Mars, the planet of action and drive, is in Cancer-Ashlesha from October 17th to November 12th, 2026.

Ashlesha is associated with shrewdness and insight, and Mars makes you alive to subtle tactics and hidden undercurrents. This nakshatra’s ruling devatas, the Nagas, are shape-shifting mythological serpents who give deep wisdom, especially as it relates to financial decisions and emotional security. Your mystical awareness, along with an understanding of the real world, gives you sharp business instincts, and you see past secretiveness or any hidden agenda.

You may also encounter someone in a relationship who has a kind of hypnotic energy and magnetism, though Mars here can also blow hot and cold. On an esoteric level, this nakshatra is linked to the coiled kundalini energy at the base of the spine, which can manifest through intimacy and emotion, or via a spiritual experience in intense yoga practice-this is a perfect time to shed psychic layers in a serpent-like way. Mars combines with powerful Jupiter, also in Ashlesha, up to October 31st, at an excellent time for your courage and physical drive.

The moody quality of your energy becomes more even and consistent, and you may find renewed enthusiasm for a project that had lost its appeal. Ashlesha’s Shakti, ‘to inflict poison,’ can create a tense relationship with a teacher or father figure, however, where you respond on a psychological level rather than make an open counterstrike. Use your power in the right measure and don’t overreach.

Mars casting its energy onto lively Mercury in retrograde motion all through this transit may also see you acting hastily, and it pays to review your options completely before committing to sign or buy.