What’s your Nakshatra? Explaining the 27 Lunar Houses
“So what is your Sun Sign?”
Actually, you should be asking me what my Nakshatra is … and here’s the tea.
Long before the twelve-sign zodiac system following the Sun was integrated into Indian astrology through Greek influences, the Vedas divided the sky into twenty-seven Moon-based Nakshatras or lunar houses/mansions.
The word Nakshatra basically refers to reaching worlds that do not decay. These represent specific constellations or star clusters that the Moon passes through during its orbit around the Earth.
Because the Moon takes 27.32 days to complete a full sidereal orbit, this 360-degree ecliptic is divided into 27 sections. Each section is exactly 13 degrees and 20 minutes. These are further divided into four padas of 3 degrees and 20 minutes each, giving us a total of 108 padas.
This system is overlaid on the twelve zodiac houses that follow the Sun, giving us a macro perspective. Mathematically, each Rashi contains exactly two and a quarter Nakshatras, or nine padas, within it.
Vedic astrology has always closely followed the Moon's journey because it is precise and offers a highly granular perspective on life.
In Puranic interpretations, the Nakshatras are actually the real twenty-seven daughters of Daksha Prajapati, the big daddy of the universe. They are all married to Chandra Dev, the Moon God, who is their Lord. It’s said he mostly favours Rohini above all else, but that’s a story for another time.
Each Nakshatra has a guiding deity, and studying your Nakshatra can reveal deep insights about your inner motivations, personality traits, your temperament, and life purpose.
Take Revati, for example. It is the twenty-seventh and final Nakshatra, located entirely within Pisces. It often points to souls reaching the end of a karmic cycle and striving for moksha, or liberation. Revati’s bhava or mood is Mridu, meaning soft or tender, as opposed to say Ugra, or fierce.
It is symbolized by a fish or a drum. These guys are guided by the ancient Vedic deity Pushan, who is said to carry souls safely across journeys. People born under Revati are often considered empathetic, creative, idealistic, and deeply connected to water.
Other nakshatras include Ashwini, Magha, Chitra, Shravana, and Uttara Bhadrapada - you might notice we already use some of these names for the 12 months of the Hindu calendar, which are derived from the specific Nakshatra the Moon occupies during the full moon. On a side note, some ancient texts also add a 28th Nakshatra, named Abhijit.
If you want to find your Nakshatra and learn more about it, comment the word NAKSHATRA and I will send you the research links.