Glossary A–Z
Use this page as a way back into the lessons. Each short hint points to a fuller explanation, with the examples and conventions that give the word its meaning. The layer number locates the topic in the reading path.
| Term | Layer | Reading hint |
|---|---|---|
| Antiscia | 5 | Mirror points around the Cancer–Capricorn axis. |
| Apsides | 3 | Nearest and farthest orbital points; apogee/perigee for Earth-centred orbits. |
| Aspect | 4 | Angular relationship between two bodies. |
| Aspect pattern | 4 | Named configuration such as T-square or Grand Trine. |
| Astrocartography | 5 | World map of where planets were angular at birth. |
| Ayanamsa | 1 | Date- and convention-dependent offset between tropical and sidereal zero points. |
| Bhava | 2 | House in Jyotish. |
| Bhava Chalit | 2 | Cusp-based reassignment of planets from rashi houses. |
| Biquintile | 4 | 144° minor aspect. |
| Celestial equator | 0 | Earth’s equator projected on the sky. |
| Chara dasha | 6 | Jaimini sign-based dasha. |
| Chiron | 3 | Centaur between Saturn and Uranus. |
| Composite | 5 | Relationship chart from longitude midpoints. |
| Conjunction | 4 | 0° aspect; fusion. |
| Contra-parallel | 4 | Declination mirror aspect. |
| Cusp | 2 | Boundary degree where a house begins. |
| Dasha | 6 | Periods assigned to planetary or sign rulers under a selected system. |
| Davison | 5 | Relationship chart from midpoint time and place. |
| Declination | 0 | Angular distance north or south of the celestial equator. |
| Dignity | 3 | Classical strength of a planet in a sign. |
| Drishti | 4 | Jyotish sight relationships, with planet-based and sign-based rule families. |
| Eclipse chart | 5 | Chart cast for a solar or lunar eclipse. |
| Ecliptic | 0 | Plane of Earth’s orbit; the zodiac circle. |
| Electional | 5 | Choosing a favourable future moment. |
| Ephemeris | 0 | Table/computation of body positions over time. |
| Equal houses | 2 | 30° houses from the Ascendant. |
| Firdaria | 5 | Persian planetary period system. |
| Fixed star | 3 | Star used as a fixed reference point. |
| Geocentric | 0 | Measured from Earth’s centre. |
| Graphical ephemeris | 7 | Plot of longitudes over time. |
| Harmonic chart | 5 | Chart from longitudes multiplied by n. |
| Heliocentric | 0 | Measured from the Sun. |
| Horary | 5 | Chart for the moment a question is asked. |
| House | 2 | One of twelve local-sky divisions. |
| Julian Day | 0 | Continuous day count used by ephemerides. |
| Karana | 6 | Half-tithi panchang limb (6°). |
| Koch | 2 | Birthplace house system. |
| KP | 6 | Krishnamurti’s method with unequal sub-lord intervals. |
| Lahiri | 1 | Chitrapaksha ayanamsa; Indian standard. |
| Lalkitab | 6 | Red Book tradition with distinctive house interpretations and remedies. |
| Lilith | 3 | Lunar apogee point (mean or true). |
| Longitude | 0 | Angle along the ecliptic, 0–360°. |
| Lot / Part | 5 | Derived point such as the Lot of Fortune. |
| Lunar return | 5 | Chart when the Moon returns to natal position. |
| MC | 2 | Upper-meridian ecliptic point; 10th cusp in quadrant systems. |
| Mean vs true | 3 | Smoothed vs oscillating node/Lilith value. |
| Minor aspect | 4 | Non-Ptolemaic aspect (30°, 45°, 72°…). |
| Muhurta | 6 | Vedic electional timing. |
| Nakshatra | 6 | 27 lunar mansions of 13°20′. |
| Natal chart | 5 | Chart for birth. |
| Node | 3 | Moon’s orbital crossing; Rahu/Ketu. |
| Obliquity | 0 | ~23.44° tilt of the ecliptic. |
| Opposition | 4 | 180° aspect; polarity. |
| Orb | 4 | Tolerance around an exact aspect. |
| Pada | 6 | Quarter-nakshatra of 3°20′. |
| Panchang | 6 | Five-limbed Hindu almanac. |
| Parallel | 4 | Same-declination aspect. |
| Placidus | 2 | Time-trisected house system; Western default. |
| Planetary return | 5 | Return chart for any planet. |
| Porphyry | 2 | Quadrant-trisection houses. |
| Precession | 1 | ~50.3″/year drift of the equinox. |
| Progression | 5 | Symbolic time mapping; secondary progression uses a day-for-year key. |
| Quadrant | 2 | One of the four regions between the major chart angles. |
| Quincunx | 4 | 150° minor aspect. |
| Rahu / Ketu | 3 | North / south lunar nodes. |
| Rashi | 1 | Vedic 30° sign. |
| Regiomontanus | 2 | Equator-divided houses. |
| Retrograde | 0 | Apparent backward motion. |
| Return | 5 | Chart when a body regains its natal longitude. |
| Right ascension | 0 | Sky longitude in the equatorial frame. |
| Sarvashtakavarga | 6 | Combined bindu score (337 total). |
| Secondary progression | 5 | One day after birth = one year of life. |
| Semi-sextile | 4 | 30° minor aspect. |
| Semi-square | 4 | 45° minor aspect. |
| Sesquiquadrate | 4 | 135° minor aspect. |
| Sextile | 4 | 60° aspect; opportunity. |
| Shadbala | 6 | Six-fold planetary strength. |
| Shodashvarga | 6 | Standard sixteen divisional charts. |
| Sidereal | 1 | Star-referenced zodiac. |
| Sidereal time | 0 | Sky rotation angle at a location. |
| Solar arc | 5 | Progressed Sun’s arc added to all points. |
| Solar return | 5 | Chart at the Sun’s exact return to natal longitude. |
| Square | 4 | 90° aspect; tension. |
| Station | 0 | Moment a planet turns retrograde/direct. |
| Stellium | 4 | Cluster of bodies; the threshold and grouping rule depend on the convention. |
| Synastry | 5 | Two-chart comparison. |
| Tertiary progression | 5 | One day = one lunar month. |
| Tithi | 6 | Lunar day (12°). |
| Transit | 5 | Sky at a selected time, often compared with natal positions. |
| Trine | 4 | 120° aspect; flow. |
| Tropical | 1 | Equinox-referenced zodiac. |
| Uranian planets | 3 | Eight hypothetical Hamburg points. |
| Vara | 6 | Weekday panchang limb. |
| Varga | 6 | Divisional chart (D1–D60). |
| Vimshottari | 6 | 120-year dasha system. |
| Whole sign | 2 | Sign = house from the rising sign. |
| Yoga (panchang) | 6 | Sun+Moon limb of 13°20′. |
| Yoga (planetary) | 6 | Named planetary combination. |
| Zodiacal Releasing | 5 | Hellenistic lot-based time-lord technique. |