Astrology Blog
21 in-depth articles on Vedic astrology, zodiac signs, planetary effects, and more — each written and reviewed by hand.
Advanced (4 articles)
Raja Yoga and Dhana Yoga: How Planetary Combinations Actually Form
The rules behind the yogas everyone has heard of — how Raja Yoga forms from angle and trine lords, what makes a Dhana Yoga, the Panch Mahapurusha set, and why most reported yogas do far less than their names suggest.
The Navamsa (D9) Chart: Vedic Astrology's Second Opinion
How the D9 chart is constructed from the ninth division of each sign, why it is read for marriage and durability, what Vargottama means, and how to use it as a check on the birth chart rather than a separate reading.
Ashtakavarga: Scoring Every Sign in Your Chart
The bindu system explained from the tables up — how Bhinnashtakavarga is built from eight reference points, why the totals must come to 337, how to read Sarvashtakavarga scores, and how the system is used to judge transits.
Shadbala: Measuring Whether a Planet Can Actually Deliver
The six-fold strength system explained component by component — Sthana, Dig, Kala, Cheshta, Naisargika and Drik Bala — with the arithmetic, Parashara's required minimums, and what a planet scoring below its minimum actually means for a chart.
Basics (2 articles)
How to Read a North Indian Birth Chart, Step by Step
The diamond chart decoded — how the twelve houses are laid out, why the numbers in the boxes are signs rather than houses, how it differs from the South Indian square, and a working order for reading any chart you are handed.
What Is a Kundali? A Working Guide to the Vedic Birth Chart
What a Kundali actually is, how the twelve houses and nine grahas are assembled from your birth moment, why the sidereal zodiac puts you in a different sign than Western astrology, and how to read the chart rather than just look at it.
Fundamentals (3 articles)
Drishti: How Planets Aspect Each Other in Vedic Astrology
The Vedic aspect system explained — why every planet aspects the seventh house, the special aspects of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, how Drishti differs from Western aspects, and how aspect strength is graded.
Reading the Panchang: The Five Limbs and the Arithmetic Behind Them
What the five limbs of the Panchang actually measure — Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana and Vara — each defined by the real angle between Sun and Moon, plus how Rahu Kalam is derived and where the daily figures come from.
Ayanamsa: Why Your Vedic Sign Differs From Your Western One
Precession, the sidereal and tropical zodiacs, and the Ayanamsa that separates them — what the number is, how it is calculated, why Lahiri became the Indian standard, and how much difference the competing values actually make to a chart.
Matching (2 articles)
Nakshatra Compatibility for Marriage: Gana, Yoni, Nadi and Graha Maitri
How the Moon's Nakshatra drives Vedic marriage matching — the four Nakshatra-based factors of the Ashtakoot system explained with their scoring, the Nadi and Gana doshas, and when a low score genuinely warrants caution.
Ashtakoot Guna Milan: What the 36 Points Actually Measure
The eight Koots of Vedic marriage matching, what each one weighs and why, how the score is computed, the Nadi and Bhakoot exceptions, and an honest account of what a 36-point score can and cannot tell you.
Planets (2 articles)
Combust and Retrograde Planets: Two States Everyone Gets Backwards
Astangata (combustion) and Vakri (retrograde) explained — the actual orbs, why retrograde planets score maximum strength in Shadbala, why a combust planet is not simply weak, and how the two interact.
Rahu and Ketu: The Two Grahas That Are Not Planets
The lunar nodes explained — the actual astronomy of where they are, why they always move backwards, how Rahu and Ketu differ in effect, Kaal Sarp Dosha, and how to read a graha that owns no sign.
Predictive (2 articles)
Career in the Birth Chart: Reading the Tenth House Properly
How Vedic astrology reads career from the tenth house — why the house lord matters more than a planet sitting in it, the roles of the second, sixth and eleventh, the Arudha and D10 chart, and how Dashas time the turning points.
Vimshottari Dasha: How Vedic Astrology Actually Times Events
The 120-year Dasha cycle explained from the arithmetic up — how your Nakshatra sets the starting period, how to compute the balance at birth, what Antardasha and Pratyantardasha add, and how to judge whether a period will deliver.