Harmonic Charts

Vedic astrology never reads the birth chart alone. At a minimum it casts two charts — the basic birth chart (Rāśi Chakra) and the harmonic ninth (Navāṁśa) — and frequently six, often as many as sixteen. These extra charts are the harmonic or divisional charts (vargas): each one re-distributes the planets by chopping every sign into a fixed number of equal slices and assigning each slice to a sign. They add detail and specificity to the delineation of planetary influence — fine-tuning what the birth chart establishes (AoS ch.8, p180).

This chapter prints no diagrams. Its "figures" are the degree-division tables, which Frawley typesets inline as lists; they are reproduced faithfully below.

Vedic vs. Western harmonics

Some Western astrologers have begun using harmonic charts on the Hindu model, but they calculate them differently — by simply multiplying the planet's longitude. For a harmonic fifth they multiply the longitude by five: a planet at 20° Taurus has a zodiacal longitude of 50° (measured from 0° Aries); times five gives 250°, i.e. 10° Sagittarius, as its harmonic-fifth position (AoS ch.8, p180). [modern: Frawley]

The Vedic system instead considers harmonic placement by sign only, not by degree — it tells you which sign a planet falls into in the sub-chart, not an exact harmonic longitude. And some divisions (notably the thirtieth) are not obtained by any simple multiplication at all (AoS ch.8, p180).

Calculating the harmonic charts

Because the arithmetic is time-consuming, Frawley recommends doing it by computer; the rules below are the general principles, useful to know even if a machine does the work (AoS ch.8, p180). The governing idea is always the same: divide each 30° sign into N equal parts, then read off which sign each part maps to according to that varga's rule.

Harmonic Second — Horā (D-2)

The simplest of the harmonics. The first half of an odd sign (e.g. Aries) is ruled by the Sun, its second half by the Moon. Conversely, the first half of an even sign (e.g. Taurus) is ruled by the Moon, its second half by the Sun. So if Mars lies at 20° Virgo — the second half of an even sign — it falls in the Horā of the Sun. Unlike the other harmonics, the Horā chart does not place planets in signs at all; it only gives each planet a solar or lunar status (AoS ch.8, p180).

Harmonic Third — Drekkāṇa / Decanate (D-3)

The first ⅓ (00°00′–10°00′) of any sign is ruled by itself; the middle ⅓ (10°00′–20°00′) by the next sign of the same element; the last ⅓ (20°00′–30°00′) by the final sign of the same element. So the first third of Sagittarius is Sagittarius, the second third is Aries, the last third is Leo (the three fire signs in order). Saturn at 15°20′ Sagittarius therefore falls in the Drekkāṇa of Aries (AoS ch.8, p181).

Western astrology has long used the decanate but assigns it differently: it gives the first third to the Cardinal sign of the element, the second to the Fixed, the last to the Mutable. So it reads the thirds of Sagittarius as Aries / Leo / Sagittarius — a different ordering from the Vedic self/next/last scheme (AoS ch.8, p181). [modern: Frawley]

Harmonic Fourth — Chaturthāṁśa (D-4)

Each sign is split into four equal parts of 7°30′. The first ¼ (00°00′–07°30′) is the sign itself; the second ¼ (07°30′–15°00′) is the next sign of the same Quality (modality); the third ¼ (15°00′–22°30′) the following sign of that Quality; the last ¼ (22°30′–30°00′) the final sign of that Quality. For Aries the four quarters are Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn (the four Cardinal signs in order). Venus at 20°15′ Aries lands in the third quarter — Libra (AoS ch.8, p181).

Harmonic Seventh — Saptāṁśa (D-7)

Each sign is divided into seven equal parts of 04°17′09″. For odd signs the first seventh is the sign itself, and the rest follow the signs in zodiacal order. For even signs the first seventh is the seventh sign from it, and the rest follow in order from there. Thus the sevenths of Aries (odd) run Aries, Taurus, Gemini … through to Libra; the sevenths of Taurus (even) start at Scorpio (seventh from Taurus), then Sagittarius, Capricorn … back to Taurus as the last (AoS ch.8, p181).

