Houses

FIRST HOUSE PERSONA

First house: How you present yourself – persona

The first house sets the stage for how the chart will lay out. The constellation that was rising on the horizon at your time of birth will be positioned in this house. Along with the Sun and Moon placement, the Ascendant is an important part of the Triad that will describe you. Planets in the first house are expressed in your Persona. The Sun in the first house can make you self focused, demonstrative and concerned with how others view you. The Moon suggest an expressive emotional nature readily visible to others. Many healers and therapists who work with their hands have Moon in the first house. Mercury can make you appear inquisitive and highly communicative. Venus adds flair and grace to how you present yourself. Mars can give you an aggressive stance and fearless posture in interacting. Jupiter is boisterous and sometimes adds height or girth to the physical appearance. Saturn is the opposite, making one appear reserved, thin or self critical. Uranus can make your personal appearance one of a rebel or iconoclast. With Uranus in the first house it is important to own your sense of individuality and unique expression. Neptune can blur the sense of who you are or make ego appearance unimportant. Pluto gives alot of power to how you express yourself, digging below the surface in interacting with strangers to test the power of the sense of self.

SECOND HOUSE VALUES

Second house: What you value in life – self worth

From the Persona or mask we wear, we move into a sense of values and how we feel about our inner worth. This is a house that can show a sense of operating from scarcity or abundance. Regardless of the sign and planets associated with the 2nd house, we must come to understand how our value system is valid even while it may not match to others. The second house associates with the value structure we place on experience, our sense of self worth and portrays our relationship to the resources we need to sustain ourselves. The sun in the second house can describe a strong connection to how our resources define who we are. The moon will be extremely security focused since both the second house and the moon relate to our basic needs. Mercury suggests clevery ways of obtaining resources and also the sense that our mind or ideas are important to our value structure. Venus can show a refined approach to resources, perhaps extravagance or a feeling that beauty is important to one's self worth. Mars can show a tenacity in going after what is desired, Jupiter bestows a special type of luck, while Saturn can make this area challenging in the sense that we feel we never have enough, whether or not this is true. Uranus gives us a type of innovation, perhaps values associated more with the collective. Being unique or considered a true individual would give Uranus in the 2nd house a true sense of self worth. Neptune in the 2nd is usually associated with a type of non attachment to the whole sphere of what the 2nd house represents. Many mystics and artists have this placement. Pluto in the 2nd can tie the idea of transformation to the value structure, presenting challenges on the path that help transform our value system. Like Mars, Pluto in the 2nd is highly focuses and tenacious in achieving security.

THIRD HOUSE COMMUNICATION

Third House: How your mind works – communication/siblings

The third house relates to the lower mind and communication, our day to day way of interacting and our siblings. Planets in the 3rd house can portray our actual brothers and sisters. The sun relates to the father and in the 3rd house can show his influence on our thoughts. We come to associate our sense of self with our ideas or expression and this placement is prominent for thought leaders or speakers. The moon can infuse the mind with ideas that lay beyond conscious awareness and we can pick up energy or the mood of others like a sponge. Ideas have a strange way of coming out of nowhere offering an intuitive capacity to moon in the 3rd house. Mercury is at home in the 3rd house making one extremely communicative and curious and often suggests a career as a writer or journalist. Venus in the 3rd house brings a more holistic or right brain approach to our ideas and expression where seeking harmony can be more important than asserting our thoughts. Mars might come on a bit strong and would be the opposite. Our ideas can be forcefully shared or we might assume the role of leader in any type of interaction. Jupiter offers an expansive or philosophical approach to how we communicate, while Saturn might make us more reserved or insecure about our mental abilities. Uranus wants to be known as an original and Neptune can infuse the mind with spiritual ideas or can even suggest being challenged in our thought processes early in life. Perhaps we attended school and were forced to learn a new language that made us feel somewhat isolated. Pluto offers a detective quality to our mental faculties where one probes to discover the motivation of others or is happiest in deeper interactions.

FOURTH HOUSE HOME ENVIRONMENT

Fourth House: What feels like home to you and maternal influence

The fourth house can show our early homelife. Often associated with the mother, this house begins after the nadir so can portray the deepest part of who we are at a soul level. The type of environment we require to thrive is also indicated by the 4th house. Sun in the 4th is especially drawn to the idea that the home is the center of all activity. The moon in the 4th associates the home with comfort and security. Where the sun might be focused on entertaining or ensuring that our abode is impressive, the moon in the 4th prefers routine, memorabilia, comfort and a true retreat. Mercury in the 4th would want to fill the home with inspiration, books and might use the home as a launching pad. Venus would infuse the home with elegance and my portray the ultimate host or hostess. Mars can bring a bit of fireworks to the home environment or emphasize fitness. Jupiter would inspire expansiveness, investments and philsophy. Saturn might challenge our ability to establish roots or make us work dilegently at ensuring everything is in order. Uranus can infuse the idea of home with excitement and the unexpected, while Neptune prefers a highly spiritual or artistic abode. Pluto can associate the home with a journey of transformation.

FIFTH HOUSE PRO-CREATION

Fifth House: Gratification, romance, children and creativity

The fifth house is associated with children, romance, fun, the sense of individuation and creativity. Planets in the 5th house can describe the type of children we may have or how we apply our creativity. This house can also emphasize the development of the personality. Since the fifth house is related to our creative expression, children too, are a part of what defines who we are. We find pleasure from the simple joys of life in this house and transits to the 5th house can increase activity in our social life. Romance and dating is connected to the 5th house, but our actual relationships will be observed by the 7th house.

