Reading a North Indian chart: the twelve houses

The diamond never moves

In the North Indian style the houses are fixed. The top central diamond is always the first house — the Lagna, the sign rising on the eastern horizon at birth. Houses then run anticlockwise.

What changes from chart to chart is the number written in each house: that number is the sign occupying it (1 = Mesha/Aries … 12 = Meena/Pisces).

What the houses describe

• 1st — self, body, temperament
• 2nd — wealth, speech, family
• 3rd — courage, siblings, effort
• 4th — home, mother, inner peace
• 5th — intellect, creativity, children
• 6th — health habits, service, obstacles
• 7th — partnership and marriage
• 8th — transformation, shared resources
• 9th — fortune, dharma, teachers
• 10th — career and reputation
• 11th — gains, friends, aspirations
• 12th — release, expenses, spirituality

Reading a house

Look at three things: the sign on the house, the planets inside it, and the planets that aspect it. Then find where the house’s lord sits — that placement links the two areas of life.