Swati Nakshatra and Relationships: Saturn Exaltation, Parallel Universes, Timelines, and Quantum Leaping
- Shicuki
- Dec 22
- 17 min read
The contemplations in this article reflect upon why Saturn is exalted in Swati Nakshatra, and what differentiates Saturn being in its own signs, Aquarius and Capricorn, from Saturn being in Libra. Saturn is the planet of servitude, which requires the dissolution of ego, and the 7th house of relationships similarly requires letting go of the ego through merging with another person. But that is a shallow reading of this profound placement. This article bends space and time to capture the Swati experience.
To understand this, we must first revisit Ashwini nakshatra, which I have already discussed in a YouTube video. Ashwini represents a state of existence that operates largely beyond the material world. It is primarily concerned with consciousness itself, as it identifies deeply with the body and seeks balance by focusing on its opposite. Ashwini functions from the understanding that awareness is primary, while the body is secondary.
For most people, the body is central to their sense of identity. For Ashwini, the body is often seen as a temporary vessel or simply something that consciousness occupies rather than something it truly is. This perspective is why, as I mentioned in the Ashwini video, Ashwini often experiments with the body or shows a casual disregard for physical limitations.
Ashwini carries an ingrained knowing that the human experience is not ultimate reality. Whether understood as a simulation, projection, or illusion, the material form is not treated as fundamental. The body exists to serve the consciousness.
In Swati Nakshatra, existence becomes so crystallized that it feels intensely real. A Ketu nakshatra person remains largely indifferent to the ebb and flow of life, recognizing the underlying illusion behind it all. In contrast, a Rahu nakshatra person experiences the lows deeply and, at the same time, revels in the highs with an almost mad fascination, fully immersed in every moment.
Rahu represents the way your house is decorated, the environments you move into, the new places you visit, and the new people you meet. It encompasses everything around us that is not our body and is perfectly symbolized by Rahu as the head and Ketu as the body. Ashwini represents the body, while Swati represents everything into which our consciousness projects itself in the material world.
To understand Saturn's exaltation in this nakshatra, we also need to explore its connection with its buffalo yoni consort, Hasta nakshatra. Hasta is located in the 6th house of Virgo, which represents competition, obstacles, diseases, and similar challenges. This is the house of energetic depletion. To heal your own 6th house issues, you must learn to manage any obstacles, inconveniences, enemies, or diseases that arise in your life. When you learn to manage your energetic giving in a way that does not deplete you, whether alone or with the help of others, the 7th house of relationships, contracts, and marriage is finally crystallized.
It also helps to know that the 6th house is the house of enemies, and 7th house is the house of opponents. There is an important distinction between how competition and enemies are viewed through the 6th house versus the 7th house. The 6th house rules competition in the sense of struggle, effort, and opposition involving multiple people. This includes situations where you voluntarily enter a competitive environment, such as exams, rankings, or large-scale contests, where performance, endurance, and attitude toward rivalry are evaluated. The 6th house also rules enemies in the everyday sense, like attacks on the health (diseases), people you clash with, people who work against you, legal matters, or situations where conflict arises without formal structure or mutual agreement. These are adversarial dynamics stemming from friction, resentment, or survival instincts.
The 7th house rules direct opposition between two defined sides. When competition takes the form of a one-to-one matchup, such as a sports contest between two teams, an election between two candidates, or any situation where two opponents clearly face each other, the outcome is determined by the 7th house. This is not about general struggle but about mirrored opposition.
When determining the outcome between two clear options, you can either examine the Prashna chart of the competition itself or analyze the transits in the natal charts of both competitors. The 1st house represents the querent or the home side, while the 7th house represents the opposing party. If the 1st house is stronger, the querent or home team prevails; if the 7th house is stronger, the opponent wins. Sometimes these 6th house enemies are created by ourselves. If we wrong someone else or fail to maintain proper protection and security against diseases, enemies, or intruders, we invite these challenges into our lives.
This, along with the 6th house influence of the material world, is why Hasta nakshatra strives to enforce strong rules and boundaries in the 'game of life'. You will often see people with Hasta nakshatra enforcing rules to life regardless of whether they are rooted in Universal truth or not. They will pick an ideology and stick with it and fiercely defend it against all other ideologies. The downside of this is getting stuck in false ideology and defending it, being rigid and inflexible, etc.
