Mars Transit in Krittika

Krittika is the Sun's nakshatra. Agni is its deity, and a razor and a flame are its symbols. Its first pada lies in Aries and the other three in Taurus, so Mars moves from its own sign into a neutral one. The Sun is Mars's friend, and the two fiery grahas agree here.

It stays just under three weeks. Krittika cuts, separating what is useful from what is not, and Mars supplies the resolve to make the cut, so decisions long delayed get made. Fire, cooking, metalwork, the military and anything that burns or sharpens belong to this field.

Fever, inflammation and accidents with heat are the physical side, and sharp words cause lasting damage under Agni. In Taurus the transit slows and turns toward money, food and the throat.

During the Aries pada, Aquarius, Scorpio and Gemini Moons have Mars in the third, sixth and eleventh. Once Mars enters Taurus, those houses belong to Pisces, Sagittarius and Cancer. These are the houses where Mars's transit is welcome, from the Moon and again from the lagna. Aries and Taurus Moons, with Mars on the self, should guard against rashness and against burns.

Krittika shows how a person uses the power to say no. These weeks make plain what it costs to refuse too little, or too often.

A lamp offered to Agni, or a small havan on Tuesday, suits this transit. Hanuman worship, the mantra Om Angarakaya Namah and a dana of red lentils or copper are Parashara's remedies for Mars. Eat lightly and keep the temper cool.