A deeper dive into the 8th house
Many people who have 8th house placements complain that they’re always described in such negative terms. It freaks people out to read that having the Moon in the 8th house means that it is “subconscious”, indicative of early traumatic experiences in childhood and that it has a chokehold of fear around itself dictating its functioning. Now, admittedly, the 8th house is associated with death, the occult and that which is “hidden”, the mysteries of the unknown and the power that it contains. It has to do with our dependency on other people and their resources – their power over our well-being and safety. Since “other people” are impossible to fully control (although one can try through emotional-psychological techniques of manipulation) – planets in the 8th house are going to behave in a way that ensures survival. Naturally survival has a lot to do with how other people act, what they take an interest in, what they find valuable and so on. If other people don’t see that it’s in their best interest to make sure that you are getting your needs met, they can treat you however they like. The 8th house is where the primitive power struggles take place. When the individual survival instinct comes face to face with other people’s survival instinct it can get very ugly. There are no rules of conduct that govern this sphere of life – it is bloody and cold, it is intense and chaotic, at least in the psychic sense.
Everyone has an 8th house in the natal chart and it’s true that none of us escapes this domain of life. However, people who have planets here have a dynamic archetypal energy playing itself out like a deity in this field of experience. As soon as a planet occupies a house, it is living and breathing the themes of that sphere. For example, someone with the Sun in the 9th house finds an identity through exploring the spirit of life, the knowledge and philosophies available “out there” in an attempt to make sense of existence. The 9th house is a progression of the 8th; it serves to put experience into perspective, to intuit the meaning of events as to elevate it to a “religious/spiritual dimension”. The 8th house is the domain where everything is dark and threatening (and I don’t say that to scare you – it is true). It’s the place where we lose our individuality because we have to survive despite not being in control, we have to live with the awareness that anyone at anytime could decide to withdraw support (or give support). It’s a place of rejection and abandonment – of being in the hands of the unknown. It’s a fact that people need other people to survive and thrive. Everyone is dependent on how others are choosing to live their lives. We are not separate in an ultimate sense and the violation and control that we expose our fellow individuals to, are not without consequence. There are psychic laws – or “occult laws” that are just as powerful (if not more) than the “physical laws”.
As soon as one enters the realm of the 8th house, it’s the law of the occult that one comes under. What this means is that the depth and truth of your soul is tested – if you succumb to fear and attempt to violate or impose yourself on another person to benefit your own gain, it will backfire (though perhaps not in the way you originally thought). “Don’t take the law into your own hands” has a deeper meaning than the societal advice to let the police and legal system sort out the mess and establish justice when crimes are committed. It means to know your place and have respect for every individual soul. This, of course, does apply to everything that we do on a psychic level. “Demanding” and “forcing” someone into any behavior is to abuse power. Withdrawing and withholding support is also an abuse of power. Any kind of psychic violation is considered a crime, although it might not be recognized as such from a societal standpoint. It all depends in the soundness of the society and the people in it. Even though there might seem to be a power imbalance between people in the world, there isn’t. Every single person comes under the occult laws whether they’re aware of it or not.
Some people are more vulnerable and open to being “led” or “influenced” and there’s nothing wrong with that. Some people are more naïve and trusting than others, which is how it always has been. That doesn’t give anyone the right to justify using these people for their own agenda. There are always going to be “seeming” power-imbalances in life, between a child and the parents, between the boss and the employee, the rich and the poor, the male and the female… but, ultimately, no one gets away with the abuse of power. It corrupts the soul and eventually destroys it.
That being said, this territory is complicated and not always aligned with the strict moral code of righteousness that some people try to live by. “Thou shall not kill-steal-lie…” and the whole list of “forbidden acts” are not as straightforward as they may seem. I believe that they are primarily referring to the intent and motive behind action rather than the action itself. For example, to “kill” is not necessarily a sin if it’s done in kindness. Of course there’s a lot of discernment that needs to be exercised here in order to not use this as an excuse for killing. “I did the world a favor when I killed this person” may be true, but it can also be used as excuse to blindly go about one’s egocentric desires. The kindness has to be genuinely felt and permeated through the act; otherwise it is a brutality and a crime. If the genuine kindness is felt and the action is carried through there has been no sin taking place. Yet, more often than not, kindness will not lead to killing. Words are confusing and unhelpful when entering the 8th house sphere because, as we know, it is possible to conceptualize and label certain acts as we please. After all, what defines “kindness”? It’s just a word that can be applied to anything. Killing is kind. Kindness is killing. Words are toys and “play things” that confuse and distract. The mind belongs to Mercury, the mythological trickster.
Because of the mystery and the fear that surrounds planets in the 8th house, they are usually hidden and tucked away, adamantly denied when confronted by others and masters at keeping the confusion intact. Something is felt in the energy field of the person, but there’s no conscious expression of it. That which is hidden is always dangerous because it is out of control. So what does this mean? How does one interpret planets in the 8th house?
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