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What Are The Houses In Astrology?

The Houses in Astrology are an essential component in reading and understanding your Natal (birth) Chart as well as when looking at the current sky for forecasting.

The House are conceptualised by looking at the sky as a 360º whole “pie” and dividing it into 12 “slices” to comprise 30º each (360 / 12 = 30). Each piece represents a different area of life. They start with the 1st House on the Eastern horizon (the left of a Natal Chart) as the Rising Sign and move around through anti-clockwise.

When looking at your own Natal Chart, the Zodiac Sign a House is in will add its style and characteristics to the area of life represented by the House, and any Planets contained in the Houses will also add an element of meaning. If a House has no Planets in it, you can look to the position of its ruling Planet for more information.

Generally, it is said that if the Planets can be considered as actors in a play (the ACTION), then the Zodiac Signs are the costumes they wear (the STYLE), and the Houses are the set design (the WHERE). Or, more simply put: the Planets are the “what”, the Signs are the “how” and the Houses are the “where”.

Read on below for what exactly the 12 Houses of Astrology are:

The 12 Houses of Astrology

As mentioned, each of the Houses of the Astrological wheel represents a different area of life. Traditionally, they will be begin with your Rising Sign as the 1st House and then move through in Zodiacal order as one Sign per House.

For example, if you are a Sagittarius Rising, your 2nd House will be in Capricorn (the Sign that comes after Sagittarius), your 7th House will be in Gemini, its opposing Sign, and so on. Click here to get a copy of your Natal Chart to begin with.

Here’s a brief overview of Planetary rulership:

Aries - ruled by Mars

Taurus - Venus

Gemini - Mercury

Cancer - Moon

Leo - Sun

Virgo - Mercury

Libra - Venus

Scorpio - Mars (traditionally)

Sagittarius - Jupiter

Capricorn - Saturn

Aquarius - Saturn (traditionally)

Pisces - Jupiter (traditionally)

The House associations is thought to be created by the founders of Western Astrology, the Babylonians, some 2000 years ago and developed upon subsequently throughout the ages.

Most of them follow an instinctive order, for example, the first one is known as the House of Self because that is the first thing we know when we come into the world. Then we establish our needs in the 2nd and communication skills in the 3rd, we become aware of our Family in the 4th and begin to choose our pleasures more consciously in the 5th etc.

The 7th is directly opposite the 1st, where we begin to relate to the outside world, the other, separate from ourselves, and learn that we must coexist and are not the only ones of importance in the world.

Some Houses can be looked at together for certain things, for example the 2nd, 6th, and 10th for Career developments (along with the Midheaven) etc.

Empty Houses

When looking at your Natal Chart, or any other Astrological chart, you may notice that some Houses are empty. This is completely normal and no chart will ever have every House occupied. If you would like more detail about empty Houses, you can look to the House and Sign that is occupied by the ruling Planet of the Zodiac Sign of the empty House you are interested in.

For example, if your 3rd House is empty and it is in Sagittarius, you can look to where the House ruler, in this case Jupiter, is in your Chart. If it’s placed in the 7th House of Relationships in Aries, say, it may draw in elements of this placement into your 3rd House of Communication as well. You can then also look to any Aspects (the relationship based on its position to other Planets) it’s involved in, if any, for another layer of meaning.

Read our Astrology Guide For Beginners for more information on the Planets, Signs, and aspects!

Finally, you can also pay attention to when Planets are currently transiting your Houses in the sky. When they pass through, they will activate that area of your life. For example, Planets transiting the Second House may bring about change in your resources or self-worth. You can get a transit report here (I like to select Whole Signs in the extended settings because I find it more accurate).

1st House of Self

This is where Mercury is said to be in its joy. This house rules our sense of self, appearance and body, overall temperament, vitality, and identity. This is where we also find our Rising/Ascendant Sign- the image we portray to the outside world and what we’d like to be known as, how people generally assume you to be when they meet you based on their first impressions.

2nd House of Income

The second House represents our earthly possessions, money, income, finances, values, and our spending habits. Natal planets here may seek security through their material world, or appreciate shopping. It can also represent our personal resources, skills, and talents.

