The Nadir

The nadir establishes the beginning of the 4th house and is associated with the home and our mother. Regardless of the mother’s sun sign, the sign ruling the 4th house can describe how mother ‘felt’ to us much like the moon. Additionally, information about our actual childhood home will present itself in the signs, planets and aspects describing the 4th house. A person with Cancer ruling the 4th house would have great difficulty being homeless since they are naturally inclined to be homebodies. A person with Aquarius on the 4th house cusp may have a picture of home that is completely unusual from the norm because Uranus rules Aquarius and is iconoclastic. A person with Gemini in this placement may have more than one home and travel quite a bit (like Mercury) The nadir is also a good description of our soul life and the innermost part of us. In a sense it is the home we find within that we carry everywhere.

Any planets in conjunction to the nadir point should be examined for the gifts they offer the soul in its lifepath journey when in close orb to the IC.

NADIR (4th HOUSE) SIGNS

Nadir in Aries (Ruled by Mars)

At your core you are adventurous and pioneering. Your early life may have involved lots of changes or circumstances that forced you develop a sense of self sufficiency at an early age. Your mother may have been just as much of a breadwinner as your father and the early environment may have fostered a competitive spirit. The home must allow for complete freedom to maximize your potential and harness your passions. This placement can suggest an entrepreneurial environment and perhaps working from the home.

Mars on the Nadir will bestow a special understanding of human motivation and physical excellence. As the fiery planet of war, it can also be a bit hard headed in this placement, bringing about fireworks in the home. The individual will have a strong will and feel a very grounded sense of following instinct and passion.

Nadir in Taurus (Ruled by Venus)

At your core you are deeply sensual and a true nature lover. The early environment appears stable and enabled you to develop a practical approach to achieving your ambitions. Your mother may have been a bit stubborn or rooted in her outlook but she appears very practical and nurturing. Establishing roots and having a home is extremely important in bringing you a sense of peace. The home may be surrounded by gardens, filled with music and culinary pleasures.

Venus on the nadir can allow for great access to the collective realm of shared compassion when interacting with others. There is a sense of grace at the core of the individual and a willingness to help others.

Nadir in Gemini (Ruled by airy Mercury)

At your core you are inquisitive and restless. The early home life may have been filled with books and appears enchanting. Changing schools or moving a lot can be suggested by this placement. There may have been some sort of duality where you lived between parents. The mother appears childlike and inquisitive and perhaps inspired your love of learning. The home appears as a launch pad that allows you to store your belongings although you don’t stay put for long.

Mercury on the nadir can offer great flexibility and and intelligence with a highly dynamic influence. The individual may know things without any logical input or possess photographic memory.

Nadir in Cancer (Ruled by the Moon)

There is probably no other placement better associated with homemaking and nesting. The umbilical cord with mother can be lifelong and a role reversal is quite possible. You are the epitome of the nurturer, finding work that involves comforting others. Even when the rest of your chart might make you restless, being homeless can be traumatizing. You need a firm root to your environment and enjoy entertaining others by introducing them to your style of comfort, which you are undoubtedly the world's most amazing hostess. Regardless of your aspirations, nurturing needs to be at the center.

Moon on the nadir makes one motherly and extremely intuitive. From the seat of one's soul point, the moon suggests telepathic awareness when on the nadir.

Nadir in Leo (Ruled by the Sun)

You are proud of what you own and your early environment appears as a place where individualistic expression was nurtured. Perhaps you practiced musical instruments or drama, bringing fantasy into the home environment. Your home is a reflection of your personality which you enjoy sharing with others. There is a great deal of stroking required for this placement and perhaps mom was your biggest fan. Optimistic and gregarious, you enjoy entertaining and at your core you want to feel proud of your 'lion's lair." Romantic evenings and social gatherings with friends make you feel happy and secure.

A sense of exerting one's individuality becomes pronounced when the sun is located on the nadir. Great energy is available to the individual with sun on the nadir.

Nadir in Virgo (Ruled by earthy Mercury)

You can be quite fussy around the home, moving about adjusting everything to keep yourself busy, or to maintain a sense of order. Chances are you also have Gemini as your Ascendant which gives you a double dose of restlessness. Your mother may have instilled your regimen of tidiness and to you, an orderly environment is comforting. There can be a dreamy quality to your home environment or your home can be a place that launches your imaginative and intellectual mind. Mercury is a planet that brings a lot of emphasis to the mind so it is important that you find an outlet for all of this mental energy.

