What does my Vedic birth chart say? Begin here

Introduction

I am sure you have come across the term Vedic astrology and are familiar with zodiac signs such as Sagittarius, Pisces, Cancer and Libra, which are often discussed in newspapers. But how do you begin? That is the purpose of this article.

The rising sign

You begin by identifying the sign in the first house. I'm taking this example. In his case, you find the first house in the fourth sign. The number there represents the rising sign. It's also known as the Ascendant.

That's how you start. Here, number 4 represents Cancer. By doing so, you assign a role to different planets.

The personality question

What do I mean by that? If you're trying to assess this person's personality, you have to study the ruler of the first house, which would be the ruler of the sign of Cancer, which is the Moon.

The career question

To examine this person's career, begin by studying the rulers of the 10th, 6th and 11th houses. If the first house falls in the sign of Cancer, the 10th house falls in the first sign, the sign of Aries ruled by Mars. The 6th house will fall in the sign of Sagittarius ruled by Jupiter.

The 11th house, the house of money, will fall in the sign of Taurus ruled by Venus. To determine this person's career, you only have to study the positions of Mars, Jupiter and Venus. You narrow down your analysis. You're not looking at the entire chart. That might help you begin.

The partner question

If you're trying to determine who might be this person's partner, then you have to study the ruler of the house of marriage, the 7th house. If the first house falls in the sign of Cancer, the 7th house naturally falls in the 10th sign, Capricorn, ruled by Saturn. Saturn's position in this chart would determine who his partner is going to be.

The ruler lookup

In this table, I have done the exercise for you. You don't have to identify the signs and their rulers. If you are a Sagittarius Ascendant and you're trying to identify which career is best for you, you only have to study the positions of Mercury and Venus.

If you are a Libra Ascendant and want to know more about your partner, you only have to study the position of Mars. That narrows down your analysis.

Extending the first pass

At this stage, you can extend the analysis. To understand the personality in more detail, also take into account the positions of the Sun and Moon, your rising Nakshatra and the Atmakaraka, the planet holding the highest degree. In your career identification analysis, please take into account the position of the Sun.

Whilst analysing who your partner might be, please take into account the Darakaraka too, the planet holding the lowest degree in your chart outside of Rahu and Ketu.

The Richard Branson example

How do we apply this knowledge? Let's try to identify the career for this person. From a career point of view, we have to study the positions of Mars, Jupiter and Venus. Mars is in the third house, in the sign of Virgo and, more importantly, in the Nakshatra of Chitra.

Combining these factors, I conclude that the person can be an entrepreneur and an innovator. Jupiter in the 8th house in Shatabhisha suggests that his work may be research-driven, technology-driven and linked to networking, which is directly linked to Shatabhisha. This is where your knowledge of the Nakshatras becomes very critical.

The business themes

Venus in the 12th house suggests that his work may be linked to mass media and may also be creative. The Sun in the 1st house in Punarvasu suggests that his work may be directly linked to the hospitality industry.

This is the birth chart of Richard Branson. He's an entrepreneur. His first business was Virgin Records, which I link to the position of Venus in Mrigashira. Jupiter in the 8th house in Shatabhisha is linked to his broadband network service. The Sun in Punarvasu, in my view, is behind his interest in the hospitality sector, and probably the most renowned business he owns is Virgin Airlines.

The starting method

If you try to assess his personality, his rising Nakshatra is Ashlesha and the Moon is in Magha. If you combine the two, you'll know why he possesses this magnetic personality. In many ways, I think the ancestors who rule Magha are helping him achieve success on a material plane.

Let me again take you back to the starting point. Please identify your rising sign. That's how you begin. It's also known as the Ascendant. Don't get confused. Once you've done that, you can start analysing who you are, what the chart is saying, which career is best suited to you and who your life partner can be.