Instant friend, or instant enemy

Ashlesha Nakshatra

Ashlesha is one of the most fascinating Nakshatras. It is very different from Pushya and Punarvasu, the other two Nakshatras in Cancer. As per mythology, Ashlesha is ruled by Lord Vasuki, the king of the serpents. We often attach a negative connotation to serpents, but we must understand this through mythology.

In the Bhagavad Gita, while explaining his role to Lord Arjuna, Lord Krishna says that among the serpents he is Lord Vasuki. He also says that among the Pandavas he is Lord Arjuna and gives several other examples. The point is that Lord Krishna regarded Lord Vasuki as the king of the serpents, and Lord Vasuki rules this Nakshatra. During the churning of the ocean, Lord Vasuki's body helped the gods and demons churn it. Lord Vishnu is also known to sit on the serpent Sheshnag, symbolising his close relationship with the serpents.

Similarly, Lord Shiva, or Lord Rudra, carries a snake around his neck. Serpents share a close relationship with the gods. Ashlesha therefore possesses the Sattvic guna, a selfless quality. Its methods may be extreme, but in most cases its intention is likely to be selfless.

Rahu in Ashlesha

When Rahu is in Ashlesha, the desire to draw pleasure from life can be quite strong, so the person can be very inclined towards exploring one's sexuality. When you feel hurt by someone, you may go to the extreme trying to hurt the other person, and that aspect of this combination needs to be controlled. Instantly liking and disliking people, immediately classifying them as a friend or as an enemy is a very Rahu Ashlesha like way of thinking and the person can fall prey to addictions. Ashlesha is directly linked to drugs of any kind whether it's simply having a drink or smoking a cigarette to something more extreme than that and Rahu Ashlesha-like person can have that tendency. Amongst all the things that I've mentioned I think delusion is the one which can be your biggest enemy.

Rahu creates that delusion, Ashlesha creates a cloud over your judgment. Your way of looking at things, the way you perceive things you'd eventually find over time to be very different particularly when you are going through Rahu's Dasha so you have to be very careful by not falling into your own delusions. Seeking guidance from someone more experienced would be a great strategy. I must add Rahu Ashlesha is a difficult position but we must also see how other planets are there in your chart.

It's not as if Rahu Ashlesha would drive your entire life. Every chart would have planetary positions which are favorable and unfavorable so if this is an unfavorable position and if you are going through Rahu's Dasha, now that you have this knowledge that this is a difficult position you must be more careful. That's how you use astrology. One thing both of them have in common is changeability and therefore the person can be an expert in handling situations which are ever evolving.

Like a police officer following a crime, the person can react as a situation continually changes. The person may go through phases of becoming stuck in something extreme and then pulling themselves out. You may fall into bad company, enter a downward spiral and suddenly realise, “No, this is wrong; this is not right for me,” before withdrawing from it. Rahu in Ashlesha is difficult, but knowing this allows you to live more thoughtfully and carefully.