Astrology glossary

57 terms, explained simply.

A

Antardashavedic: A sub-period within a major dasha (mahadasha). Each mahadasha is divided into nine antardashas following the same planetary sequence.
Ascendant: The zodiac degree rising on the eastern horizon at the moment and place of birth. Also called the Rising sign, it describes your instinctive approach to life and marks the start of the first house.
Aspect: A meaningful angle between two points in a chart, such as a square (90°) or trine (120°). Aspects describe how planetary energies interact.
Ayanamsavedic: The angular difference between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs, caused by the precession of the equinoxes. It grows by roughly one degree every 72 years and is currently a little over 24°.

C

Conjunction: An aspect of about 0°, where two planets occupy roughly the same place. Their energies merge and intensify each other.
Cusp: The boundary line between two houses or two signs. People born when the Sun was near a sign boundary are often described as being born on the cusp.

D

Dashavedic: A planetary period in Vedic astrology. The Vimshottari dasha system divides a 120-year cycle into nine periods ruled by different planets, starting from the Moon’s nakshatra at birth.
Decan: A 10° division of a sign, giving three decans per sign and 36 in the zodiac. Each decan has a planetary ruler that adds nuance, and decans underlie many tarot correspondences.
Descendant: The point directly opposite the ascendant, on the western horizon. It begins the seventh house and is associated with partnership and what we seek in others.

E

Eclipse: An alignment of Sun, Moon and Earth near the lunar nodes. A solar eclipse occurs at a New Moon and a lunar eclipse at a Full Moon, and astrologers treat both as significant turning points.
Ecliptic: The apparent yearly path of the Sun across the sky. The zodiac is a band of twelve signs measured along it.
Elementwestern: One of the four basic temperaments of the signs: Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Each element groups three signs.
Ephemeris: A table listing the positions of the Sun, Moon and planets at regular intervals. Astrologers have used printed ephemerides for centuries; today they are computed by software.
Equal houseswestern: A house system in which each house spans exactly 30°, starting from the degree of the ascendant. It works at all latitudes.

G

Guna Milanvedic: The traditional Vedic compatibility method comparing two people’s Moon placements across eight kootas for a score out of 36. It is a cultural practice rather than a scientific predictor.

H

House system: A method of dividing the chart into twelve houses. Common systems include Placidus, whole sign and equal houses, and they can place house cusps at different degrees.

I

IC (Imum Coeli)western: The lowest point of the chart, directly opposite the midheaven. Latin for “bottom of the sky”, it relates to home, roots and private life and often marks the cusp of the fourth house.
Ingress: The moment a planet enters a new zodiac sign. A Sun ingress into Aries, for example, marks the March equinox in the tropical zodiac.

K

Karanavedic: Half of a tithi, covering 6° of Sun–Moon separation. Karanas are one of the five limbs of the Panchang.
Ketuvedic: The Moon’s south node, treated as a shadow planet in Vedic astrology. It is associated with detachment, spirituality, past patterns and letting go.

L

Lagnavedic: The Vedic term for the ascendant, the sign rising on the eastern horizon at birth. In whole sign houses it defines the first house of the chart.
Lahiri ayanamsavedic: The most widely used ayanamsa in Vedic astrology, standardised by the Indian government in the 1950s. It places the star Spica (Chitra) at 0° sidereal Libra.
Life Path numbernumerology: The core number in numerology, calculated by reducing your full birth date to a single digit or master number. It describes the main themes of your life.
Lunar nodes: The two points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic. The North Node is linked with growth and the South Node with familiar patterns; in Vedic astrology they are Rahu and Ketu.
Lunation: One complete cycle of Moon phases, about 29.5 days. The word is also used for a single New or Full Moon.

M

Major Arcanatarot: The 22 trump cards of the tarot, numbered 0 (The Fool) to 21 (The World). They represent major life themes and turning points.
Manglikvedic: A Vedic chart condition in which Mars occupies certain houses (commonly the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th). It is traditionally checked in marriage matching, and many cancellation rules exist.
Master numbernumerology: The numbers 11, 22 and 33, which numerologists do not reduce further. They are seen as intensified forms of 2, 4 and 6.
Midheaven (MC)western: The point where the ecliptic crosses the meridian, the highest point of the chart. It is associated with career, reputation and public direction, and often marks the cusp of the tenth house.
Minor Arcanatarot: The 56 tarot cards divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. They describe everyday situations, actions and feelings.
Modalitywestern: One of three qualities describing how a sign handles change: Cardinal (initiating), Fixed (sustaining) and Mutable (adapting).

