Vedic Astrology

Vedic astrology, in Sanskrit Jyotish ("science of light"), is the astrological system born in India thousands of years ago. Like the Western one it starts from the position of the planets at birth, but reads them with its own tools and philosophy, closely tied to karma.

The most important difference is the zodiac: Vedic uses the sidereal zodiac, anchored to the real stars, instead of the Western tropical one tied to the seasons. This is why your Vedic sign is often shifted by about one sign from the one you know.

The twelve Rashi are the sidereal signs, and the twelve houses (bhava) are the areas of life. The Lagna, the ascendant, is the sign that was rising in the east at the moment of birth and is the pivot from which the whole chart is built.

The position of the planets in the Rashi and houses describes character, resources, relationships and challenges, exactly as in the Western natal chart but with the sidereal reference.

The Nakshatras are the 27 lunar mansions, a division of the zodiac finer than the twelve signs. Each has a name, a deity and a symbol, and gives precise nuance to the point where it falls.

The Moon’s Nakshatra at birth is especially important: it says a great deal about the deeper character and is the basis on which the system of planetary periods, the Dasha, is calculated.

The Vimshottari Dasha is the system of planetary periods, the main predictive tool of Jyotish. It divides life into long periods, the Mahadashas, each governed by a planet.

Within each Mahadasha there are sub-periods (Antardasha) and sub-sub-periods, which narrow the timing step by step. This is how Vedic astrology points not only to what, but above all to when a theme becomes active in life.