Vedic Astrology unfolds with a dynamic, ever-changing and complex interaction among its principal components — Houses, Signs and Planets.
The twelve Houses represent all matters, functions, departments and events that occur in life.
The twelve Signs represent the inclination, temperament, nature, backdrop and shading that color those events.
The planets personify the karmic players (persons and events) whose role it is to develop and catalyze the unfolding drama. This generally takes place in three forms: 1) good or welcome karma, 2) bad or unwelcome karma and 3) neutral or mixed karma.
The most highly evolved souls, who make up a rather significant minority of the universal inhabitants, find their greatest focus in a fourth area: 4) undoing or transcending all karma. In other words, they are dedicated to rising above all actions that would produce any kind of reaction under the first three categories.
Each Sign is ruled by a particular Planet: the Sun rules Leo, the Moon rules Cancer, Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, Venus rules Taurus and Libra, Mars rules Aries and Scorpio, Jupiter rules Sagittarius and Pisces, and Saturn rules Capricorn and Aquarius.
The following analogy of Houses, Signs and Planets may be useful. Imagine the twelve Houses to be the rooms of a great mansion. Each room is designated and used for a specific purpose. For example, the dining room, the office, etc. A particular Sign in a room would indicate the atmosphere, decor or state of that room. The Planets would be persons who inhabit the rooms, whether they be alone or in the company of others. Where there are two or more Planets in a room, it is to be understood that those persons or Planets will interact with each other.
To take the analogy a step further, a planetary ‘aspect’ between two planets would mean that a person in one room would be looking at a person in another room. And that look or ‘aspect’ would have a particular impact on the person receiving it.
With these things in mind, let us look at the influences and designations of the Houses, Signs and Planets.
