Twelve houses · one road
The twelvesigns, or Rashis
Twelve houses stand along the road the Sun walks, thirty degrees apart, each with its own animal, its own ruling light and its own weather. Open one and you will find a poem, a story, a star chart, and a plain account of what the tradition says and where it stops.
01Meet the signs
The signs are listed in order around the belt, beginning with Meṣa at 0°. The colour of each seal shows its element: orange for fire, green for earth, blue for air and violet for water.
AriesMesha मेषThe first door. A ram lowers its head and the year begins.TaurusVrishabha वृषभThe long afternoon of a bull in a green field, and everything it is slow to leave.GeminiMithuna मिथुनTwo voices on one road, each finishing the other’s sentence.CancerKarka कर्कA shell, a tide, a kitchen light left on.LeoSimha सिंहThe lion at the centre of the room, and the warmth that comes with him.VirgoKanya कन्याA sheaf of wheat, a steady hand, work done well when no one is watching.LibraTula तुलाA balance held level by someone who has felt both weights.ScorpioVrischika वृश्चिकStill water, a hidden sting, a loyalty that does not forget.SagittariusDhanus धनुA bow drawn toward a far horizon, and the long road that leads there.CapricornMakara मकरA mountain climbed slowly, in all weathers, because someone has to.AquariusKumbha कुंभA jar tipped over a thirsty world, and a mind that keeps thinking of others.PiscesMeena मीनTwo fishes tied by a cord, swimming in opposite directions toward one sea.
02At a glanceCalculated
The degrees are sidereal and the dates are for the Sun entering each sign on the Lahiri ayanamsa. They shift by a day or two from year to year. Other ayanamsas give slightly different dates, as the chapter on sidereal and tropical explains.
| Sign | Degrees | Element | Quality | Ruler | Sun is here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AriesMesha · मेष | 0°–30° | Fire | Movable | Maṅgala | 14 April to 14 May |
| TaurusVrishabha · वृषभ | 30°–60° | Earth | Fixed | Śukra | 15 May to 14 June |
| GeminiMithuna · मिथुन | 60°–90° | Air | Dual | Budha | 15 June to 16 July |
| CancerKarka · कर्क | 90°–120° | Water | Movable | Chandra | 17 July to 16 August |
| LeoSimha · सिंह | 120°–150° | Fire | Fixed | Sūrya | 17 August to 16 September |
| VirgoKanya · कन्या | 150°–180° | Earth | Dual | Budha | 17 September to 16 October |
| LibraTula · तुला | 180°–210° | Air | Movable | Śukra | 17 October to 15 November |
| ScorpioVrischika · वृश्चिक | 210°–240° | Water | Fixed | Maṅgala | 16 November to 15 December |
| SagittariusDhanus · धनु | 240°–270° | Fire | Dual | Guru | 16 December to 14 January |
| CapricornMakara · मकर | 270°–300° | Earth | Movable | Śani | 15 January to 12 February |
| AquariusKumbha · कुंभ | 300°–330° | Air | Fixed | Śani | 13 February to 13 March |
| PiscesMeena · मीन | 330°–360° | Water | Dual | Guru | 14 March to 13 April |