Celestial Gazing

Nakshatra is derived from the Sanskrit words ‘na ksarati iti’, or ‘that which does not move’, as they are the fixed stars along the ecliptic which the Moon passes through each day of the month, thereby marking 27 nakshatras in total . In contrast to the lunar nakshatras, the 12 solar constellations, or zodiacs, are the groupings of fixed stars that the Sun passes through each month of the year.

In the dark still nights of ancient times, it was relatively easy to map out the lunar nakshatras; one simply had to observe the stellar backdrop of the Moon in the night sky as it passed through the fixed stars of the nakshatras, helping to measure out the length of the sidereal month (27.32 days), i.e. the number of days for the Moon to return to a given nakshatra. This explains a well-known Sanskrit name for the Moon, Chandramas (‘the Moon that measures’).

The importance and significance of the lunar nakshatras are deeply embedded in India culture and norms. New born babies are named after the sacred Sanskrit sound associated with the nakshatra of their natal Moon; marriages are arranged, in part, based on the compatibility of the nakshatra placement and lunar yogas of the respestive Moons; holidays and festivals reoccur each year when the Moon is in a particular nakshatras and/or tithi placement (lunar phas), whether than fixed on a particular day of the month. Even birthdays are celebrated on the day the Moon returns to the natal Moon’s nakshatra placement rather than the actual date of birth.

The nakshatras are a unique founding principle of Indian astrology, the science known as Jyotisha (‘Science of Light’). In ancient times the nakshatras were considered female in gender; while planets were male. As a planet passed through a particular nakshatra, it became activated, or enlivened, by the shakti of the lunar asterism and imbued with its energetics. Hence, a planet’s nakshatra placement in the natal birth chart takes on the vibration, characteristics and attributes of the nakshatra. Thus the lunar nakshatras are pivotal forces for the interpretation of horoscopes, be it a hora (chart of an individual), mundane (chart of a nation), prasna (chart cast at the moment a question is posed) or muherta (chart indicating an auspicious time for a specific activity or event) horoscope.

For more information, check out Celestial Gazing's Nakshatra Map !