The Houses in Astrology

An Astrology Chart is divided like a pizza into twelve sections called Houses. They're calculated using the highest point the sun reaches in the sky that day, wherever you are. Each house represents, or rules, different areas of life. A natal astrology chart places the zodiac position of the sun, moon, planets, and other significant points at their correct location in the twelve houses of the chart. Simply stated, the houses are the realms of life within which your personality traits play out.

The chart begins counting with the Ascendant, or the Zodiac sign on the cusp of the first house. This is located at the horizontal line pointing to the left of the chart. Houses are counted in a counterclockwise manner around the circle. The zodiac sign on the left horizontal line represents the zodiac constellation that was rising in the East at the time of your birth. Astrologers say that you will project yourself into your life based upon the sign that was Ascending.

Just as the houses are counted in a counterclockwise fashion, so too are the signs of the zodiac. If your Ascendant, also called a Rising Sign, is (for example) in Virgo in the first house, the next sign in a counterclockwise direction will be Libra in the second house, followed by Scorpio, and so on around the chart circle.

You will see that when the sun, moon, and planets are placed in your chart, some houses will be loaded and others empty. Houses containing planets require greater attention during your life. Empty houses do not mean that you can ignore them; and, they do not indicate that nothing happens in the area of life represented by the house. For example, an empty seventh house (represents marriage, partnerships) does not mean that you will never get married. It may mean that your primary life emphasis is not focused on partnership issues, or that it is only emphasized during specific life cycles called transits and progressions. So don’t worry if you have an empty part of your chart. It is common. Keep in mind that you must look at the entire chart before making any determination.

Houses one through six are located in the bottom half of your astrology chart. They represent subjective matters. In other words, you view life in a highly personal way when you have an abundance of planets in houses one through six. If you work for a living (sixth house), you want to get paid. You want personal feedback for you efforts.

The top half of the circle is the objective part of your astrology chart. Planets located in houses seven through twelve were above the horizon when you were born. If you were born around lunchtime, the sun in your natal chart will be located near the “high noon” tenth house cusp. Planets in the upper hemisphere represent the larger world. For example, the eleventh house represents your life goals and ambitions in the world, whereas the opposite fifth house represents personal fun, creativity, and romance.

The First House, Self

The First House describes your outward behavior. It involves your disposition, appearance, manners, and sense of self. It is governed by Aries. The positive use of the first house is that it helps you to put your best foot forward into the world. The negative interpretation is that you can get caught up in excessive ego issues or the need to show off due to self-esteem or self-worth challenges.

The first house indicates your outlook on life and helps you to project your unique talents into the world.

Your physical appearance may correlate with the zodiac sign on their first house cusp. A Libra Ascendant may be graceful while a Capricorn Ascendant may appear conservative and stern. The first house often indicates activities that you take into the world. An Aries first house may be athletic and prefer to wear bright, fiery clothing. A Pisces first house may appear dreamy and illusive, preferring gentle colors like the blue of the ocean.

When you have natal planets in your first house, the planet flavors the way you project energy into the world. If you had Mars in the first house, for example, you passionately and courageously pioneer new paths in the world. However, you may need to work through anger issues or the tendency to not complete projects.

The Second House, Material Possessions

The Second House deals with material possessions and your attitude towards the physical world; it is ruled by Taurus.

Although astrologers often talk about money, real estate, and your personal possessions when discussing the second house, it is important to remember that the second house represents your value system. Every dollar you spend in the world represents a vote in your value and belief system.

If you are not experiencing the abundance and prosperity that is naturally yours to experience in this world, the second house of your astrology chart is the first place to look. Read the sign on the cusp of your second house to get a hint about your belief in money or real estate. Taurus on the second house may purchase a luxurious home with solid resale value. Gemini on the second house cusp may prefer a home loaded with books.

Be aware, there are many other places to look in an astrology chart for material resources, especially the 10th house of Career. Natal planets in a house will influence the nature of that house as well.

The second house relates to your throat and voice. It has to do with speaking your truth. The second house helps you manifest beauty and your highest values into the world.

The Third House, Communication

The Third House, ruled by Gemini, contains your siblings, education, communication, transportation, and self-expression. It helps you to open your mind to a variety of new ideas, then to mold those thoughts into a form that can be expressed in the world.

The third house represents ideas and metal acuity. It provides hints about how you speak and how you learn. Read the sign on the cusp of your third house to provide information about how you get your ideas across to the world. For example, a Cancer third house cusp may speak in words that express feelings and emotions, whereas a Sagittarius cusp may speak in broad, altruistic, and philosophical concepts.

The third house also represents communication and travel that happen quickly, such as a one-day workshop, writing a magazine article, or taking a short weekend trip.