Nadir in Libra (Ruled by airy Venus)

It is paramount that your environment is peaceful as any type of strife will leave you feeling extremely unsettled. Your early environment shows a mother who may have been very beautiful with social graces. This placement leads one to gather all sorts of sentimental trinkets. It is difficult to keep your decorating within your budget. Diplomacy and elegance define you at your deepest core. If you have a home based business, it may relate to the arts. You may do well decorating homes for others. Venus has lavish tastes and your home is where you like to express this.

Nadir in Scorpio (Ruled by Pluto)

Your early life may have thrown you back upon yourself to dig deep within and discover your fearless ability to push the envelope of intimacy. You have a talent for understanding what makes other's tick and are a natural psychologist. You may decorate your home in ways that are cutting edge. There is a desire to have deep and intimate relations with others so you may establish a home where others feel safe to explore transformation. There is nothing routine about the way you entertain and for you, drama is just what the doctor ordered. Power games can be a challenge where you are either attempting to control others or they are controlling you. The relationship with mother appears very colorful and full of contradictions that challenged you to become self sufficient.

Pluto on the nadir can make the individual intensely focused and extremely grounded in their inner power. This is a potent placement for an individual and gives one incredible staying power.

Nadir in Sagittarius (Ruled by Jupiter)

The early life may have involved living in other countries or certainly was infused with an appreciation for the diversity of life. Sagittarius is associated with sports and the outdoors so there may have been a lot of play and competition in the early environment. This is a mutable placement which suggests that home doesn't necessarily have to be in one place. Living by the mountains, water or other natural but powerful surroundings would be favored. This placement is associated with travel, philosophy and possibly religion, all of which had a strong effect on you as a child and continue to be important to you. The mother may have been every bit as capable as the father and she appears very philosophical and even a kind of tom boy. Her positive and can do attitude would have instilled the idea that you can do anything you set your mind to. It is important that you have a lot of freedom in your homelife and your gregarious approach to sharing philosophy with friends over dinner would be highly fulfilling.

Jupiter on the nadir makes the individual benevolent and full of faith that everything will work out. They offer others a sense of optimism and will have an inner sense that all is well in the world.

Nadir in Capricorn (Ruled by Saturn)

Capricorn on the Nadir can bring a no nonsense type of austerity to the early life. The mother may not have been emotionally demonstrative but she was solid as a rock. This is a very stable placement and the home needs to be a sanctuary, possibly leaning more towards a monastery. You are not driven to clutter your home with anything that would impress others. You can be very organized and minimalistic in running your household. It is important that your ambitions are supported in your home life. You are an excellent provider but your needs are few. The home needs to simply provide stability and a place where you can retreat and rest so that you can live a healthy and productive existence.

Saturn on the nadir can make the individual cautious about sharing their deeper self with others. This is an excellent placement for anyone on a path of discipline, but one must be careful not to overdo it.

Nadir in Aquarius (Ruled by Uranus)

Aquarius on the Nadir ensures that your home life is eclectic and unusual. Mother may have appeared slightly eccentric and unusual in her mothering style. It is possible that your early life included living arrangements that would not have been considered the norm. There may have been many sudden and unexpected moves. This placement brings a sort of communal and highly independent approach to building a nest. Uranus is associated with the sciences, innovation and so it may be that your home is full of cutting edge technology. There can also be a lot of movement with this placement because you are not as rooted to the security others seek in their home space. You have unconventional attitudes about home and it is possible that even while married, several homes are maintained. You are an idealist and may even find enjoyment in the idea that your home is unusual.

Uranus on the nadir will give an unpredictable flair to one's deeper sense of self. The individual can appear magnetic, extremely intelligent and focused on the future.

Nadir in Pisces (Ruled by Neptune)

Pisces on the Nadir can infuse the early environment with secrets or a type of sacrifice. Early in life there may have been a lot of uncertainty and the normal roles or expectations of what parenting is supposed to be may have been somewhat vague. Mother can appear nebulous, highly sensitive or extra needy. What you learned in early life becomes the foundation for the type of home you build. You enjoy nurturing others in your home space and there can be a lot of art and creativity associated with your home. Spirituality and the arts will be an important foundation in building a nest that gives you the sense of security that you may have been denied as a child. It is possible that the mother was a healer of some type. Neptune is not usually manifested in its higher form for most people. It takes a period of ego sacrifice and enlightenment before it infuses us with a radiant inner light. It can be associated with escapism, alcoholism or personal sacrifice but can also show a doctor, refined artist or spiritual healer. One thing is for certain, the path of Pisces is one of service to others and is often associated with sacrifice because that is the only way it can manifest.

Neptune on the nadir can bestow spiritual and creative gifts. Neptune is the higher octave of Venus so the individual may have a direct link to the collective unconscious. One needs to be careful not to over-romaticize situations that are actually unhealthy. Neptune's ego denying influence can make the individual appear a bit dreamy.