty and is described in the Yogic mythologies as the most beautiful paradisal realm where the most splendid jewels and treasures are to be found. The jewels of Naaga Lokh are described as radiating their own light and thus lighting the dark world of the Naaga from within.
How do we respond when we hear of a subterranean realm without light that is inhabited by serpents?

We may make interpretations according to the customs and thought forms assigned to the archetypes of our culture.

This highlighted sentence is central in getting an insight into the energies of Ashlesha. The Naagas are the underlying energy essence of phenomena.
Akash is their element and this is the subtle-most ‘physical’ element. Akash is the etheric element that is described by the Yogins as the subtlest of the 5 elements Pancha Bhoot elements.
Akash gives sense to phenomena at the most fundamental level.
Let us take a practical example of these principles that so easily can start to sound like mere wordy metaphysics:

Maybe we are blessed enough and used to living in a fine house with fresh running water. Perhaps we have a soda-stream machine that gives us access to refreshing sparkling water. Perhaps we even have a refrigerator to tune the water to our exact preferred temperature.
Now, if we were to pass a puddle of muddy water in the street, we would not think much of it, and would most probably seek to avoid stepping into it.
But the self-same puddle of dirty water would be a prize for someone else.
We all know that there are parts of the world where drinking water in very scarce. For someone living in such a situation, the dirty puddle water becomes highly precious. It is still the same puddle, but it has a different value put upon it that is relative to the situation.
In the same way, for some, a snake is a terrible creature denoting sin and the very opposite of spirituality, to others it is a sacred creature.
Some view the regions below the earth as infernal pits of damnation, but for some, they are regions of beauty and paradise.

It is the thought form that is assigned to the symbol, that creates the symbol.

A muddy puddle can verily be a source of life, or a thing of disgust. The same with a snake, which can be a divinity or a devil, or the underworld can be beautiful or ugly, horror or wonder!
The energy that we assign to phenomena is not in the thing itself, but in us.
The Tantric’s call this underlying force the Akash element that informs all phenomena and creates phenomena to be what we turn it into.
The snake is either a devil or a divinity depending upon the underlying Akash element that we shape in the furnace of the soul. We can think of ourselves as a blacksmith that is ever shaping and creating reality.
Knowing that we are giving meaning to everything around us, does not offer us any solutions to extricate ourselves from the meanings we assign to phenomena.
We might be disgusted by the same thing that someone else is inspired by, but the energy that assigns disgust or inspiration to phenomena is in the realm of the deep unconscious.
It is in the realm of the Naagas, in a realm of no external light, but a realm with internal light that creates from the inside out. Remember that Naaga Lokh has only internal light that emanates from its jewels. We could liken Naaga Lokh to the unconscious underworld workshop of the blacksmith soul that fashions reality based upon unconscious impulses.
The Tantric works with the Akashic element that is ever creating reality and assigning meanings to things.

What happens when we un-invest the energy of meaning from phenomena?

What happens when we relinquish our thought forms and see reality without the coloured lenses of the unconscious world?

When we travel to the underworld of Akash that is deep within the caverns of creation in our soul, we encounter the Astral serpents that live in our soul.
The Naaga Akash beings are like astral energies that whisper with lisps, slivering deeply, silvery and silently behind the lens of our life experience.
The realm of the Naaga is created by our personal Karmic impressions. Things such as cultural, religious and ancestral energies, travel deeply into the underworld and live in the unseen.
Such things enter invisibly into the hidden realm because they are so fundamental to the fabric of our being. Cultural, religious, ancestral and gender energies are often part of the consensual reality that we are woven and intertwined with. But it is a question of relativity of notion, that is nourished by focused attention with no actual basis in naked reality.
The established codes of culture and civilisation might even run contrary to nature?
The Tantric does attempt to move into the naked reality, while acknowledging and moving within the consensual streams of realty that prevail in the life they live move and have their being within.

