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Nakshatra 9 of 27 · Rakshasa gana

Ashlesha

आश्लेषा A coiled serpent

The embrace: the serpent's star of insight, hold and hidden power.

Longitude
λ 106°40′ – 120°00′
Deity
The Nagas
Span
Cancer 16°40′ – 30°00′
Pale jade carving of a coiled serpent, the symbol of Ashlesha
About Ashlesha

Ashlesha lies from 16°40′ to 30°00′ Cancer and is ruled by Mercury. Its deities are the Nagas, the serpent beings who guard hidden wealth and wisdom, and its symbol is a coiled serpent. The name means “the embrace”: the serpent holds tightly, and what it holds it knows deeply.

Ashlesha is a nakshatra of penetrating intelligence, hypnotic presence and mystic power. In the old view, the one who knows poison also knows the antidote. It is classed as sharp (tikshna), suited to work that cuts or penetrates. It ends the sign of Cancer, a gandanta point where water gives way to fire.

Padas and navamsa

Four quarters of 3°20′

Each pada falls in a navamsa sign, used to read the D9 chart and to colour the nakshatra for anyone whose Moon or ascendant sits there.

Pada 1Cancer 16°40′ – 20°00′Sagittariusnavamsa
Pada 2Cancer 20°00′ – 23°20′Capricornnavamsa
Pada 3Cancer 23°20′ – 26°40′Aquariusnavamsa
Pada 4Cancer 26°40′ – 30°00′Piscesnavamsa
Born under Ashlesha

People with the Moon in Ashlesha tend to be perceptive, clever and private, with a strong instinct for what lies beneath the surface. Many are drawn to psychology, medicine, research, the occult or strategy. They hold on to what matters to them, and learning when to release is part of their path. Their first dasha is Mercury.

Traditionally good for
  1. Research and investigation
  2. Study of medicine or the occult
  3. Ending an unhealthy tie
  4. Strategy and careful negotiation

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