The seven divisions of a sign:

#	From	To
1	00°00′00″	04°17′09″
2	04°17′09″	08°34′17″
3	08°34′17″	12°51′26″
4	12°51′26″	17°08′34″
5	17°08′34″	21°25′43″
6	21°25′43″	25°42′52″
7	25°42′52″	30°00′00″

So the Moon at 25°10′ Taurus falls in the sixth division — Aries (sixth from Scorpio) (AoS ch.8, p182).

Harmonic Ninth — Navāṁśa (D-9)

Each sign is divided into nine equal parts of 3°20′. The first ninth of a sign is governed by the Cardinal sign of that element, followed by the remaining signs from it in zodiacal order. So the first ninth of Gemini (Mutable air) is Libra (Cardinal air), the second Scorpio, the third Sagittarius … all the way round to Gemini itself as the ninth and last (AoS ch.8, p182).

The nine divisions of a sign:

#	From	To
1	00°00′	03°20′
2	03°20′	06°40′
3	06°40′	10°00′
4	10°00′	13°20′
5	13°20′	16°40′
6	16°40′	20°00′
7	20°00′	23°20′
8	23°20′	26°40′
9	26°40′	30°00′

Worked example: Jupiter at 22°40′ Scorpio sits in the seventh Navāṁśa. Scorpio is Fixed water, so its first ninth is Cardinal water (Cancer) and its seventh is Capricorn — placing Jupiter in Capricorn in the Navāṁśa (AoS ch.8, p182).

Harmonic Tenth — Daśāṁśa (D-10)

Each sign is divided into ten equal portions of 3° each. The first tenth of each sign is fixed as follows: Aries→Aries, Taurus→Capricorn, Gemini→Gemini, Cancer→Pisces, Leo→Leo, Virgo→Taurus, Libra→Libra, Scorpio→Cancer, Sagittarius→Sagittarius, Capricorn→Virgo, Aquarius→Aquarius, Pisces→Scorpio. The rule behind this is that the first tenth of an odd sign is itself, and that of an even sign is the sign ninth from it; from there the divisions count off in zodiacal order (AoS ch.8, p182–183).

The ten divisions of a sign:

#	From	To
1	00°00′	03°00′
2	03°00′	06°00′
3	06°00′	09°00′
4	09°00′	12°00′
5	12°00′	15°00′
6	15°00′	18°00′
7	18°00′	21°00′
8	21°00′	24°00′
9	24°00′	27°00′
10	27°00′	30°00′

The Sun at 08°30′ Gemini falls in the third Daśāṁśa — Leo (AoS ch.8, p183).

Harmonic Twelfth — Dvādaśāṁśa (D-12)

Each sign is divided into equal sections of 2°30′. The first twelfth of each sign is the sign itself, with the rest counted off in zodiacal order (AoS ch.8, p183).

The twelve divisions of a sign:

#	From	To
1	00°00′	02°30′
2	02°30′	05°00′
3	05°00′	07°30′
4	07°30′	10°00′
5	10°00′	12°30′
6	12°30′	15°00′
7	15°00′	17°30′
8	17°30′	20°00′
9	20°00′	22°30′
10	22°30′	25°00′
11	25°00′	27°30′
12	27°30′	30°00′

Mercury at 09°35′ Virgo falls in the fourth Dvādaśāṁśa — Sagittarius (AoS ch.8, p183).

Harmonic Sixteenth — Ṣoḍaśāṁśa (D-16)

Each sign is divided into sixteen equal parts of 1°52′30″. The first sixteenth of all Cardinal signs begins with Aries; of all Fixed signs, with Leo; of all Mutable signs, with Sagittarius; the rest are counted off in order from these (AoS ch.8, p183).

Harmonic Twentieth — Viṁśāṁśa (D-20)

Each sign is divided into twenty equal parts of 1°30′. The first twentieth of all Cardinal signs begins with Aries; of all Fixed signs, Sagittarius; of all Mutable signs, Leo; the rest count off in order from these (AoS ch.8, p184).

Harmonic Twenty-fourth — Siddhāṁśa (D-24)

Each sign is divided into twenty-four equal parts of 1°15′. All odd signs begin with Leo and all even signs with Cancer, with the rest counted off from these (AoS ch.8, p184).

Harmonic Twenty-seventh — Bhāṁśa (D-27)

Each sign is divided into twenty-seven equal parts of 1°06′40″. All fiery signs begin with Aries, all earthly with Cancer, all airy with Libra, all watery with Capricorn; the rest count off in order from these (AoS ch.8, p184).

