Types of Houses in a Horoscope
Dusthanas: Also called Trikasthanas or Trik houses, these are the “bad” houses. Houses 6, 8, and 12 govern many of the unpleasant themes of life (e.g. debt, obstacles, loss, death, disease, anxiety, enemies, etc.), and therefore planets ruling these houses embody challenging themes, as do planets occupying these houses.
Trikonas: Also called Trines, houses 1, 5, and 9 are the most fortunate houses, in that they represent blessings, opportunities, good fortune, wisdom, and spirituality, and planets in them and ruling them bring positive themes to the life.
Kendras: Called angles or angular houses in the West, houses 1, 4, 7, and 10 boost the power, action, and initiative of planets, and therefore can support greater success.
Lagna: The Ascendant or Rising sign. Also the First House itself, as in the phrase “a planet in the Lagna”. The owner of the Ascendant and the planets in the First House both represent the person more than any other planets. Planets aspecting either the ruler of the First House or the First House itself also are quite influential, and their influence is integrated into the person’s makeup.
Chandra Lagna: A chart constructed by rotating the horoscope until the Moon occupies the First House. This is also used to calculate yogas, and a yoga that occurs in both the Lagna chart and the Chandra Lagna chart will be much more powerful.
Surya Lagna: A chart constructed by rotating the horoscope until the Sun occupies the First House. This is also used to calculate yogas, and a yoga that occurs in both the Lagna chart and the Surya Lagna chart will be more powerful.
Temporal Benefics and Malefics: Also called Functional Benefics and Malefics. When a planet only rules bad houses it becomes a temporal malefic, bringing challenges into the person’s life. If a planet only rules good houses (especially kendras and trikonas), it brings positive experiences into the person’s life. (Note: for assessing a planet’s temporal nature, houses 2 and 11 are considered mildly good, and house 3 as mildly bad. So Jupiter ruling the 8th and 11th would still be considered a temporal malefic, and Mars ruling the 3rd and 10th a temporal benefic.)