The twelve rashis: signs, elements, qualities and lords

The zodiac is divided into twelve rashis of 30° each, starting from Mesha at the sidereal zero point, and every rashi has an element, a quality and a lord that together give it its character. A sign is read one way when the Moon is in it and another when it is rising, which is why the course returns to the rashis twice.

The twelve

Moon sign	Western name	Lord	Element	Symbol
Mesha	Aries	Mars	Fire	Direct, energetic, quick to start.
Vrishabha	Taurus	Venus	Earth	Steady, sensual, loyal to comfort.
Mithuna	Gemini	Mercury	Air	Curious, verbal, many-sided.
Karka	Cancer	Moon	Water	Protective, emotional, home-centred.
Simha	Leo	Sun	Fire	Proud, warm, built for the centre.
Kanya	Virgo	Mercury	Earth	Precise, helpful, analytical.
Tula	Libra	Venus	Air	Fair, relational, drawn to balance.
Vrishchika	Scorpio	Mars	Water	Intense, private, transformative.
Dhanu	Sagittarius	Jupiter	Fire	Optimistic, principled, far-seeing.
Makara	Capricorn	Saturn	Earth	Disciplined, ambitious, patient.
Kumbha	Aquarius	Saturn	Air	Independent, idealistic, unconventional.
Meena	Pisces	Jupiter	Water	Compassionate, imaginative, fluid.

Elements and qualities

The signs cycle through four elements, fire, earth, air and water, in that order from Mesha, and through three qualities, movable, fixed and dual. So Mesha is movable fire, Vrishabha fixed earth, Mithuna dual air, Karka movable water, and the pattern repeats three times. Element gives the temperament; quality gives the mode of action.

Quality	Signs	Mode
Movable (chara)	Mesha, Karka, Tula, Makara	Begins, initiates, moves
Fixed (sthira)	Vrishabha, Simha, Vrishchika, Kumbha	Holds, sustains, resists
Dual (dwiswabhava)	Mithuna, Kanya, Dhanu, Meena	Adapts, bridges, varies

Lords

Each sign is owned by a graha, and the Sun and Moon own one sign each while the five planets own two. The ownership pattern is symmetric around the Karka–Simha pair: the Sun and Moon at the centre, then Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn spreading outward in both directions.

Lord	Signs
Sun	Simha
Moon	Karka
Mercury	Mithuna, Kanya
Venus	Vrishabha, Tula
Mars	Mesha, Vrishchika
Jupiter	Dhanu, Meena
Saturn	Makara, Kumbha

Rahu and Ketu own no sign; the tradition gives them the qualities of the sign's lord.

The same sign, two readings

The Moon in Simha describes an inner life that needs recognition; Simha rising describes an outer manner that commands a room. Lessons 6 and 7 develop the two readings. The Rashi calculator gives the Moon-sign reading, the Lagna calculator the rising one.

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Try the calculator this lesson explains.

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