Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings. For today’s blog post, I will be sharing a meditative look at Ashlesha Nakshatra as a Shapeshifter energy!
Ashlesha Nakshatra is a Vedic Lunar Mansion located in the sign of Sidereal Cancer. This is a very important Nakshatra to me, as this is my Ascendant Nakshatra in my own Vedic birth chart! However, this Nakshatra is also a very complex one, given that it is considered an inauspicious Nakshatra due to its connection with binding and restriction. You see, this connection to binding and restriction is due to the coiled nature of the Serpent that represents Ashlesha. That is the very symbol of Ashlesha Nakshatra: the Coiled Serpent, the Kundalini Serpent when she still resides at the base of the spine, awaiting a Kundalini Awakening to slither up the spine, alighting each chakra as she goes!
So, it is clear that Ashlesha is connected not just to that binding energy, but also to powerful psychic energy. In fact, it has been noted that many Ashlesha natives work in the Occult, Esoteric, and Spiritual fields because of this deeply psychic energy. This is certainly true of myself. In fact, we can view Ashlesha as a doubly watery energy, given that Cancer is a water sign and Ashlesha is a water Nakshatra, amplifying the connection to psychic nature and the emotions! Ashlesha also serves to balance the energy of the Moon and Mercury, given that the Nakshatra is ruled by Mercury, but falls into a Moon-ruled Zodiac sign. This infusion of Mercury energy with the watery lunar energy means that not only can Ashlesha tap into psychic energy, it also means that insights can be clearly communicated!
Now that I have discussed a bit of the power of Ashlesha, let’s look at how this Nakshatra is related to Shapeshifting. The Serpent herself must shed her skin when the old skin no longer serves, and this very act of release is a form of Shapeshifting, as she is changing her outward appearance and showing off brand-new, fresh skin. Yet there is much more to this energy than that. We know that there are many Shapeshifting Mermaids across folklore. Given Ashlesha’s deeply watery and Serpentine nature, this is clearly a Nakshatra connected to Mermaid energy! So, we can relate the abilities of Selkies to shed their Seal Skins and walk on land to Ashlesha’s energy. We can relate the Swan Maiden’s ability to remove her Swan Feather Cloak and dance on the shore to Ashlesha’s energy. We can relate the Merrow’s ability to transform into a Faery Cow when on land with the help of her red-feathered cap to Ashlesha’s energy. We can relate the Merry Maid’s ability to gain legs and walk on land to meet lovers to Ashlesha’s energy. Finally, I will note we can relate Melusine’s deeply transformative abilities: to be a Mermaid each Saturday, in human form the rest of the week, and to transform into a Dragon as she flew from Lusignan back to Avalon to Ashlesha’s energy!
Oh, yes, Ashlesha Nakshatra is a potent Lunar Mansion to look to when you desire to understand the ability to change shape and transform. Tapping into this energy, especially if you are an Ashlesha Native, can inspire you to shed what no longer serves and step into the next chapter of life. I hope you have enjoyed reading this reflection on Ashlesha Nakshatra and Shapeshifting. Do you have any Ashlesha placements in your birth chart? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is a lovely artwork titled Are We Ghosts by Zoe Keller. I found the art on https://www.zoekeller.com/2020-snakes.
LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries
Further Reading
- Divine Forces of the Lunar Nakshatras by Radhe
- https://www.clairenakti.com/articles/categories/ashlesha