SIXTH HOUSE DAILY ROUTINE

Sixth House: Diet, hygiene, habit and work approach

While we look at the 10th house to understand the career we are seeking, the 6th house shows what we actually do. This house shows our daily routines and how we interact with others in the work environment. Planets in this house can desribe resources we apply in our work or what type of focus work has for us. Planets and aspects to the sixth house can also relate to our overall health and hygiene. All of the houses one through six represent our internal world. We express ourselves through the Persona, adopt a value system, think, communicate and interact. At the nadir we find our deepest connection to our inner selves and lay a foundation for what feels like home. We socialize and explore and finally arrive in the 6th house as a type of routine. After the 6th house, the emphasis shifts toward the outer world.

SEVENTH HOUSE RELATIONSHIPS

Seventh House: Partners and relationship to others

At the seventh house, we begin to move away from a focus on the self and explore life more objectively. In the 7th house, other people become a part of our life experiences and we may need to make sacrifices or change to accomodate the idea of sharing. As the opposite of the ascendant and the angle of the descendant that begins the 7th house, this portion of the chart can present the type of partner we are seeking or aspects of the self that are not owned and therefore projected onto others. Transits to the 7th house can bring others into our life that are embody the characteristics of the planet. Jupiter transits give us opportunity for partnerships, Saturn can transit the 7th when we are taking a relationship seriously and Uranus would bring eccentric people into our life. We look to the 7th house when we want to understand our relationships. You can explore the section about the descendant for an idea of what type of partner you are seeking.

EIGHTH HOUSE TRANSFORMATION

Eighth House: How you face transformation, responsibility and dependency

The eighth house is one of the heavier houses in the chart and is associated with shared resources with others, death and the deeper aspects of how we approach transformation. The eighth house is opposite to the 2nd house of resources and portrays shared resources with others. From our desire for security presented by the 2nd house, we explore how we can let go to move toward the idea of dependency and interconnectivity. Where the 5th house might show romance, the 8th represents the deeper aspects of how our partnerships affect us and includes our views about sex. The 8th and its association with Scorpio also suggests deep transformation, death and dynamics at play that are deeply ingrained and motivate our behavior. This is also the house that can suggest inheritance or receiving money from others.

NINTH HOUSE HIGHER MIND

Ninth House: Philosophy and what you make of experience

The difference between Mercury, ruler of the 3rd and Jupiter, ruler of the 9th, is the sense of expansion. Where the 3rd house reveals how we think and interact, the 9th house is what we come to understand about life from a broader perspective. It is associated with a higher education because after being required to complete our early education, whether or not we pursue a degree is left as a choice we make. The ninth house is opposite to the 3rd house of the lower mind and suggests a more broad perspective in our thinking. The 9th relates to higher education and the philosophy that we adopt after stepping back and reflecting on all that we have learned. The 9th house is also associated with foreigners and travel. Planets in this house can inspire a philosophical outlook and an emphasis on world travel or incorporating the beliefs of many cultures.

TENTH HOUSE PUBLIC STANDING

Tenth House: Your arrow toward success and paternal influence

Where the nadir is our deepest inner connection and the 4th house can relate to what was adopted by mom or the type of home we retreat to, the 10th is a picture of how the public sees us and where we are when applying all that we are into the outer world. While we look the sixth house to understand our work and daily routine, the tenth house shows the career we aspire to. Associated with the father and the influence of how we believe we must go out into the world to carve a place for ourselves, planets in the 10th house will take precedence in career choices. This house follows the midheaven angle, and planets positioned near this point in the chart are elevated because it was highest in the sky at birth. In terms of career, this planet can sometimes describe the ambition or at least, how we appear to the public. Neptune can be a healer or artist; Pluto might be a detective or psychologist, Jupiter might offer something in publishing, Saturn suggests a teacher, while Uranus might describe work in the field of technology. Personal planets in the 10th house bring emphasis to our ambition. 

ELEVENTH HOUSE GOALS

Eleventh House: Friends, goals and how you accomplish them

Once we have reached the zenith of personal expression in the 10th house, we begin to focus on the areas of our lives that are less related to the personal identity. The eleventh house moves away from the area of personal expression and places us in a group setting. Planets in the 11th house can emphasize our desire to be more of a team player or an appreciation for humanitarian or environmental work. The 11th house is also associated with our goals and friends. Where the 5th house coaxes into social interaction, how we feel in a group setting can be described by the 11th house. Jupiter in the 11th makes us gregarious; Mars can make us competitive; Venus allows us to harmonize with the needs of the group; the Sun and Moon can make humanitarian or group endeavors meaningful and a part of our sense of self. Saturn in the 11th makes us uncomfortable and more of a loner, Uranus can describe eclectic friends; Neptune describes spiritual groups or an artistic emphasis and Pluto may have difficulty allowing the will to function within a group setting, although this can be part of the lifepath with Pluto in this placement.

TWELFTH HOUSE ESCAPISM

Twelfth House: Things you cannot see – karmic influences, escapism

As the last house before the rebirth often described by planets transiting the first house, the twelfth house is called self undoing, both because it completely dissolves the sense of ego and because we can see a type of escapism or retreat in the 12th house. This house seems to dilute the energy of planets placed there. In terms of detecting the story of the lifepath, often 'resurrecting' the energy of these planets plays a prominent role in the hero's journey. Associated with institutions, planets in the 12th house can suggest a connection to healing or work that serves society in some way. As the house least related to the expression of ego and its needs, the 12th portrays the area of our life that is more spiritual or our approach to the intangible side of life. Traditionally called the house of self-undoing, it can portray escapist behavior or simply the spiritual drive to transcend ego consciousness.

The above image shows the First House at the 9 o’clock position which establishes the houses of a chart. Signs and planets in each house will have an effect on the area of life associated with the houses numbered 1-12. You can read about sign and planet placements by house in the Signs and Archetypes section.