AstroAdviser ProLesson 4
The 12 signs (Rashis)
The zodiac is a circle of 360°, divided into 12 signs of 30° each, starting from Mesha (Aries).
Each sign has an element: fire (Mesha, Simha, Dhanu), earth (Vrishabha, Kanya, Makara), air (Mithuna, Tula, Kumbha) and water (Karka, Vrishchika, Meena).
Each sign has a ruling planet. Mars rules Mesha and Vrishchika, Venus rules Vrishabha and Tula, Mercury rules Mithuna and Kanya, the Moon rules Karka, the Sun rules Simha, Jupiter rules Dhanu and Meena, and Saturn rules Makara and Kumbha.
Signs are also movable (start things), fixed (keep things steady) or dual (adapt). Mesha, Karka, Tula and Makara are movable.
In Vedic astrology your Rashi is your Moon sign, not your Sun sign. That is why your Rashi often differs from the Western sign in magazines.