In the 11th house, we tried to make the world a better place. We put all of our efforts into helping people and fighting for social justice. We made friends and, when we became old, we donated the goods we accumulated to support a good cause, something that would help getting to a greater good.
Together, the astrological houses describe all sorts of human experiences on Earth. And now, as we look back over our shoulders, we realize that our journey through the houses has been long. Having reached so far, we may think we’ve done everything there was to be done in human life, and so we are thrilled to find that there’s still one house missing: the 12th.
We have no clear idea of what goes on in this house, and, curiously, this is a critical point to grasp if we’re to understand how it works. The 12th house is the accumulation of all mysterious, greater forces that escape to our control. It represents all knowledge that is hidden to humanity, even under a scientific eye, like the mystery behind the reason of our own existence. Interestingly, it is when someone argues that our existence has no meaning that the 12th house is more powerful. It is at this moment that it makes itself noticed. If we have no meaning, then what about the complexity of our feelings?, what about our subconscious?, our dreams?, clairvoyance?, magic?, spirits?, the growing limits of this universe?, the possibility of other dimensions? and so forth.
These are all 12th house matters because we have no clear understanding of them. And whenever we try to delineate this issues or try to approach them by a more exact or practical perspective, we only discover that we know nothing about the world or how it works or to what purpose it exists. The 12th house, then, can only be accessed by sensitivity and delicacy. The 12th house is a shadowy place, and we need intuition to navigate in it.
In a more personal understanding, the 12th house dissolves everything related to it. The planets and signs expressing themselves under this influence become hard to decipher, as they become hidden, sometimes, even to the chart holder. The planets here are diluted. They express themselves in subtle ways, energy fluxes in the air, feelings with no origin, energetic vibrations, surreal dreams and inherent fears…
If the 11th house represents the collective conscious, the 12th house symbolizes the collective unconscious. Generally the planets that fall in this house describe what others cannot see in ourselves, because planetary energy becomes too subtle to be perceived by conventional ways. Being a house of mysteries, the 12th house also includes hidden enemies and treason, betrayal.
And as the 12th house symbolizes our unconsciousness, the sign and planets related to this house usually remain in the unconscious realm, inaccessible to the chart holder unless they close their eyes and try to listen to their own inner voice. It’s like trying to tune in to a specific radio station. This is possible by spiritual, mystical or religious practices, psychotherapies, isolation, meditations, artistic expression, lonely studies and even dreaming. As you may have noticed, all of these things are solitary activities, and this is behind this house’s association to reclusion. Naturally, then, all 12th house matters are potentially related to the art of healing.
Being the house before the 1st, the 12th symbolizes karmic issues that are given to us, in theory, before birth. The karmic theme of our lives is usually imprinted on ourselves at childhood by some kind of trauma, only to be made itself more clearly noticeable as we grow up. And because it is the last house, the 12th also seems to hold the karmic themes that we can only fully understand after great time has passed, once we have developed the maturity, serenity, synthesis and sensitivity to understand its complex, greater meaning. It also represents the incomprehensible events that happen to us, manifesting as destiny. Whether the individual is able to understand their 12th house as time passes, however, varies greatly between people.
Finally, the 12th house symbolizes all prisons that limit the body’s expression or movement, but do not limit the mind’s or the spirit’s growth. This is because prisons and hospitals, traditionally connected to the 12th house, symbolize places where we must realize how life is fragile, how there is something greater and more subtle orchestrating the universe. In this sense, this house also symbolizes death and sacrifice, in the sense that the body is taken, while the spirit or soul finds freedom, and in the sense that something is lost so that the mind or spirit can fulfill a greater purpose. The 12th house is about letting go of material anchors so that the we can go back to the source.
Sun in the 12th house: a child wakes up to find that the skies are covered by a single, vast cloud of grey; it’s a beautiful day. Representing people that were born right after sunrise, this Sun is about bringing light (conscious awareness) to what was previously darkened or hidden (unconscious secrets). People with this placement often can’t recognize their own individuality or their own talents, and because the 12th house rules the collective unconscious, this also means that the individual’s personality or uniqueness can be hidden away from other people’s perception. To find one’s own individuality, it is important to engage in artistic or spiritual activities, so that sensitivity develops and clouds dissipate from the emotional realm. Those with this placement are sensitive to emotional currents in the environments and can usually feel when something’s not quite right. Private and imaginative, it is dealing with the unknown, the mystical, the magic, that the individual discovers their own inner star.
