Lunar mansion
A lunar mansion, lunar station or lunar house is a segment of the ecliptic through which the Moon passes in its orbit around the Earth. The concept was used by several ancient cultures as part of their calendrical system. It is also prominent in numerous forms of astrology.
Astrological concept
In general, the zodiac is divided into 27 or 28 segments relative to the vernal equinox point or the fixed stars – one for each day of the lunar month. The Moon's position is charted with respect to those fixed segments. Since the Moon's position at any given stage will vary according to Earth's position in its own orbit, lunar stations are an effective system for keeping track of the passage of seasons.
Cultural traditions
Various cultures have used sets of lunar mansions astrologically; for example, the Jyotisha astrological nakshatras of Hindu culture, the Arabic manzils, the Twenty-Eight Mansions of Chinese astronomy, and the 36 decans of Egyptian astrology. Western astrology does not use stations, but each zodiac sign covers two or three. The Chinese system groups houses into four groups related to the seasons.
Arabic writings link various angels and archangels to the lunar mansions. These beliefs were expanded upon by European occultists during the Medieval and Renaissance periods.
Origin
The concept of lunar mansions was originally thought to originate in Babylonian astronomy, but later research strongly suggests the Babylonian scheme was derived from Egyptian magic prior to the 6th century BC by the linking of the lists of lucky and unlucky days of the lunar month with the zodiac.
Early lists of lunar mansions appear in Hellenistic astrology in the 2nd-century list of fixed stars in the Katarchai by Maximus, the Arabic lists by Alchandri and Ibn Abī l-Rijāl, and a similar Coptic list with Greek names.
Although they were known in the Vedic period of India, the known lists suggest transmission through Greek sources.