The houses are an extremely important part of anyone’s chart if you wish to ever know more than the very basics.
The houses can show us both a timeline of events in our lives AND where and how we express certain parts of our personality!
Ask some Astrologer’s and many of them will tell you their favorite part of studying astrology is studying someone’s houses! (It’s mine too!)
Disclaimer: There are many different ways to study the houses. Today, we are focusing on Tropical in Placidus, which is the most popular way to study astrology in Western culture.
To begin, the first thing you should know is that there are twelve houses in Astrology and each one holds a different meaning and place in our lives.
Each house will have a zodiac sign that rules the house and everyone’s differs. For example, I have Cancer at 25° in my first house as you can see below ⬇️
Now, if we skip down to the 12th house, you can see that mine is at 24° Gemini.
*Sidenote: not everyone will have each zodiac sign, nor a different zodiac sign, throughout their houses. Some people do and some people don’t. It just depends on the person. We’ll get back to this later.
The photo that I have listed above corresponds to the wheel down below (from a different website). Look closely and you will find Cancer in the 1st house and follow it all the way around until you find Gemini in the 12th house.
Don’t get overwhelmed yet!
It’s not as complex as it looks!
For now, forget about the colorful lines. Only focus on the zodiac signs on the outer rings and the houses (the little numbers) within the inner ring.
Although the chart and the wheel look completely different in shape and size, they are saying the exact same thing! You can see that the line above the 1 starts in the sign of Cancer, while the line above the number 12 stars in the Sign of Gemini.
From there, you can see that Leo is where house 2 begins, Virgo is where house 3 begins and so on…
Okay… Let’s break the wheel down so we can better understand it. We already know that there are 12 zodiac signs, 12 houses, and 10 planets in our solar system. (Yes, I’m aware Pluto is a dwarf planet). ;P
As we look at the wheel, keep in mind that the Zodiac Signs are fixed constellations and they do not move!
Here are the Zodiac Signs aka Fixed Constellations on an Astrology wheel:
Next, go toward the inner circle where you see the numbers 1-12. These numbers represent the houses.
***The houses move COUNTERCLOCKWISE (opposite the direction of the planets).
Lastly, when we look at the wheel and how we get our houses, we want to look for any planets that fall into the houses and their corresponding signs.
Obviously, we know that planets move CLOCKWISE. The Moon moves clockwise around the Earth. The Earth moves clockwise around the Sun, as well as Mercury, Venus, Mars, etc.
To sum up, the outer ring represents the zodiac signs and they are fixed, meaning they do not move!
The spaces in the middle show where planets move clockwise.
And the smallest, most inner ring shows the houses and they move counterclockwise.
•Zodiac Signs-Fixed
•Planets–Clockwise
•Houses–Counterclockwise
This means that there are hundreds upon hundreds of combinations that one could have within their natal chart. No two are alike; not even identical twins! And this is still only half of the story of one’s birth chart.
Here’s a different wheel to show you how each person’s chart and houses differ.
This person’s 1st house begins in Taurus. Their moon, for example, falls into the 7th house in Scorpio. Their Venus falls into the 12th house in Aries.
Here’s another:
This one is similar to my own. Can you spot the differences?
You may be wondering about the ASC, always found on the left side of the wheel, and the MC, always found on the top of the wheel.
The ASC represents the Ascendant aka Rising Sign, while the MC represents the Midheaven.
There is also the IC (Imum Coeli), always found at the bottom of the wheel, and the DSC (descendant), always found on the right side of the wheel.
We will talk about these further within a different blog post. Right now, it’s important to know that these four points, (also known as “angular houses”), help Astrologer’s figure out which sign and planets belong in each house.
No matter what, the Ascendant always begins the 1st house. (Self, appearance, identity).
The IC always begins the 4th house. (Home and family).
The Descendant always begins the 7th house. (Relationships and Partnerships).
And the MC always begins the 10th house. (Career).
Now that we actually know what we’re looking at, let’s see the basic meaning for each house!
House Meanings:
*Houses 1-6- The Personal Houses:
House 1: The self, identity, actual day of birth, outer personality, what people see about one during a first impression, one’s physical appearance, the way one expresses themselves, interests, persona, social interactions, one’s reaction to surroundings, etc.
House 2: Money, possessions, belongings, daily habits, collections, creature comforts, values, tangible wants and desires, the way one views money and material things, etc.
House 3: The mind, the way one communicates, interests, how one thinks, intellect, logic, rationalization, siblings, neighbors, language, short trips, short distances, one’s knowledge, etc.
House 4: Roots, family, childhood, home life, relationship to parents, land, family history, family transitions, one’s foundations, real estate, one’s actual house (usually the one the primarily grew up in), etc.
House 5: One’s children, romantic life, personal interests and hobbies, one’s pleasure and enjoyment, sexual desires, sexual relationships, affairs of the heart, drama, sports, gambling, creative expression, uniqueness, etc.
House 6: Health, pets, work, labor, service, routine, hygiene, mundane tasks, challenges to well-being and/or body, caregiving, type of employee one is, community service, general labor, diet, illnesses, energy, stress, anxiety, trust, honesty, etc.
*Houses 7-12- Interpersonal Houses:
House 7: Marriage, relationships, contracts, divorce, lawsuits, open enemies, cooperation, business partners, reaction to adversity, etc.
House 8: Sex, death, taxes, finances, inheritance, transformation, power, occult, legacies, things lost, control, psychic ability, lifespan, re-birth, etc.
House 9: Philosophy, hopes, higher beliefs, higher education, travel, culture, religion, law, ethics, visions, wisdom, deeper meanings, luck, how one is influenced by others, etc.
House 10: Profession, career, social status, success, reputation, how one is seen by the world, where one leads, what one masters, recognition, etc.
House 11: Groups, friends, community, society, associations, clubs, organizations, collectiveness, adopted children, social life, humanitarian interests, etc.
House 12: Unconscious mind, hidden enemies, emotional suppression, repressed memories, mental illness, self-undoing, institutions, hospitals, jails, court, sorrow, shadows, fears, exile, loneliness, self-deception, etc.
House Associations:
1st- Aries and Mars
2nd- Taurus and Venus
3rd- Gemini and Mercury
4th- Cancer and Moon
5th- Leo and Sun
6th- Virgo and Mercury
7th- Libra and Venus
8th- Scorpio and Pluto
9th- Sagittarius and Jupiter
10th- Capricorn and Saturn
11th- Aquarius and Uranus
12th- Pisces and Neptune
~So, what zodiac sign is your MC in and do you have any planets in the 10th house with your MC?
~In which House is your Sun Sign in?
~What sign and planets are in your 5th house?
You’ve got it!
I keep telling you,
You are more than your sun sign!
If you’d like to check out the websites where I featured their tools, you can find them here:
Cafeastrology.com
Astro-charts.com
Nurtureastrology.com
