Understanding the Houses

Understanding the Houses

In Natal Astrology it sometimes helps to think of the houses not as actual houses, but rather as “rooms” that are inside of each of us. Each room has a special purpose and is reserved for certain types of experiences. Think of it this way: when we’re hungry and want something to eat, we go to the kitchen, not the bedroom or the study. And we usually don’t sleep in the bathroom or the dining room. It’s the same way with the houses in the birth chart. The sixth house is our office—it’s where we go to work. When we want to go out and have fun, on the other hand, we go to our fifth house. We meet up with our friends in the eleventh house, and our family in the fourth.

The signs on the cusps of the houses show how each room is decorated. We all have all 12 signs in our charts, although the signs are associated with different “rooms” of our chart. We all have a “Gemini Room” where we find our books, toys, games, and distractions, and we all have a “Capricorn Room” which is usually done over in mahogany and hardwood with very practical and business-like furnishings. What’s different for each of us is which room is the “Gemini Room” and which room is the “Capricorn Room.” A person with the seventh house of relationships being their “Gemini Room” is going to approach relationships with a very different style from someone who has their relationship room decorated in “Capricorn.”

So who decorated the rooms? The planets that rule the sign did—and they decorated the rooms in the style of the role that they’re currently playing. The “Capricorn Room” is going to have a much lighter, more open feel when Saturn is in Gemini than it will when Saturn is in Scorpio (in which case the room probably leans heavily towards black leather). The “Cancer Room” is going to be much more plush and comfortable when the Moon is in Taurus than it will be when the Moon is in Sagittarius. The rulers of the houses keep close tabs on their rooms; when the planet that rules a house is in a different house, the affairs of the two houses are linked. For example, if you have Aries on the second house, and Mars is in the ninth house, your finances (second house) will be connected to the affairs of the ninth house (travel, higher education, religion, etc.).

When we have planets in a house, then we will tend to experience and express the energy of that planet when we go into that house—and every time we go into that house, we’re going to have to deal with the planet (or planets) there. If you have Saturn in the seventh house, you’re going to encounter Saturn’s energy through your relationships. Mars in the ninth house could lend a more competitive edge to your higher education and religious studies. Houses without planets are just empty rooms: we can go there and be (reasonably) alone. When we’re in an empty house, we’re still influenced by the energy of the house ruler, but not nearly as strongly as we are by a planet in the house itself.

Occasionally, you will come across a chart where a house contains an entire sign: for example, a chart with 28° Gemini on the second house cusp and 4° Leo on the third house cusp has the entire sign of Cancer intercepted in the second house. Kim Rogers-Gallagher describes intercepted signs as rooms with antechambers, or rooms within rooms. Gemini is still the ruler of the second house in this example, and Mercury still did the decorating; but the Moon (and Cancer) is also involved in the process, and in fact, the furnishings and structure of the room are all the Moon’s. Mercury and Gemini just picked out the wallpaper, the colors and the fabrics. It may look like Mercury and Gemini, but once you settle into the room, it will really feel like the Moon and Cancer.

Understanding the Angles

Understanding the Angles

The angles are extremely important points in the chart—they are usually also house cusps, but not always (it depends on the house system used). The angles represent the façade that we show to the world—they are how other people perceive us. More importantly, the angles are the primary “doors” in our chart that open to the outside world. The Ascendant is our Front Door: it’s where we go when we set out in the world to interact with other people. The Descendant is the Back Door, where we receive visits from the people that know us. The Midheaven (or MC) is the Main Entrance, complete with the doorman, and it’s where we want to impress the world in general. And the Imum Coeli (or IC) is the most hidden, secret door, the Private Entrance used only by close friends and family.

Angular, Succedent and Cadent Houses

The Three Types of Houses: Angular, Succedent and Cadent

Houses can also be Angular, Succedent or Cadent. The Angular houses (1, 4, 7 and 10) are the houses that are, not surprisingly, usually connected to the angles. Because the Angular houses are the closest to the main “doors” to the outside world (the Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant and Imum Coeli), planets in Angular houses are considered to be “strong” and tend to express in more external and obvious ways. Angular houses are very action-oriented and are similar in quality to Cardinal signs. A planet in an Angular house is usually considered to be accidentally dignified. Succedent houses (2, 5, 8 and 11) follow (or succeed) the Angular houses, and are relatively neutral in quality. Planets in Succedent houses aren’t in the foreground of the chart, but they’re not in the background, either. Succedent houses are concerned with security and stability, and the Succedent houses are similar to the Fixed signs in this respect. The Cadent houses (3, 6, 9 and 12) follow the Succedent houses, and are the least expressive points in the chart. Planets in Cadent houses, particularly the third and sixth houses, are sometimes considered to be accidentally debilitated because they have a much greater difficulty in making themselves noticed. Cadent houses are concerned with learning and with adaptation, and are similar to the Mutable Signs. The last few degrees of the Cadent houses, however, usually the 4–6 degrees before the angles, are extremely strong. Planets in a Cadent house within 6 degrees of an angle are considered to be Angular and accidentally dignified.

