Akasha or Ether: Pancha Mahabhutas in Vedic Astrology
The Pancha (five) Mahabhutas (great elements) in Vedic astrology refers to earth, air, fire, water and ether.
Everybody has some kind of understanding about the first 4 elements since it's also found in Western or tropical astrology. However, the ether or akashic element seems to be underrepresented and misunderstood, so I thought I would make a post about it.
Moving from the stability of earth, through the flow of water, the passion of fire, and lightness of air, we reach the element that makes everything else possible: ether or ‘space’. Ether is both nothing and everything at the same time. It’s stillness, yet it’s the very thing that makes all movement and life possible.
Referred to as ‘akasha’ in Sanskrit, ether is the element that comes first in yogic and Ayurvedic thinking. Ether is without the firmness of earth, the coolness of water, the heat of fire or even the movement of wind. It is therefore the very essence of ‘emptiness’. The space element is the most subtle of all elements. Within our bodies we can recognise the space element literally anywhere there is space; the sinus cavities that allow for our voices to resonate, the space in the lungs that fills with air, and space in the stomach before a meal.
Medieval alchemists were fascinated with the ether element, believing it could turn lead into gold and even prolong life. They referred to the space element as ‘quintessence’; a term also used to describe the ‘heavenly bodies’ such as stars and galaxies. The ancient Greeks saw ether as a god-like element and a substance that allowed humans to connect to spirituality and intuition. Ancient yogis saw ether as that which was unbound and all-pervasive, and the element of potentiality.
It's linked to sound (Shabda), the throat, hearing, intuition, higher consciousness, and spirituality, signifying vastness and the unseen connection to the divine. An imbalance in Akasha can cause feelings of isolation, depression, or issues with the throat and voice, balanced by love, nourishment, and balancing other elements.
Every nakshatra in vedic astrology is assigned an element. I will mention the akashic or etheric nakshatras below:
DHANISHTA
SHATABHISHA
PURVABHADRAPADA
UTTARABHADRAPADA
REVATI
The ether element in these Nakshatras provides individuals with expansive, imaginative, and philosophical qualities, along with a strong connection to their inner voice and a potential for spiritual growth.
Along with these naks, the planet Jupiter (Brihaspati) is the key planetary representative of the ether element, signifying wisdom and expansion in a birth chart.
If you look at the charts of many prominent spiritual figures throughout history, you will see that they had akashic nakshatras, or Jupiter ruled naks in their chart.
I'm sure many of you have heard of the "Akashic records" as well
The Akashic Records are a mystical, non-physical library or energetic archive in spiritual traditions, holding the complete history, thoughts, actions, and potential futures of every soul and event in the universe, stored in the "Akasha" (ether/space). Accessed through meditation, intention, or spiritual guidance, these records offer insight into past lives, karmic patterns, and life's purpose, acting as a cosmic database for personal growth and understanding.
People with Akashic nakshatras in their chart kind of embody this energy, where they can access a higher plane of perception and see "above" the superficial lens of things. They are innately wise and intuitive in a powerful way.
Helena Blavatsky, often known as Madame Blavatsky, was a Russian and American mystic and writer who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She gained an international following as the primary founder of Theosophy as a belief system.
She had Punarvasu Rising, along with Jupiter amatyakaraka in Dhanishta conjunct Ketu in the 8h
"The Universe is worked and guided from within outwards."
This is essentially the oft-repeated phrase "as above, so below. as within, so without"
I first came across this ancient axiom in Rhonda Byrne's The Secret, which is probably one of the most well-known spiritual-self-help-y books of the 21st century.
And sure enough, Rhonda Byrne has a Purvabhadrapada stellium (Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Rahu) along with an exalted Venus in Revati and Mars in UBP
She is also a Bharani Moon. A placement that is deeply spiritual but also trend-setting and iconic (if you're familiar with my older posts about Venusian women being icons who are widely imitated, then you know this). A million self-help gurus have followed in her path teaching "law of attraction" and "manifestation".
Ram Dass, Revati Sun conjunct Rahu, Venus in Shatabhisha, Punarvasu Rising
He was a guru of modern yoga, a psychologist, and a writer. His best-selling 1971 book Be Here Now, helped popularise Eastern spirituality and yoga in the West.
Eckhart Tolle, Dhanishta Sun, Mercury in Shatabhisha, Venus in UBP, Moon conjunct Rahu in Bharani
I'm assuming a lot of you know this guy already but he wrote The Power of Now and he's been on Oprah many times and just about every celebrity recommends his books
Jiddu Krishnamurti, Dhanishta Rising, Rahu in Purvabhadrapada in 1h
He was an Indian mystic and spiritual figure
I'm sure many of you have come across this quote by him:
"It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
Alan Watts, Jupiter conjunct Rahu in Dhanishta in 1h
Again, I'm assuming a lot of you are familiar with Alan Watts. He's written dozens of books, which have reinterpreted and popularised Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu philosophy for Western audiences.
