Your Moon’s mansion
Every night the Moon stops at a different door. Long before the zodiac reached them, the sky watchers of Arabia followed the Moon from one group of stars to the next, 28 stopping places in all, and gave each one a name: the Horns, the Pleiades, the Heart, the Belly of the Fish. Enter your birth date, time and place to find the mansion your Moon was born in, the stars it is named for, and the next night the Moon comes home to it.
What is a lunar mansion?
The Moon goes once around the sky in about 27 and a third days, and each night it stands a little further east among the stars. A lunar mansion is one of those nightly stations. The Arabic word is manzil, a stopping place for a traveller, and the 28 together are the manazil al-qamar, the mansions of the Moon.
Your Moon sign tells you which of twelve rooms your Moon was born in. Your Moon’s mansion is a smaller room inside it, a little over twelve degrees wide, and it gives your Moon a finer shade with a picture of its own.
Where do the mansions come from?
Long before the Arabs learned Greek astrology, the desert tribes of Arabia kept time by the stars. When one mansion’s stars sank into the dawn and the opposite mansion rose, they expected a change in the weather, the coming of rain or heat. Those star calendars, the anwa’, lent the mansions many of their names.
By the 10th and 11th centuries the mansions had a place in the Arabic books of astrology, including the Picatrix and the Book of the Skilled by Ibn Abi al-Rijal, known in Europe as Abenragel. Both were translated at the court of Alfonso X in Castile in the 13th century, and from there the mansions passed into the Latin astrology of medieval Europe. By the late 14th century Chaucer could mention them in The Canterbury Tales, where a clerk in the Franklin’s Tale consults the Moon’s “eighte and twenty mansiouns.”
In 1533 Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa gave them their classic Western form in his Three Books of Occult Philosophy: 28 equal mansions of 12°51′26″, beginning at the head of Aries. Hali follows Agrippa’s measure. Many of the old writers also used the mansions for talismans and spells. Hali leaves those out and keeps the stars.
How Hali counts the mansions
There are two honest ways to place a mansion, and they no longer agree.
The first is the zodiac way. Divide your normal zodiac into 28 equal parts from 0° Aries, as Agrippa did. Seven mansions fill each quarter of the zodiac, so the 1st, 8th, 15th and 22nd mansions open exactly as the Sun reaches the spring equinox, the summer solstice, the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Your mansion always agrees with your Moon sign.
The second is the star way. Ask which group of stars the Moon is standing in front of right now. The sky slowly turns over the centuries, so the stars the mansions were named for now sit about 24°, or 1.9 mansions, further east than they did when the names were given. A Moon in the mansion of the Heart today has not yet reached Antares.
Hali counts your mansion the zodiac way, so it matches the rest of your chart, and names the stars so you can see where they really are. For the star way across your whole chart, see your real sky.
The 28 mansions
1st mansion
The Two Signs
al-Sharatain, the two marks. Agrippa’s Alnath.
0°00′ Aries to 12°51′ Aries
Named for Sheratan and Mesarthim, the horns of the Ram. A Moon of first steps. Your feelings move before your thoughts catch up, and you are happiest when something is only just beginning.
2nd mansion
The Little Belly
al-Butain, the little belly. Agrippa’s Allothaim.
12°51′ Aries to 25°42′ Aries
Named for three faint stars in the belly of the Ram. A Moon that keeps its treasure close. You feel things quietly and thoroughly, and you find comfort in what you can hold and keep.
3rd mansion
The Pleiades
al-Thurayya, the many little ones. Agrippa’s Achaomazon.
25°42′ Aries to 8°34′ Taurus
Named for the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters. A Moon of many small lights. You feel most yourself among a few close souls who shine together, like the Sisters do.
4th mansion
The Follower
al-Dabaran, the one who follows. Agrippa’s Aldebaram.
8°34′ Taurus to 21°25′ Taurus
Named for Aldebaran, the red eye of the Bull, who follows the Pleiades across the sky. A Moon with a faithful, fiery heart. Once you love something you follow it a long way, the way Aldebaran follows the Pleiades every night.