Jordan Peterson and Charlie Kirk, both with Hasta Moon, often talk about the 'correct' way to live life. Jordan Peterson also has a book called "12 Rules for Life"
With Virgo, and specifically Hasta, you repeatedly see narratives built around life as a reward system. Certain actions generate gains, while others lead to depletion. Productivity, discipline, restraint, and intentional behavior are directly tied to energetic rewards, while indulgence, distraction, or excess lead to energetic loss. Life functions like a ledger.
A clear example of this is Black Mirror: “15 Million Merits,” starring Daniel Kaluuya (Hasta Moon). In this world, every productive action, such as exercising, eating properly, or performing assigned labor, earns merits, which function as currency. Every unproductive or escapist action, such as watching porn, mindless entertainment, or wasting energy, costs merits. Productivity translates directly into survival and upward mobility, while indulgence results in energetic and material depletion. The system makes visible what is usually invisible in real life, energy expenditure and energetic consequences.
A similar structure appears in The Good Place, starring Kristen Bell, who also has Hasta Moon. The entire narrative revolves around moral accounting. Characters believe they are in the Good Place, which functions as heaven, only to slowly realize that their actions continue to impact the quality of their environment. Certain behaviors subtly degrade their experience, while others improve it. Eventually, they realize they are actually in the Bad Place, which functions as hell, and the central question becomes what actions, choices, and internal shifts allow movement from depletion to gain. The show is essentially an exploration of 6th house mechanics, how daily choices affect comfort, suffering, and energetic balance.
The same Virgo logic is embedded in the game The Sims whose creator has his Moon in Virgo. The game mirrors real life through systems of maintenance, routine, and consequence. Eating, sleeping, working, socializing, and hygiene all directly impact performance and well being. Nothing is abstract and everything is measurable. Life becomes an act of constant assimilation and management of energy.
Hasta people essentially create a simulation of the world. These games immerse you in such a powerful illusion that instead of doing real-life chores like cleaning your room, going to work, or building a skill, you perform those actions in a game like The Sims. So why is it that completing chores in the game holds your interest, while doing them in real life does not?
In these games, you will notice that work is directly converted into reward. For example, your Sim suddenly develops a desire to visit a certain place, shop at the mall, become a singer, or even fulfill small urges like kissing someone. The motivation behind completing these actions is the immediate reward the game provides. These simulations are essentially teaching you how life could function through a visible reward system. Even when an aspiration takes a long time to complete, the game shows a progress bar slowly filling up, which creates a tangible sense of movement and change. That visible progress gives you motivation to keep working toward the goal, even if it takes a long time to achieve. This is why playing the game feels motivating, while doing the same things in real life often does not.
[Left: My Hasta inspired chore card (slide 2)]
In the real world, there are no visible progress bars showing how much of a task you have completed or how much remains before you reach your goal. There are no immediate rewards either, unlike in video games where you gain points or items for completing even menial tasks. For example, if you protect a village from pirates, you receive the pirate ship or a new weapon. In real life, if you help someone, there is no guarantee they will give you anything in return. Even if you gain those “points” energetically, you cannot see them, so the effort may feel pointless. Similarly, if your goal is to earn one million dollars and you are currently far from it, it becomes extremely difficult to stay motivated when there is no visible progress bar showing how close you are to achieving it.
So even if the rules are written in Hasta, they may not be fully aligned with what's actually happening. Just as I mentioned in The Astrology of Manifestation: Magha Nakshatra (Part 1) Magha nakshatra relates to the visualization process, when you visualize you dream life in order to begin manifesting it. In The Astrology of Romance - Purva Phalguni Nakshatra (Part 1) and The Astrology of Desire - Magha Nakshatra I mentioned that Purva Phalguni represents the stage of setting your eyes on an object of desire in the material world, such as a car, a house, or even a person you find attractive, and actively pursuing it. In this sense, Swati becomes the stage of manifestation, where you have already obtained these things and have also become that person in the material world. This differs from Magha, where the identity exists primarily in the mind or subconscious. Swati is the cosmic stage where material reality finally catches up to mental desire.
The idea is to take the rules of energetic exchange that are established in Hasta nakshatra and apply them to achieving aspirations in human form. In a game like The Sims, your character can easily become a singer by completing a series of small steps, and it feels manageable because you can clearly see what needs to be done and how long it will take. Those same rules apply in real life, except real life is an open world where the steps and timelines are not shown as clearly.
Swati is like an open world video game where there are no set rules, and you choose your own avatar in order to progress and figure out the steps on your own by reverse engineering that avatar.
