Once you’ve identified the planetary coordinates, you can move on to constructing the stellar horoscope, also known as the Vedic or Indian birth chart. While the position of the planets in the zodiac signs reflects the psychological portrait and karma of a person, their position in the astrological houses…

One of the unique features of Jyotish (Vedic astrology) — not found in any other system — is the Principle of Planetary Relationships, also known as friendship and enmity among planets. This principle plays a key role in determining the strength and behavior of a planet in a horoscope. In Vedic tradition…

Understanding the strength of a planet is key to interpreting a birth chart. It’s not only the foundation of astrological analysis but also essential for making predictions. As discussed earlier, each planet has its own sign (swakshetra), a sign of exaltation (uccha) where its power peaks, and a sign…

When Planets “Look” at Each Other In Vedic astrology, planets don’t just sit still—they influence one another and the houses of the horoscope through aspects, or drishtis (literally “glances” or “sight”). A planet casts its influence upon another planet or house when it forms a certain angular relationship…

In planetary charts and ephemerides, the letter “R” marks a retrograde planet—one that appears to move backwards in the sky. Of course, planets don’t literally reverse direction, but from our view on Earth, it seems like they do. So what does this “backward motion” actually mean? Retrograde = Karmic…