A Tour of the Houses and Angles

A Tour of the Houses and Angles

Now that we have a general understanding of what the houses are, let’s look at what each of these “rooms” contains and when and why we spend time in each of them. For review, another illustration of the houses and angles is presented below.

The Ascendant

In the majority of house systems, the Ascendant is used as the cusp of the first house. The Ascendant, which is also known as the “Rising Sign,” is the degree of the zodiac that was on the Eastern Horizon (in other words, the degree that was rising) at the moment of birth, as “seen” from the location of birth. The Ascendant is one of the most important points in the chart: it’s not only the “door” to the first house, it’s also our “front door.” The Ascendant is the door we use when we go out into the world—it’s the first thing people see about us, and first impressions are very important.

In fact, the Ascendant represents our first impressions of the world. The sign on the Ascendant shows how we expect to encounter and experience the world. An individual with Gemini rising will have a core belief that the world is a fascinating place that is meant to be explored. A person with Cancer rising, on the other hand, takes a very different view and approaches the world as a place that can be a bit scary and lonely, where their needs may not be met, so they need to connect with other people on an emotional level for protection. The Ascendant has often been described as the “mask that we wear” when we relate to other people. The thing about this mask, though, is that it also colors the way that we see the world.

The First House

The Ascendant is also the “door” to the first house, which is where we keep all of the things that make us who we are as unique individuals. The first house is the “this is who I am” room. It has to do with our appearance (and is usually decorated with pictures of ourselves), as well as all of the things that make up the essence of our unique personality. The first house represents our physical body and our overall health and vitality.

The Second House

The second house is where we keep all of our stuff. The first house is what is “me” and the second house is what’s “mine.” Not only do we store our physical and material possessions in our second house, but we also store our gifts, talents and skills there as well. The second house is one of the “money” houses (along with the sixth and tenth) and can indicate how we make money. The second house also relates to our physical senses, to the things that we value, and the ways in which we experience the physical world.

The Third House

The third house is the mail and telephone room—the communication hub of our chart. When we want to keep tabs on our environment, siblings and neighbors, this is where we go. The third house also relates to short journeys, letters, writing, and our early education. Being a Cadent house, the third house is, of course, about learning, particularly about how we interact with our environment. The third house also relates to religion and spirituality, although it seems to have more to do with religions that are not widely accepted at the time. (In classical astrology, the third house was the house of heresy.)

The Imum Coeli

The Imum Coeli, or IC as it is usually known, is the most private and hidden point in the chart. It is still a “door” to the outside world, but it’s more of a secret, hidden entrance, one that is only ever used by our close friends and family, because it leads to our most private, protected and personal facets of our lives. Even though the IC is the most hidden point in the chart, it is also the one that experiences the greatest connection to the universe—through the IC we can connect with our past, our heritage, and ultimately with the memory of what it was like to be a part of all of creation. The IC is the point that relates to all beginnings and endings in the chart, and it is the point through which the soul enters our bodies.

The Fourth House

The fourth house is the family room—it’s hidden and somewhat closed off from the rest of the chart, so most people won’t ever see it or know it’s there. This house is reserved for our private, personal time, and it’s a space that we share with our families (of choice and of origin) and intimate friends. Although we can go here when we want to be alone, we generally go to the fourth house when we want to feel a sense of connection and community to those we love—and of course, the fourth house is in the Western hemisphere of the chart, and so it is more focused on relationships and interacting with other individuals than it is on being alone and self-sufficient. The fourth house relates to real estate and property, and rules the father in the chart (even though Modern Astrology associates the mother with the fourth house). Even though the fourth house is an Angular house, and therefore action-oriented, because it is the most hidden, least-visible point in the chart, planets in the fourth house do not tend to express in very public ways.

The Fifth House

The fifth house is the party room—we go here when it’s time to let our hair down and have fun. All forms of creativity, self-expression, games, speculation, and gambling are found in the fifth house. Oh, and sex is in the fifth house, too (and so are children). The fifth house relates to love affairs—any romantic relationship that does not involve a contractual commitment or the individuals living under the same roof. (Once two people either get married or move in together, it becomes a seventh house relationship.) So what do all of these things have in common? Well, the fifth house is essentially where we go when we want to feel special and unique. Everything we experience in the fifth house makes us feel good—both in general, and about ourselves as individuals in particular.

The Sixth House

The sixth house is our office—it’s where we go to take care of business on a daily basis, and in the sixth house, we find all of the routines and activities that we have to do on a daily basis in order to maintain an existence on the physical plane. The sixth house is a Cadent house, and is concerned with learning about the material world. The sixth house relates to our job (but not necessarily to our career or life’s work), and to our co-workers and working environment. It also relates to our physical body and health in that the sixth house is the house of illness (at least in classical astrology). Planets in the sixth house don’t mean that we’re going to have health problems, but they do tend to show the types of things that we will have to do in order to prevent health problems.

