Just as every birth chart includes all the planets, every horoscope has twelve parts we call Houses and they represent different aspects of our lives.
The Houses are derived from the division of the space or time around the earth, and represented in relation to the place of birth. To visualise the cosmos, imagine standing on the Earth at the precise moment of your birth. Imagine, too, that you’re facing south and looking at a gigantic clock face that has been superimposed on the sky. To your left, in the nine o’clock position, is the eastern horizon. That’s your Ascendant. If you were born around dawn, that’s also where your Sun is. The twelve o’clock position is high in the sky in front of you. That’s where your Sun is if you were a lunchtime delivery. To your right, in the three o’clock position, is the western horizon. If you were born around dusk, your Sun is there. And if you snuck into this world around midnight, when the Sun was illuminating the other side of the planet, your Sun is in the six o’clock spot.
The points which divide one house from another are called Cusps. The word cusp is used in two ways in astrology.
When people say they were born “on the cusp,” they mean that their birthday falls at the end of one sign and the beginning of another. They usually think that they have qualities belonging to both signs.
When astrologers refer to the cusp of a house, they mean the house’s starting point. The sign on the cusp, or beginning of the house, describes your approach to it. For instance, if the sign of the bull is on the cusp of your house of work, your attitude toward your job is Taurean, making you dependable, productive, and a bit of a plodder, regardless of whether that house is crammed full of planets or empty.
The planets found (or not found) on our chart, can influence the affairs of that part of our life correspondingly. The Houses are governed simultaneously by a zodiac sign and a planet. Traditionally, the first six houses refer to personal matters while the other six on external issues and other people.
It makes no difference whether you’re a fun-loving Leo or a workaholic Capricorn, you still have to deal with relationships, money, health, career, and so on. Those areas come under the authority of the houses, which divide the sky into 12 parts, beginning with the Ascendant, which marks the start of the first house.
1st House (Mars-Aries) Your appearance and apparent disposition
This is the most important House because it contains the Ascendant. It is our surface personality, or the side of ourselves we show to the outer world. It is the “I” and how we express that “I”. It is the environment and how we fit in it. It is the “mask” we wear when interacting with those around us.
This house corresponds to the zodiac sign of Aries, so it is also our courage, initiative, assertiveness, stubbornness, activity, aggression, passion, the ways we act and our spontaneity.
It is our childhood.
In addition, this house shows the native's health and physical appearance.
Whereas the Sun and Moon represent what we “really are” on the inside, the Ascendant (which is the “cusp” or beginning of the first house) and also any planets in the first house give clues as to how the individual wants to be seen by others, or at least, how others do indeed see him, whether he is aware of it or not. Thus, planets in this area influence our behaviour, especially when we are with other people.
2nd house (Taurus-Venus) Income, possessions, values
This is the House which signifies our relationship to anything physical or material, such as the body, material possessions, property, and above all, those which are “ours”.
Money, as a symbol of material values; what we have, and how we deal with it.
Security, if we feel secure with ourselves or if we have enough income to feel financially secure.
It also shows the values we advocate. How conservative someone can be.
3rd house (Gemini-Mercury) Communication, writing, short journeys, siblings
This is the House of all forms of communication. How we use our linguistic abilities. The primary education we receive. Our thoughts and ideas, everything which is the result of the connection of words and concepts.
This is the House of brothers and sisters, relatives and neighbours.
The Third House is governed by Mercury, so it is associated with mercurian fields, such as trade, small children, short trips and driving.
4th house (Cancer-Moon) Home, roots, one parent, circumstances at the end of life
This House symbolises our family, our home, our parents, especially our mother, and the way we see our parents. It symbolises what we are! It is the sense of belonging at the very roots of our being, and by extension, one’s native country. It is our childhood and the elder years of our lives.
It is Memory. The subconscious mind. This is the house of the soul, of emotions, emotional security, our hidden feelings and the inherited traits we have received from our lineage.
5th House (Leo - Sun) Romance, children, creativity, entertainment
This is the House of Joy, Entertainment, Creation, self-expression and Love. Here we see what the person wants to be expressed through creativity, in whatever form this is. It can be Art, Teaching or simply a practical activity such as cooking. One form of creativity is children! It is also the house of our inner child. Through the fifth house we can see the person’s ability and attitude towards procreation. As for romance, this is the house where we can see how the person acts when he is in love and a new relationship begins (if there’s already an emotional commitment, we look at the 7th, the House of relationships). It is also the vitality, dignity, honesty and optimism a person has.
Finally, this is the House of short-term investments and speculation, and by extension of these, gambling.
6th House (Virgo - Mercury) Work and health
This is the House of Service, and how the person responds to it. The sixth house traditionally represents daily routine. Here we see the relationships we may have with our employees or how we ourselves act as an employee. It is the practicality, planning and organisational skills we may have. This is also the House of Health and the person’s general constitution.
In this House we can see our relationship with small domestic pets.
7th House (Libra- Venus) Marriage and other partnerships
This is the House of Relationships. In general, Seventh House is all about the encounters developing into relationships. Here we can see how a person behaves when he is in a relationship and by extension, marriage. What kind of wedding we wish for.
Also, this is the house of partners and partnerships, contracts, Friendship and Direct Enmity.
8th house (Scorpio-Pluto) Sex, death, regeneration, other people’s money
This is the House of Birth and Death. Because all living beings are facing these situations, procreation becomes a natural need for survival. So this house stands for our sex drives and impulses. The 8th house symbolises anything secret, mysterious, obscure and hidden. It also pertains to depth analysis, research and occult knowledge.
This is the house of Crime and Punishment.
It is also the House of Other People’s money, Taxes, Capital and Heritages.
9th house (Sagittarius - Jupiter) Higher education, long journeys, religion, philosophy, law
This is the house of higher education. Here we see the native's search for a meaning to life and by extension his philosophical trend, his spiritual beliefs, and his ethos. It is the religion and role she has in our lives. It is the influence of faraway places, whether it is travelling, foreign cultures or foreign languages. It is also “Long journeys”, that is, those which we make with the intention of expanding our horizons, in order to finally recognize and fulfil our purpose in life. It is the person’s ability to be expansive in his life. It is the Law and all legal issues.
10th House (Capricorn-Saturn) Career, status, reputation, the other parent
This is the second most important House (The Ascendant is the most important) as it is connected to the pinnacle of one's life. Usually coincides with the Midheaven (MC). Traditionally this house denotes the career. It is the social and professional recognition and reputation. Our Status. Our Destiny in life.
This is the house of Authority and is symbolised by authority archetypes, such as the Father (or with the husband in female Horoscopes), Teacher, Employer, Government.
11th House (Aquarius-Uranus) Friends, groups, aspirations
The Eleventh House symbolises our personal ambitions and aspirations. It is also the goals, ideals, hopes, wishes and inspiration a person has. Here we can see our friendships and our ability to make friends. We can also see if we have team spirit and the ability to adapt to team rules. This is also the house that is associated with groups, membership in organisations.
12th House (Pisces-Neptune) Seclusion, the unconscious, secrets, self-undoing
This is the House of the Subconscious. Here we see the things we are afraid of to look straight in the eye. Here is every restriction we may experience in our lives. This is the House of testing, of sorrows and failures.
It is also an indicator for heavy diseases and mental health. We can also see seclusion and cases of depression.
The Twelfth House is governed by Neptune so there is a tendency to work behind the curtains. It also symbolises our search in Metaphysics, Religion and Art. Traditionally it rules secret enemies, institutions (such as prisons, hospitals, asylums and any other place of pain and suffering), hidden activities, exile and seclusion.