Harmonic Thirtieth — Triṁśāṁśa (D-30)

This chart is "done in a peculiar way, the explanation for which I have not seen" — it is not a set of equal divisions (AoS ch.8, p184). [modern: Frawley] For odd signs the degrees map as:

• 00°00′–05°00′ → Aries (first 5°)
• 05°00′–10°00′ → Aquarius (next 5°)
• 10°00′–18°00′ → Sagittarius (next 8°)
• 18°00′–25°00′ → Gemini (next 7°)
• 25°00′–30°00′ → Libra (last 5°)

For even signs:

• 00°00′–05°00′ → Taurus (first 5°)
• 05°00′–12°00′ → Virgo (next 7°)
• 12°00′–20°00′ → Pisces (next 8°)
• 20°00′–25°00′ → Capricorn (next 5°)
• 25°00′–30°00′ → Scorpio (last 5°)

There are no harmonic-thirtieth positions in Cancer or Leo (AoS ch.8, p184).

Harmonic Fortieth — Chaturvarṁśāṁśa (D-40)

Each sign is divided into forty equal parts of 45′ each. All odd signs begin with Aries and all even signs with Libra, the rest counted off in order from these (AoS ch.8, p184).

Harmonic Forty-fifth — Akṣavedāṁśa (D-45)

Each sign is divided into forty-five equal parts of 40′. All Cardinal signs begin with Aries; all Fixed signs with Leo; all Mutable signs with Sagittarius; the rest counted off in order (AoS ch.8, p184).

Harmonic Sixtieth — Ṣaṣṭyaṁśa (D-60)

Each sign is divided into sixty equal parts of 30′. Each sign starts with itself, the other divisions counted off in zodiacal order (AoS ch.8, p184).

The named groups of vargas

These sixteen harmonic charts — counting the birth chart itself as the first — are collectively the Ṣoḍaśavarga, "the group of sixteen." Smaller standard sets are nested inside it (AoS ch.8, p185):

• Ṣaḍvarga ("group of six") — the birth chart plus the harmonic 2nd, 3rd, 9th, 12th, and 30th.
• Saptavarga ("group of seven") — the Ṣaḍvarga plus the harmonic 7th.
• Daśavarga ("group of ten") — adding the harmonic 10th, 16th, and 60th.

Meaning and usage of the harmonic charts

Harmonic charts are commonly used to gauge planetary strength. A planet gains strength when placed in the signs of its exaltation, its own signs, or signs of its friends, and loses strength in the signs of its enemies or its fall. One examines which sign each planet occupies in each varga and judges it by the same rules of planetary friendship and enmity used in the birth chart (AoS ch.8, p185). Beyond strength, each harmonic also focuses on a particular area of life, surveyed below.

Harmonic First — the birth chart

The harmonic first is the basic birth chart (Rāśi Chakra), relative to which all the others are judged. What stands in the birth chart can be heightened or diminished by the harmonics but not overridden: the harmonics fine-tune the birth chart's meanings, never radically change them. The birth chart always sets the field in which the others operate and should be "visualized behind them." Frawley pictures the charts as concentric circles, the birth chart the outermost; each subtler harmonic is contained within the field of the larger ones (AoS ch.8, p185). [modern: Frawley]

Harmonic Second — Horā (Sun & Moon)

As the chart of Sun and Moon, the Horā shows the individual's nature and the planets' power relative to the solar/lunar, yang/yin, active/passive, male/female, individual/social, mental/emotional polarities. Masculine planets (Sun, Mars, Jupiter) are stronger in the Horā of the Sun; feminine planets (Moon, Venus, Saturn) in the Horā of the Moon; mutable Mercury does well either way, depending on what influences it (AoS ch.8, p185).

Planets in the solar division make one independent, active, energetic, assertive, willful, confident, self-reliant — but in excess selfish, harsh, unfeeling, manipulative, controlling. Planets in the lunar division make one sensitive, caring, nurturing, receptive, gentle — but in excess dependent, passive, unmotivated, over-emotional, sentimental, hypersensitive. Solar planets give reliance on inner power and initiative; lunar planets give reliance on social influences, family, and the past. Too few solar planets and a person cannot gain recognition for what they do; too few lunar and they lack understanding and take undeserved recognition (AoS ch.8, p185–186).

