THE TWELVE HOUSES

The First House: Life, Body, Spirit, Beginnings

The first house is also your ascendant or rising sign, which we covered in “The Self” section. This house is an angular or cardinal house, which means what goes on in this house is quite forceful and prevalent in your life, and will often reveal information about yourself you’ve already come to know. It’s also one of the houses in your natal chart that’s going to have the most impact on you.

This is the Helm. House 1 in a horary chart reading indicates the present status of the matter. In natal astrology, it can reveal aspects of identity and the native’s external character, physical appearance, highest potential, characterization of free will, and core persona or complexion.

The Second House: Livelihood, Possessions, Money Matters

This house is a succeedent house, which simply means “following” or “subsequent to” the leading angular house. As a succeedent house, this is a house that provides support. This house will speak to your belongings, to what is yours, and what is supportive of the preceding angular house before it. In this case, the second house supports the angular first house.

In Hellenistic astrology, the second house is the Gate of Hades. Here we also see the influence of Persephone. In general chart interpretation, House 2 denotes money matters, access to resources, and your keys to wealth. It also relates to the physical body. Read House 2 and House 6 together for health considerations.

The Third House: Siblings, Travel, Thoughts, Mental State

This house is a cadent house, the last house in each quadrant of your natal chart. Planets in this house are often going to have less of an impact at birth and will have greater impact as you grow. Cadent houses indicate areas of learning for us, areas where we must transform ourselves, grow, improve, and further develop from weakness to strength. In other words, cadent houses show areas of nurture, whereas the other houses, the angular and succeedent, can be thought of as more indicative of your nature or what you are born with.

The third house is ruled by Mercury and the element Air. This is the house of communications and will note how you think and then how you communicate what you think to others. To know more about someone’s mental state and thought process, look to their House 3.

Traditionally it is also the house of siblings and early childhood.

The Fourth House: Parents, Emotions, Inner Sanctum, Mystical Matters

This house is an angular or cardinal house, which means what goes on in this house is quite forceful and prevalent in your life, and will often reveal information about yourself you’ve already come to know. It’s also one of the houses in your natal chart that’s going to have the most impact on you.

The fourth house is ruled by the moon and the element water. It is the house of our home and hearth. What goes on here can indicate our relationship with our parents in our youth and then our relationship with our family in our adulthood. Hereditary matters are often denoted in this house. Aspects of your past life and soul purpose can be found here, as with matters relating to your roots and heritage. The fourth house can also manifest an innate artistic talent.

House 4 is the Seat of the Soul, and the house of the subterranean angle. What aspects of childhood will most influence this native? What aspects of heritage, domestic matters, and ancestry are of most impact? House 4 also reveals hereditary tendencies and what one’s roots are.

The Fifth House: Children, Pursuit of Happiness, Leisure

This house is a succeedent house, which simply means “following” or “subsequent to” the leading angular house. As a succeedent house, this is a house that provides support. This house will speak to your belongings, to what is yours, and what is supportive of the preceding angular house before it. In this case, the fifth house supports the angular fourth house.

The fifth house is ruled by the sun and the element fire. It is the house of creativity and fertility. It can show our creations, our children or progeny, and our personal pursuits. The fifth house can reveal what our hobbies are, or areas that are going to be of general interest to us. This house can also indicate our love affairs and secondary relationships.

House 5 is called the House of Good Fortune. What is the nature of blessings you are most likely to be innately endowed with in this lifetime? Also, what makes you happy? What brings you joy? House 5 can tell us a lot about how we can successfully navigate society, given our particular personality disposition.

The Sixth House: Occupation, Productivity, Service, Health

This house is a cadent house, the last house in each quadrant of your natal chart. Planets in this house are often going to have less of an impact on your manifested life path. Yet these houses indicate areas of learning for us, areas where we must transform ourselves, grow, improve, and further develop from weakness to strength. In other words, cadent houses show areas of nurture, whereas the other houses, the angular and succeedent, can be thought of as more indicative of your nature or what you are born with.

The sixth house is ruled by Mercury and the element earth. It is the house that best denotes our everyday life, the mundane, our daily work, our labors, and our job. This is also the house that offers insights into our physical health, body, and wellness.

If House 5 is the House of Good Fortune, then House 6 is its counterpart, known as the House of Bad Fortune. This is the fate of your everyday toil and how your labors are most likely to be utilized. If House 5 reveals what you’re passionate about, then House 6 reveals what you’re good in terms of core competencies that you can capitalize on for work and employment.

The Seventh House: Spouse, Marriage, Institutions, Alliances, Partnerships

This house is an angular or cardinal house, which means what goes on in this house is quite forceful and prevalent in your life, and will often reveal information about yourself you’ve already come to know. It’s also one of the houses in your natal chart that’s going to have the most impact on you.

The seventh house is ruled by Venus and the element air. It is the house of union, partnerships, and relationships. It can often indicate who our life partners will be. It is the house of marriage. This house reveals what kind of spouse you are most compatible with and can offer insights into your conjugal life.

This is the House of the Setting Angle and indicates the influence of societal institutions in the native’s life path. Thus, House 7 can reveal matters pertaining to institutions such as marriage, religious orders, legal matters, social associations, and how the people we let into our inner circle will most influence our life path.

The Eighth House: Sex, Death, Transformation, Unseen Influences, and Inheritances

This house is a succeedent house, which simply means “following” or “subsequent to” the leading angular house. As a succeedent house, this is a house that provides support. This house will speak to your belongings, to what is yours, and what is supportive of the preceding angular house before it. In this case, the eighth house supports the angular seventh house.