The 19th century French Occultist Eliphas Levi had popularised the principle of the Astral light. This is worth mention here because it has parallels to the Subject of the Naagas element of Akash.
The Astral light is a term that Levi much popularised in the area of occultism. The Astral light is a neutral substance that pervades and underlies all phenomena. Levi’s system of occultism worked very much with imbuing the astral light with one’s intention through working with one’s Will and Imagination.
Tantrics recognise this absorptive quality of the etheric substance to take on the character that we impress upon it. Though we often impress upon the Astral light or Akash element in an unconscious way, it is possible to effect the phenomena of our lives by wilfully manipulating the underlying energy behind manifest phenomena.

The Tantric branches that deal with healing, seek not so much to imbue the Akash element with one’s will, as they do to un-imbue or un-invest it from the energy of will and imagination.
Tantra covers a broad spectrum and scale of practices and practitioners, a practitioner of Tantra can be a magician or a healer, or both.
In the healing arts of Tantra, the practitioner attempts the healing of the vision through approaching the pure perception that was so beautifully versed by William Blake in the quote above.

Rather interestingly, Levi called the #Astral light the great #Serpent. He described the astral light as being a serpent like receptacle that is open to receive and reflect back all the deviations and pollutions of consciousness.
He describes the Astral light to originally consist of pure energy which can take in all manner of spiritual pollution and distortion of reality, ranging from a slight blemish upon the face of reality to downright toxicity. Once invested of inceptions and deviations from pure awareness, the astral light has the ability to bite back like a serpent and cause spiritual and physical suffering. Levi described the astral light as being a mirror of our consciousness that connects our inner reality to the pure energetic essence. The scale of deviation from the essence reality is vast. Levi said it gives us back what we put into it.
Levi also hinted that the astral light takes on collective energies and creates a mass-consensual-reality that reverberates back as psychic and even physical events such as collective waves of consciousness and happenings of collective tragedies such as epidemics.

Without digressing too far off topic, it is worth noting how the Russian Occultist H. P Blavatsky said that the ability to access the universal Akashic Chronicle is dependent upon how good a contact one has with the unembellished form of Astral light. She implies that memory becomes opaque if we do not do the work of purifying the thought forms that live in the personal and collective Astral light with which we are intertwined. The process of extracting ourselves from the thought forms of the astral light is a rather universal theme across the magical systems of many cultures.
Even in the Kabbalah, we see the spiritual map of taking back the symbols and moving towards the pure manifest.
Those who would like to read further into these subjects are recommended to read any of the books by Eliphas Levi, such as A History of Magic, translated by A. E Waite, and Isis Unveiled by H. P Blavatsky.
These books were written a few decades before the close of the 19th century, but they underlie many of the Spiritual notions that have become inherited into the Western spiritual tradition, the ideas presented in these books inform much that came after.

We have looked at the Astral light as an analogy of the Akash element of the Yogins that underlies and informs all phenomena.
Let’s look a bit more into how one would go about the act of freeing oneself from the encasements that wrap themselves around the soul.

Through the course of our souls journey, we develop skins, some of which we shed, some which we keep. Costumes and Uniforms around the soul might be a way to navigate the many terrains of existence, We shift in and out of characters to suit the situations we find ourselves in. Some situations in life are restrictive and some give us the liberty and space to be free.
Perhaps there is a way to gain the inner liberty to shift between forms without feeling the poles of freedom and restraint?
This is a question to ponder.

What would it take to feel unrestricted by situations around us?

Maybe if we are not inwardly restricted, then we wouldn’t feel restricted by ‘outer’ happenings?

To become so predictable as to react to outer situations and phenomena in a clockwork manner, is the very opposite of liberty.
Ashlesha can be translated as the #restricter.
This Nakshatra brings us the awareness of what it is that restricts us from without. The gift and awareness of Ashlesha is to find that the outer restricter lives within the Akash element within us.
This Nakshatra presents us with a profound teaching.
Some might never look at the outer as being a reflection of the inner.
The Tantric’s attempt to look.