The third house can also tell you about your brothers and sisters, since they're how you learned to communicate in the first place. It can also give you hints about the car you drive: a Leo third house cusp, for example, may want to drive a showy luxury car!

This is one of the places in the chart to look at the nervous system, respiratory ailments, asthma, and communications problems like stuttering.

The Fourth House, Home Life

The Fourth House represents home, family, parenting, traditions, and your general attitude about where & how you live.

Ruled by Cancer, it is the place of seeking emotional security. The difficulty is that to find true emotional security, you must face your insecurities.

How this will manifest in your life depends on the sign on its cusp. A Taurus fourth house cusp may find security in owning a home, only to find that they may lose their home due to unforeseen circumstances. This teaches the person that true emotional security comes from within, not from a physical object like a house. Naturally, a Taurus fourth house cusp does not mean you will lose your home, it only means that you will have to look at your values regarding security in some way.

Information regarding your early childhood can be found in the fourth house. An Aquarius fourth house cusp, for example, may indicate a home with unusual circumstances. This could include moving frequently, eccentric visitors, adoptions, or unusual family relationships.

Most astrologers believe that the fourth house represents the mother, but it can more accurately be said that the fourth house indicates how you obtain your nurturing. A Cancer fourth house may prefer a home cooked meal. A Sagittarius fourth house may feel completely at home cooking a meal over a campfire stove.

Because the fourth house is Cardinal or "angular," its emotional undercurrents can become quite complicated. The 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses are action-oriented and add to the complex dynamics of your chart.

The Fifth House, Pleasure

The Fifth House, governed by Leo, represents children, romance, creativity, vacations, and pleasure. It includes the love you instinctively show the world.

With the fifth house, it is time to have fun. The zodiac sign on the fifth house cusp can give you hints about the way you like to have fun:

A practical sign like Capricorn may turn a fun hobby into a business. It may also indicate a person who does not have children, or holds off on children until they are a bit older in life. Capricorn fifth house people may not be big gamblers, instead preferring conservative risks.

As another example, Cancer on the fifth house cusp may take great enjoyment in playing with children. They also may have difficulty letting go when it is time to end a relationship.

A strong 5th house represents a person who loves to play and doesn't let the little things get them down. A challenged 5th house may indicate self-indulgence and "loose" behavior.

This house is one of the places in the astrology chart that calls you to take a risk on yourself. Whether it is showing the world your creative talents, opening your heart to the possibility of romance, or hitting the blackjack tables in Las Vegas, it's up to you to to open to your passionate nature.

The Sixth House, Service and Health

The Sixth House, naturally ruled by Virgo, is the home of work, health, humble service in the world, and domestic pets. It also relates to military service, domestic help, health-related professions, and service businesses.

When current planets transit through your sixth house, you need to simplify and organize those areas your life so that you can be highly efficient.

In the workplace, the 6th House is the part of your job that needs to be done, but that you do not get a lot of recognition for doing. The second and tenth houses are also involved with career issues.

The sixth house asks the question, "How can I be of service to the world without becoming a slave to it?" A Virgo sixth house cusp may be a nurse or a veterinarian, whereas a Gemini cusp may provide information or technical services.

The sixth house is a major focus when exploring health and healing (though of course you need to look at a wide variety of factors to understand health in a chart). In general, the sign on the 6th house cusp points toward weaknesses in your health. A person with Aquarius, Gemini, or Virgo in the sixth house may need to avoid overtaxing the nervous system. Scorpio sixth house people may need to pay attention to dental care, reproductive organs, and the elimination system.

In relationships, the sixth house represents the practical elements of day-to-day life. When the honeymoon part of a relationship settles down, look to this house to organize your life, accommodating your partner and your worldly work.

The Seventh House, Relationships

The Seventh House, ruled by Libra, relates to relationships of both a business and personal nature. The Seventh House determines your experiences with marriage and partnership. Ironically, this area that represents your marriage also holds your open enemies.

On a spiritual growth level, the people with whom you share, whether in love, business, or war, are all here to help you open to a greater level of your spirit. An enemy can perhaps be viewed as a soul who has agreed to help you grow, much the same as a marriage partner.

People want different things in a marriage, and the sign on your Descendant (the name for the 7th house cusp) describes your desires. An Aries Descendant may like fiery passion in a marriage partner, while an Aquarius cusp may need someone who is as much a friend as a partner.

Planets in the seventh house greatly influence the needs of committed partnership. The Moon in the seventh house, for example, may show a strong need for emotional connection, or indicate that the desire for partnership may ebb and flow. If you have Saturn in the 7th house, you probably experience rocky relationships, and do well with a mature partner.