The Horā is often given a Second-house colour and so linked to wealth: when the lord of the Second sits in its appropriate Horā, all Second-house affairs improve. The word Horā means "hour" — each sign takes about two hours to cross the Ascendant, so each Horā governs about one hour (AoS ch.8, p186).

Harmonic Third — Drekkāṇa

Corresponds in meaning to the Third house: brothers, sisters, friends, and alliances; our capacity to work in a group or partnership toward a goal; our energy, curiosity, courage, passion, and prowess. Examine the lord of the Third here, along with Mars, the natural indicator of the Third house. The Drekkāṇa also fine-tunes Sun, Moon, and Ascendant: e.g. with Aquarius rising and Gemini as its decanate, Gemini's communicative, intellectual force colours Aquarius's humanitarian bent. When many planets crowd one sign, their decanate positions help discriminate their action (AoS ch.8, p186).

Harmonic Fourth — Chaturthāṁśa

Like the Fourth house, traditionally deals with general well-being, emotion, home, and happiness. Benefics (Jupiter, Venus) or rulers of benefic houses strong here enhance well-being. Examine the Moon, Mercury, and the lord of the Fourth as an index of emotional contentment and psychological happiness (AoS ch.8, p186).

Harmonic Seventh — Saptāṁśa

Said to relate to children and grandchildren — not literally, but to our creative projections in general, which for most people means procreation. It shows our creative capacities and how far they can be concretely realized or recognized. Frawley also reads Seventh-house and relationship issues here, weighing the lord of the Seventh and its significator (Venus for men, Jupiter for women) (AoS ch.8, p187). [modern: Frawley]

Harmonic Ninth — Navāṁśa

The main harmonic division. Like the birth chart, it can be used to read all domains of life. Traditionally it refers to marriage and the partner and to relationship in general — what we need to complement ourselves, and above all our ability to share our inner or spiritual values in relationship; comparing two people's Navāṁśas reveals spiritual or dharmic compatibility. Most importantly, like the Ninth house, it shows our dharma, inner values, and religious motivation: it reflects the nature of the soul and its aspirations, where the birth chart reflects the particular incarnation and the ego. As the index of inner forces, it is often a good guide to the future life or the soul's evolution — "more reflective of who we really are" (AoS ch.8, p187).

A strong Navāṁśa with a weak birth chart suggests a strong soul that chose a difficult incarnation; a weak Navāṁśa with a strong birth chart, a strong personality but a weak soul. Examine here Jupiter, the lord of the Ninth, and the Ātmakāraka (significator of the Self); all the planetary significators (Kārakas) are most specific to this chart. A planet strong in both birth and ninth charts gives very good results; a planet exalted or in its own sign in the birth chart but in its fall in the Navāṁśa is weakened (AoS ch.8, p187).

A planet occupying the same sign in both the birth chart and the Navāṁśa is called Vargottama — literally "in the best subdivision." This confers greater strength, for good or ill (AoS ch.8, p187).

Harmonic Tenth — Daśāṁśa

Much like the Tenth house: power, position, achievement, status, and skill — examined with the Tenth house and with the Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, and the lord of the Tenth. A strong Tenth-lord here indicates great accomplishments and goals achieved. It shows the individual's impact on the world, their place in it, and is important for vocation and career — "our karmic impact upon life" (AoS ch.8, p188).

Harmonic Twelfth — Dvādaśāṁśa

The chart of fate, destiny, and past karma. Traditionally said to indicate the parents, but standing more broadly for past karma and conditioning (including hereditary factors) and past-life influences — "something like the birth chart of the last incarnation." It shows what the soul brings into this life and the karmic reason for one's character and destiny. Frawley sums up the scheme: read the birth chart for this life, the ninth for the future life, the twelfth for the past life, and so trace the soul's evolution. Its meanings parallel the Twelfth house — the past, karma, the subconscious, the hidden mind, secret motivations, compulsions, obsessions. Examine the Moon, Saturn, and the lord of the Twelfth (AoS ch.8, p188). [modern: Frawley]

Harmonic Sixteenth — Ṣoḍaśāṁśa

Sixteen is four times four, so this chart traditionally concerns Fourth-house affairs — happiness, home, property, and acquisition of vehicles. Used alongside the fourth harmonic, it shows the deeper wishes of the soul (the fourth harmonic being more outward). A strong Fourth-lord here strengthens Fourth-house matters; it is also important in psychology, for mental stability and emotional contentment (AoS ch.8, p188).

