AstroSpica's astrological methods

We're going to discuss why AstroSpica uses the methods it does.

AstroSpica is a new astrology platform, but ironically, its methods lie in ancient texts. We use a blend of Hellenistic and Vedic astrology. Let's talk about what methods we use and why:

We use Hellenistic and Vedic dignities & rulership, William Lilly's joys and co-signs, the equal house system, tropical zodiac signs and sidereal nakshatras, and Vedic aspects.

Planets' dignities & rulership: This is a no-brainer. In almost all types of astrology, the dignities and rulership of the planets are the same.

House version of dignities and rulership: This is a concept we have incorporated with the help of William Lilly's Joy and Co-Sign rules. For us, houses are just as important as signs, if not more. Without having a proper score or benefit level of a planet in a house, it's difficult to know how the planet works in that specific house.

House system: We use the equal house system because it preserves the ascendant as the true anchor of the chart. In astrology, the ascendant is the only house cusp directly tied to an astronomical event — the exact degree rising on the eastern horizon at birth.

Unlike the zodiac, houses are not natural astronomical divisions; they’re symbolic frameworks created by astrologers. Since there is no physical basis for unequal houses, dividing the chart into twelve equal segments is the most consistent and mathematically sound approach.

Nakshatras: We include nakshatras because astrology uses both the seasonal tropical zodiac and the star‑based sidereal sky. Signs belong to the tropical system, but nakshatras belong to the stars — the 27 lunar mansions that divide the actual sky. Using both gives a chart that reflects both Earth’s seasons and the true stellar backdrop.

The knowledge that's given in the nakshatra system helps to define the sky without having to know about each and every star... which would take many lifetimes to learn.

Tropical vs sidereal: We use the tropical zodiac because zodiac signs were originally based on the seasons, not the stars. The tropical system follows the Sun’s path through the equinoxes and solstices — the true foundation of the signs.

Sidereal astronomy belongs to the stars, which is why nakshatras (the lunar mansions) are sidereal. Signs describe seasonal archetypes; nakshatras describe stellar ones.

Aspects: In Western astrology, every planet aspects the same places, which treats all planets as if they perceive the chart identically. But planets are not identical. They have different personalities, functions, and ways of interacting with life.

Vedic directional aspects acknowledge this.

• Mars looks aggressively at the 4th and 8th because it penetrates and protects.

• Jupiter looks at the 5th and 9th because it teaches, expands, and blesses.

• Saturn looks at the 3rd and 10th because it tests, disciplines, and structures.

• North node (Rahu) looks at the 8th and 11th because it obsesses over vulnerabilities and desires.

• South node (Ketu) looks nowhere because it has no head.

  
  

Each planet has its own direction of influence, and its own psychological territory. This creates a chart that is richer, and more aligned with the mythological logic of astrology.

Do you agree with our logic?

• Yes
• No
• I'm not sure