The 28 Lunar Mansions in Astrology

You are probably familiar with your Sun sign, but do you know what your natal lunar mansion is? An ancient astrological and magical time-keeping system, the mansions of the Moon (a kind of lunar zodiac) have been widely used since early times. The mansions of the Moon can be used to determine when you should undertake certain types of activities (or abstain from them!), to interpret your natal Moon placement, and even to construct special mansion talismans for wealth, success, love and more!

So, what are lunar mansions, and how are they used? Let’s dive in!

Astronomical Definitions

First, an astronomical definition: think of the Moon’s rapid travel through our skies (27 days 1/2) as a lunar zodiac. You’re probably familiar with the solar zodiac, with the Sun passing through all 12 zodiac signs in the span of a year — each of these signs bring a distinct, unique flavour to the Sun and to the corresponding time period (and individuals born within it!). Using the average speed of the Moon (a motion of 12°, 51 minutes and 26 seconds of the tropical zodiac in one day), we divide the full 360° of the zodiac. The result is 28, a subdivision that is used to delimit the Moon’s “own zodiac”, a separate system with its unique properties. Used as a simplified, independent zodiac, the lunar zodiac-mansion system also has distinct bounds: for example, the 1st mansion extends from 0° Aries to 12°51’ Aries. The second lunar mansions goes from 12°51’ Aries to 21°42’ Aries, and so on and so forth (see list below).

Each mansion has an “indicator star”, meaning a fixed star associated with it — often, but not always, the most significant or brightest star located within the range of the mansion. Lunar mansions are derived from the observation of fixed stars — a system which is still used to this day in different systems, such as Jyotish. With the phenomenon of precession, the location of fixed stars shifts within the tropical zodiac system, but this doesn’t change their association. For example, the third lunar mansion Azoraye’s indicator star is Alcyone (the Pleaides cluster). Today, Alcyone is located at 0° Gemini, however the third mansion’s tropical range is from 25°42 Aries to 8°34 Taurus. So a difference of over 21°! Indicator stars of each mansion are also shown in the list below.

History of the Lunar Mansions

People from different traditions (the Babylonians, Egyptians, and notably Arabic people from the islamic medieval period, who transmitted this system to the Western astrology we know today) used the Moon’s passage through these 28 subdivisions as indicators to undertake or abstain from certain activities. These subdivisions came to be known as “mansions”, just like palaces: a luxurious abode where the Moon is bestowed special qualities, auspicious or nefarious — for example, when the Moon is in her 16th mansion, buying and selling things (commercial activities) is favourable, but reconciliation isn’t. You may have heard of these mansions in Vedic astrology as the nakshatras, which is another lunar zodiac system which uses 27 subdivisions!

Using the lunar mansions is interesting for several reasons: as the mediatrix, the closest celestial body to us, the Moon is the intermediary body that transmits the influence of all other bodies (planets, fixed stars, etc.) onto us — her influence is therefore likely to be felt in more immediate ways. The Moon’s motion is also faster and easier to track, which is also probably why the lunar zodiac (& mansions) were more widely use by people from ancient eras: casting a full-blown chart may not be necessary, too tedious or costly for simple needs such as having a conversation, asking for a favour, deciding when to sell… On the other hand, the position of the Moon alone (and which mansions she’s in) is easier to find and use!

Aside from their practical use, the mansions of the Moon have a wide range of applications in astrological magic. From the start, the magical properties of the mansions have been listed alongside their day-to-day ones, making them an exciting and fertile terrain for astro magic exploration. This is what we are going to see now!