꩜⋆.°⭑ ⬤ SHATABHISHA - GATEWAY OF OBLIVION ⬤ ⋆˚꩜｡
"We are our own worst enemy, not just as individuals but more importantly as a group, as a family, as a society, as a country, as a world. We are afraid of the shadowy, mysterious 'other' that's gonna come and kill us... but what we're really afraid of is the thing we're suppressing: our sin, our guilt, our contribution to our own demise." - Director Jordan Peele (Shatabhisha Sun)
Shatabhisha Nakshatra is often cited to be one of the most difficult nakshatras to understand or break down due to its veiling qualities. However, I've been studying up on it and reading various books as well as observing how they manifest in movies and have begun to witness a common theme taking place which I will share today. But, to understand the nakshatra is to understand the deity which is Varuna, The All-Seeing God of Moral Judgement and Justice.
Varuna is a being who prioritizes cosmic order, to maintain balance through the use of laws and rules that reinforce societal growth and expectations. He is usually represented as having a thousand eyes like the stars above us, studying humanity's evolving nature and actions through the deployment of spies which is a work done in the shadows. In the picture above, he always carries a noose or a rope which symbolizes his power to punish those who choose to sin or disrupt the world but also allows redemption as a possibility if the guilty desire to come to terms with their faults. Another representation can also be connected to the depressive and isolating phases of Shatabhisha in which one makes an enemy out of themselves based on how they define their existence in this world. Do you live by the noose or die by the noose? That is Varuna's test.
Another key feature to add is that Shatabhisha's symbol is The Empty Circle. A single circle can have many different meanings, it all depends on your viewpoint and perspective of how you interpret it. Some may believe that it represents nothing at all or something contained in that space. Others may see it as a connection to an eclipse which coincides with eternal transformation and a moment of darkness. It can even be seen as like a dilated eye, watching you with an intense focus which goes back to Varuna and what he stands for.
However, in reality, it is actually all of the above. Being that Shatabhisha is known as The Veiling Star, it has the power to conceal what lies behind the illusory mask that is presented to you or reveal the truth that is right in front of your face. It is like attending a funeral with grandmothers who hide their faces behind a black veil or a wedding in which the bride's veil is removed from the groom, exposing what is underneath. Shatabhisha is the grey area in the middle, the one that stands between that internal death and the external bliss of life.
In modern ways of deciphering this, Shatabhisha people may be seen as outcasts or rebellious in their ways. They're too eccentric to belong in one particular group and possibly too bland to be accepted in another group. Their life ends up becoming the one black spot on a white canvas, the black sheep, the odd one who is forced to linger as the audience while watching others take the spotlight. In this way, the axis of Aquarius and Leo cannot coexist properly with each other as one will end up desiring to dominate or consume the other's light in an extreme way due to Rahu's energies. Magha and Purva Phalguni natives naturally attract attention, the glamour and the center stage in their lives, they typically have many followers who admire them without having to try hard at all.
I have personally noticed Shatabhisha people who become friends with a Magha/Purva Phalguni person and end up falling behind as their permanent shadow, unconsciously or not. The sensitvity of being excluded or overlooked that exists in this nakshatra is greatly magnified when they are around their opposing sign.
But, going back to more important topics, I will now disclose a few movies in which I have seen specific patterns of Shatabhisha Nakshatra manifesting in uncanny ways.
*I will make sure not to give too much spoilers for those who probably wish to watch these movies on their own free time.
The Machinist (Christian Bale - D60 Ketu in Shatabhisha)
This movie is about a young man, Trevor Reznik, who suffers severe insomnia and borderline anorexia throughout his entire life which stemmed from the unfortunate accident that took place in his troubled past. When he encounters a mysterious man that was born from Trevor's hallucinations, the familiar feelings of guilt and memories come flooding back to compel him to take responsibility for the mistake he caused.
Obsession (Inde Navarette - D1 Sun in Shatabhisha*)
This movie explains the main character, Bear, and his life turning around for the worse when he decides to make a wish for a girl, Nikki, to fall madly in love with him. Due to the supernatural circumstances in the film, the wish instantly backfires on him as she begins taking on a more psychotic and obsessive persona towards Bear. Her violent personality becomes much more destructive for herself and others around her.
Detention [2019] (Gingle Wang - D1 Mars, Jupiter and Ketu in Shatabhisha)
In this movie, the main character, Fang Ray Shin, navigates through a twisted and hellish environment of her school as she gradually uncovers the memories of the events that took place and the mistakes she has created which caused the innocent lives of others. She wanders between worlds as a spirit floating in limbo, stuck reliving the painful truths over and over again until she must accept her faults and open her heart up for forgiveness to find redemption. In my opinion, this is one of the best solid examples of this manifestation here.
There are a couple more movies that I can very well list but I am only demonstrating a few for now to simply share these themes as concisely as possible.
The common themes of identity confusion, meeting the shadow within yourself, isolation, exile, split selves, mental exhaustion and seeking a way out are all reverted back to Shatabhisha. These natives typically start life living on the outskirts of society as they tirelessly work to navigate their way in this world and find themselves in the process. Rahu's influence on this nakshatra only serves to cause more chaos and addiction that Shatabhisha natives succumb to whether it is excessive gaming, smoking, drinking or any other forms of substance abuse to escape the internal pain and conflict that they've created for themselves.
But, it doesn't necessarily mean that Shatabhisha people are destined to live a difficult life. They can very well turn these life lessons inward and reflect on them enough to help others along the path too, making them exceptional doctors, astrologers, psychologists, therapists and many other things that deal with the mind and body. They can even be pretty loyal friends in times of crisis or simply to have some fun, no matter how reckless it is.
Overall, this is my synopsis of this nakshatra and I will start looking more into other nakshatras or perhaps expand more on Shatabhisha and how it manifests in the modern world through other aspects.
Any questions or comments are deeply appreciated and welcomed, it would be very wonderful. Thanks for reading!