Firdaria
Firdaria are a Persian system of life periods: the seven planets and the lunar nodes take turns ruling stretches of two to thirteen years. The order depends on whether you were born by day or by night. The calculator builds all the periods and sub-periods with dates and analyses the current one.
You need your exact date, time and place of birth: the Ascendant, the houses and the sect of the chart depend on the time. If your city is not on the list, choose "Other place" and enter the latitude, longitude (north and east with a plus sign) and UTC offset. Times are local clock time at the birthplace. The forecast date defaults to today.
How to calculate firdaria
- Determine the sect of the chart: if the Sun is above the horizon at the moment of birth, the chart is a day chart; if below, a night chart. This requires the exact time and place.
- Day firdaria begin with the Sun, night ones with the Moon; after that the planets follow in Chaldean order, and the lunar nodes get their own short periods.
- Each planet has a period of fixed length. The total is 75 years, after which the cycle starts again.
- A planet's period is divided into seven equal sub-periods: the first belongs to the planet itself, then the rest follow in Chaldean order (Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon). The Nodes have no sub-periods.
Example. A night birth, the person is 35. The Moon (0–9), Saturn (9–20) and Jupiter (20–32) have already passed; now it is the firdar of Mars, from 32 to 39. It is divided into seven one-year sub-periods: Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter. At 35 the fourth one is running — the Mercury sub-period.
Order of the periods
Day birth
| Ruling Planet | Years | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | 10 | 0–10 |
| Venus | 8 | 10–18 |
| Mercury | 13 | 18–31 |
| Moon | 9 | 31–40 |
| Saturn | 11 | 40–51 |
| Jupiter | 12 | 51–63 |
| Mars | 7 | 63–70 |
| North Node | 3 | 70–73 |
| South Node | 2 | 73–75 |
Night birth (Nodes according to Bonatti)
| Ruling Planet | Years | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Moon | 9 | 0–9 |
| Saturn | 11 | 9–20 |
| Jupiter | 12 | 20–32 |
| Mars | 7 | 32–39 |
| North Node | 3 | 39–42 |
| South Node | 2 | 42–44 |
| Sun | 10 | 44–54 |
| Venus | 8 | 54–62 |
| Mercury | 13 | 62–75 |
In Abu Ma'shar, the Nodes in a night chart come at the end, as in a day chart: Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun (39–49), Venus (49–57), Mercury (57–70), then the Nodes (70–75). Guido Bonatti placed the Nodes at night right after Mars — this is the calculator's default; Abu Ma'shar's version can be selected in the form.
How a master astrologer reads firdaria
The ruler of the period sets the theme for several years, and the ruler of the sub-period colours the current one to two years. They are read from the natal chart:
- The ruler's strength: essential dignities, house, sect, motion, closeness to the Sun and aspects from benefics and malefics — the same assessment as for the Lord of the Year in profections.
- The house where the ruler sits, and the houses it rules: that is where life shifts during this period.
- The link between period and sub-period: if their rulers are in harmonious aspect or mutual reception in the natal chart, the sub-period supports the theme of the period; a square or opposition brings tension and noticeable events; with no aspect by sign, the sub-period "lives a life of its own".
- The Nodes: the North Node adds to and multiplies the affairs of its house; the South Node subtracts and frees you from excess.
An Honest Look at the Method
Firdaria are described in the Perso-Arabic astrology of the 9th century and passed into the European tradition through Bonatti. Like the dashas of Jyotish, they are a calendar scheme: the lengths are fixed and do not depend on the actual movement of the planets.
That is why the rule is easy to calculate precisely — and also why there will always be the boundary of some period or sub-period near any life change. There is no confirmation of the system's predictive power; we describe it the way the tradition applies it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know whether my chart is a day or a night chart?
By the Sun: if it was above the horizon at the moment of birth, the chart is a day chart; if below, a night chart. This is not the same as daylight or darkness by the clock: at twilight the Sun is already below the horizon. The calculator works out the Sun's altitude from the time and place of birth and warns you if it is almost on the horizon.
Where do the Nodes go at night — after Mars or at the end?
Abu Ma'shar placed the Nodes at the end in both sects; Bonatti, in a night chart, placed them right after Mars. Many modern traditional astrologers follow Bonatti; this is the calculator's default. You can switch the option and compare which describes past years better.
What happens after 75?
The cycle starts again from the first ruler: the Sun again in a day chart, the Moon in a night chart. The calculator shows the second cycle too.
Why aren't the Nodes' periods divided into sub-periods?
The Nodes are not planets: they have no nature of their own, and the tradition does not split their short periods. The whole of a Node's period is coloured by a single theme — increase for the North Node and decrease for the South.
How do firdaria differ from profections?
Profections change their lord every year, firdaria once every several years. In the tradition they are used together: the firdar sets the chapter of life, and the profection sets the theme of the year within it.