The eighth house is ruled by Mars under a traditional rulership and Pluto under a modern. It is also governed by the element water. This is the house of inheritances, sexuality, power, risk, losses, desires, temptations, and how we learn to deal with our the shadow or darker side of our selves. The eighth house at the hour of birth denotes potential phases of transformations, crisis, and areas of waste in our lives that we would do well to pay attention to and thus prepare for.

Traditionally matters pertaining to inheritance and estates are interpreted from House 8. This is also the House of Inactive Power, and therefore reveals otherwise unseen influences in our life. Power plays, sex, sexuality, and sex drive are expressed in a native’s House 8.

The Ninth House: Spirituality, Long Journeys, Expansion, Great Work

This house is a cadent house, the last house in each quadrant of your natal chart. This is going to be an area of learning for us, and what goes on in this house will denote areas where we must transform ourselves, grow, improve, and further develop from weakness to strength. In other words, the cadent ninth house show areas of higher learning, growth, and spiritual development that will further enhance and support both the preceding angular, the seventh house of our unions and relationships, and the following angular, the tenth house of our social status and career goals.

The ninth house is ruled by Jupiter and the element fire. This house relates to how we view spirituality and religion, or mystical matters. It shows our relationship to Spirit, God, the Divine, or how well (or not well) connected we are to that collective unconscious. It is the house of divination, the house of journeys, higher education, and self-actualization. This house will offer a sense of your life philosophies.

In Hellenistic astrology, this is the House of God, of spiritual exploration, higher learning, and our connection to the greater collective or greater good. Those with a decorated House 9 tend to be more cosmopolitan, mystical-minded, and interested in diversity of thought. They also are more likely to be multicultural, bilingual, or immigrate far from their native homelands.

The Tenth House: Career, Glory, Reputation, Advancement

This house is an angular or cardinal house, which means what goes on in this house is quite forceful and prevalent in your life, and will often reveal information about yourself you’ve already come to know. It’s also one of the houses in your natal chart that’s going to have the most impact on you.

The tenth house is ruled by Saturn and the element earth. It is the house that denotes the social status we achieve in life, how we advance through life, our reputation, our professional destiny, and our aims in life. This house is the house of glory.

This is the House of the Culminating Angle, and will reveal your optimal career path, keys to social success, and potential for high achievement. House 10 is expressive of your Great Work as assigned to you by the Divine at the moment of your birth.

The Eleventh House: Hopes, Gifts, Community, Networks

This house is a succeedent house, which simply means “following” or “subsequent to” the leading angular house. As a succeedent house, this is a house that provides support. This house will speak to your belongings, to what is yours, and what is supportive of the preceding angular house before it. In this case, the eleventh house supports the angular tenth house.

The eleventh house is ruled by Saturn under a traditional rulership and Uranus under a modern. It is also governed by the element air. This is the house of community. This house denotes who our friends are, what our relationship to our community is, and how our external selves manifest in society. This is a social house, about our group involvements, humanitarianism, and how we might contribute to our community. This is also the house that denotes our social or supportive network.

In the 21st century, House 11 is connected to social networks, social media, and our online personalities. Those with a decorated House 11 tend to be interested in politics, public interest, or social justice. This is the house of civic engagement.

The Twelfth House: Epiphanies, Suffering, Catharsis, Weaknesses, Hidden Dangers, Hidden Talents

This house is a cadent house, the last house in each quadrant of your natal chart. Planets in this house are often going to have less of an impact on your manifested life path. Yet these houses indicate areas of learning for us, areas where we must transform ourselves, grow, improve, and further develop from weakness to strength. In other words, cadent houses show areas of nurture, whereas the other houses, the angular and succeedent, can be thought of as more indicative of your nature or what you are born with.

The twelfth house is ruled by Jupiter under a traditional rulership and Neptune under a modern. It is also governed by the element water. This is the house of self-awareness, but also the house of self-sacrifice. It can denote the nature of personal trials we suffer in our lives, the losses or obstacles we experience as we try to achieve our goals and self-actualization. The twelfth house will tell the story of the hero’s journey, your journey, what you must go through and endure to achieve success.

The house can also show what we perceive to be our limitations. Since we perceive these attributes to be our limitations, they actually become our limitations as a form of self-fulfilling prophecy. Being conscious of the influences in the twelfth house can help us transform weaknesses into strengths.

The twelfth house is a difficult house. It is the house of suffering, but through suffering, epiphanies and awakenings. It is the house of karmic difficulties, enemies, personal inner crises, and what pains us to bring us toward self-actualization. The twelfth house tells the story of the demons we face to achieve transcendence. And so just as it is the house of hidden challenges, it is also the house of hidden talents and secret gifts for us to discover about ourselves.

In addition to what you’ve read here, be sure to download the below free resource.

Learning the Twelve Astrological Houses (PDF)

This document is intended for astrology beginners. It was one of the supplements from my “Learning the Opening of the Key” tarot course provided through the Tarot Readers Academy.

Houses and Signs Quick Reference Sheet (PDF)

These are quick reference sheets that provide a snapshot of the house, sign, and planetary correspondences. In one glance, you can absorb all the concise information you might need. For a while, these were permanent fixtures on my study desk.

Learning the Thirty-Six Decans (PDF)

This document is intended for astrology beginners. It was one of the supplements from my “Learning the Opening of the Key” tarot course provided through the Tarot Readers Academy.

NEXT:
The Twelve Signs