The 12 Houses Of Astrology

The 12 houses in astrology represent the different areas and stages of life. Unlike the planets in astrology which represent different energies or the zodiac signs which are archetypes of unique personalities. The 12 houses do not move on the birth chart because it is parallel with the Earth’s rotation on its axis. With the Earth being in the center of the birth chart we look into the sky and astrology is interpreted from our home planet’s point of view so it seems as if all the planets including the Sun is revolving around the Earth. Even though we know scientifically the Earth circles the Sun we are looking at things from the Earth’s perspective. The houses don’t have special names; they are just named after the numbers one through twelve. There are three types of houses the first being the Angular house which are the 1st,4th,7th, and 10th house. These are the most important houses. Then you have the Succedent houses which are the 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th house. Finally you have the Cadent houses which are the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th house.  Every two hours a sign enters a different house that is why it is important to know your birth time and location for a more accurate birth chart reading.

1st House: The first house which is known as the ascendant is the house of self. This is the house that embodies your appearance, your style, attitude, and mannerisms. This house shows how the world sees you, your outer shell. The sign that’s in this house which is called your rising sign is as important as your Sun sign because your Sun Sign may be who you are in your essence, but your rising sign is how you are seen and how you are stylized.

2nd House: The second house is about your money and material possessions. This house describes how you earn and spend your money. What is it that you value? That is the question that is answered with this house. How you perceive and value your physical body. Your worldly acquisitions like your cars, clothes, jewelry and all the gains on the Earthly plane.

3rd House: The third house is all about communication. How you deal with your immediate circle like with your siblings, friends, and neighbors. This house also describes how you process information and communicate educationally before college. What type of friend or sibling are you mentally? Do you spread rumors? Are you humble and quiet? Things of that nature.

4th House: The fourth house deals with the home, your foundation. This is about where you grew up at. This house is about your roots and your relationship with your father. This house is also important because it is one of the four angular houses this one being the IC house. IC stands for Imum Coeli, latin for bottom of the sky. The cusp of the fourth house points to the lowest point of the birth chart.

5th House: The fifth house is the house of pleasure and enjoyment. Partying, love affairs, vices, hobbies, and things of that nature. What turns you on and pumps your adrenaline? Art, beauty, creativity is all associated with this house. This house is also about our relationship with children. Kids bring out joy and curiosity, risk taking and adventure.

6th House: The sixth house is all about your daily work and daily tasks. This house is also the area in your life that covers your health. All the mundane activities such as brushing your teeth, daily cooking and cleaning, hygiene and how you perform at work. How well you take care of your physical self, and what type of work you do for society such as your charitable contributions and volunteer work.

7th House: The seventh house is the house of one on one relationships such as marriage, business partnerships, enemies, and things of that nature. This house deals with how you interact in those relationships. This house is important because it is one of the four angular houses known as the descendant house. The ascendant house is the first house which is where the Sun rises and the descendant house is where the Sun sets.

8th House: The eighth house is all about other people's money and possessions  and how you manage and handle that. Example is taxes, joint bank account with a spouse, alimony, child support, wills, and things of that nature. This house is also associated with sex, death, and transformation. Stuff in your life that has to be destroyed in order for new growth. When one door closes another one opens. The eighth house represents those actual acts of modifications. That is why sex is associated with this house. We are talking about the actual sex act itself which causes change, life, death, and transformation.

9th House: The ninth house is all about higher learning, spirituality, religion, ideas, visions and dreams. This house is about your morals, beliefs, and where you stand and mark the line in the sand. The third house represents short trips, communication and education from an adolescents perspective while the ninth house represents long trips and education from an adult perspective. This is the house that defines the cultured self, the self that has knowledge, experience,  and understanding.

10th House: The tenth house is all about your financial status and your position in society. How you are seen in your community, the accolades you wear as a badge of honor. This house also gives you information on your career and your achievements. The tenth house is one of the four angular houses called the midheaven or MC which stands for Medium Coeli. The cusp of the tenth house is the highest point on the birth chart.

11th House: The eleventh house is all about friendships, unity, and rejoicing. This house also represents social events and organizations, coming together for a common cause. Doing work not for financial gain but for social and conscious causes. Environmental issues, helping the animals, reasons for people to get together have a good time and do something positive.

12th House: The twelfth house is all about the shadow world, the other side, the unseen. This house represents the part of life that defies logic and reason. Beyond the physical world are planes that when revealed can cause you to go insane. This house also represents mental illnesses, delusion, psychosis, and self denial. On a physical level this house represents institutions like hospitals, prisons, public schools, social security offices, and things of that nature.