—— © Dr. Satya Prakash Choudhary

There are a few ways to understand the houses.  

1. Polar opposites that complement each other  

1. Natural zodiac of signs and their natural significations  

1. Fire, Earth, Air and Water and the Four goals of life (DAKM or Dharma, Artha, Kama , Moksha)

1. Quadrants (1, 4, 7, 10), Succedents (2, 5, 8, 11) and Cadents (3, 6, 9, 12) sometimes compared to Rajas, Sattva, Tamas. The actual basis is Movable/Cardinal, Fixed and Dual/Mutable classification.

Quadrants (Kendras 1, 4, 7, 10), Trines (Trikonas 1, 5, 9 lordship), Change triad (Trika 6, 8, 12 both lordship and placement), Malefic triad (3, 7, 11 lordship) and Negative houses (Dusthanas 3, 6, 8, 12 placement)

Trikonas (trines): 1, 5, 9

Benefic/prosperity/lakshmi sthanas

9>5>1

9th is the most benefic house/luck/fortune

Upachayas: 3, 6, 10, 11

Houses of improvement/ good place for malefics

Trika/ Dusthanas: 6, 8, 12

Unfavourable/ups and downs/change/reversal

8>6.12

8th is the most malefic house/calamities/problems that sap the will to live

Ayusthanas: 8, 3 (8th from 8th) lords and houses

Longevity/death

Marakas: 2, 7 lords and houses

Ill-health causing/death inflicting

Invisible half of a horoscope: 1 to 7 (actually first 6 houses/ 1 to 6)

Internal/personal

Visible half of a horoscope: 7 to 1 (actually last 6 houses/ 7 to 12)

External/public

referred House Lordships of planets: Moolatrikona

Sun — Leo

Moon — Cancer

Mars — Aries

Mercury — Virgo

Jupiter — Sagittarius

Venus — Libra

Saturn — Aquarius

Exaltation > Moolatrikona > Own House > Friend’s house