To achieve a certain aspiration, you have to be flexible and adaptable in learning the skills required to fulfill it, even if those skills differ greatly from your natural or historical self image. For example, in The Sims, if you want to become a businessman, you must develop charisma, talk to a certain number of people, hold campaigns, and ask for donations. You cannot fail if you are adaptable enough to leave your old self image behind and step into a new character, operating through a defined set of skills over a defined period of time. Everything in this process is clearly structured, which reflects the nature of Hasta Nakshatra.
But in real life, faith comes first and foremost. Secondly, you need a reward system of your own. To even recognize these literal or energetic rewards, you must learn to observe the subtleties of the material world. Swati’s nakshatra ruler, Rahu, is akin to Goddess Bhuvaneshwari. David Frawley, in his book Tantric Yoga and the Wisdom Goddesses, writes the following about her worship:
This is why it becomes extremely important to notice the subtleties of life in order to keep track of energetic exchanges throughout the day. Tracking your interactions with people, the energy or money spent on activities, and observing whether recreational activities are truly rejuvenating or draining can help create an invisible progress bar. While Ketu nakshatras may view money as non spiritual due to their inward focus, Rahu nakshatras are skilled at treating energy and money as interconnected and closely observing how both are exchanged.
Everything operates through cause and effect. The butterfly effect theory suggests that even something as small as moving a chair can significantly alter your future. The Ashwini philosophy does not truly believe in 'reality', as it views existence primarily as consciousness itself. Swati nakshatra, which stands in contrast to Ashwini, is concerned with mindful interaction with reality. From this perspective, no action is shallow or meaningless. Every literal or metaphorical road you take carries consequences. You might get mugged if you take one road, or win the lottery if you take another. Swati explores consequence in a very real sense, showing that rules are not limited to video games or theoretical ideas but actively operate in lived reality, often requiring you to discover them through experience.
Because of childhood conditioning or other experiences, your reward system can become distorted. For example, imagine being at the top of your class with no higher position to reach. When you excitedly show your report card to your parents, instead of congratulating you, they respond by saying you could do better, even though you are already at the top. Or they might say you should start preparing for the next test instead of celebrating your achievement. When rewards are consistently withheld in this way, your reward system can become disrupted, causing you to overlook small or even significant wins that have powerful long term effects. You may stop celebrating simple actions like getting out of bed, getting dressed, or going out to socialize because they feel pointless. In reality, the issue is not the action itself but the inability to recognize the reward attached to it. Presenting yourself well can improve how others perceive you, and making small efforts can bring unexpected opportunities, support, and favors that you might otherwise never receive.
The philosophy of Swati nakshatra makes it clear that you must absolutely be willing to leave your former self and ideology behind and continue changing as you move forward in order to avoid stagnation.
Swati Nakshatra relates to future possibilities. Rather than moving only through physical space, we move through time and space together, shifting timelines through our actions. There are an infinite number of possible timelines depending on what we choose.
I mentioned in The Astrology of Manifestation: Magha Nakshatra (Part 1) that movies involving characters who are stuck in a time loop, reliving the same day repeatedly, often have actors with Magha nakshatra. Magha is ruled by Ketu and therefore explores the past, while Rahu nakshatras contemplate the future. Movies featuring Swati or other Rahu actors often show characters rapidly shifting timelines due to the butterfly effect or parallel choices. Some examples include:
Chaos Theory starring Ryan Reynolds (Swati Moon) where his life changes forever due to him waking up merely 10 minutes late
Look Both Ways starring Lili Reinhart (Swati Ascendant) where her life diverges into two realities- one where she is pregnant and one where she is not
Fringe starring Anna Torv (Swati Moon) and John Noble (Shatbhisha Moon) where parallel universes collide after a scientific breach
World on a Wire starring Klaus Löwitsch (Swati Moon) where nested simulated realities act like parallel universes
Undone starring Rosa Salazar (Ardra Moon) where she can move through time and alternate realities
A Sound of Thunder starring Ben Kingsley (Shatbhisha Moon) where the future is distorted due to him travelling back in time
Sliding Doors starring Gwyneth Paltrow (Shatbhisha Ascendant) where there are two timelines depending upon whether she catches or misses the train.
Mr. Nobody starring Diane Kruger (Shatbhisha Moon) whom the protagonist finds on the timeline of true love and destiny, while all the other timelines show merely safety, fear, or avoidance instead of love
In Swati Nakshatra, these timelines are explored through interaction with the material world, where every object in a space becomes significant. Every interaction carries the potential not only to move an object but to shift an entire timeline. The people and things placed in our reality are never random, except in the sense that they reflect the range of choices available to us. They function like different buttons that grant access to different realities. Even a single interaction with an object can change the course of your day in a completely different way.
