Glossary
Short, respectful definitions for terms you will see across Western, Indian Vedic, Chinese, Mayan, Celtic, Akan, and Tibetan tools.
- NakshatraOne of 27 Indian Vedic lunar mansions along the Moon's path.
- Tzolk'inThe 260-day sacred calendar behind Mayan day-signs.
- Lahiri ayanamsaThe standard sidereal correction used in many Jyotish apps.
- Sheng XiaoThe twelve-animal cycle used in Chinese astrology.
- LosarTibetan New Year, when the Tibetan zodiac animal advances.
- LagnaIndian Vedic rising sign, the horizon sign at birth.
- Day-soul (Kra)Akan weekday birth name, soul linked to the day you were born.
- Lunar New YearWhen the Chinese zodiac animal advances, not Jan 1.
- Sidereal vs tropicalTwo ways to slice the ecliptic, seasons vs fixed stars.
- RashiA sidereal zodiac sign in Indian Vedic astrology, often your Moon sign.
- PadaOne of four quarters within a nakshatra, finer Moon detail.
- JyotishSanskrit name for Indian Vedic astrology. Jyoti means light.
- AscendantThe sign rising on the eastern horizon at your birth moment.
- Sun signThe zodiac sign the Sun was in on your birth date. Western tropical.
- Moon signThe sign the Moon was in at birth, mood and habit in Western stories.
- Rising signEveryday name for the ascendant, the sign on the eastern horizon.
- HoroscopeA sky map or forecast tied to a moment, usually birth or today.
- ZodiacThe belt of signs along the Sun's annual path, not one universal list.
- CuspBirth dates near when the Sun or Moon changes sign.
- RetrogradeWhen a planet appears to move backward in the sky, an optical effect.
- EclipticThe Sun's apparent yearly path, the backbone of zodiac measurement.
- Tropical zodiacWestern zodiac tied to seasons. Aries begins at the March equinox.
- Sidereal zodiacStar-aligned zodiac used in Jyotish, offset from tropical by ayanamsa.
- PrecessionEarth's wobble that slowly shifts equinoxes against the stars.
- AyanamsaThe angular gap between tropical and sidereal zodiac starting points.
- Ba ZiChinese Four Pillars chart, deeper than Sheng Xiao year animal alone.
- Heavenly StemsTen stem names (Jia, Yi, Bing...) cycling with five elements.
- Earthly BranchesTwelve branches (Zi, Chou, Yin...) mapped to zodiac animals.
- Wu XingFive phases (elements) in Chinese cosmology, not the Western four.
- Yin and YangComplementary polarities, dark/light, rest/action, in Chinese thought.
- Spring FestivalChinese Lunar New Year, when the zodiac animal officially advances.
- NawalA day-sign in the Mayan Tzolk'in, 20 names, 13 tones.
- Haab365-day Mayan civil calendar, months, not the 260-day Tzolk'in.
- OghamEarly Irish tree alphabet, inspiration for Celtic tree zodiac lists.
- Celtic tree calendarModern thirteen-tree wheel keyed to dates. Birch to Elder.
- BirthstoneGem associated with birth month or sign, multiple traditions exist.
- DecanA ten-degree slice of a sign, three decans per sign.
- MewaTibetan nine-number magic square linked to birth year energy.
- EphemerisTables of where planets are on each date, the engine behind calculators.
- Birth chartMap of the sky at birth, planets, signs, houses, aspects.
- ModalityCardinal, fixed, or mutable, how a sign starts, holds, or adapts.
- Western elementsFire, earth, air, water, the four Western sign groupings.
- HousesTwelve chart sectors for life topics, require birth time to place.
- AspectAngle between planets in a chart, conjunction, trine, square, etc.
- Weekday nameTraditional Akan name tied to the weekday of birth.