The main point of the seventh house is that you are being called to step away from purely self-serving needs in order to share and cooperate with others. The seventh house is what calls you outside yourself.

The Eighth House, Life Death & Money

The Eighth House, ruled by Scorpio, represents birth, death, deep emotional connection, fears, and inheritances. The astrology joke is that the eighth house rules sex, taxes, and death - a fertile ground for fears and obsessions!

The Eighth House is also where we merge with something greater than ourselves. In sex, you merge with another such that two becomes one. With taxes, you merge with the collective unconscious of what USA readers might call the great Uncle Sam tax god. In death, you go beyond all boundaries and merge with Oneness. In a relationship, the eighth house talks about how you share your body, your time, your possessions, and so forth with your partner.

It represents your partner's income, accounting, insurance, and financial planning. Depending on the planets you have in this house, it may indicate steady income, or constant windfalls and debts.

Emotionally, this area is ruled by the planet Pluto (death, obsessive-compulsiveness, power, regeneration, elimination). The eighth house is where you go into the swamps of those intangible fears. The eighth house helps you to get in touch with the deepest feelings that you carry below the surface.

The Ninth House, Exploration & Philosophy

The Ninth House represents the higher mind. It is associated with foreign travel, religion, higher education, certain areas of the legal system, and the social mores of society. More than anything, the ninth house calls you to open your mind to your highest spiritual truth to learn who you are, beyond society's labels.

In general, the ninth house represents your in-laws and is one of the places to look for grandchildren.

Because this house is naturally ruled by Sagittarius, it determines the level to which you express integrity and honesty, as well as your experiences with education. Gemini on the ninth house cusp may indicate someone who is constantly going back to college to get another degree. Aries in the 9th house may be compelled to preach to you about how things are, even if they're wrong!

Natal planets in the in the ninth house add flavor to the philosophical nature. Saturn in the ninth may indicate a conservative approach to religion and philosophy. Uranus in the ninth may indicate a person who leaves the family religion or works for philanthropic causes.

The Tenth House, Career

The Tenth House represents your public image and career. Capricorn's rulership ensures that you will find big business, government, and other administratively heavy organizations in this area of the chart. Politicians and Chief Executive Officers are associated with the tenth house. The world sees you according to the sign on the tenth house cusp (also called the Mid Heaven). In esoteric, or spiritually focused, astrology, it is believed that the tenth house cusp indicates aspects that your soul incarnated to accomplish in this life. Whereas the sixth house represented your work, the tenth house indicates career. In the sixth house, you work away like a busy little bee. In the tenth house, you are seen for your accomplishments and/or failures. Natal Mars in the tenth house may indicate strong ambition if well aspected in the chart. Jupiter in the tenth house may indicate a person who appears larger than life, or one who is known for coaching and encouraging those in her/his charge. Aquarius in the tenth house may be a person who prefers to work alone, or own his or her own business. Leo in the tenth house may be a person who prefers supervisory positions.

The Eleventh House, Friends and Society

The Eleventh House, ruled by Aquarius, influences friends, intellectual pleasures, socializing, and attitude towards society. It shows your goals and ambitions as they relate to your external relationships.

The 11th house represents group consciousness. This can include community service, humanitarian aid, business-support groups, or community living lifestyles.

The sign on the eleventh house cusp tells about how you approach social situations. Virgo on the cusp may indicate shyness in opening to groups, or they end up in the kitchen cleaning up after the party. Aries may know everyone’s first name at an event, but never stick around to know their last name.

What planets you have in the 11th house describe how you get along with people. Having your Sun in the eleventh house may make you magnetically attractive to everyone. The Moon in the 11th may indicate the person who listens to everyone’s problems and nurtures them like a mother

The Twelfth House, Subconscious

The Twelfth House relates to that which is hidden from view. Ruled by Pisces, spiritual practices like meditation, shamanic vision quests, past life regression, dream therapy, psychic development, and hypnotherapy fit into the twelfth house.

This is the place you go for your privacy. It also shows what you would like to hide from the world, but will need to deal with at some time in your life.

For example, Mercury in the twelfth house is often the child who is told that he/she talks too much, so learns to be seen and not heard. However, as the child gets older, they must learn to communicate all over again.

The twelfth house is where we want to escape from the world, and this can include alcoholism, drug addiction, or any time a person lives excessively in their fantasy world. In the twelfth house, you need to look at the shadows of your inner being in order to bring forth your connection to the One Source of all that is. This energy can be used positively through contemplative spiritual practice or other forms of self-analysis.

Photography, the ocean, and secret societies are associated with the twelfth house, as are prisons, hospitals, and psychiatric facilities.