The Fixed Stars represent an important and exciting ancient resource of knowledge for astrology on which much solid work has been done in the past and into our own times.  Including the fixed stars in your astrological understanding adds another element of clarity to your personal star map.

In exploration of Fixed Stars, I focused on the life of my sister, Elisabeth Y. Fitzhugh.  The Fixed Stars dramatically correlate with and mark events in her life.  Elisabeth has been a channel for what she calls the Orion consciousness for now over twenty years.  She has had other mystic elements in her life, including various totems and significant symbols.  Also consistently present has been some aspect of expressing her creativity through art.   In this article, you will see distinct links between the meanings we find with the Fixed Stars and elements in her life. 

Elisabeth was born March 25 1948, 11:47:15 am EST in Philadelphia Pa. Lahari.  The delineations are from the texts used in the course and embedded in the foot notes are elaborations on the natives life illustrating how these factors all intertwine.

Her Moon resides in the Nakashatra of Hasta, the Hand. The bright star of Hasta is in the constellation of Corvus the Crow.  The deity for this Nakashatra is Savitar, a manifestation of Surya the Sun.  

The hand represents crafts and artisanship. This constellation leads to skillfulness of the hands.  Also known as the constellation of the "conjurer", one who uses his hands to perform tricks, but in a more spiritual light the manifestation of this energy may express it self through counseling along with advice giving. After my sister experienced a spiritual wakening in 1982 at The Monroe Institute in Virginia, she found that she possessed special gifts. She now uses her gift of channeling to help her clients obtain a different and wider prospective on the events in their lives.  Personal expression through art and crafts has been equally present in her life.

The ruling star of this Nakshatra is Denebola Leonis 20 Virgo 30, a blue star found in the Lions tail. According to Ptolemy, it is of the nature of the planets Saturn and Venus. This energy provides swift judgment, despair, regrets, public disgrace, along with misfortune from the elements and the possibility of happiness turned to anger. It makes the native capable of possessing the traits of nobility, daring, self-control, and generosity. Alternatively, they could be busy with other peoples affairs. As an example, in 1976 when Elisabeth was traveling in India for many weeks with her husband, she contracted Malaria [he did not]  and until recently, was plagued by the recurring effects of the disease.

When the Moon's aligned with this star, it provides honors, possible promotion between the vulgar, and possibly, finally disgrace and ruin. There may be violent disease to vital organs, blindness, and injuries to the eyes, accidents, losses through servants, domestic quarrels, along with temporary separations from the marriage partner. Here it is interesting to note that at various times, with her previous husband, there were long temporary separations. These occurred when they were maintaining two different households and living in two separate cities, while waiting for a property to sell along with placing their son in a better high school in southern Virginia.  In addition, in 2003ithe she underwent treatment for a breast cancer tumor.

The stars of Corvus, as stated by Ptolemy, are the planetary energies of Mars and Saturn. Manilius states that the Bird (Corvus) is sacred to Phoebus who adopted this shape to elude Typhon while he was chasing her.   The Raven is a talking bird, and has an association with prophecy, intelligence, and message bearing.  The Crown and Raven have been very active symbols and totems for Elisabeth, which she first connected with in a shamanic drumming circle.

The Ascendant resides in the nakashatra of Ardra, within the constellation of Orion, which holds the bright star of Betelgeuse.  A secondary star association is with Sirius, the Dog Star, also attributed with Ardra. The animal symbol for Ardra is that of a female dog.  The group consciousness that Elisabeth channels did not name itself Orion.  Rather they said a name would come to her.  It came in a dream and she later learned that the constellation Orion was rising in the sky at the time of this experience. 

Ardra presides in its entirety within the sign of Gemini the Twins. The deity of Ardra is Rudra, the lord of the storm, considered a fierce form of the god Shiva, who also represents thunder. Ardra is the "moist one, and also depicted as a "Teardrop." Ardras other attributes are green, fresh, soft, wet, and shining like a gem. Because of its association with the spring rains of Rudra, Ardra possesses clarity of perception.  Some   of the other traits and qualities connected with this asterism are enthusiasm, an urge for expansion and activity. Ardras power is that of "effort."  Gains are possible in life through great effort on the part of the native.  Writers and Teachers are career choices for this nakashatra. When Ardra is on the ascendant, the native may possess a brilliant mind and strong intelligence.  Elisabeth has now worked with Orion for over 20 years and her work is referred to as a spiritual psychology.

The bright star of Betelgeuse is an orange star situated on the right shoulder of Orion.  According to Ptolemy, it is of the nature of Mars and Mercury. These stars produce a body type, which is harmonious of movement and well proportioned.

Orion, the constellation where Betelgeuse resides bestows the themes of self-discipline, control, strength, power, leadership. In its negative form, it can lead to bullying, desire, and destruction and creation. However, overall this spirit can rise above the animal instincts. The Sun is in the Nakshastra of Uttara Bhandrapada. This asterism consists of two stars, Pegasi and Andromedae. These stars form two legs of the "Bed" which represents the funeral cot for the pyre.  The deity is Agni, the Fire God. People born under this nakashatra demonstrate restraint and control over their anger making them less aggressive. Their ruling planet is Saturn providing for the individual the needed discipline and self-control over emotions and behaviors. This star, referred to as the "Warrior Star," the natives can possess the ability to not only control their anger but also endure pain.  In addition, are very powerful and capable of caring for and protecting those that they love and hold close.    Finding the Sun here the natives are intelligent, quick-witted, of a peaceful nature, and are creative in their work, generous and charitable. These natives possess a mystical mind along with good writing skills.  Here we see that Elisabeth has recently completed her second book based on the ongoing Orion material.

