Houses In Astrology: Cycles of Rebirth
It's really easy to get confused when looking at a natal chart, especially if you are new to astrology. I've found that what seems to confuse people the most is the house system. What does a house even mean? How does that relate to well, literally anything? And does that change depending on what house system you use, because there are a lot of them! To figure out what Houses really are, and what that means for you, you need to know a few key pieces of information. What follows is true for ALL house systems, and will be true regardless of which one you decide to use.
1.) The date of your birth tells the astrologer the positions and the signs of the planets in your chart. The location of your birth tells the astrologer the fixed position at which the planets relate to you. The time of your birth determines the House divisions, the Ascendant and serves as the anchor between "Heaven & Earth.”
2.) All houses in your chart are dependent upon and determined by your Midheaven sign. The Midheaven is also called the Medium Colie, or MC. This is because the Midheaven sign is determined by the exact point above you in the sky at the time of your birth, aka, why the location is necessary when calculating a birth chart. The MC always starts at the 10th house cusp. (The sign at 0 degrees of your 10th House.) Directly opposite of your MC is the Immum Coeli, or IC. This begins at your 4th house cusp. (The sign at 0 degrees of your first House.) This will always be sister signs with the sign of your MC. If your MC is in Gemini, then your IC will be in Sagittarius. And vice versa, for all sister signs.
3.) The horizon line directly East of you, (assuming you are facing south at the time of birth,) corresponds directly to your Ascendant or more commonly known as your Rising sign. It's called the Rising sign because this is the sign that is on horizon at the time of your birth, where the sun is rising. The Ascendant sign symbolizes the soul entering the body upon birth. This is where sky (soul) meets the earth (body.) Directly opposite of this is your Descendant sign, which will always be the sister sign of your Ascendant. This is where the sun "sets." If your Ascendant is in Virgo, your Descendant will be in Pisces. And vise versa, for all sister signs.
Now lets look at this Diagram I have drawn:
We can see that the MC, IC, Ascendant, and Descendant make a cross. This cross will be on every birth chart that you look at and it does not change. It serves as the basis for your Houses, which are divided into 4 quadrants and 4 hemispheres.
The Northern Hemisphere (Houses 1-6) are the Personal Houses. These effect our personal and psychological development. These Houses cover the area of our lives that we "build" our personality upon, and are key to understanding who are as an individual.
The Southern Hemisphere (Houses 7-12) are the Social & Collective Houses. These Houses represent the world outside of who are as an individual, and how are interact with that world. These Houses represents our opportunities to interact with the world and how we choose to deal with them.
The Eastern Hemisphere (Houses 10-3) are considered projective. Planets placed in these houses tend to exert their energy outward. People with a lot of planets on this side of the chart are known for opening their own doors and being more independent. They do not wait for opportunities, but make them for themselves.
The Western Hemisphere (Houses 4-9) are considered responsive. Planets in these Houses respond to the energy that is already happening around them. People with a lot of planets in these Houses usually wait for a door to appear, or for someone else to open the door for them.
Now let's break these down into Quadrants, each consisting of 3 Houses. If you need to, look back at my previous two diagrams for a visual before reading the explanations below.
Quadrant 1: Self Development. (Houses 1-3)
These Houses are concerned with our personal development at the earliest stages. If we are looking at the birth chart as the map of someone's life, this is the very beginning of their life.
House 1: This house will tell you about the physical appearance of an individual, their temperament, their personality, how they self-identify, and their ego expression. Here is where you find someone’s general character, mannerisms, motives, objectives, and how they approach life in general. What stands out most about an individual will be found in this house and can be further explored through it’s ruler. At this point in an individual's life, they are an infant. They are just discovering their bodies the way a baby discovers that he has toes and then promptly puts them in it's mouth. This is the beginning of self-discovery. This is also where we find the parts of ourselves that have been given approval by our environment and thus we actively project this to others. The Ascendant and First house is very much Who we are and want to be.
