Welcome Astrologers!

I've seen it time and again. Posts in astrology groups online asking: “Where are the signs?”; “My Sun is in Leo in my Vedic Chart… so am I a Leo or a Virgo?”; “Where are the house degrees?”; and “How do I read this?” If you've ever investigated Eastern Astrology before, you know this is not an easy subject, rife with clear and concise texts to master. Even the most recommended of texts, take a lot of prior knowledge, even a total shift in thinking, to comprehend. Most of what's available online is even worse. But if you did start to learn it, you've probably come across free software that generated a birth chart like this one below.

My Northern Indian Chart

The questions above are not surprising when you look at this! Western Astrologers are familiar with where their planets are in the Tropical Zodiac and things just don't seem to add up. The example above is my birth chart displayed in the Northern Indian style, called so because of its popularity in Northern India. When I first saw this, I was intimidated. I found it hard to see aspects, and it felt like I was learning another language trying to interpret it. Fortunately, this was not my introduction to Eastern Astrology! As I can only imagine, this could have stifled my interest and prevented me from learning something I have grown to love and practice daily!

This is what most people I know are used to seeing…

Here is the Western, Tropical representation of my chart, the same birth information as in the chart above, set to all the defaults on Solar Fire. It comes out exactly the same on astro.com! The Northern Indian representation of the same chart is clearly drastically different. Fortunately, there is an easier option!

Now to get to the Eastern Chart!

I was fortunate enough to come across the Southern Indian chart first, reference the pictures below. And while it does function differently than a typical western chart, it translates well. The big distinguishing difference is that the zodiac doesn't move. Where in Western Astrology the Ascendant is static and the zodiac moves, in Eastern Astrology, the zodiac is static and the Ascendant moves. The static positions of the zodiac are shown in the picture below. Also, the form of Eastern Astrology that I practice uses the whole sign house system where the entire sign of Aries represents the 1st House if the Ascendant is there.

Southern Indian Chart – Zodiac

Here’s how the Southern Indian style portrays my chart…

My Southern Indian Birth Chart

The line drawn across the sign of Libra in this case represents my Ascendant, and 11°58' represents my Ascendant degree. Often, it is just represented as the word “Ascendant” or an abbreviation of it written out. The Ascendant and its degree are important and used in the interpretation of the chart. This will be covered in detail in the Essential Membership section; but for the scope of this work, it is important to note that the entire sign of Libra is my 1st house. If a planet were placed before that degree and in the sign of Libra, it would still be interpreted as a 1st House planet. Continuing around the chart, my Saturn is placed in the 2nd House in Scorpio. My 3rd House is Sagittarius. And so on!

I find this style of chart works best for me. I can see the aspects! I know what sign planets are in! It’s simple and to the point!

What was discussed? Here’s a quick review!

The practical hardships of learning an ancient art.
The fixed placement of the zodiac when using the Southern Indian style of chart.
How houses work in a whole sign house system.
The ascendant degree has relevance but does not define the borders of the houses.

The Eastern Chart