Lunar Calendar
The Moon is the fastest planet in Jyotish and the one closest to a person. It crosses a sign of the zodiac in a little over two days and a nakshatra in less than a day, and in a month it travels round the whole chart. That is why in Vedic astrology it is the Moon that sets the rhythm of everyday life: lunar days are used to choose the time for new undertakings, to keep fasts, to plan journeys and important conversations. The lunar calendar on this site shows that rhythm not in general but for your own birth chart.
The common rhythm and the personal one
The phase of the Moon and the lunar day are the same for everyone: today's tithi begins for everyone on Earth at almost the same moment. But which house of your chart the Moon is passing through is personal. The Moon in the 11th house brings luck with requests and meetings, in the 8th — anxiety and fatigue, in the 6th — the energy for work and for putting things in order. Two people live through the same lunar day differently, and the calendar on this site shows both sides.
What the lunar calendar shows
Once your birth chart has been calculated, there is a «Lunar calendar» tab next to the interpretation. For the chosen date it shows:
- the phase of the Moon — waxing or waning, and how much of the disc is illuminated;
- the tithi — the lunar day: its number, its name and the half of the month, shukla paksha (waxing Moon) or krishna paksha (waning Moon);
- the nakshatra and pada — the lunar mansion the Moon is passing through now;
- the Moon sign and the house of your chart — from the lagna and, in brackets, from the natal Moon, together with the times the Moon enters and leaves the sign;
- a reading — what the tradition associates with the Moon's passage through that house;
- coming events — the next new moon, full moon and eclipse, with the date, time, sign and the house of your chart where they will take place;
- a 30-day calendar — the tithi, nakshatra, Moon sign and house for every day, with ekadashis, full moons and new moons marked.
Tithi: the lunar day of Jyotish
A tithi is the span of time in which the Moon moves 12° further away from the Sun. There are thirty of them in a lunar month: fifteen in the waxing half and fifteen in the waning half. Each tithi has its own nature: some suit new beginnings, others finishing things, others again rest and fasting. Each of them is described in detail in the article Tithi — Choosing an Auspicious Day for Beginnings.
An important detail: in Jyotish a day takes the tithi that is current at sunrise. So the 30-day calendar calculates the tithi and the nakshatra for sunrise — at the place of birth given in the chart. If you live in a different time zone, the day boundaries may shift by a few hours.
The nakshatra of the day
The second important measure of a lunar day is the nakshatra the Moon is passing through. The twenty-seven nakshatras are grouped by nature: the fixed ones (Rohini and the three Uttaras) are good for whatever should last a long time — moving house, planting a garden, beginning a life together; the movable ones (Swati, Punarvasu, Shravana and others) for journeys and buying a vehicle; the light ones (Ashwini, Pushya, Hasta) for study, medical treatment and trade; the sharp and harsh ones for matters that call for decisiveness. Special significance attaches to the day when the Moon passes through your birth nakshatra — it is called janma tara, and the tradition advises against starting risky ventures on that day. The names of the nakshatras for each day are shown in the calendar, and a description of each is in the Nakshatras section.
Ekadashi, full moon and new moon
The eleventh lunar day of each half of the month is ekadashi, the traditional day of fasting and spiritual practice. The full moon (purnima) is considered a day of fullness and completion, the new moon (amavasya) a day of quiet and of taking stock, not the best for new beginnings. These days are highlighted in colour in the calendar. For the new moon and the full moon the page also shows the house of your chart: the theme of that house will sound louder for the next two weeks.
Eclipses
An eclipse is a new moon or full moon close to the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu. Jyotish regards it as a powerful event: important matters are usually not begun on eclipse days, and the house of the chart in which the eclipse takes place receives an impulse for half a year ahead. The calendar names the next eclipse, its type — solar or lunar — and the house of your chart. For rules of conduct during eclipses, see the article Eclipses.
How to use the calendar
The simplest use is planning. The classical rule of chandra bala counts from the natal Moon — that is the number in brackets in the «House (from Moon)» column: favourable days are those when the Moon passes through the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 10th and 11th signs from it, while the 8th and 12th are better left for rest and for finishing things. The house from the lagna tells you which area of life the day will touch. Time new undertakings to the waxing Moon and favourable tithis, avoiding the new moon. For truly important events — a wedding, a move, signing a contract — this is not enough: they need a full muhurta, which is covered in the Date Selection section.
The calendar is calculated by the same engine as the birth chart — in the «Surya-Siddhanta» mode, as in Jagannatha Hora. Event times are shown in the time zone of the chart.
How to open your lunar calendar
- Calculate your birth chart — the date, time and place of birth.
- In the report, click the «Lunar calendar» tab above the interpretation.
- To look at another day, pick a date and press «Show».
Next to it is the «Transits» tab: where all nine planets are moving through your chart and when your Sade Sati falls.