In The Good Place, William Jackson Harper’s (Swati Moon) character Chidi is perpetually stressed about choosing the “right” action in every situation, to the point that the anxiety often paralyzes him into making no decision at all. Similarly, Steve Jobs (Shatabhisha Moon) famously wore the same clothes every day to eliminate decision fatigue and reduce the mental load of constant choice-making.
Although Ashwini ideology emphasizes that the soul is what matters and that objects and physical reality are fleeting, in truth, physical reality is a reflection of yourself crystallized into matter.
For example, if you decide to start eating healthy and choose a new restaurant instead of your usual fast food place, you unlock a different timeline. In that timeline, you meet your future spouse in that restaurant, or perhaps a future business partner, because the choices you make have shifted your path. It is not about whether you start eating healthy earlier or later; the point is that time is not linear. Once you realize this, you break free from the usual confines or rules of life. You transcend time by moving through space and begin to see time as a consequence of your actions, which is the essence of karma.
Saturn is safe and comfortable in Capricorn and Aquarius, its own signs, where it provides immense focus and discipline to stick to one thing for a long period and gradually build on it. But in Libra, it takes on an almost superhero-like quality. In Swati, Saturn does not operate by conventional rules of man made time. It does not believe in doing things as quickly as possible, in “eating the frog,” or in the idea that starting today guarantees a better future tomorrow. Time is not linear here, and it also interacts with space. You do not simply reach your goals faster by working hard for long periods. Instead, you can almost create a wormhole by changing your location, interacting with certain objects in material space, or doing things differently than usual. Like Swati’s symbol, the shoot swaying in the wind, you must be flexible and adaptable to new possibilities in order to experience exponential growth or actual shifts in your timeline.
Every word, gesture, or object, every little aspect of reality carries meaning for Swati, which is why Swati or Rahu nakshatra people often interact very keenly with their environments. Rahu people, in general, notice their surroundings in great detail. This is why Rahu is considered a materialistic planet, but it is not materialistic in the conventional sense. It is closely tied to the condensed form of consciousness, since all elements, such as water and land, are scientifically proven to be condensed energy. Just as Ketu nakshatras believe reality is a projection of one’s inner beliefs, Rahu nakshatras believe you can transcend by finding the key, which is a specific object or location that allows you to transcend maya, the trap of not knowing what actions to take to achieve what you want. By paying attention to your environment, the changes within it, and the small things that draw your energy and attention, you can gain a deeper understanding of reality, even if it is just a projection of your mind or even if it is not “real” in the usual sense.
Rahu corresponds to Malkuth in Kabbalah, which is the opposite of Kether. Kether is the first sephirah, while Malkuth is the last. Earth is the realm of Malkuth because it represents the most material aspect of the Tree of Life, yet it is still part of the Tree and not fully separated into the material world. Malkuth governs different forms of divination, such as reading colors, textures, shapes, and categorizing them. Cosmological systems like astrology, numerology, or tarot fall under Malkuth, as they provide frameworks for organizing and interpreting reality. For example, the color red can be associated with Mars, or the number 9 can be connected to Mars because 9 is ruled by Mars. Food can relate to different houses in astrology, such as the 2nd or 6th house. In this way, any system can categorize all aspects of reality, which is why divination is considered a function of Malkuth. Interactions with objects in this way become a form of divination, as seen in the nursery rhyme “1 for sorrow, 2 for joy, 3 for a girl, 4 for a boy,” talking about the superstition about counting magpies. This also includes omens such as seeing a crow, or even in symbolic imagery in dreams.
Ashwini, which corresponds to the Fool card, is associated with the number 0, while every positive number is represented by Rahu. Even between two whole numbers, such as 1 and 2, there are infinitely many numbers, like 1.2, 1/2, or 3/5. These infinite numbers between each whole number represent endless possibilities, opening up infinite timelines. Aditi (Bhuvaneshwari) is the boundless mother of the gods whose infinite nature can be seen as a metaphor for fractal‑like patterns of creation.
When we learn to perceive every object as spiritual and master the 7th house along with the teachings of Swati Nakshatra, we come to understand that there is no true divide or duality between the material and spiritual worlds. Dion Fortune writes that Kether is in Malkuth and Malkuth is in Kether, highlighting the interconnection between the highest and lowest spheres and the way the spiritual and material reflect each other.