5th mansion
The White Spot
al-Haq’a, the white spot. Agrippa’s Alchataya.
21°25′ Taurus to 4°17′ Gemini
Named for the little triangle of stars at the head of Orion. A Moon of bright curiosity. One small detail can hold you for hours, and your heart settles when your mind has somewhere new to go.
6th mansion
The Brand
al-Han’a, the mark. Agrippa’s Alhanna.
4°17′ Gemini to 17°08′ Gemini
Named for Alhena and Mebsuta, at the feet of the Twins. A Moon that leaves a mark. Your moods are vivid, and the things you say stay with people long after you have said them.
7th mansion
The Forearm
al-Dhira’, the forearm. Agrippa’s Aldimiach.
17°08′ Gemini to 0°00′ Cancer
Named for Castor and Pollux, the outstretched paw of the great Arabian lion. A Moon that reaches out. You show love by doing, by holding out a hand, and you feel safest with the people you would carry.
8th mansion
The Gap
al-Nathra, the gap, or the nose. Agrippa’s Alnaza.
0°00′ Cancer to 12°51′ Cancer
Named for the Beehive cluster, a faint mist in the Crab. A Moon of misty knowing. You sense the feeling in a room before anyone speaks, and you need quiet corners to feel clear again.
9th mansion
The Glance
al-Tarf, the glance of the eye. Agrippa’s Archaam.
12°51′ Cancer to 25°42′ Cancer
Named for two small stars that made the eye of the Lion. A Moon with a sharp eye. You read people in a single glance, and you keep your softness safe until you are sure of them.
10th mansion
The Forehead
al-Jabha, the forehead. Agrippa’s Algelioche.
25°42′ Cancer to 8°34′ Leo
Named for Regulus and the Sickle, the brow of the Lion. A Moon with a proud, warm heart. You feel grandly and give generously, and you need to be seen for exactly who you are.
11th mansion
The Mane
al-Zubra, the mane. Agrippa’s Azobra.
8°34′ Leo to 21°25′ Leo
Named for Zosma and Chertan, on the Lion’s back. A Moon of warmth and ease. You love comfort, pleasure and play, and you feel best when life lets you stretch out in the sun.
12th mansion
The Changer
al-Sarfa, the turning. Agrippa’s Alzarpha.
21°25′ Leo to 4°17′ Virgo
Named for Denebola, the tip of the Lion’s tail, whose rising was said to turn the weather. A Moon that turns the weather. Your moods move with the seasons of your life, and you know in your bones when it is time for a change.
13th mansion
The Barker
al-Awwa’, the barker. Agrippa’s Alhaire.
4°17′ Virgo to 17°08′ Virgo
Named for the stars of the Maiden’s wing, seen as dogs barking after the Lion. A Moon that speaks up. You feel through words and wit, and you are quick to say out loud what everyone else was thinking.
14th mansion
The Unarmed
al-Simak, the unarmed one. Agrippa’s Achureth.
17°08′ Virgo to 0°00′ Libra
Named for Spica, the ear of wheat in the Maiden’s hand. A Moon of gentle strength. You meet the world without armour, and your openness is its own kind of courage.
15th mansion
The Covering
al-Ghafr, the veil. Agrippa’s Agrapha.
0°00′ Libra to 12°51′ Libra
Named for three faint stars at the Maiden’s feet. A Moon that keeps a veil. You share your inner world slowly and with care, and what you keep back is often your best.
16th mansion
The Claws
al-Zubana, the two claws. Agrippa’s Azubene.
12°51′ Libra to 25°42′ Libra
Named for the two bright stars of the Scales, once the Scorpion’s claws. A Moon that weighs things. You feel the pull of both sides at once, and you are happiest when what you give and what you get feel fair.
17th mansion
The Crown
al-Iklil, the crown. Agrippa’s Alchil.
25°42′ Libra to 8°34′ Scorpio
Named for the arc of stars across the Scorpion’s brow. A Moon of loyal hearts. Your feelings run true and deep, and the people you crown as yours stay crowned.