"I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is."
This quote by him is super Akashic coded because the expansiveness and all-encompassing nature of Akasha or ether allows one to perceive reality in a way that goes beyond normal linearity.
Adyashanti, Jupiter in Shatabhisha
“Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It's seeing through the facade of pretence. It's the
complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true.”― Adyashanti
I feel like this really ties in with an elevated Jupiterean outlook on spiritual awakening/enlightenment. There is a lot of white-washed spirituality content that makes that "awakening" feel like some blissful, happy go-lucky thing when it's anything but.
If you've read about "the dark night of the soul" you will know how spiritual transformation is an intense experience.
This also relates to the Sufi concept of fanaa or annihilation which is the final stage before uniting with God.
Speaking of Sufism, the man who established the Inayati Order was also Akashic.
Hazrat Inayat Khan- Punarvasu Sun, Purvabhadrapada Moon, UBP Rising
“There can be no rebirth without a dark night of the soul, a total annihilation of all that you believed in and thought that you were.”
Tara Brach, Punarvasu Moon, Venus in Revati
“In bullfighting there is an interesting parallel to the pause as a place of refuge and renewal. It is believed that in the midst of a fight, a bull can find his own particular area of safety in the arena. There he can reclaim his strength and power. This place and inner state are called his querencia. As long as the bull remains enraged and reactive, the matador is in charge. Yet when he finds his querencia, he gathers his strength and loses his fear. From the matador's perspective, at this point the bull is truly dangerous, for he has tapped into his power.”
Deepak Chopra, Purvabhadrapada Rising
“If you obsess over whether you are making the right decision, you are basically assuming that the universe will reward you for one thing and punish you for another.
The universe has no fixed agenda. Once you make any decision, it works around that decision. There is no right or wrong, only a series of possibilities that shift with each thought, feeling, and action that you experience.
If this sounds too mystical, refer again to the body. Every significant vital sign- body temperature, heart rate, oxygen consumption, hormone level, brain activity, and so on- alters the moment you decide to do anything… decisions are signals telling your body, mind, and environment to move in a certain direction.”
There is this ambiguity and expansiveness to the things that all these people say that is kind of the core essence of spirituality which can only be understood through experience and cannot be intellectualized.
Dalai Lama, Ketu in Punarvasu, Retrograde Saturn in Shatabhisha in 10h, Retrograde Jupiter in Vishaka in 5h
“This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness.”― Dalai Lama XIV
I know him and many of the people I have mentioned in this post are kinda sus and have said and done questionable if not outright fucked up, things but this isn't a post about righteousness. I am only trying to list people who have shared their spiritual thoughts with the world and established themselves as leaders or reverential figures.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Jupiter in Dhanishta amatyakaraka, Saturn in Vishaka darakaraka, Mercury in Swati
“We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.”― Thich Nhat Hanh
Once again, this theme of everything being "one" keeps repeating in the works of these spiritual figures
Oprah Winfrey, Mercury in Dhanishta atmakaraka, Mars in Vishaka, Ketu in Punarvasu
While not traditionally recognized as a spiritual leader, Oprah Winfrey has played a significant role in popularizing spiritual teachings and practices through her television network, book club, and philanthropic efforts.
"You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.”― Oprah Winfrey
Marianne Williamson, Sun (amatyakaraka) conjunct Venus (atmakaraka) in Punarvasu, Mars in Swati, Rahu in Dhanishta in 9h
She is a spiritual teacher, author, and activist known for her impassioned advocacy for personal transformation, social justice, and spiritual awakening.
“It takes courage...to endure the sharp pains of self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives.”
Louise Hay, Swati Moon, Jupiter amatyakaraka in Dhanishta, Saturn in Vishaka darakaraka
“In the infinity of life where I am,
All is perfect, whole and complete,
I no longer choose to believe in old limitations and lack, I now choose to begin to see myself
As the Universe sees me --- perfect, whole, and complete.”― Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life
Wayne Dyer, Ketu in Revati, UBP Rising
“The more you see yourself as what you'd like to become, and act as if what you want is already there, the more you'll activate those dormant forces that will collaborate to transform your dream into your reality.”― Wayne W. Dyer
Neale Donald Walsch, Jupiter in Ashlesha (Cancer rashi) in the 12h conjunct his Ashlesha Rising, He has an exalted Jupiter (Akasha) so that's why I have included him
“The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. You are not discovering yourself, but creating yourself anew. Seek therefore, not to find out Who You Are, but seek to determine Who You Want to Be.”― Neale Donald Walsch
Esther Hicks, Purvabhadrapada Sun, Mercury in Dhanishta, Ketu in Vishaka
“You are actually pre-paving your future experiences constantly. ... You are continually projecting your expectations into your future experiences.”― Esther Hicks
Paulo Coelho, Jupiter in Vishaka in 6h atmakaraka
“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.”― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Mooji, Mercury atmakaraka in Dhanishta, Mars in Vishaka, Ketu in Punarvasu
“Dying to your own attachments is a beautiful death.