N

Nakshatravedic: One of 27 lunar mansions, each spanning 13°20′ of the sidereal zodiac. The Moon’s nakshatra at birth is central to Vedic interpretation and dasha timing.

O

Opposition: An aspect of 180°, with planets on opposite sides of the chart. It describes polarity and the need to balance two sides, often through relationships.
Orbwestern: The margin of degrees allowed for an aspect to count. A square with a 3° orb is planets 87° to 93° apart; tighter orbs are considered stronger.

P

Padavedic: One quarter of a nakshatra, spanning 3°20′. There are 108 padas in the zodiac, used for finer interpretation and the navamsa chart.
Panchangvedic: The traditional Hindu almanac built on five limbs: tithi, vara (weekday), nakshatra, yoga and karana. It is used to choose favorable times for ceremonies and daily activities.
Placiduswestern: A time-based house system that divides the sky by the time each degree takes to rise to the midheaven. It is the most common system in modern Western astrology but cannot be calculated near the poles.
Precession of the equinoxes: The slow wobble of Earth’s axis that shifts the equinox points backwards against the stars by about 1° every 72 years. It is the reason the tropical and sidereal zodiacs drift apart.

R

Rahuvedic: The Moon’s north node, treated as a shadow planet in Vedic astrology. It is associated with ambition, desire, the unconventional and worldly experience.
Rahu Kaalvedic: A daily period of about one-eighth of daylight traditionally considered inauspicious for starting new ventures. Its timing depends on the weekday and local sunrise and sunset.
Rashivedic: The Sanskrit word for a zodiac sign. In everyday Vedic usage, your rashi usually means your Moon sign.
Retrograde: The apparent backward motion of a planet against the stars as seen from Earth. Planets never truly reverse; the effect comes from the relative motion of Earth and the planet. Astrologers read it as a time for review.
Reversaltarot: A tarot card that appears upside down in a reading. Many readers interpret it as a blocked, internalised or softened version of the upright meaning.

S

Saturn returnwestern: The period when Saturn returns to its position at your birth, around ages 27 to 30 and 56 to 60. It is associated with maturity, responsibility and reassessing direction.
Sextilewestern: An aspect of 60° between planets, usually in compatible elements. It describes opportunity and easy cooperation that benefits from a little effort.
Sidereal zodiacvedic: A zodiac aligned with the fixed stars rather than the seasons. It is used in Vedic astrology and currently sits about 24° behind the tropical zodiac.
Squarewestern: An aspect of 90° between planets. It describes tension and friction that can motivate action and growth.
Station: The moment a planet appears to stand still before turning retrograde or direct. Planets near a station move very slowly and are often considered especially potent.
Stelliumwestern: A cluster of three or more planets in one sign or house. It concentrates attention on that sign’s style or that house’s area of life.
Synastrywestern: The comparison of two birth charts to explore how two people interact. It looks at aspects between one person’s planets and the other’s.

T

Tithivedic: A lunar day, defined as each 12° increase in the angle between the Moon and Sun. There are 30 tithis in a lunar month, and they vary in length.
Transit: The current movement of a planet compared with positions in a birth chart. Transits are the most common way astrologers describe timing and daily horoscopes.
Trinewestern: An aspect of 120° between planets, usually in the same element. It describes natural flow, ease and talent.
Tropical zodiacwestern: A zodiac that begins at 0° Aries at the March equinox and is tied to the seasons. It is the standard zodiac in Western astrology.

V

Void-of-course Moonwestern: The interval between the Moon’s last major aspect in a sign and its entry into the next sign. Some astrologers avoid starting important things during it.

W

Whole sign houses: A house system in which the whole rising sign becomes the first house and each following sign is the next house. It is the oldest known system and standard in Vedic and Hellenistic astrology.

Y

Yoga (Panchang)vedic: One of 27 divisions based on the combined longitudes of the Sun and Moon. In the Panchang, the daily yoga is used to assess the quality of a day; it is distinct from yoga as physical practice.