18th mansion
The Heart
al-Qalb, the heart. Agrippa’s Alchas.
8°34′ Scorpio to 21°25′ Scorpio
Named for Antares, the red heart of the Scorpion. A Moon at the heart of things. You feel intensely and love completely, and you would rather have the truth than comfort.
19th mansion
The Sting
al-Shawla, the raised sting. Agrippa’s Allatha.
21°25′ Scorpio to 4°17′ Sagittarius
Named for Shaula and Lesath, the Scorpion’s sting. A Moon with a quick, protective instinct. You feel fast and act faster, and you are fierce for the people you love.
20th mansion
The Ostriches
al-Na’a’im, the ostriches. Agrippa’s Abnahaya.
4°17′ Sagittarius to 17°08′ Sagittarius
Named for two flocks of stars in the Archer, ostriches walking to and from the river of the Milky Way. A Moon on the move. Your heart likes a horizon to walk toward, and you settle best after a long way travelled.
21st mansion
The Empty Place
al-Balda, the open country. Agrippa’s Abeda.
17°08′ Sagittarius to 0°00′ Capricorn
Named for a patch of sky with no bright stars at all, above the Archer’s bow. A Moon that loves open space. You need room around you to feel at home, and you find peace in the quiet that others rush to fill.
22nd mansion
The Lucky Star of the Sacrifice
Sa’d al-Dhabih, the good fortune of the slaughterer. Agrippa’s Sadahacha.
0°00′ Capricorn to 12°51′ Capricorn
Named for Algedi and Dabih, the horns of the Sea Goat. A Moon that gives. You feel for others so readily that you will set your own wants aside for them, and good fortune tends to come back the way you sent it.
23rd mansion
The Lucky Star of the Swallower
Sa’d Bula’, the good fortune of the swallower. Agrippa’s Zabadola.
12°51′ Capricorn to 25°42′ Capricorn
Named for three faint stars in the Water Bearer, one seeming to swallow its neighbour. A Moon that takes life in whole. You soak up feelings, places and people, and you need time to digest before you know what you think.
24th mansion
The Luckiest of the Lucky
Sa’d al-Su’ud, the luckiest of the lucky. Agrippa’s Sadabath.
25°42′ Capricorn to 8°34′ Aquarius
Named for Sadalsuud, on the Water Bearer’s shoulder. A Moon of hope. You lean toward the good in things and in people, and others feel lighter when you are near.
25th mansion
The Lucky Star of the Tents
Sa’d al-Akhbiya, the good fortune of the tents. Agrippa’s Sadalabra.
8°34′ Aquarius to 21°25′ Aquarius
Named for the little Y of stars that makes the Water Bearer’s jar. A Moon with a hidden shelter. You keep a private place inside where nothing can reach you, and you come out when you are ready.
26th mansion
The First Spout
al-Fargh al-Muqaddam, the fore spout of the water bucket. Agrippa’s Alpharg.
21°25′ Aquarius to 4°17′ Pisces
Named for Markab and Scheat, the front of the Great Square of Pegasus. A Moon that pours. Your feelings arrive in a rush and leave you clearer, and you are generous with whatever fills you.
27th mansion
The Second Spout
al-Fargh al-Mu’akhkhar, the rear spout of the water bucket. Agrippa’s Alcharya.
4°17′ Pisces to 17°08′ Pisces
Named for Algenib and Alpheratz, the back of the Great Square. A Moon that waters the ground. You give steadily and quietly, and the people and things you tend begin to grow.
28th mansion
The Belly of the Fish
Batn al-Hut, the belly of the fish. Agrippa’s Albotham.
17°08′ Pisces to 0°00′ Aries
Named for Mirach, in the belly of a great fish the Arabs saw across Andromeda. A Moon of deep water. You feel the currents under the surface, and you carry a little of every mansion that came before.
