Sagittarius (Dhanu) in Vedic Astrology

Your ascendant, or lagna, is the sign rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. It describes the body, the temperament and the direction a life tends to take. It changes roughly every two hours, so it needs an accurate birth time.

You need meaning, movement and a horizon to aim at. Learning, travel and belief shape your path, and you are generous with what you know. Frankness is your gift and occasionally your problem; detail and follow-through are what you have to cultivate.

With Sagittarius rising, Jupiter is your lagna lord, the planet that carries your constitution and your life's direction. Where Jupiter sits in your chart shows where your energy naturally flows.

Your Moon sign, or rashi, is the sign the Moon occupied at birth. In Vedic astrology it matters at least as much as the ascendant, because it describes the mind and emotional life. It is also the sign used for daily horoscopes and for Sade Sati.

You cheer up by moving: travelling, learning, or simply getting out. Your emotional default is optimism, and you find meaning in difficulty rather than being flattened by it. Confinement of any kind, physical or social, is what wears you down.

Jupiter owns Sagittarius (and also Pisces), so it is comfortable and free to act here. Sagittarius is also the moolatrikona sign of Jupiter, a placement nearly as strong as exaltation.

Every sign holds nine nakshatra padas (quarters), drawn from two or three nakshatras. A planet's nakshatra refines what its sign says about it.