The system of Houses

Houses : There are twelve celestial houses in Astrology and a house is constituted with 30 degrees. They are derived from an equal division of the circle of observation in to 12 parts. One-twelfth part of the circle of observation constitutes an astrological house. In astronomy it is the vertical of the latitude belonging to the place of the birth. The stars on the earth show the place of birth.

The rising house is called ascendant and the others are known as angular, succedent and cadent houses. The angles are four cardipoints in the horoscope. The planets in the horoscopic chart are subservient to lagna, and their original nature undergoes modifications depending upon the lagna.

1. The kendras(or Quadrants) : Houses 1,4, 7 and 10. These are highly significant houses. 2. The panapharas(or Successant Houses) : Houses 2,5, 8 and 11. 3. The Apoklimas(or Cadent Houses) : Houses 3,6,9 and 12 4. The Trikons(or Trines) : Houses 1,5 and 9. These are highly auspicious and, along with the kendras, determine the health, wealth, status, dignity, rise and virtue or a native. The lagna being both a kendra and a trikona, is the most significant of all the houses. 5. The Upachayas : Houses 3,6, 10 and 11. These houses indicate struggle, competition and material achievement. 6. The Trika Houses : houses 6,8 and 12. These are considered bad houses(Duhsthanas). They indicate debt, disease, loss and misery. 7. The Ayu-sthanas(or houses of longevity) : Houses 8 and 3(8th from the 8th). They indicate the length of life and therefore, also the death. 8. The maraka-sthanas(or killer houses): houses 2 and 7 9. The two halves of a horoscope.   Houses 1 to 7 indicate the invisible half and houses 7 to 1 indicate the visible half of the horoscope. Houses 10 to 4 indicate the eastern half and houses 4 to 10 indicate the western half of the horoscope.

Nine main planets are employed in Vedic astrology : Their Hindi Vedic names and English equivalent are given below : Vedic Name English Equivalent

Ravi(Surya)   Sun Chandra   Moon Mangala   Mars Budha   Mercury Guru(Brihaspati)   Jupiter Shukra   Venus Shani   Saturn Rahu   Rahu(Dragon’s head) Ketu   Ketu(Dragon’s Tail)