Which mansions fall in each sign
Each sign holds two or three mansions, and some mansions reach across the line from one sign into the next.
| Sign | Mansions |
|---|---|
| Aries | The Two Signs, The Little Belly, The Pleiades |
| Taurus | The Pleiades, The Follower, The White Spot |
| Gemini | The White Spot, The Brand, The Forearm |
| Cancer | The Gap, The Glance, The Forehead |
| Leo | The Forehead, The Mane, The Changer |
| Virgo | The Changer, The Barker, The Unarmed |
| Libra | The Covering, The Claws, The Crown |
| Scorpio | The Crown, The Heart, The Sting |
| Sagittarius | The Sting, The Ostriches, The Empty Place |
| Capricorn | The Lucky Star of the Sacrifice, The Lucky Star of the Swallower, The Luckiest of the Lucky |
| Aquarius | The Luckiest of the Lucky, The Lucky Star of the Tents, The First Spout |
| Pisces | The First Spout, The Second Spout, The Belly of the Fish |
How to read your Moon’s mansion
Start with your Moon sign, the broad colour of your feelings. Then add the mansion. It is the same Moon, seen closer, through the picture of the stars it is named for: a heart, a sting, a flock of ostriches walking to the river of the Milky Way.
Once a month the Moon comes back to your mansion and stays for about a day. Some people like to keep that day for themselves, a small return of their own. In the Hali app, your Chart tab shows your mansion and the next time the Moon comes home, and Tonight’s real sky in Today shows which mansion the Moon is crossing each night.
How Hali works out your mansion
- Your Moon’s position comes from your birth date, time and place, from the same astronomy engine behind every Hali birth chart.
- Mansions are 28 equal parts of the tropical zodiac, each 12°51′26″, beginning at 0° Aries.
- Without a birth time, Hali follows the Moon through the whole day of your birth and shows every mansion it touched, usually one or two.
- With a rough birth time, Hali checks an hour either side and tells you if your Moon could belong to the mansion beside it.
- Mansion names are the usual Arabic forms with their plain English meanings, Agrippa’s spelling from the 1651 English edition, and the stars traditionally linked to each one.
Frequently asked questions
What are the mansions of the Moon?
They are 28 stations along the Moon's path, one for roughly each night of its round of the stars. Arab sky watchers named each one for the stars the Moon passes, and medieval astrologers in Spain, Italy and Germany carried them into the astrology of Europe. Enter your birth details above to find the mansion your Moon was born in.
How do I find my Moon's mansion?
Divide the zodiac into 28 equal parts of 12°51′ each, starting at 0° Aries, and see which part holds your Moon. A Moon at 15° Aries, for example, sits in the 2nd mansion, The Little Belly, which runs from 12°51′ to 25°42′ Aries. Hali's calculator does this from your birth date, time and place.
Do I need my birth time for my Moon's mansion?
It helps. The Moon moves through a whole mansion in about a day, so a birth date alone narrows it to one or two. A rough time is usually enough, and Hali tells you if your Moon sat close to the edge of a mansion.
Why are there 28 mansions?
Because the Moon takes about 27 and a third days to go once around the stars and come back to the same place. Twenty eight is the nearest whole number of nights, and it divides neatly into four quarters of seven.
Are the lunar mansions the same as the Vedic nakshatras?
They are relatives. India counts 27 lunar stations, sometimes 28, and China has its own 28 lunar lodges, measured in a different way. The Arabic mansions grew from Arabian star lore and were brought into Western astrology through Arabic books translated in medieval Spain. Hali uses the Arabic and Western tradition, in the same zodiac as the rest of your chart.
Which zodiac does Hali use for the mansions?
The same tropical zodiac as your signs, with the first mansion starting at 0° Aries. That is the convention Agrippa set out in 1533, and it means your mansion always agrees with your Moon sign. The stars the mansions are named for have since drifted east, and Hali says so.
What is my Moon's mansion for?
Medieval astrologers used the mansions mainly to choose good days to begin things, by watching which mansion the Moon was in. In a birth chart, your Moon's mansion gives your Moon sign a finer shade, a picture drawn from the stars it was named for. Hali reads it as a portrait, never as a verdict.