Bharani: The Star of Sexual Dimorphism
The Nakshatras: Bharani
Bharani is the second portion of Aries, which extends from 13 20′ degrees to 26 40′ degrees of Aries. Bharani is the Birth of Venus, the very advent of sexuality and procreation in the zodiac. Bharani means “Bearing” or rather, more specifically “She Who Bears”. The implication is that of pregnancy but this also refers to Bharani’s general nature as the bearer of energy, the very essence of feminine receptivity and fertility. This asterism entails the very process of conception, gestation and birth; the division of the One into The Two which become Sexual Poles, Great Mother and Great Father, the Matrimonial Binary which begets all of manifestation’s various forms. It is of great salience that Mars rules Aries and that Bharani rules Venus within it, for it is here that these Ur-Sexual planetary energies first engage in Sexual Union and Creative Expression. This nakshatra also rules over the subtle forces which are expressed as the sexual fluids and gametes of both sexes, as well as the resultant zygote that follows their union. The first phase of The Creation, Ashwini, is the raw unleashing of primal energies and potential, the Explosion of the First Dawn, but it is uniform, plasmic and indistinct – undifferentiated. Here, in Bharani, this potential is harnessed and projected Earthward from the Heavens. Aries becomes a shaper of forms, an exertion upon the World of Flesh. This exertion must be understood in respect to the Vedic theonym for Venus, Shukracharya or simply Shukra. Shukra means “Bright” or “Clear” (a meaning shared with the Western theonym Venus) but it can also be translated as “The Seed of God” or simply “Semen”. Shukra has several mythological origin stories, some of them involve His (yes, his) birth via the ejaculation of a Greater deific, often Shiva, Shukra being the very fluid which is produced. In Ayurveda (Vedic Medicine), the word Shukra is used to refer to both semen and eggs and is said to be a sublte property which is expressed physically as the gamete in both sexes. In the Mahabharata Shukra divides himself in two (the number 2 is of great symbolic importance to all three Venus nakshatras), one half becomes a source of knowledge for the Devas (the Gods) and the other becomes the guru of the Asuras (the Demons), hence the alternate name for Shukra, Asuracharya (Priest of the Demons). Shukra encapsulates the Chinese metaphysical notion of “Heaven to Earth” energy, the Projection of Design into Matter. We see this sort of symbolism recapitulated via various myths about Venus around the world, however, the most famous is that which has been preserved in the Christian canon as the story of Lucifer. Like Venus, Lucifer also means “Bright” and both are associated with the Morning Star (which is not actually a star, but the planet Venus itself). Also, like Shukra, Lucifer is a Priest of the Demons. Lucifer also descends to the earth, and is likewise cast from Heaven. However, in the Book of Enoch, Lucifer seeks out this descent and in fact lusts for the material world and its flesh. In this text he is called Samjaza, which means “The One Who Has Seen” or “I Have Seen”, referring to his having witnessed the Daughters of Man and lusted for them. Since Samjaza is an angel, he is forbidden to copulate or engage in the pleasures of the flesh and having convinced many others of the Heavenly Host that this taboo should be indulged, he gathers in secret with the other Watchers and they clandestinely follow him in his descent upon the women of the Earth, aspiring to recapitulate the Fall of Azazel (Satan), whom they worship secretly (Azazel is, after a fashion, another facet of this same Venusian energy). While Samjaza and the Watchers then beget horrible children, giants called the Nephilim, by way of their unnatural procreation with womankind, they also instruct mankind in various Arts and blasphemies: metalurgy, magick, cosmetics, prostitution, weapon forging, the fabrication of jewelry, painting and all manner of carnal knowledge and the secrets of necromancy – all Venusian arts. The Watchers are subsequently discovered and punished for their aberrant behaviour by Punishing Angels. In one text, Semjaza is punished with “Eternal Falling”, wherein he is suspended betwixt Heaven and Earth, forever tumbling downward, with one eye closed and the other forever open. {This One-Eyed quality is also present in Vedic literature – there is a myth in which Shukracharya is blinded in one eye by Vishnu with a blade of grass when he attempts to prevent Vishnu from reclaiming the Universe from the Demon King Bali.