Khambalia, Lambda Virginis. It is a Mercury-Mars star by Ptolemy. The name has its roots in old Coptic and means 'Crooked Claw', most probably the same device which we call also the Swastika, and whose ancient symbolism contained the idea of a secret knowledge, accessible to us, but only if one knows the way to get to it, as we find also with the symbolism of the maze in other cultures. The word 'Shambala' has a similar root and meaning; so has the pentagram, so that the Arabic word for Five, Khamsa, may well also derive from the same piece of mystique. Khamr, wine, also has a connection, being so often a symbol for the 'secret of life', 'the Spirit' again, as well as the means so often used to enter a transcendental (or just inebriated) state of consciousness. Both Sufi and Alchemical literature are of course rich in this allegorical form. So Khambalia is very much a star of the penetration of secrets and, although within the Constellation of Virgo by the map, its present location by Sign is at 6°38' of (Scorpius), 'a long way from home', and at 12°11' Libra even when we have corrected its sidereal placing. So the Mars in the simile which Ptolemy gave it is that of Mars in its second rulership, rather than the open energy of Aries. Consequently this star denotes those good at applying intellect to deep research of any kind, to police-type investigation, to espionage, and also to such pursuits as alchemy and the esoteric in general. [The Living Stars, Dr. Eric Morse, p.73.]
