Indian astrology is earth-centric. Zodiac is a circular belt and all planets seem to be moving on this belt.

If this zodiac is divided into twelve equal parts, each part is known as a zodiac sign. These twelve zodiac signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Similarly, when this zodiac is divided into twenty-seven equal parts, each part is called a Nakshatra. We will discuss about Nakshatras at length later in this series.

Each sign is governed by a planet. Let us have a look at it: Zodiac Sign Aries sTaurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces Sanskrit Name Mesha Vrishabha Mithun Karka or Karkata Simha Kanya Tula Vrishchik Dhanu Makar Kumbha Meena Governing Planet Mars Venus Mercury Moon Sun Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Saturn Jupiter

Firstly, planets are classified into two groups namely benefic and malefic as follows: Natural Benefic Planets: Moon, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter are considered benefic by nature Natural Malefic Planets: Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu are considered malefic by nature Generally, Moon and Mercury are not always benefic. Full Moon i.e. the Moon near Purnima is considered benefic, while No Moon i.e. Moon near Amavasya is believed not to be benefic. Similarly, if Mercury is placed with benefic planet, it is considered benefic and if placed with malefic, it is considered malefic. In other words, nature of Mercury depends upon the nature of planet influencing it. It should be remembered that all natural malefic planets do not always produce negative results. Similarly, all natural benefic planets do not always give positive results. Good or bad effect depends up on several other factors like ownership, placement and aspects etc Let us start with first factor i.e. sign placement. Generally, any planet gives positive results in exalted sign (uchcha rashi), own sign (swa-rashi), and friendly sign (mitra-rashi) in this order. In other words, exalted planets give best results, planets in own sign give second best results and planets in friendly sign gives third best result, if we want to quantify. On the other hand,

if a planet is positioned in debilitated sign (neecha-rashi) or enemys sign (shatru-rashi), it is not capable of giving good results This table summarizes exalted, debilitated and own sign of planets Serial No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Planet Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn Rahu Ketu Exalted Sign Aries Taurus Capricorn Virgo Cancer Pisces Libra Sagittarius Gemini Debilitated Sign Libra Scorpio Cancer Pisces Capricorn Virgo Aries Gemini Sagittarius Own Sign Leo Cancer Aries, Scorpio Gemini, Virgo Sagittarius, Pisces Taurus, Libra Capricorn, Aquarius

Some points to be noted from above table: 1. Exalted and debilitated signs of a planet are always seventh from each other, e.g. Sun is exalted in Aries, the first sign of zodiac, and debilitated in Libra, the seventh sign of zodiac. 2. Sun and Moon are lord of just one sign. While Rahu and Ketu are not lord of any of the signs. Other planets are lord of two signs each. 3. Rahu and Ketu dont have their own signs. Even exalted and debilitated signs of Rahu and Ketu are not well-accepted by all the astrologers. It is also required to understand friendship and enmity of planets for predictive astrology. Planets are neutral, friendly or inimical to other planets as follows: Planet Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn Rahu, Ketu Friend Moon, Mars, Jupiter Sun, Mercury Sun, Moon, Jupiter Sun, Venus Sun, Moon, Mars Saturn, Mercury Mercury, Venus Venus, Saturn Enemy Saturn, Venus None Mercury Moon Venus, Mercury Rest of the planets Rest of the planets Sun, Moon, Mars Neutral Mercury Rest of the planets Rest of the planets Venus, Saturn Saturn Jupiter, Mars Jupiter Jupiter, Mercury

Astrology treats planets as living being; signs and houses are like those areas, where planets travel. Relationships of planets with each other, with zodiac signs and with houses etc. determine the predictions. Just like living beings, planets have nature in astrology. Other than this, planets also have significations. It is of utmost importance to understand the difference between nature and signification. I have observed several times that even many famous astrologers do not understand this distinction clearly and thus commit mistakes in predictions. In simple words, nature tells about how and signification answers what. Let us understand it more clearly with the help of an example. Suppose that Sun is posited in 10th house in Aries. In such situation, what results will Sun give? A table depicting the significations of houses is given below, which tell us that tenth house signifies business and trade. So what will Sun give? is answered with Sun will give business. And how is this business or trade going to be? It is going to be in accordance with the natures of Sun and Aries. Sun is an aggressive planet and Aries is ruled by Mars that is also aggressive. It shows that the business can be of aggressive nature. In other words, native can either be in defense or in sports, where aggression is a necessity. Similarly, a prediction is made by combining the nature and signification of planets, signs and houses. All the living and non-living things are signified by planets and houses. Because all these things cannot be discussed here, therefore we will discuss only some important significations. Let us first have a look at different houses and their significations:

First house: It signifies birth, head, nature, body, organs, age, looks, height and caste etc. Second house: It shows money, monetary gain, eyes, face, voice, economical condition, family, food, tongue, teeth, death and nose etc. Third house: It depicts younger siblings, courage, fear, ears, strength and mental balance etc. Fourth house: It indicates pleasure, education, vehicles, heart, property, house, mother, relatives, domestic animals and buildings etc. Fifth house: It suggests progeny, intelligence, laudable actions or work, charity, entertainment and gambling etc. Sixth house: It points at diseases, bodily deformity, troubles caused by foes, tension, wound, litigation, brothers of mother and depression etc. Seventh house: It stands for marriage, wife, sex, travel, death, business and partners etc. Eighth house: Age, misfortune, vice, loan, enmity, sudden death, problems, suffering, pleasure or pain in this life as per karmas of previous lives and afterworlds etc. Ninth house: It tells about father, luck, guru, praise, effective work, religion, donation and virtues of past births.