The Descendant

The Descendant is the back door to our chart—it’s where we attract and interact with other individuals. Just as the Ascendant can operate as a kind of a mask that changes both how others see us and how we view the world, the Descendant shows what we look for in partners (primarily romantic partners, of course, but not exclusively). The Descendant is exactly opposite the Ascendant, and it makes sense that the qualities that we are the most attracted to in others are the qualities that we feel that we ourselves are missing because we don’t see or express them through our Ascendants. Whenever the Descendant is involved, we’re relating to other individuals on a one-to-one basis.

The Seventh House

The seventh house is the guest room—we generally reserve the seventh house for activities that involve other people, so much so, in fact, that we have a tendency to forget that the seventh house is still a part of us. The seventh house is opposite the first house. While the first house is everything that is “me” the seventh house is everything that is “not me.” We experience our seventh house through relationships, particularly through one-to-one, contractual relationships. The seventh house is the house of marriage as well as the house of open enemies. Because we’re always dealing with other people in the seventh house, we have a tendency to give away planets in the seventh house to other people. We often feel that we lack the qualities and planets in our seventh house, and until we learn to accept that they are, in fact, a part of us, we will experience them externally, through relationships.

The Eighth House

The eighth house is where our guests store their things, to extend the analogy. Being directly opposite the second house of what is “mine,” the eighth house contains everything that is “not mine” and is generally associated with other people’s money and resources. The eighth house is about more than money, though—the eighth house is the house of death, taxes, and inheritance. Being a Succedent house, the eighth house is concerned with security—in this case, with emotional and soul security. The eighth house is visible, being above the horizon in the Southern hemisphere, and it involves other people because it’s in the Western half of the chart. Nevertheless, the eighth house is a very private room—it’s where we keep many of our secrets as well as our fears. The eighth house relates to the occult, and to buried and hidden things, and so psychology and psychotherapy can be found in the eighth house. Thanks to Freud and modern psychology, however, the eighth house has gradually become associated with sex (probably because of the Freudian connection between sex and death). Ancient astrologers would never have understood this—they knew that sex was supposed to be fun and therefore it belonged in the fifth house.

The Ninth House

The ninth house is our combination research library and travel agency. Opposite the third house of early education and short journeys, the ninth house relates to higher education and long journeys—both in duration and in distance. The ninth house is where we explore the world and experience and encounter new and unfamiliar cultures, ideas, and people. The ninth house is also related to organized religion and the clergy. We go to the ninth house when we dream and fantasize. What we study and learn in the ninth house is for our own personal growth and enlightenment; anything that we learn to help us on a career or professional level is found in the tenth house next door.

The Midheaven

The last (but by no means the least) angle is the Midheaven. The Midheaven is the door to the roof of our building—it’s where we stand out, where we’re the most visible to the outside world. The Midheaven relates to our career and life path in the sense that this is how we want to be recognized by society as individuals. While the Midheaven is the most public and prominent point in the chart, it is also the most isolated and lonely. The roof is only big enough for one person at a time, and it’s a long, narrow climb to get there. The Midheaven is opposite the IC, where we are the least visible, but the most connected to our roots and our source. The Midheaven is our crowning achievement as individuals, our most public face, and the way that we take responsibility for our role in society.

The Tenth House

The tenth house is the corporate office—this is where all public appearances are scheduled, and where we plan and receive recognition for our individual accomplishments in life. The tenth house relates to our life path, which if we’re lucky is also related to our chosen career. The tenth house is related to authority figures and policy makers, and traditionally, to that ultimate authority figure and policy maker, Mom. Even though modern astrology has decided that the father should be represented by the tenth house and the mother by the fourth house, in Classical Astrology, Dad is behind the scenes at the foundation, while Mom is the one that takes the more prominent role in shaping our lives and how we appear in public.

The Eleventh House

The eleventh house is the clubhouse—the place where we go to hang out with friends and colleagues and to do things in groups. The eleventh house is opposite the fifth house game room, and the two do have much in common (they’re both pretty fun places to be). The main difference is that when we’re in the eleventh house, we’re spending time with groups of people; in the fifth house, we’re either alone, or in more intimate circumstances that usually don’t call for more than one other person. The eleventh house then relates to friendship and friends, and it also has to do with our hopes and wishes (as opposed to our dreams, which, you remember, are found in the ninth house).

The Twelfth House

The twelfth house is the meditation room (although it’s been called far worse than that). The twelfth house is opposite the sixth house, which contains the things that we have to do in order to maintain a physical body. Well, the twelfth house contains the things that we have to do in order to maintain a soul and spiritual essence. The twelfth house is associated with prisons—and from the point of view of our eternal souls, being housed in a physical body is very much like being in a prison. We go to the twelfth house when we need time alone, when we need to take a break from the demands and stresses of daily life. The thing about the twelfth house, though, is that it is above the horizon, and that means that even though we think that it’s nice, hidden and private, it’s completely visible to everyone else in the world. We are always the last to know about what’s in our twelfth house (which is one of the reasons that the twelfth house is also associated with hidden enemies). Think of the twelfth house as our shadows: we can’t always see them ourselves, but everyone else can. The twelfth house relates to the unseen, the psychic and the spiritual. We are not always consciously aware of the influences in our twelfth house; they tend to operate behind the scenes.