Moon in the 12th house: a lost treasure chest waits at the bottom of a dark ocean, waiting patiently to be discovered. Moon in the 12th is about locking one’s feelings very deep in the unconscious. Feelings are not only feelings, but secrets that may never reach the surface of expression, as they should be kept by a beautiful veil of fantasy. The Moon in the 12th is taken to a new level of sensitivity, one in which she feels the influence of unseen origins, energies fluctuating in the air, whispers of the spirit that travel from person to person. It can be easy for the individual to feel lost amidst such a turbulent flux. Their emotional setting can be understood like a radio that perceives, simultaneously, a wide range of frequencies, and so the individual can feel confused as to what they feel is genuinely theirs or someone else’s. To build a clearer, more reliable structure, is important to direct one’s sensitivity and, more importantly, retrieve that lost treasure chest at the bottom of the ocean. It is overflowing with forgotten secrets and traumas that must be dealt with, so that the individual can see the complexity of the universe’s emotions more clearly. Those with this placement can instantly tell when people don’t feel alright or when there’s something more that is escaping to the eye’s attention, but before trying to help others or even surrender to a lover, they must learn how to take proper care of their own selves when they’re alone.
Mercury in the 12th house: leaning sweetly over a table, a novice tarot reader exams the results of a spread. Mercury in the 12th house symbolizes the ability to translate secrets of the unseen, subtle, spiritual realm. Mercury is a rational, airy planet, maybe symbolizing that the individual fears that what lurks within, but also being a symbol of curiosity, the individual is usually interested in finding out about the emotional complexity of human beings. Having Mercury in the 12th house means that the individual might need solitude to think clearly or even study, and it also means that their ways of thinking and finding out about things are secretive, mysterious, as it tends to happen behind the curtains. Sometimes, it might mean that one’s intelligence and communicative abilities, no matter how great, can go unnoticed by others. People with this placement can find it hard to communicate whenever their emotions are too unstable, since the intellectual realm is so close to the emotional one, but this also means that they can capture emotional undertones in everything, even in things unsaid.
Venus in the 12th house: prince charming carefully removes the veil from sleeping beauty’s face, only to find himself sleeping in her place. Venus in this house symbolizes that one’s relationships with objects but especially with people can be confusing, since they arise one’s deepest feelings, giving a hint that something extremely complex waits to be discovered within. If the individual, before building these relationships, has had no experience with their own emotional setting, alliances will tend to be troubled by emotions with no apparent origin. Because of the 12th house’s nature, this placement indicates that one’s relationships seem to be out of one’s control. Everything points to deep feelings that need to be recognized and understood so that relationships can be enjoyed to their fullest potential. For this reason, relationships can be scary, and so the individual can become extremely private. This means that one’s ability to value and relate to others may go unnoticed by oneself and others. Finally, Venus in the 12th dreams of a perfect partner, whatever that means, one to whom she can sweetly surrender. But this can be frightful too, since it reminds her of dying.
Mars in the 12th house: Archangel Michael, leader of God’s army, prays so that their heavenly strength can be restored. Mars in the 12th symbolizes that one’s strength and vigour are found within, and so these people tend to need some time in solitude to restore their energies. Because Mars is the planet responsible for our will to get up everyday and see our duties through, having Mars in this house means that drawing one’s attentions within in search of a power source is a daily exercise. Moreover, the individual with this placement may feel a great rush of energy whenever they deal with deep feelings of themselves or others, demonstrating great courage when it comes to finding out their own secrets. Because it is a source of fiery energy, this configuration also means that these same secrets may have some kind of violent, angry theme related to them. No matter how much society overlooks this individual’s courage or ability to fight, one is certainly aware that they have this strength, for they have survived, for years, the war in their heads.
