Houses in Astrology

When looking at an astrology chart to interpret the planetary influences as they can manifest in a person's life we must take into consideration everything represented on the chart, including the planets, signs, and houses. Here we will discuss the Twelve Houses in Astrology, the areas of life that they represent, their placement in the sky, and their influence in relation to the various planets and signs.

Astrology House Meanings

Knowing the twelve different astrology house meanings is a big part of properly reading an astrology chart, no matter which branch of astrology you come from. The twelve houses represent different areas of life, and when sequenced together they create a logical evolution of order, like the cycle of a lifetime. Here is a brief outline of the different house significations in proper order to help illustrate this point:

1st House

Self & Identity
The expression of who you are in this world, and how people see you

2nd House

Sustenance & Support
The material goods and familial support you need to survive in this world

3rd House

Courage & Ego Desire
Learning how to act in this world to get what you want, even if it means making mistakes

4th House

Home & Heart
Going within to quietly process what you've learned and how you feel

5th House

Inspiration & Creative Intelligence
Joyfully creating in this world, coming from a place of personal inspiration and greater intelligence

6th House

Effort & Struggle
The selfless service and tedious effort necessary to maintain what you've created

7th House

Partners & Relationships
Learning to compromise with others for the greater good of both parties

8th House

Vulnerability & Transformation
The pain that occurs when your deep subconscious foundations of what you thought was true is shattered, and the reemergence therefrom

9th House

Wisdom & Grace
Relying on a greater intelligence outside of yourself for inspiration and higher philosophy

10th House

Work & Duty
Dutifully putting in the real world work necessary to provide for yourself and your family, and to keep society moving

11th House

Personal Fame & Greater Ambitions
Putting yourself out there in a greater capacity, to touch more lives and achieve greater accomplishments

12th House

Surrender & Loss
The eventual and inevitable dissolution of everything you've built coming to an end and disappearing

For a more in depth description of each of the houses, and how the planets interact with these different positions, please visit the Astrology House Meanings page.

Astrology House Positions

To get to know the houses even better it is important to understand where the houses are located in the sky relative to your position on Earth. From where ever you are physically located, the house placements can be determined based your relation to the four angles:

Ascendant

(Asc) When a planet is rising over the Eastern Horizon

Midheaven

(MC) When a planet is directly overhead

Descendant

(Dsc) When a planet is setting over the Western Horizon

Imum Coeli

(IC) When a planet is on the opposite side of the Earth

House placements are always fixed to your location of reference. From wherever you happen to be, the 1st House is always on the Eastern Horizon, the the 10th House is always directly overhead, the 7th House is always on the Western Horizon, and 4th House is always on the opposite side of the Earth from where you are. The remaining houses are divided between these spaces in order.

Since there is an array of different house systems and chart styles used, I will illustrate this concept in several different ways. The important thing to remember is that no matter what time of day it is, or where the planets and signs are located in the sky, the houses will always be in these fixed positions relative to your location.

Wheel Chart
(Equal House System)

In most House Systems the Ascendant acts as the cusp between the 1st and the 12th House, and the Descendant acts as the cusp between the 6th and the 7th House. If you were to think of the Sun going through the houses in this way, just before sunrise the Sun would be in the 1st House, and just after sunrise the Sun would be in the 12th House. Likewise, just before sunset the Sun would be in the 7th House, and just after sunset the Sun would be in the 6th House. The following is the most common illustration of the house placements for most house systems used in astrology. Where the four angles create cusps between the houses, with the MC creating the cusp between the 9th and 10th Houses, and the IC creating the cusp between the 3rd and 4th Houses.

Although the Ascendant, for the most part, is an agreed upon point, different house systems will often calculate the rest of the houses differently. The example below most closely mirrors an Equal House System, where each house is evenly calculated in 30° sections starting from the point of the Ascendant, making its way all the way around the Earth for a total of a 360° circle.

Most other house systems calculate the MC and IC as points where the planets culminate at their highest and lowest points as they move around the Earth. In the Midheaven it is the uppermost point that the planet will reach before making its way back down. In the Imum Coeli it is the lowest point that the planet will reach before making its way back up.

House systems which calculate the angles in this way are differentiated by how the intermediate houses are calculated from within the four angles. Some popular house systems that have the same angle degrees, but differing intermediate houses would include Placidus, Koch, Porphyry, and Campanus, among a host of others.

Wheel Chart
(Whole Sign House System)

A popular exception to the types of house systems listed above is the Whole Sign House System. This house system is calculated by assigning the first house to the entire zodiac sign that is rising over Eastern Horizon, no matter which point in the sign the Ascendant happens to be. This creates a situation where angles are enveloped by the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses to some degree, and the culmination points do not act as the cusps between the houses.

From there the houses are counted in order by sign around the remainder of the zodiac. Since each sign makes up 30° of space, each house is calculated by 30° as well, evenly spaced around a 360° circle of sky, coordinated with the signs. The angles are proportional by degree and not determined by house cusp in this house system.

Vedic Chart North Indian Style
(Whole Sign Houses)

Whole Sign Houses are also typically used in Vedic Astrology, although the chart style differs quite a bit. There are several different chart styles to choose from in Vedic Astrology. I typically use the North Indian Style Chart, characterized by the four diamonds making up the four angles. Here the 1st House is at the top of the chart, and the houses proceed in order going counter-clockwise, compared to the wheel charts where the 1st house is on the left hand side of the chart, also proceeding counter-clockwise around the chart.

So Which House System to Use?

Deciding on which House system to use is really a matter of personal choice, depending on how you've learned. Most modern Western astrologers use the Placidus House System because it seems to work well with the Tropical Zodiac. In fact, most astrology software defaults to the Placidus house system, so it might be the most popular house system used today.

I do not typically use the Placidus House System, as I do not typically use the Tropical Zodiac either. But that isn't a knock against either one, really it is a matter of personal choice, and there are many choices to choose from. That being said, I do use different house systems for different purposes, depending on the situation.

House System for Natal Chart Assessment

For reading a natal chart I typically use the Whole Sign House System in conjunction with the North Indian Style Chart using traditional Vedic Astrology techniques. This allows me assess the personality of the native based on what the Rising Sign is, where the lord of the Ascendant has gone, the Moon's Nakṣatra, and each of the planetary strengths and statuses.

Quick note, Vedic Astrology uses the sidereal zodiac to calculate the signs, which differs from the tropical zodiac which many modern Western astrologers are used to seeing. This also only accounts for the nine traditional planets and not the outer planets. The nine planets used in Vedic Astrology include:

Luminaries (Two):

☉ Sun & ☽ Moon

Elemental Planets (Five):

☿ Mercury, ♀ Venus, ♂ Mars, ♃ Jupiter, & ♄ Saturn

Shadow Planets (Two):

☊ North Node (Rāhu) & ☋ South Node (Ketu)

House System for Relocation Astrology

When casting a relocation chart for locational astrology I use a wheel style chart with two different house systems. I use the Porphyry House system which calculates the angles by their culmination points, then divides those points evenly to make up the intermediate houses. I also use the Equal House System which creates very exact distances by degree from the house cusps to the Ascendant. Both of these house systems show very powerful points of influence based on each of the house cusps, and therefore show which planets are being emphasized in different locations.

I primarily use the sidereal zodiac when looking at these charts as well, but I also take note of any strong planetary positions in the tropical zodiac too. I also include the three outer planets, ♅ Uranus, ♆ Neptune, and ♇ Pluto, as well as two additional asteroids, ⚷ Chiron and ⚳ Ceres.

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Houses in Astrology

Astrology House Meanings