Harmonic Twentieth — Viṁśāṁśa

Traditionally the chart of Upāsanā, "devotional meditation." It indicates the soul's religious development and capacity for the Yoga of devotion (Bhakti Yoga), often revealing religious tendencies and affiliations from past lives. It shows the Śakti, the goddess-energy, at work in our lives, hence our capacity to surrender to the Divine will, and helps indicate the form of the Divine we are inclined to worship (Iṣṭa Devatā); it can also show creative and artistic capacity. Twenty being five times four, many of its meanings resemble the Fifth house, so examine Jupiter and the Fifth-lord — it shows "the joy, love and creativity of the soul" (AoS ch.8, p188–189).

Harmonic Twenty-fourth — Siddhāṁśa

Traditionally the chart of mental or meditational achievements, including the siddhis (psychic powers). In the higher sense it is the chart of spiritual knowledge and the soul's spiritual development from past lives — capacity for the Yoga of knowledge (Jñāna Yoga) — and is the most important harmonic for ascertaining spiritual nature and the potential for enlightenment. Strong planets here heighten psychic and spiritual capacities. On a general level it indicates the educational career; whether the knowledge gained is spiritual or material depends on character from the birth chart. Examine the lord of the Ninth, Mercury, Jupiter, and the Ātmakāraka. Between the twentieth and twenty-fourth harmonics, "many of the hidden secrets of our spiritual unfoldment" can be understood (AoS ch.8, p189). [modern: Frawley]

Harmonic Twenty-seventh — Bhāṁśa

Measures the strength or weakness of planets relative to the twenty-seven lunar constellations (Nakṣatras) they occupy. It is thus a further fine-tuning of the Navāṁśa (which itself measures ¼ of a Nakṣatra). It indicates particular strengths and weaknesses of the Moon and is also important for the planetary significators (AoS ch.8, p189).

Harmonic Thirtieth — Triṁśāṁśa

The traditional chart of misfortune, injury, enmity, and disease — important for discovering the dangers to avoid in life. Major health difficulties or potential injuries show in malefic placement of planets here. Gauge the power of the lords of the Third, Sixth, Eighth, and Eleventh houses here, and examine any planets that occupy the Sixth, Eighth, or Twelfth houses in the birth chart: if they are poorly placed in this chart, they are far more likely to cause problems (AoS ch.8, p189–190).

Harmonic Fortieth — Chaturvarṁśāṁśa

Deals with special auspicious and inauspicious effects of planets — sometimes described as good and bad habits, particularly the proclivities of the emotional and psychological nature. As four times ten, it relates to Fourth-house affairs (AoS ch.8, p190).

Harmonic Forty-fifth — Akṣavedāṁśa

Helps fine-tune all general indications, though it is often said to relate to the moral or ethical nature. As nine times five, it carries the Fifth- and Ninth-house themes of good or bad karma. It indicates which of the three deities — Brahmā, Viṣṇu, or Śiva (creator, preserver, destroyer) — the individual's nature most reflects (AoS ch.8, p190).

Harmonic Sixtieth — Ṣaṣṭyaṁśa

The most subtle of the harmonic charts, often used in the case of twins. It serves the subtlest fine-tuning of planetary effects and has special deities governing each subdivision (AoS ch.8, p190).

Which charts matter most, and a caution

Of the sixteen, Frawley rates as most important the harmonic ninth, third, twelfth, twentieth, twenty-fourth, twenty-seventh, and thirtieth (AoS ch.8, p190). [modern: Frawley]

He adds a practical caution. The subtler the harmonic, the more sensitive its Ascendant is to the exact time of birth — a small error in birth time will shift the Ascendant in any chart more subtle than the twelfth. For these subtle charts one therefore relies more on the Moon and the Ātmakāraka, turning each into the Ascendant and reading the houses from its placement. The distant, slow-moving planets (Jupiter, Saturn), by contrast, can have even their finest subdivisions accurately calculated; their positions in the subtler vargas are often more revealing than their sign placements in the birth chart, and are important for indicating general fortune or misfortune (AoS ch.8, p190). [modern: Frawley]