Guides / Vedic and Western astrology
What is a Moon sign?
The Moon sign is the zodiac sign occupied by the Moon at birth. In Vedic astrology it is central to Nakshatra, dasha, and compatibility.
The Moon as a second center of the chart
The Moon sign is simply the sign the Moon occupies at the birth moment. In Western popular astrology the Sun sign is the one people usually know. In Vedic astrology the Moon is often treated as the more immediate marker of mind, habit, and daily weather of feeling.
Because the Moon moves quickly, its sign and Nakshatra are sensitive to the date and, near a sign boundary, to the time as well.
Nakshatra, Pada, and dasha
Vedic astrology further locates the Moon in one of 27 Nakshatras, and in one of four Padas within that Nakshatra. The Moon’s Nakshatra is the starting point of the Vimshottari dasha, the 120-year sequence of planetary periods.
Ashta Koota, the traditional Vedic matchmaking table, is also counted from the two Moons: their signs, Nakshatras, and related classifications.
Common questions
- Is the Moon sign the same as the Sun sign?
- No. The Sun spends about a month in each sign. The Moon moves through a sign in two to two-and-a-half days. They often occupy different signs.