House 2: This house will tell you about the values of an individual, their attitude towards money, their physical needs and how they meet them. One of the most important aspects of this house is that it holds our self-esteem, our relationship to ourselves, and how we relate to our environment. Here you find the individual’s idea of wealth, poverty, comfort, and discomfort. At this point in an individual's life, they are a baby. They are discovering the physical world around them, the furniture, the house, the car, toys, different kinds of food, and self-care. And they are suddenly about to say the word "Mine." The baby learns the concept of possession, ownership, and what is worth owning or not owning. The baby learns how to meet their own needs without the parent’s help.
House 3: This house will tell you about the immediate community of the individual, how they communicate and interact with the community, and how they learn form it. Here you find their communication styles, learning methods, thought patterns, and means of expression. This house will also tell you about their siblings, close relatives, teachers, local community, and short distance travel. As this point in an individual's life, they are a toddler. They are learning how to talk and communicate with and relate to others, which is often done in school, daycare, and our close relatives that look after us. We learn how to negotiate with them, as well as share thoughts, feelings, and ideas in a way that makes us feel understood and heard. This is our first trip outside our hometown, visiting friends, and attending events. The child learns “I live in X. I go to school at X.”
Quadrant 2: Self Expression. (Houses 4-6)
Having now formed an identity, who we are, what we have, and how we communicate, we now learn how to express ourselves in a way that matches how we identify ourselves. This represents our childhood as well as teenage years going into young adult hood.
House 4: This house will tell you about the home, family dynamics, domestic life of an individual, as well as their psychological development. Here we find our heritage, culture, ancestors, parents, and childhood home. This is our roots, where we come from, and the foundation upon which we build the rest of our lives. In a way this is the most important house to look at when looking at a birth chart because our family (or lack of one) is fundamental to who we grow to be. At this point the individual has become a child. They are learning their roles within the family dynamic and the expectations that comes with the roles that they are assigned. They are learning about their heritage, cultural traditions, family tree, and what their “place” is.
House 5: This house will tell you about the creative expression of the individual, their hobbies, interests, and what they do for fun. Here you find the sports they like, what they find entertaining, and what they do to find pleasure. Here the inner child looks for ways to satisfy it’s need for fun, play, and satisfaction. This house also rules children, and is often used to predict the fertility of the individual and their attitude towards children in general. Romance, flings, and affairs can also be found in this house, what we find to be attractive in friends and partners. At this point in life the individual is starting to go out with their friends, they are choosing elective classes at school, joining sports teams, taking up music lessons, and making some of their own decisions based on what they like. The child looks for ways to express themselves creatively, mingle with others, and have fun socially, learning about themselves in the process.
6th House: This house will tell you about the daily routine of an individual, their everyday responsibilities, habits, rituals, and their pets. This house can tell you about their work environment, their employees, and the type of environment they need in order to be happy and successful at work. Here you find how they provide service to others, the ways in which they show care, consideration, and take responsibility. This house is also associated with health, illnesses, organization, and job skills. At the point in an individual's life, they are becoming responsible for doing their chores, doing their homework, getting a part time job after school, studying, and caring for themselves. They old enough now to be responsible for their own choices, work, and goal completion. They question how they can be better, healthier, and achieve more and make the changes they think necessary. They learn how to help themselves and others.
Quadrant 3: Self Expansion. (Houses 7-9)
Having learned who they are and how they express themselves, the individual know seeks to expand upon what they know. These houses tell us about our social identity and how we see ourselves fitting in within the world at large.
House 7: This house tells you about an individual's personal relationships, their business relationships, associates, and social interaction. Here you find their attitude towards marriage, what they look for in a marriage partner, and what they find attractive in others. it’s also where you find their enemies, struggles with confrontation, and conflict resolution. This is also your Descendant, which symbolizes the traits in us that were not approved of in childhood and then repressed or discarded. These are the parts of us that we don’t like but must learn to integrate and work with. At this point in an individual's life they are now an adult. They are starting to have romantic relationships, business partnerships, and find themselves fitting within and interacting with several social circles. With that comes making enemies and having to confront people that show us parts of ourselves that we don’t like. We are learning how to have relationships with others and what kinds of relationships we value or don’t value.
