Page 29 - Masala Lite Issue 190 October 2026

29 MASALA’S MYSTIC MAP

WHAT DO YOU KEEP IN
YOUR HOUSE?

This month, Masala’s VIEW VIDEO

astrologists help you
All you need are three things: date of birth, the exact time of your birth, and your
demystify your rising sign birthplace coordinates. The date points you towards a larger celestial context, the time
tells us which sign was rising at that moment, and the coordinates determine how the
(Vedic style). horizon looked from that location. A note about the time of birth: a rashi rises for about
two hours. A birth time at 9:15 AM may catch the last degrees of one sign but one at
BY THE EDITORIAL TEAM 9:55 AM may already be housed in the next. This is why the birthplace coordinates are
needed; together with the latitude and season, you can get an accurate lagna reading.

e would all like astrology to be as simple as knowing our birthday and our YOU DON’T SEEM LIKE A [INSERT SUN SIGN]
star sign. Alas, the universe also enjoys paperwork. The sign associated with A sun sign in Vedic astrology describes a broad
your birth date is only one small piece of a much larger astral puzzle. There temperament. Since many people can share the same
is a whole birth chart to contend with, and this time, we are turning our attention to sun sign, the personality assigned based on one is vague
the lagna ( ), also known as the rising sign. and generic enough to fit a large range and variety of

So, what exactly is the lagna? It is the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the people. A lagna essentially weeds out the field because
precise moment of your birth. In Vedic astrology, the lagna is considered the bedrock it changes throughout the day and depends on the place.

of the birth chart because it determines the first house and sets the framework for the Your lagna can determine how you manage career-related
houses that follow. That basically means the sign where your lagna sits is referred to as issues, marriage prospects, and even the type of body or

your first house, with the following houses cascading in order. Let’s say your lagna is in disposition you may possess. Freaky, right?
Scorpio. That would mean your second house is in Sagittarius and it keeps going until all In Vedic astrology, the ascendant is the fastener holding your kundli (chart) together.
12 houses are complete. If you’re now left wondering what a “house” is, and what they It determines the order and how the planets move through their houses and each

are doing in space, they essentially represent different virtues in our astrological chart ascendant has its own house lord. See the different ascendants and their corresponding

and “house” different signs for the virtues which determine how we approach them. house lords below:

Now that the basics are covered. Let’s focus on the first house or lagna. It is said that

the lagna offers insight into your outward personality, appearance, the way you meet

the world, and how others perceive you. Aries Ascendant MARS Libra Ascendant VENUS
Taurus Ascendant VENUS Scorpio Ascendant MARS
OH MY LAGNA, WHERE ARE YOU?
Gemini Ascendant MERCURY Sagittarius Ascendant JUPITER
If you’re starting to panic and wonder if you need to gather additional information Cancer Ascendant MOON Capricorn Ascendant SATURN
other than what you already use to calculate your sun sign, there’s no need to put in a
long-distance call to your grandmother’s favourite pandit just yet. Nor do you need to Leo Ascendant SUN Aquarius Ascendant SATURN
rummage through old, weathered pages of documented family history for some secret Virgo Ascendant MERCURY Pisces Ascendant JUPITER
code that’ll help you unscramble the mysteries of the lagna.

ALL-ACCESS INTO BANGKOK’S CONTEMPORARY INDIAN LIFESTYLE
ALL-ACCESS INTO BANGKOK’S CONTEMPORARY INDIAN LIFESTYLE