The 12 signs (Rashis)

How does the influence behave?

Picture the sky as a big circle around the Earth. The path the Sun, Moon and planets travel along is divided into twelve equal slices of 30 degrees, called rashis or signs, starting from Aries. Whichever sign a planet is in colours the way it behaves. Mars in careful Virgo fights with planning; Mars in bold Aries charges straight in.

Vedic astrology measures the signs against the fixed stars (the sidereal zodiac), so its signs sit about 24 degrees behind the ones in newspaper horoscopes. That is why many people find their "Vedic sign" is the one before their Western sign.

the costume an actor wears. The same actor gives a very different performance in a soldier's uniform than in a poet's robe.

The zodiac wheel: each sign's number, its ruling planet and its element. The colours repeat fire, earth, air, water all the way round.

Every sign is a mix of two simple ideas. Its element says what it is made of: fire is energetic and bold, earth is practical and steady, air is social and thinking, water is feeling and caring. Its mode says how it moves: movable signs start things, fixed signs keep things going, dual signs adapt. Put the two together and you get each sign's character.

Every sign is one element and one mode. Aries is fire that starts things; Taurus is earth that keeps things.

Each sign at a glance

Odd signs (Aries, Gemini, Leo…) are masculine: outgoing and active. Even signs (Taurus, Cancer, Virgo…) are feminine: receptive and steady. Tradition also maps the signs onto the body of a cosmic person, the Kalapurusha, from Aries at the head to Pisces at the feet.

Sign	Element · mode	Gender	Ruler	Exalted here	Debilitated here	Body	Direction	Nature in a word
1 Aries · Mesha	Fire · movable	Male	Mars	Sun	Saturn	Head	East	Pioneer
2 Taurus · Vrishabha	Earth · fixed	Female	Venus	Moon	—	Face, throat	South	Builder
3 Gemini · Mithuna	Air · dual	Male	Mercury	—	—	Arms, shoulders	West	Talker
4 Cancer · Karka	Water · movable	Female	Moon	Jupiter	Mars	Chest, heart	North	Nurturer
5 Leo · Simha	Fire · fixed	Male	Sun	—	—	Stomach, upper belly	East	Leader
6 Virgo · Kanya	Earth · dual	Female	Mercury	Mercury	Venus	Waist, intestines	South	Analyst
7 Libra · Tula	Air · movable	Male	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Lower belly, kidneys	West	Diplomat
8 Scorpio · Vrishchika	Water · fixed	Female	Mars	—	Moon	Private parts	North	Investigator
9 Sagittarius · Dhanu	Fire · dual	Male	Jupiter	—	—	Thighs	East	Seeker
10 Capricorn · Makara	Earth · movable	Female	Saturn	Mars	Jupiter	Knees	South	Achiever
11 Aquarius · Kumbha	Air · fixed	Male	Saturn	—	—	Calves, ankles	West	Reformer
12 Pisces · Meena	Water · dual	Female	Jupiter	Venus	Mercury	Feet	North	Dreamer

Signs are also grouped by the creature they picture: human signs (Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Aquarius and the first half of Sagittarius), four-footed signs (Aries, Taurus, Leo, the second half of Sagittarius, the first half of Capricorn), water signs in this sense (Cancer, Pisces, the second half of Capricorn) and the insect sign, Scorpio. The grouping is used in some yogas and in the Vashya test of marriage matching. Rahu and Ketu have no sign of their own; most texts exalt Rahu in Taurus and Ketu in Scorpio, some in Gemini and Sagittarius.

your Moon sign, Sun sign and rising sign are on the cover of your report.

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