House 8: This house will tell you about an individual's fears, weaknesses, inheritances, losses, and methods of self-transformation. Here is where the individual experiences continuous death and rebirth, confronts their vulnerabilities, and discovers their approach to intimacy. This house rules occult studies, occult meaning “what is hidden.” This is anything that is done privately and intimately, including intimate relationships, managing finances and family affairs such as death, taxes, and wills. Here is the people we trust the most and push us towards the most growth. At this point in an individual's life they are now engaging in more intimate types of relationships, joining finances with partners and their family, maybe even managing finances for others. They are a real grown up now, and with that comes a new host of fears, responsibilities, and opportunities for change.
House 9: This house tells you about an individual's higher education, their religious/spiritual beliefs, personal philosophies and morals. Here you find foreign travel, what they’re willing to travel for and the style in which they do it. This house can tell you about an individual’s political views, world view, cultural perspectives, and desire to explore life outside of their own bubble. At this point in an individual's life they are now either in college, graduating college, or traveling. This house is all about self-expansion, education, personal beliefs, and how we choose to enlighten ourselves on a global level. The child is now a full grown adult that is free to explore the world on their own terms, beyond what is already known.
Quadrant 4: Self Transcendence (Houses 10-12
These houses tell us about how go beyond who are and how we deal with the outside world and choose to interact with it.
House 10: This house tells you about a person's career, reputation, career goals, and status. Here is where you find the individual’s aspirations, approach to authority, and sense of honor. Planets here tend to be "publicly recognized," meaning that they are on display to the individual's peers and contribute to their public image. They are "public knowledge." At this point our individual is pursuing a career, investing in their future, and actively working at achieving their goals. Reputation and authority figures become important, such as your bosses and getting along with your co-workers. We are moving up in the world.
House 11: This house tells you about an individual's friends, allies, the groups they belong to, and the social causes they find important and choose to contribute to. This can also indicate that kind of friend they are to others, how they network, and what role they play in social circles. This is where you find their ideals and visions for the future, the kind of world they want to live in, and the social topics they support and engage in. As this point in an individual's life, they are grown, they have established their career, and they are enjoying socializing and utilizing their free time. They might now donate to charities, participate in volunteer work, extra curricular activities, and networking opportunities. Here they make dreams into a reality.
House 12: This house tells you about an individual's spirituality, hidden talents/resources, past lives, as well as self-destructive behaviors they may not necessarily be aware of. Here you find the subconscious and most private parts of the psyche, who we are when we are absolutely alone. This is where the deepest desires and darkest secrets are kept. Planets in this house might be repressed and hidden from the individual until events push them to acknowledge and integrate them. These planets rarely express themselves socially, shying away from full attention, instead expressing in glimpses here and there. At this point in an individual's life they are very old, taking on the role of guiding and teaching others. Solitude allows them to reach a deeper sense of peace and spiritual enlightenment.
So what House System should you use?
Most Popular House systems: Placidus is the default on most websites, but Whole Sign Houses is also widely used. I recommend using whole sign houses because they’re more accurate when doing predictive work, but Placidus works too. They’re both popular because they work, time and time again. I will further explore the different kinds of house systems and their pros and cons in a future post.
TLDR: The Birth Chart is a wheel for a reason, symbolizing the infinite flow of time and the cycle of death and rebirth. We are born on the Ascendant and make our way back to the 12th house, only to be born again. The Birth Chart is not just a map of the sky at the time of your birth, but also a blue print of the potential your life has. These are your strengths, weaknesses, skills, and pre-set circumstances and what you do with them is your choice. You are not a birth chart, you have a birth chart. Choosing to work with it and integrate it into your life can be helpful and enlightening, but you are not at the mercy of what it says or doesn’t say.
"Houses Of The Horoscope: An Introduction" by Alan Oken
“The Houses: Temples of the Sky” by Deborah Holding