Shedding the skin like a snake is no easy thing. When a snake sheds its skin, it is in a state of hyper sensitivity and vulnerability. It is even temporarily blind. It is the time when the snake is most exposed and prone to attack. Losing our skins, even the ones that are comfortable and familiar and yet squeeze the life out of us, is to enter into the nakedness and sensitivity of the snake at the time of shedding. This is a lesson that the snake transports to us.
The vulnerable place is a place of power. It is a transitional rite of passage but it’s not only easy sailing and pleasant.
Tantric’s approach the vulnerable place. When the vulnerable place is lost. We become encased. The avoidance of the vulnerable place is not strength, but stiffness.
When we approach the vulnerable place, the body heart and spirit melt.
Stiffness of mind, body and heart mask the wound. The only way to approach the vulnerable place is to have courage.

#KUNDALINI CONSTELLATION
#Shiva has the #Naaga #king named #Vasuki wrapped around his throat. Shiva is the Yogic god who symbolises among many things the awakened Kundalini.
Kundalini is a heavily loaded word, Kunda is the pot at the base of the spine that houses the coiled #Shakti energy,
Kundala is a swinging vibration. When the energy from the pot is freed, it creates a psycho/physical circuit of energy that gives the sensation of a swinging vibration.
Some of the Tantric practices create this sensation rather immediately, this inner swing is visited and gradually cultivated, it can become a perpetual inner motion of Shakti.
Kundala is also the literal word for the earring that Shiva and many Yogins wear.
It is a type of earring that swings side to side when one walks.
To wear the Kundala earrings is a meditation technique in itself that some Tantrics practice.
It involves becoming aware of the swing and sensation in the ear, and meditating thereon.
At advanced levels, the practitioner of the way of the Kundala earring starts to synchronise breath and Mantra with the swings of the Kundala.
The Kundala offers a practice of the utmost awareness.
By becoming acutely aware of our conscious actions, we gain insight into the underlying unconscious elements that inform consciousness.

A particular weight is selected according to the capacity of the practitioner. The piercing of the ear connects with the sexual Nadi (energy channel) and has a subtle effect upon the Sexual Chakra, which in turn affects the Kundalini.

The Naaga Snakes of Yogic Mythology are said to be the Keepers of the Naagamani. This is a jewel of great healing power. It is said that very old Cobras have this jewel inside them. Some Tantrics believe that it is in the throat Chakra of the snake, while some say it’s in the crown Chakra of the snake. It is said to be a stone with magical healing powers that is very rare to come by. Some have postulated that the jewel is the dried venom glands. Others say that it glows in the dark. Some have taken the jewels to be the innermost power of the Chakras.
In the following section, we will apply a meditation of looking into the Jewels within.

The Kundalini rises as the Jewels of the Chakras are polished and refined. The polishing of the Chakras is the healing of the Akash element from its inceptions and energy investments.
The Chakras carry skins that are sometimes blocking the opening of the Shakti in the pot. This Shakti in the pot is known as Kundalini.
By looking at our Chakras and studying the psycho/physical energies of these power stations, we get insight into the coverings that might be obscuring the self-illuminating radiance of the Chakric jewels.
Tantric’s speak of the 3 Granthis which are sometimes called the 3 cities, or the 3 jewels. Untwining the Granthis is the un-obscuring of the jewels.

The realm of the lower Chakras, which are linked to the creative force and is called the Brahma Granthi. This is the knot upon the creative force. When untwined, the Kundalini force moves from this point.
The heart region, is the preservational force which is linked to Vishnu and is called the Vishnu Granthi, this is the knot upon the heart. When untwined, it opens the heart.
The throat/head Chakras, which are the realm of Shiva the destroyer. Known as the Rudra Granthi. Its untwining is the destruction of all formulated realities.
Meditate on these 3 areas in your body and spirit.
Look into the 3 jewels by way of contemplation, and ask yourself the following questions by letting your psychic vision unfold the teachings of the 3 jewels.

