The 12 Rashis — Sidereal Signs

In Vedic astrology, the twelve signs that divide the sky are called a Rashi. Aries, Taurus, Gemini… the names and symbols are exactly the same as the twelve Western signs we know. But because the sky used as the reference is different, it's very common for the Rashi name to come out differently even for people born on the same day.

Western astrology always fixes the start of spring (the equinox) at 0° Aries and calculates from there. This is called the tropical (seasonal) zodiac. Vedic astrology, by contrast, uses sidereal coordinates, taking the fixed stars as a fixed reference point (the sign boundaries are still divided into equal 30° slots). But because the Earth wobbles very slowly (axial precession), the two references drift apart bit by bit, and today the gap is about a 24° difference. This difference is called the ayanamsha.

So in Vedic astrology, the sign boundaries are shifted forward by roughly one sign. For example, someone who's 'Leo' by Western reckoning usually becomes Cancer when recalculated in Vedic astrology. It's easy to be startled the first time you see your Rashi and think, "wait, did my sign change?" — but it's not wrong, it's simply that the reference point is different.

The twelve Rashis are further grouped into the four elements. Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) stands for passion and drive; Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) for stability and practicality; Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) for thought and communication; and Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) for emotion and intuition. The colors in the wheel above are exactly these elements.

Each Rashi also has one ruling planet (ruler), like the 'homeowner'. Mars rules Aries, Venus rules Taurus, the Moon rules Cancer, the Sun rules Leo, and so on. Which planet rules a Rashi colors that Rashi's temperament — Mars-ruled Aries is fiery and driven, just as you'd expect.

Here's where a big Vedic-only feature comes in. Unlike the West's popular horoscope, which likes to look at the sign the Sun is in, Vedic astrology treats the Rashi the Moon sits in as especially important. This is called the Janma Rashi (Rashi at birth) — the sign of the mind at the moment you were born. If the Sun is the direction you show to the world, the Moon is the ground where your emotions and mind feel at ease, so your Moon Rashi actually explains your real disposition better.

So the first step in reading yourself in Vedic astrology is this Big Three: Moon rashi, the ground of your emotions; Lagna (Ascendant), the face you show the world; and Sun Rashi, the direction of your soul. Knowing these three and each one's ruling planet sketches out the broad outline of your disposition. Of course, enjoy this as fun and reference — a single sign never fully defines a person.