Because this death releases you into real life.
You have to die as a seed to live as a tree.”― Mooji
James Redfield, UBP Sun conjunct Rahu, Revati Moon, Mercury in Purvabhadrapada, Jupiter in Dhanishta
“We can become inspired to shape a higher, more ideal future, and when we do, miracles happen.”― James Redfield
Ken Wilber, Purvabhadrapada Moon, Mars in Dhanishta atmakaraka
“That all opposites—such as mass and energy, subject and object, life and death—are so much each other that they are perfectly inseparable, still strikes most of us as hard to believe. But this is only because we accept as real the boundary line between the opposites. It is, recall, the boundaries themselves which create the seeming existence of separate opposites. To put it plainly, to say that "ultimate reality is a unity of opposites" is actually to say that in ultimate reality there are no boundaries. Anywhere.”
Alice Walker, Dhanishta Sun, Moon conjunct Jupiter (in Ashlesha)
She's not a spiritual figure per se but her writing has always struck me as deeply spiritual.
"God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside find it. And sometimes it just manifest itself even if you not looking, or don't know what you looking for. Trouble do it for most folks, I think. Sorrow, lord. Feeling like shit. It? I ask. Yeah, It. God ain't a he or a she, but a It. But what do it look like? I ask. Don't look like nothing, she say. It ain't a picture show. It ain't something you can look at apart from anything else, including yourself. I believe God is everything, say Shug. Everything that is or ever was or ever will be. And when you cam feel that, and be happy to feel that, you've found it.”― Alice Walker, The Color Purple
Napoleon Hill, Swati Sun conjunct Rahu, Venus in Vishaka
“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.”
Neville Goddard, Shatabhisha Sun conjunct Ketu, Venus in Revati atmakaraka, Mars in Vishaka, Saturn in Dhanishta
“Change your conception of yourself and you will automatically change the world in which you live. Do not try to change people; they are only messengers telling you who you are. Revalue yourself and they will confirm the change.”
David R Hawkins, Venus in Punarvasu, Jupiter in UBP
“The insecure person is fearful and prone to jealousy, clinging, possessiveness, and attachment in relationships, an approach that always brings frustration. The purpose of these feelings is to bind and tightly possess the other, to achieve security by preventing loss and, at times, to punish the other for our own fear of loss. Again, these attitudes tend to bring into manifestation the very thing that we are holding in mind. The other person, now feeling pressured by our energy of dependency and possessiveness, has an inner impulse to run for freedom, to withdraw, to detach and do the very thing that we fear the most. These attitudes lead to constantly wanting to influence others. Because people intuitively pick up our wish to control them, their response is to resist. So the only way to bring about relinquishment of their resisting us is to let go of wanting to influence them in the first place. This means letting go of the inner fears as they come up.”
Elizabeth Gilbert Punarvasu Sun (darakaraka) conjunct Mercury (atmakaraka), Rahu in Purvabhadrapada
“You need to learn how to select your thoughts just the same way you select your clothes every day. This is a power you can cultivate. If you want to control things in your life so bad, work on the mind. That's the only thing you should be trying to control".
Rick Rubin, Purvabhadrapada Sun conjunct Jupiter, Mercury in Shatabhisha, Saturn in Dhanishta
“A river of material flows through us. When we share our works and our ideas, they are replenished. If we block the flow by holding them all inside, the river cannot run and new ideas are slow to appear.
In the abundant mindset, the river never runs dry. Ideas are always coming through. And an artist is free to release them with the faith that more will arrive.
If we live in a mindset of scarcity, we hoard great ideas.”
Erykah Badu- Shatabhisha Sun, Purvabhadrapada Moon, Mercury in Dhanishta conjunct Rahu
Ya'll know she's spiritual asf
"There are millions and billions of atoms of memory of all kinds of musical themes in me."
She directly referenced the Akashic nature of making art/music
Ramana Maharishi- Punarvasu Moon conjunct Ketu
“Your duty is to be and not to be this or that. 'I am that I am' sums up the whole truth. The method is summed up in the words 'Be still'. What does stillness mean? It means destroy yourself. Because any form or shape is the cause for trouble. Give up the notion that 'I am so and so'. All that is required to realize the Self is to be still. What can be easier than that?”
I have included quotes from each of the people I have mentioned on this list because I really wanted to shed light on the Akashic free-spirited free-thinking way of perceiving reality and the world and how all of spirituality is in essence, a practice of cultivating this Akashic or etheric quality.
