Lunar Mansions
Lunar Mansions
(religion, spiritualism, and occult)The lunar mansions are a kind of lunar zodiac, constituted by dividing the Moon’s orbital path into 27 or 28 segments. Twenty-seven or twenty-eight roughly corresponds to the number of days the Moon takes to complete its orbit (28 is a day short of a synodic period and a day longer than a sidereal month). The Arabs, the Hindus, and the Chinese all devised systems of lunar mansions, termed, respectively, the manzils (from lunar mansion is probably derived), nakshatras, and sieu. Traditionally, these included interpretations of the mansions that approached them in approximately the same way Western astrologers use the signs of the zodiac. The mansions in each system are given in the table that follows.
Lunar Mansions
(religion, spiritualism, and occult)| Manzil (Arab) | Nakshatra (Hindu) | Sieu (Chinese) |
| Al Thurayya | Krittika | Mao |
| Al Dabaran | Rohini | Pi |
| Al Hak’ah | Mrigasiras | Tsee |
| Al Han’ah | Ardra | Shen |
| Al Dhira | Punarvarsu | Tsing |
| Al Nathrah | Pushya | Kwei |
| Al Tarf | Aslesha | Lieu |
| Al Jabhah | Magha | Sing |
| Al Zubrah | Purva Phalguni | Chang |
| Al Sarfah | Uttara Phalguni | Yen |
| Al Awwa | Hasta | Tchin |
| Al Simak | Citra | Kio |
| Al Ghafr | Svati | Kang |
| Al Jubana | Visakha | Ti |
| Iklil al Jabhah | Anuradha | Fang |
| Al Kalb | Jyestha | Sin |
| Al Shaulah | Mula | Wei |
| Al Na’am | Purva Ashadha | Ki |
| Al Baldah | Uttara Ashadha | Tow |
| Al Sa’d al Dhabih | Abhijit | Nieu |
| Al Sa’d al Bula | Sravana | Mo |
| Al Sa’d al Su’ud | Sravishta | Heu |
| Al Sa’d al Ahbiyah | Catabhishaj | Shih |
| Al Fargh al Mukdim | Purva Bhadra-Pada | Shih |
| Al Fargh al Thani | Uttara Bhadra-Pada | Peih |
| Al Batn al Hut | Revati | Goei |
| Al Sharatain | Asvini | Leu |
| Al Butain | Bharani | Oei |
Traditional cultures attributed great significance to the phases of the Moon, particularly to the waxing and waning cycle. The familiar seven-day week is derived from the ancient custom of further dividing up the lunar month according to new moon, first quarter, full moon, and last quarter. The lunar mansions represent a refinement of this tendency, subdividing the Moon’s phases according to its day-to-day increase or decrease in apparent size.