The star of Al Genib is in Pegasi, a white star with the influence of Mars and Mercury. This star gives the negative traits of dishonor and notoriety violence and misfortunes.   Found with another star also associated with this nakashatra and constellation is Skat d Aquari 7 Pisces 45.  A small star situated on the left leg of Aquarius, the shinbone.  According to Ptolemy, it is of the nature of Saturn and Jupiter. It gives good fortune and happiness when aligned with the Sun. This placement produces a sensitive, emotional, psychic nature. They could receive criticism and persecution for using mediumship.  When Elisabeth was in Paris in 1976, returning home from her stay abroad, she had a distinct feeling of dread and unease.  She experienced a past life remembrance, that she had been executed for her association with gifts of prophecy. The interesting part to this is that it would be another 13 years till she had her psychic awakening and her gifts emerged.

The constellation of Pegasus the horse is associated with the elements of fire and water.  In addition, Pegasus is also associated with the forces of life and danger associated with burial rites in Ancient Chthonian (Greek underworld) Cults. The horse is closely associated with the realm of death especially in Central Asia. Among the IndoEuropean culture, the horse was a psychopomp, a spirit guide for the souls of the deceased.  For this reason, horses were buried with the dead, or sacrificed as part of the funerary rites. 

The fleetness of Pegasus the winged horse, symbolizes the wind, the waves and sea foam as well as fire and light.  The horse is an ambivalent symbol and when white in color or golden and fiery, it is associated with the Sun Gods and their chariots. This is a representation of the solar horse.  The opposite of this is the Dark horse, which is associated with the sea, chaos, water, and is the steeds of the Oceanic Gods. This is the lunar horse. Horses are both the symbols of life and death.

The horse represents the natural unconscious and instinctual nature. In the past horses were endowed with magical powers and divination. Jung thought that the horse expressed the "magical side of man" and the "mother within us" the intuitive understanding.  Elisabeth refers to her art as aspect art images that reflect subconscious and unconscious aspects of her personal life, as well as archetypical elements.

The planet Saturn is in the Nakashatra of Ashlesha and resides entirely in the sign of Cancer.   The Star for Hydra is Pollux Geminorum 22 Cancer 7.  The deity is Naga the Serpent King. The nakashatra consists of a circle of six stars in the constellation of the Hydra, the female water snake. Also called the clinging star, the entwiner, there is a desire to embrace and entangle the object of focus. The serpent is a symbol of divine wisdom, procreation, sexuality, and prosperity as well as danger trouble and unexpected attack.  Ashlesha, ruled by the planet Mercury and it inhabits the sign of the Crab, ruled by the Moon. Both planets are mental by nature and assist with the creation of a deeply philosophical, thoughtful, penetrating, and intelligent mind.  Other traits attributed to Ashlesha are independence, austerity, and self-reliance. The male cat is its animal symbol. The shadow side is mental instability, worry, fear, and a melancholy mind.   I have not seen any of this in my sisters life yet, other than worry, which we all have at one time, or another. Our mother, on the other hand, was quite melancholic and prone to depression.  In my sisters natal chart, her Moon is conjunct Neptune in the 4th house. My mother also had this conjunction but in the 12th house.

The Star of this nakashatra is Pollux, an orange star situated on the head of the Southern twin.  He is the son of Jupiter and Leda and the immortal one of the twins, famous for his boxing skills. He is sometimes called Hercules, and symbolically named A Heartless Judge. The influence according to Ptolemy is that of Mars and to Alvidas of the Moon, Mars, and Uranus. It gives a subtle, crafty, spirited, brave, dignified malevolence and is connected with poisons. When this star is found with the  planet Saturn the effects are that of a bad temper,  bitterness, sarcastic, loss of arm or leg, loss of parents, of trouble through step-parents, much help from a friend, lack of education, and sudden death while following an occupation through horses or large animals.

The Hydra is also a water snake. The Euphartean Hydra is a variant of the seven Evil Spirits also known as the sinister brood of Timat who lives "in the lower part of heaven" and devise evil at sunset. To vanquish the seven-headed monster is to conquer the evil influences of the planets as symbols of instincts and baser forces. Sea serpents as symbols relate the blind animal force of the unconscious with that of the Abyss. Ptolemy states that the bright stars in Hydra are like Saturn and Venus.

As we can see, the strong archetypal themes that are present in the description of my sisters natal chart using the Nakashatras, the Fixed Stars and the Constellational myths are undeniable.  They serve a definite purpose in the fleshing out of a natal delineation to provide an in-depth and possible unconscious operational factor that may not be apparent in the usual and customary mode of interpretation.  This merging of both of the systems of tropical and sidereal, as a common meeting ground serves astrologers well, for we all live under the one sky.

References: The Hindu Lunar Zodiac by Roeland DeLooff, The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology by Vivian E. Robson 

The Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology by Dennis Harness and a manuscript by Diana K Rosenberg.

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