■ The tenth nakshatra, Magha, resides entirely within the constellation of Leo the Lion. It is composed of a sickle-shaped group of six stars. The brightest is the fixed star Regulus, which is said to be one hundred times as luminous as the Sun. Magha means “the mighty one” or “the great” and is located near the forehead of the Lion. Its symbol is a palanquin, the royal seat upon which the king was carried through the towns he ruled. The ruling planet of Magha is Kelu, with the Sun ruling the sign of Leo. Thus, mystical leadership can result. Magha gives one the power to leave the body (tyage kshepani shakti).’ The great avatar Paramahansa Yogananda had both his rising sign and natal Moon in Magha. Yogananda left his body during his Rahu/’Ketu (dasa/bhukti) planetary period. Spiritual liberation is possible here.
The ruling deities are the Pitris, the great Fathers of Humanity, who function as guardian angels giving protection in the event of major calamities on earth. The Pitris are the original progenitors of the human race and are still worshiped in traditional Hindu families today. They help to maintain tradition and cultural purity. The Pitris represent ancestral pride and personal power.
Magha expresses itself as ambition, leadership, power, family pride and loyalty to a spiritual lineage. Magha people can be very big hearted and devoted to those they love. They are respectful toward tradition and enjoy ceremony and ritual. Magha people are great actors and performers on the stage of life. Magha represents the concretization of the soul into its individualized form. The development of a strong ego, needed for the soul to accomplish its mission, is manifested through this lunar mansion. Magha bestows brightness, prosperity, power and victory with the masses. ‘
The shadow side of Magha is arrogance, racial superiority, prejudice and identification with class status. Since arlha or wealth is the primary motivation, Magha natives may become to attached to material prosperity. Magha can sometimes “win the kingdom, but lose its soul.” A divine restlessness or chronic discontent can be experienced if its natives fail to meet their lolly ideals of success. Self-doubt may be present, which results in needing to prove oneself to others. They may continually court the approval of others at the cost of the self. Magha people set high, perfectionistic standards for their own work, but their efforts are not always able to hit the mark. A driven, pitta, type-A personality can result. Magha is a krura or ugra nakshatra which can be related to cruel or fierce activities. Both OJ Simpson and Ted Bundy have their natal ascendants placed in Magha. Sensual allurements from the sexual realm may also create problems for Magha people. For example, the natal Sun for both Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson resides here.