Mrigashira is the fifth, ruled by Mars, its symbol a deer's head, its deity Soma. The name means exactly that — deer's head: the animal lifts its face and the nose moves first. It's searching, and searching by sense.
Mechanically Mars supplies initiative and pursuit, Soma the nectar, the moon, the thing worth wanting. Together: pursuing a soft target — not conquest but scenting, circling, closing gradually. Hence curiosity and exploration: in the Vedic story Soma is the nectar the gods themselves chase, and the chasing is the shape of this nakshatra.
Where you'll recognise it: strong interest in the new, many questions, keen senses, easily drawn by a better option, and a marked response to travel and changes of place. Running well, you're the best explorer: finding what others can't, bringing the good things back, showing the people around you more possibility. Stuck, you search forever — new job, new relationship, new city, and nothing carried deep; or having found it, doubting whether something better was missed. Rohini before it is fullness; Ardra after it is the thunderstorm: search long enough and you run into something that wakes you.
