In Swati Nakshatra, the quest for gold begins. It is when we commence our journey as souls in a physical earthbound incarnation. The physical body has many needs: for shelter, for food, for offspring, for clothing, for leisure pursuits and so on. It is through the lessons of Swati Nakshatra that we embark upon the quest to see the material world as a manifestation of the spiritual source that created all living beings.

The symbol for Swati Nakshatra is a coral. Synchronised coral spawning typically occurs once a year several days after a full moon. Corals intuitively sense environmental changes caused by the lunar cycle. While the coral can be a self-propagating organism, its genetic variation is stifled by asexual reproduction. It needs Moonlight to reproduce sexually.

Corals create an environment within which many lifeforms can flourish. That is the true teaching of Swati Nakshatra. Our financial lives should resemble a coral. We should always endeavour to create an environment which provides not only for ourselves, but also for others. In traditional interpretations of Swati Nakshatra, it is believed to be the lunar house of those who are destined to create wealth for their community.

Vayu

Vayu, the ruling deity of Swati nakshatra, is the God of Air. He is Brahman manifest. Brahman manifests his life-giving breath through Vayu. When a baby is born, it cries as it takes its first breath. That is Brahman manifesting his life-giving consciousness through the physical body. This consciousness will continue to give us life till we take our last breath.

And why have we been given this life-breath? There is no one standard answer. Different people are born for different purposes. Some are here to seek spiritual enlightenment through austerity, while others are born to seek it through wealth creation.

Planets in Swati Nakshatra indicate the depth of the soul’s responsibility for wealth generation. The primary impetus here is wealth creation. The soul is covered and cloaked in a physical body and part of the dharma for Swati Nakshatra is to take care of physical and tangible needs. But the true dharma is to see the physical world as an emanation of Brahman.

For any species to propagate, physical resources are required. Resources that we sometimes have no control over. Imagine needing something like moonlight to procreate. It seems almost strange to humans, but that is how it is for corals. We cannot propagate if the environmental conditions are unfavourable.

The coral is the rainforest of the sea. It is a complex ecosystem with varied marine life. Over a million species can live in one square kilometre of coral reef. Algae, fish and many other species depend on the reef for their habitat and food. The number of species that can exist is directly proportional to the mass of the coral reef.

Swati Nakshatra is located in Libra, but it is ruled by Rahu. It indicates that one has to fully experience involvement with earthly matters. One has to continue trying and trying to succeed financially. It reminds us that we should only begin thinking about spiritual fulfilment once our material needs have been met.

The overall crux of the idea is that spiritual fulfilment is secondary to material fulfilment. It is only when we are fed, sheltered and clothed that we can begin to aspire towards other pursuits.

A balance is only reached when the tension between these seemingly opposing forces become placated within us.