Tenth house: It describes occupation, business, trade, fame, class, rank, authority, domination and family business. Eleventh house: It is used to contemplate benefit, elder brothers, profit, jewelry, fulfillment of longing, monetary gain and success etc. Twelfth house: It denotes spending, agony, moksha, poverty, actions out of enmity, charity, loss in theft, bondage, left eye, bed pleasure and leg etc. The signification and nature of planets are as follows: Sun Nature: It is square shaped, short height, dark red color, man, warrior (Kshatriya) caste, vice planet, Satwa guna, fire element and Pitta nature. Signification: It controls king, father, copper, trees with fruits, small trees, wheat, bones, head, eyes, brain and heart. Moon Nature: It is spherical, woman, Vaisya (business-class) caste, Sattva Guna, Vaat-Kapha nature. Signification: It controls white color, mother, mind, art, white tree, silver, sweet, rice, chest, saliva, lungs and eye sight. Mars Nature: It has muscular body, square, cruel, aggressive, man, warrior (Kshatriya) class, Tamo-guni, Fire element, Pitta nature. Signification: It shows red color, siblings, war, arms, thief, wound, daal, Pitta, blood, muscles, operation, ears and nose etc. Mercury Nature: It is thin, impotent, business class (Vaishya), neutral planet, Rajoguni, earth element and consists of all three Vaat, Pitta and Kapha natures. Signification: It indicates green color, grams, mothers brother, mathematics, trade, speech, tongue, voice, sex related diseases, dumbness, laziness and skin diseases. Jupiter Nature: heavy fat body, man, Brahmin, pleasant, Sattva Guna, space element and Kapha nature. Signification: It depicts yellow color, Vedas, religion, devotion, gold, wise, guru, fat, Kapha, swelling, home, education, sun, progeny, marriage and kidney etc. Venus Nature: It is beautiful, female, Brahmin, charming, Rajoguni, water element and Kapha nature. Signification: It signifies white color, beautiful clothes, beauty, wife, love affair, sex, nuptial bliss, poetry, singing, eyes and women etc. Saturn Nature: It has black color, strange eyes, thin and tall body, cruel, impotent, Shudra class, vice, Tamoguni, Vaat Kapha nature and air element.

Signification: It shows back color, fathers brother, jealousy, roguishness, thief, beasts, servants, age, moles, physical strength, practice of Yoga, luxury, renunciation, service and heart diseases etc. Rahu & Ketu Nature: They are Vice planets, Chandaal, Tamoguni, Vaat Pitta nature and impotent. Signification: Dark smoke-like color, grandfather, grandmother, deception, accident, quarrel, theft, snake, abroad, skin diseases, legs, hunger and difficulty in progress etc. Rahus nature is like Saturn and Ketu has Mars-like nature. Let us have a look at the nature of signs after learning nature and signification of planets. Aries: Odd, Fiery, Movable, Barren, Violent, Quadruped, Short ascension, Male, Bilious, Forest, Hilly Areas, Head, Brain Taurus: Even, Earthy, Fixed, Semi Fruitful, Quadruped, Short ascension, Female, Windy, Agricultural Land, Face, Eyes Gemini: Odd, Airy, Dual, Barren, Human, Double-bodied, Voice, Short ascension, Male, Bile, Wind and Phlegm, Bedroom, Throat, Shoulder, Arms, Lungs Cancer: Even, Watery, Movable, Fruitful, Mute, Long ascension, Female, Phlegm, Chasm with water, Chest Leo: Odd, Fiery, Fixed, Barren, Human, Long ascension, Male, Bilious, Forest, Heart, Upper Abdomen Virgo: Even, Earthy, Dual, Barren, Human, Long ascension, Female, Windy, Mountain, Lower Abdomen, Spleen Libra: Odd, Airy, Movable, Semi Fruitful, Voice, Long ascension, Male, Bile, Wind and Phlegm, Entertainment Places, Genetelia, Kidney. Scorpio: Even, Watery, Fixed, Fruitful, Mute, Violent, Centipede, Long ascension, Female, Phlegm, Underground, Excretory Organs. Sagittarius: Odd, Fiery, Dual, Semi Fruitful, Double - bodied, Quadruped (Second Half), Long ascension, Male, Bilious, Military Places, Thighs, Liver. Capricorn: Even, Earthy, Movable, Semi Fruitful, Quadruped, Short ascension, Female, Windy, Watery, Knee. Aquarius: Odd, Airy, Fixed, Human, Voice, Short ascension, Male, Bile, Wind and Phlegm, Porter House, Shin. Pisces: Even, Watery, Dual, Fruitful, Mute, Double- Bodied, Centipede, Short ascension, Female, Phlegm, Sea, Feet

You have gained enough astrological knowledge by now. Now you are ready for making predictions. We will learn next how this information is used to make future forecasts.

Now, we have studied about houses, planets and signs. Let us have a look at our illustrative birth-chart again. Suppose that we want to know about the looks of native. We are aware that ascendant or the first house determines ones looks. Here, ascendant lord is Saturn because 11 is written in 1st house indicating the sign Aquarius and it is ruled by Saturn. It shows that the Saturn is affecting natives looks. Saturn is posited in seventh house along with Sun and Mercury in Leo sign. Sun is the lord of Leo too, thus Sun will also affect natives looks. Saturns nature is black, strange eyes, thin and tall body, cruel, impotent, Shudra class, vice, Tamoguni, Vaat Kapha nature and air element. And Suns nature is square shape, short height, dark red color, man, warrior class, vice, Sattva Guna, fire element and Pitta nature. So, the native has influences from both these planets.