Article from my Instagram, @Claire.Nakti, in July 2017
The moon is still in Ashlesha and we have some more to say about this fascinating Nakshatra đđ Reading Ida Craddock here. Ida Craddock has published perhaps the most comprehensive and detailed writings involving the 3 degrees of sexual practices. She is an Ashlesha Sun native, and Ashlesha creates a strong interest in these practices, due to Ashlesha nativeâs innate desire to conserve their energy. Ashlesha, although it occurs early on at the end of the first cycle of nakshatras, is actually so critical to understand, if we want to pass the test which occurs much later in Purva Bhadrapada. Among the planets, Jupiter rules the Ether or Akasha element in Jyotish, and this test corresponds to the throat center, or Vishuddhi Chakra. A person who reaches this stage is a very advanced spiritual person, capable of controlling their astral body, mastering any magical skills, etc. They are sitting in the heart center, but their karmas and spiritual momentum generated through all of their actions begin propelling them to the next step, which is activation of the Akasha Tattwa. This Tattwa is called the cruel or wicked tattwa, in that every action other than meditation is said to totally fail when undertaken at the time this tattwa dominates. This is why this is a time of loss of all that a person has: health, wealth, fame, etc, as all one identifies with (Ashlesha is Kunadalini and our Ahamkara) is stripped away. This stage is likened to entering an arid desert with nothing but a map that we ourselves were given in Shravana when we wrote the âSpiritual Thesisâ, which defines the laws of our own Universe. This Thesis is, however, incomplete until we cross the throat center of Purva Bhadrapada and liquidate our limited personality , which then causes us to discover the other half of our spiritual thesis. Then, the fertile rain falling in Uttara Bhadrapada nakshatra causes this dry, arid desert we have become, to burst into flower. There are those, however, who, due to a defect all the way back in the Ashlesha nakshatra stage of their spiritual development, recoil at the sight of shedding all of their prana and spiritual life force to the Goddess, and losing all of their personality. They do not want to leave the heart center, and then become a kind of spiritual vampire who victimizes others to sustain themselves, as they have failed in their Purva Bhadrapada test, which was to liquidate all of ones assets in order to move beyond Jnana Loka in the throat center. Instead of offering themselves to the Goddess to attain immortal life, they offer others to artificially preserve themselves. This is told in beautiful allegory in the tale of VIKRAM VETAL with the Tantrik who attempts to offer Vikram to his Goddess. Akasha, is the tattwa of death. In Purva Bhadrapada, we either learn to die while we are still alive, and remove ourselves from Ashlesha permanently, or fail in our spiritual evolution and become like the Tantrik in Vikram Vetal, who go insane and prey upon others to sustain ourselves. This mystery is contained in the Mahavidya Chinnamasta, as well as the Roman Catholic mass.