What is the condition of your base, creative and solar plexus Chakras. How does the jewel of this realm appear?
What is the condition of the Heart Chakra. How does this jewel of the heart realm appear?
What is the condition of the jewels in the realm of Shiva, spanning the throat to the crown Chakra. What does the Jewel that has the power to destroy reality have to tell you?

The many bites that destiny delivers to us are our lessons.
Some bites can be mild, maybe even pleasurable. Some bites can inflict venom and be paralyzingly painful.
The outer bites might come to us in many forms and mediums. Outer bites become inner bites and cause us to bite back until we have our teeth well sunken into the realm of the Naagas, and be chewing away at a corner of personal reality.
Personal tragedies can be like a sharp bite to the heart. Financial, existential or health struggles can be like gnawing, chewing bites. Accidents and injuries can be like sudden bites.
In this here reflection, identify 3 bites that destiny has delivered to you.

Identify a bite first on the physical level. Perhaps you have a physical symptom or had an accident or operation that causes you discomfort.
Next, identify a bite that destiny delivered to your heart. Maybe a personal loss or any other cause for heartfelt lament.
Identify a Mental bite, meditate deeply on the things that move through your mind. Maybe regular thoughts or phrases, maybe you labour under a conviction that might be causing you suffering. It might not be so easy to separate the mental from the feeling level, but try in your own way to access your mental body and discover your mental bite.
Some bites might be slowly poisoning and venomous, some might be drinking blood quietly in the background unnoticed. When we silence inner and outer happenings by applying contemplation or Tantric practices, we sometimes get an insight into the bites that live behind the surface.
Silence and contemplation has often been a key component in Tantric practice.
Silence and contemplation offers a route to sink behind the surface layers and gain vision of that which lives in the undercurrent of our being.
Sometimes the wish for, and the seeking after many external waves in our lives is an attempt to escape the undercurrents of the soul.
Deep healing of the soul and spiritual empowerment comes from traveling to the undercurrents.

https://www.ancient-tantra.com/64-ashlesha-nakshatra/

26°40 Sagittarius (Dhanu) to 10°00" Capricorn (Makara)
#Nakshatra #Surya #UttaraAshadha #Vishwadeva
The 21st Nakshatra: UTTARA ASHADHA.
The four quarters are ruled by:
Guru (Jupiter) - the 1st quarter,
Shani (Saturn) - the 2nd quarter,
Shani (Saturn) - the 3rd quarter,
and Guru (Jupiter) - the 4th quarter.

Other aspects of this Nakshatra:
The Purushardha (life's vector or motivation) is Moksha.
Totem animal is #Mongoose (male).
Symbol - a small cot.
Devata (Deity) - Vishwadeva.
Dosha - Kapha.

This Nakshatra spans from 26°40' in Dhanu to 10°00' in Makara. Uttara Ashadha born have a well-developed body, often developed thorough rigorous exercise in the gymnasium. They have a fair complexion. A strongly placed Chandra (Moon) in the natal chart of some Uttaraashadha born can give them a fair complexion.

These people are pure-hearted and respect others, especially the elders. They are honest in their dealings when it comes to business. But before taking any business decision, they try to consider as many aspects of the situation as possible. This is good, in the sense that a hastily concluded business deal often ends up putting them in a difficult situation. These people are steady, confident when it comes to being emotional. They do not trust others easily and it is only after spending considerable times with them that others can get an entry into the inner circle of their friends. But an easy way to please them is to please them with flattery.

Uttaraashadha born are natural diplomats. For them, preserving a relationship has the utmost importance. To keep the matters straight, they meticulously avoid the use of strong words to others even during some of the most explosive situations. Contrary to the males born in this Nakshatra, the females tend to jump into conflict with others, often through their nature of jumping at conclusions. Because of their good diplomatic skills, the males born in this Nakshatra are good mediators in any dispute. A good Buddha (Mercury) placed in their natal chart can make them a good consultant or adviser in any field.

As a rule, Uttaraashadha born have to undergo some stress related to their family matters towards the beginning of middle age.