Jupiter in the 12th house: a long-time traveler comes to find a charming abyss and, contemplating it for hours, suddenly becomes aware that the abyss has been talking to them too. As Jupiter is the astrological magnifying glass, this configuration means that the emotional realm, in all its complexity and secrecy, draws a lot of attention. This placement indicates a huge experience with one’s own fears, but the individual nevertheless needs peace and quiet to deal with their own ghosts, or otherwise risks losing emotional control. However, as much as their emotional suffering might be great, the rewards of dealing with these secrets and building a more structured, confident emotional setting are also enormous. Thus, these people benefit a lot from spiritual practice, therapy and anything really that helps them reveal their own secrets to themselves. With time, their experience might be so great, that these people grow to be spiritual mentors or act as counselors to those around them, and this goes very well with their outstanding sensitivity. They are wise when it comes to the subtle realm of energies and emotions and seem to be always helping others when it comes to these subjects, even if they find it troublesome to deal with their own issues regarding this matter and tend to so alone.
Saturn in the 12th house: an astronaut considers the starry black curtains all around him, amazed and horrified. Representing the basic fear of the unknown, Saturn in the 12th feels very uneasy, because here, despite all of his efforts, he feels that all his structures and disciplines are being constantly dissolved into Neptune’s clouds. People with this placement tend to keep a safe distance from things unclear like spirituality and their own deep feelings and secrets, usually symbolizing a sort of respect or fear towards these things. Anyway, the individual usually knows that they are much more complex than they let show, as they constantly need to be isolating themselves in order to restore balance in their emotional world. However, Saturn’s presence in this house reveals how difficult it is to let go of fear, and how difficult it is to deal face-to-face with one’s darkest demons. The planet of time and discipline in this house symbolizes that these demons tend to stay locked away, and one’s deepest emotions tend to stay supressed, as they remain in unconscious, troubled waters. The lesson usually involves facing these issues, building trust in spiritual practices and letting go of fearing anything that doesn’t have a clear, logical explanation. With time, these people may also grow to become mentors and counselors of their loved ones. As they build a stable emotional realm of their own, they often would like to help people with theirs.
Uranus in the 12th house: great clouds suddenly rise about a calm lake, sending lightning bolts to strike its serenity. For people with this placement, radical changes in their lives usually come from within. They understand that life is unpredictable and shouldn’t be a stable, rigid experience. This doesn’t mean, however, that change is a comfortable thing. People with Uranus in the 12th may see life in fear that a greater forcer will turn their lives upside down, but it is also in these moments of sudden transformation that they experience freedom and may break the shackles that tied them to their inner ghosts. To better understand this changing processes, it’d be advisable to retreat and be in solitude for a time, in order to listen to one’s own subtle intuition. The 12th house secrets, when under Uranus’ influence, can also have a violent or shocking connotation. Moreover, this symbolizes that one’s sensitivity is restless, and the energy fluxes that one is able to perceive are often agitated and strangely willing to make themselves more noticeable.
Neptune in the 12th house: a scared child, alone in the darkness of their room, suddenly smiles, feeling the warming protection of their guardian angel. People with this placement bring Neptune’s extreme sensitivity back to its original home. Every now and then, the soul sends messages to the consciousness’ surface, pointing to feelings and fears that need tending to. For these people, dealing with one’s own secrets involves isolation and solitude. On a more negative manifestation, however, it involves escapism. There is a profound amazement for everything that is unclear or inexplicable, and people with this placement love to infuse their lives with this feeling that there is something greater behind the scenes. Neptune in the 12th is about being confident in one’s unique spirituality and sensitivity, and this placement usually indicates great potential for spiritual growth through solitude and spiritual practices. As they’re intimately connected to the source of everything, these people can attain great spiritual enlightenment as long as they stay true to themselves and develop confidence and sensitivity to deal with their own fears.
Pluto in the 12th house: a professional diver finds a scintillating jewel at the bottom of the sea; once they reach for it, however, they find themselves unable to return to the surface. Pluto in the 12th is about listening to the soul’s desire to transform. People with this placement know how complex and rich the human mind can be, and they find it rather exciting to dive into unconscious waters in a search for answers. As they dive deeper and deeper, however, and make their way amidst the 12th house clouds, they will find that their lives will be changed forever. Returning is not an option. Moreover, these people also will need solitude to better dive and find what they’re looking for, but if not balanced this may as well mean that they’ll use of escapist behaviours for the sake of seeing truth. The power of these people reveals itself mostly in extreme situations, when they are pressured to act in emergency. It is then that they can activate Pluto’s unyielding determination in their favour. Having Pluto in this house also means that its secrets may have an extremely dark theme around it, and this adds to the tendency of a life-changing experience with spirituality and therapy.
Detail: Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, “Aurora and Cephalus”; 1810.
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