3rd House of Communication

The third House is where the Moon has its “joy”. It deals with all manner of communication, our thought patterns, the way we express ourselves, early learning, neighbourhoods and short-distance travel, as well as siblings, aunts and uncles, and methods of transportation. Saturn here, the Planet of restraint, for example, can sometimes points to difficulty in absorbing new information or effectively expressing ourselves.

4th House of Home + Family

The fourth House sits at the bottom of our birth chart, dealing with our family life and internal world, how we like to be nurtured, our upbringing and childhood, parents, as well as our literal home and ancestral past. It can also relate to our roots and lineage. Often this can contain the IC, or Nadir, the lowest point the Sun reached on the day you were born which is known as a sensitive point, (known as one of the angles). Using Whole Sign Houses (a type of House division), it can float anywhere in the bottom half of the Chart which will tie in additional themes from these House into your home life and upbringing for extra details.

5th House of Creation

The fifth House is where Venus said to have its joy. It points to how we find our joy, what we enjoy doing for pleasure and pastimes, as well as our creativity and children, fertility, inner child, hobbies, romance, and sex life.

6th House of Work + Health

The sixth House is where Mars is said to have its joy. This points to the parts of our work we do on a day-to-day basis. As we are the sum of our habits and precisely what we do on a habitual level, our routines make us what we are, and so the sixth House also deals with our health and wellness. Like anyone who meditates knows, it’s those little 10-minute practices that add up to our overall wellbeing rather than the one-off hour long session. And so, the 6th is known as the House of daily rituals and structure, which encompass our work and health, as well as our pets and sense of service.

7th House of Relationships

The seventh House deals with all intimate relations we come into contact with, including marriage and business partnerships. This is also where you will find your Descendant, the sensitive point opposite your Ascendant (for example, if an outer Planet is transiting your 7th House, you may not notice its effects much until it makes exact contact with your Descendant). Overall, this House will represent your significant partners in your life, who you attract, and are attracted to, including best friends, therapists, 1:1 clients etc.

8th House of Shared Resources

Traditionally the 8th House represented our partner’s money as well as other people’s money such as inheritance, tax, debt, grants, and investments. As such, it is also connected with cycles of life, death, and more modernly, rebirth. It can also represent fears and anxieties. Planets in the 8th House often have a depth and intimacy to them, as well as the potential for enmeshment- emotional boundaries and analysing figurative inheritance (such as ancestral stories or trauma) can be useful.

9th House of Wisdom

The ninth House is where the Sun has its joy. It deals with all manner of wisdom, philosophy, beliefs, higher education and learning, institutions, worldly travel and expansion, foreigners and exotic culture, spirituality and religion, Astrology, teaching, and publishing.

Two Wander - How Chiron Can Show You Areas Of Healing

10th House of Career

As the name suggests, the tenth House deal with our career and public image, our standing in society, vocation, calling, sense of purpose, recognition, and legacy. This is sometimes where you may find your Midheaven (MC line), the sensitive angle reflecting career and life path, although when using Whole Signs Houses (a system of dividing up the Houses), it can shift even to the 12th or 8th Houses, bringing in elements to these areas as well.

If you would like to specifically look into this part of your Chart, and other relevant placements- book in a personalised Career + Vocation Reading with me!

11th House of Friendship

This House governs all kinds of groups, friendships, associations, memberships, and community, alliances, sense of belonging, and place in the collective, as well as your hopes, wishes, and aspirations. Jupiter has its joy here.

12th House of Shadow

The twelfth House relates to the hidden such as our subconscious, as well as themes of solitude, retreat, and isolation, hospitals, prisons, mental health, and patterns of self-undoing. Saturn has its joy here.

For even more detail, apart from analysing the ruling Planet, you can look to the decans (a way of sub-dividing the Signs), read our post about how to find your decan here!

So that’s what the 12 Houses in Astrology are and how to read what they represent in your Natal Chart. Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions to add in the comments section below!

In the meantime, you might also be interested in learning about How Chiron Can Show You Areas Of Healing and What Your North Node Represents For Your Growth.

Or, if you’d like to receive the secrets of the stars for you in one, digestible document: book yourself in for a personalised Natal Chart Reading with me and let’s discover what the cosmos has to tell you!