} This Eternal Descent very much describes the ceaseless ‘burrowing’ and exploration of Matter and Flesh which Bharani engages in. Although the connotations of these tales are largely sinister and perverse, all aspects of Venus which are indeed endemic to its nature, they only represent the negative outcomes of this energy (those pertaining to the Half of Shukra which instructs the Asuras) which also has healthier and more benefic manifestations (Shukra’s half which instructs the Devas) which are less prevalent in Abrahamic myth. For although we see all of the Venusian pitfalls: Lust, Materialism, Peversion, Forbidden Knowledge and Transgression, there is also Creativity, Fertility, Science, Technology, and Artistry. Venus is also often associated with meteors, which calls to mind more recent, secular myths, wherein the origin of all organic life was carried here by a meteor. With the above in mind, let us return to Bharani. Because Bharani deals explicitly with The Fall, and the Origin of Sexuality, it is at once the most primal and untamed of the Venus nakshatras and the most ambitiously creative and fertile. The explosive and driven nature of Mars via Aries is carried into the Venusian world of creativity and art, procreation and feminimity. The very symbol of Bharani is the Yoni or Vulva, the Flesh-Gate through which all of mankind has entered the world. Since Bharani pertains to the preceding proceses which culminate in Birth, it is also associated with the process whereby the Soul is affixed to the Flesh of its next incarnation. This is where the role of Bharani’s resident deity becomes apparent – the role of Yama. Yama is the God of Death, and he is the upholder of Dharma in the Afterlife. When a Soul comes to Yama, it is he that guides it to its next Body, that the process whereby Karma is metabolized is continued. Yama also has the Power to return the Soul to a Body it has left and this is where Bharani’s associations with necromancy arise. Shukra is also in possession of this Great Secret, called Sanjeevni Vidhya, a knowledge which he employs in various myths to extend lives well beyond their natural limits, resurrect the dead, and heal mortal wounds. This Knowledge was imparted to Shukra after he devoted himself via Bhakti towards Shiva, as a reward from his Lord for his faith. Shukra employs his gifts to exhaust material fixation and hedonism by giving people their fill of it, revealing its meaninglessness by flooding their Souls with attachment until the Soul can bear it no more and the desire to address their karmas arises. In this way, Shukra and Yama work together to Overcome Flesh with Flesh, to weave Life and Death together that the Soul can advance beyond its most infantile phases. Again, Bharani persists as the Bearer of the World, nurturing young souls with experiences to overcome and karmas that Powers represented in later phases of the Zodiac can aid in cleansing. It should also be noted that there is a great deal of symbolism in art and literature, especially in poetry, which connects Death and Sex, the orgasm often being referred to as the Little Death. This relationship between Death and Sex is quite nakedly on display in Bharani, where Yama and Shukra work in tandem: One fertilizing the Flesh with Souls and the other shaping the Flesh in novel ways that the Soul’s experiences will themselves be novel, propelling it on its Journey through Samsara.In the nativities of human beings, Bharani expresses the most primal of Venusian qualities: creativity, fertility, productivity, innovativeness, perversion, sexual fetishism and an obsession with indulgence and luxury. Bharani natives are, by nature, elitist and extremely judgemental in the aesthetic realm, holding appearances and fashion in high regard. Venusians are, as a result, the most likely to take to ethnocentric views, cliquey behaviour, join exclusive groups, or look down on those unlike themselves. Venus tends to favour its own progeny and is highly nepotistic, thus, those who are expressions of Venusian energy tend to surround themselves with their own creations and like-minded people who will appreciate them. The women are high cheeked, with elven, delicate features, plump lips and alluring eyes. The men, on the other hand, are often conventionally unattractive, even ugly – bulging eyes which are often a tad too far apart; jutting, spade-like chins; strange jowl lines; uncommon facial contours; and small eyes. Venusian men are also often noticeably successful at obtaining highly sought-after members of the fairer sex, despite their homeliness, an ability which often perplexes onlookers.
[ painting by Kuudes Silma ]