But on an average, these people enjoy good married life. Males as well as females born in this Nakshatra enjoy the company of good, caring partners. Males born in this Nakshatra tend to suffer from stomach problems.

Male Natives

1. Physical features: A well proportioned body. Broad head. tall figure. Long nose, bright eyes. Charming and graceful appearance with fair complexion.

2. Character and general events: He will be refined, soft spoken, pure hearted and an innocent looking countenance. In case he happens to occupy a very high position in the society, he will not like to express pomp and show and will dress like a simple-ton. He gives respect to all and particularly women folk. He is god fearing. It is not easy for others to find out the underlying merits and demerits. It is only after several acquaintances and dealing one can come to a conclusion about the behavioral aspect of this native. In most of the cases, it has been noticed that there will be black mole around his waist or on the face. A slight reddish colour is noticed in his eyes.

He will be very plain in his dealings and will show utmost sincerity in all the work he undertakes. He will not deceive others and would not like to cause any trouble to others. So much so, due to his inherent good behavior quality he often lands into uncalled for problems. While he is plain hearted, he will not subdue to any pressure and will not bestow full confidence on anybody. But once he takes into confidence a person nobody can change him. To certain extent, he is slave to flattery and expect that others must look after his welfare. He will not take any hasty decision, whereas full consultation. With trusted persons will be obtained before coming to a conclusion. While he is very much involved in all the activities he undertakes, usually he is a lazy fellow.

Even in the state of conflict he cannot utter harsh words directly to any person and in spite of difference of opinion he will not like to express his unhappiness to others. Any discussion he makes with others will be without expressing any ill-will. He is bound to shoulder much responsibilities at a young age. Due to this he is fully trained to shoulder any responsibility with perfection. Once he is convinced that any action carried out by him or words uttered by him happens to be wrong he will not hesitate to repent and express sorry.

His every action requires recognition by others. otherwise, he is dragged into the state of unhappiness. He is subjected to maximum happiness at one stage and the maximum unhappiness at the next.

1. Education, sources of earning/profession: He has to be very careful in any controversial dealings. Before any collaboration is made, he has to completely screen the persons with whom he is entering into such collaboration. Otherwise, failure is certain. Period after the age of 38 years will mark all round success and prosperity.

2. Family life: Normally his childhood willbe somewhat better. But later on he may have to face a lot of unexpected reversals and problems in the family front. It has noticed that between the age of 28 and 31 years some important change takes place in the family circle.

His married life will be more or less very good. He normally gets a responsible and loving wife. At the same time the health of the spouse will be a cause of concern for him. His wife will be having problems of acidity or uterus disorder. In spite of the comparative advantages mentioned above, he lacks happiness from the children whereas his children will be main cause of concern.

1. Health: He is prone to stomach problems, paralysis of limbs, pulmonary diseases. Poor eyesight or some defects in the eyes.

Female Natives

Females born in this Nakshatra will also enjoy more or less the same results mentioned above in the case of male natives. In addition the following results will be enjoyed:

1. Physical features: Her forehead will be much wider, nose larger, eyes attractive, teeth beautiful, body stout but not so beautiful hair.

2. Character and general events: One of the worst qualities of these females is that they are the 'obstinate dare devil'. Her utterances are not well thought, whereas she jump into conflict with others. This category of females very well fit to the proverb "There are two horns for the rabbits I have got". In spite of this disadvantage she would like to lead a very simple life.

3. Education, sources of earning/profession: Generally, females born in this Nakshatra are educated. she may be a teacher, bank employee or attached to religious institution. If Buddha (Mercury) is also placed with Chandra (Moon), she may earn as a publisher or a writer.

4. Family life: She cannot enjoy her married life in it's fullest sense whereas quite often her mind will be disturbed due to either husband's separation or some other problems connected with him. She is very much religiously inclined and observe all the religious formalities. She derives complete happiness and contentment by marrying a Revati or Uttara-Bhadra Pada boy.

5. Health: She will have wind problems, hernia or uterus problems etc.