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The second point to remember is that in traditional Vedic astrology the whole of the Rising Sign (or Ascendant)
constitutes the first house, the whole of the following sign constitutes the second house, and so on. Thus if Libra
is the Ascending sign, the whole 30 degrees of Libra constitutes the first house, the whole of Scorpio constitutes
the second house, and so on.   This is known as the ‘House equals Sign’ method. The nearest that we have to
this in the West is the Equal House system, although the majority of Western astrologers use one of the Quadrant
house systems, all of which take the M.C. as the cusp of the 10th house. The Sriparti system of house division
(which also takes the M.C. as the cusp of the 10th house) is also employed by some Vedic astrologers but the
vast majority use the Sign equals House method, just as the vast majority of Western astrologers use one or other
of the Quadrant systems.

At first sight the ‘House equals Sign’ system may appear to be a rather crude method of house division, but only
at first sight. The more familiar you become with the system, the more you will appreciate its relevance and
applicability, especially when one considers the common practice in Vedic astrology of using a variety of ‘divisional
charts.’ These are similar to the Harmonic charts developed by John Addey (which were partially inspired by his
studies of the divisional charts of Vedic astrology). Vedic astrologers can us up to 15 divisional charts, all of which
are derived from the main sign chart, each one giving a deeper insight into a particular area of a persons life. For
example the 10th division chart, the Dashamsa, provides additional information regarding a persons career, while
the 12th division chart, the Dwadamsa, provides insight into parents, ancestral heritage and past life karma. The
most used divisional chart is the Navamsha (which corresponds with the 9th Harmonic chart now used by some
Western astrologers). The Navamsha is nearly as important as the main sign chart, and gives additional
information regarding long term relationships. It is also used to determine whether the indications of the natal
chart is going to manifest with difficulty or ease. Esoteric astrologers regard the Navamsha as the horoscope of
the soul, and the Rashi or main sign chart as representing the outer and more mundane conditions of a persons
life.

Traditional Vedic astrology does not include the more recently discovered outer planets – Uranus, Neptune and
Pluto, although some modern practitioners do take them into account. Much more importance is attached to the
North and South Nodes of the Moon, (known as Rahu and Ketu). If including the outer planets (and experience
shows that they can provide invaluable insights) the attribution of their sign rulerships should be ignored. Thus
the ruler of Scorpio is always Mars rather than Pluto, Aquarius is ruled by Saturn rather than Uranus, and Pisces
is ruled by Jupiter rather than Neptune. The modern rulerships may be valid in Western astrology but would
create confusion and cloud judgement if used in Vedic astrology.

The use of Planetary Yogas is unique in this system of astrology. A yoga in the context of astrology means a
union or combination of two or more planetary factors. There are many hundreds of yogas mentioned in the
classical Sanskrit texts, and the study of these yogas can be most enlightening, often giving insight into important
details of a persons character or circumstances which could not otherwise be explained.

Perhaps the most unique and useful of Vedic predictive techniques is the Vimshotari Dasha system. This is
calculated from the exact position of the Moon at the time of birth, and is used extensively in predictive astrology.
In this system each planet covers a different time cycle, varying from six years (the Sun) to twenty years (Venus).
Each planetary cycle is sub-divided into nine smaller planetary cycles. If the birth time is accurately known then
even these sub-cycles can each be divided into nine even shorter planetary time periods.   In all the Vimshotari
Dasha cycle of planets cover 120 years and provide hundreds of planetary combinations which are of great
assistance to predictive interpretation, especially when used in conjunction with planetary transits.

On first encounter the aspects used in Vedic astrology appear to be very different in nature to those used by
Western astrologers. However, in essence the origins are the same – all are derived from the five major aspects –
conjunction, opposition, square, trine and sextile. Certainly the manner in which the aspect are viewed is very
different, but an understanding of these differences can do much to deepen our understanding of significance of
the harmonies and discords that are generated by the various combinations of planetary energies.

So is Sidereal Vedic astrology superior to Tropical Western astrology? Can one be right and the other wrong or
misguided? Not at all! The strength of Western astrology is in its accurate delineation of personality and character
traits, and undoubtedly the planetary aspect play an important role in this analysis. Vedic astrology also deals with
these qualities, but it excels in the predictive side of the science, and is most useful for gaining an insight into
karmic issues. It probes deeper into the human psyche, and has a history which reaches back thousands of
years. It is badly in need of modernisation and reinterpretation in order to address our present western and future
global civilisation – a process that is already underway. In the future we are likely to see greater appreciation of
the fact that both systems are valid and complimentary, and an increasing number of astrologers will be using
both Sidereal and Tropical astrology in order to gain a more comprehensive picture of the human condition.

[This article has been adapted from the Foundation Course in Vedic Astrology].

Vedic Astrology Essays
By Richard Fish

- Encountering Astrology - Fate and Freewill -
- Origins of Vedic Astrology - The Cosmic Dragon -