As I mentioned, When your reward system is skewed, you become lazy and unproductive. Saturn is the planet of work and in order to do work, you need to feel good about having completed it. In real life some people do not have the ability to recognise subtle rewards like in the game, which is why people get addicted to video games. So even if something good happens to you in real life, you don't think that this can yield me some kind of long term result. If you move the needle in a small way,you don't recognize that as an achievement, which leads you to constantly wanting instant gratification. Keenly observing your reality makes you understand that the modern concept of 'gratitude' is actually a learned behavior that is absolutely necessary to integrate into your life in order to enjoy any desired situatios that your consciousness projects into matter.
Hasta and Swati are represented by the buffalo in the yoni system. The buffalo is also the vahan of Yamraj, the deity of Bharani Nakshatra. Interestingly, Bharani marks the debilitation point of Saturn, while Swati marks its exaltation point.
The yoni animal and the vaahan of a nakshatra’s deity operate on two different symbolic levels. The yoni animal represents the native’s instinctual psychology, how one naturally moves through life, endures, desires, and responds to pressure at an embodied level. The vaahan, on the other hand, is the force commanded by the deity, that carries divine law, consequence, and authority. When the same animal appears in both places, it reveals whether that energy is being imposed upon the soul or consciously integrated by it.
In Bharani, the buffalo is commanded over by Yamraj, the lord of death and karma. Here, the buffalo symbolizes weight, endurance, and inevitability that are forced upon the individual. Time feels punitive, responsibility arrives through consequence, and endurance is learned through pressure and pain. This is why Saturn is debilitated in Bharani, Saturn’s lessons come through compulsion after long delays, rather than conscious discipline.
In Swati, the buffalo is the yoni animal, meaning this endurance belongs to the native. The weight is carried willingly, timing is chosen strategically, and slowness becomes a form of mastery rather than punishment. Saturn thrives when endurance is intentional, when time is understood as non-linear, and when responsibility is carried without resentment.
The 7th house also governs relationships and outward projections. Just as Swati’s symbol is a shoot swaying in the wind, Rahu natives are not only extremely flexible in relationships but actively seek transformation through their partner. They are willing to leave their own identity behind for the sake of the relationship.
For example, these lyrics from the song Laal Ishq in the movie Ram Leela, starring Deepika Padukone (Swati Moon) and Ranveer Singh (Shatbhisha Moon), translate to “I’ve developed such enmity (red: love) with you that I am no longer myself.”
Rahu nakshatra people often place their lovers, friends, or mentors on a pedestal when these individuals earn their respect by being energetically stronger. Anyone who can capture a Rahu person’s attention can lead them to dissolve their own identity and begin adopting that person’s ideology, mannerisms, religion, or even culture. This behavior largely stems from Rahu’s desire to quickly shift timelines and remain part of new experiences. It is also why Rahu is associated with foreign lands, and it is interesting to note that time itself is experienced subjectively across different time zones.
This desire for drastic change can, of course, go both ways. If the other person does not take advantage of the Rahu individual, the exchange can become deeply loving, whether romantic, platonic, or student-teacher. However, if the other person does exploit the Rahu individual, the dynamic can deteriorate rapidly, as seen in Suicide Squad, where Harley Quinn completely changes her personality because of the Joker.
More examples of movies where Rahu nakshatra people adopt other people's ideologies include-
Eyes Wide Shut starring Tom Cruise (Ardra Sun) where he joins an underground group obsessed with sex after his wife cheats on him
Heathers starring Winona Ryder (Shatbhisha Moon, Swati Sun) where she struggles not to be influenced by the Heathers.
The Master starring Joaquin Phoenix (Swati Sun) where his character is shaped by his psycho mentor
Mean Girls starring Lindsay Lohan (Ardra Sun) where she gets influenced by the popular mean girl
Whiplash starring Miles Teller (Shatbhisha Sun) where he is mentored and changed by his intense mentor
Swati Nakshatra offers a profound blueprint for navigating life as a conscious participant in both material and energetic realities. It teaches us that every interaction, every choice, and every object carries significance, forming a web of consequences that can shift timelines, transform relationships, and catalyze personal evolution. Unlike the structured, visible reward systems of Hasta Nakshatra, Swati requires faith, keen observation, and adaptability, showing that true mastery comes from integrating discipline, awareness, and flexibility. Rahu’s energy in Swati encourages us to dissolve rigid identities, embrace change, and consciously co-create our path, recognizing that the spiritual and material are intertwined. Ultimately, Swati Nakshatra is an invitation to move fluidly through time and space, to see the hidden rewards in life’s subtleties, and to transform every encounter into a stepping stone toward growth, freedom, and the manifestation of our highest potential.