When astrology is discussed, a frequently recurring topic is that of the astrological Houses, a concept many people are unfamiliar with. Because of this, in this article we've decided to explain the meaning behind each House and what they consist of.
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The meaning of these astrological houses. What exactly are they?
The inner wheel of the astral chart is divided into twelve sections denominated Houses, which make up a specific astrological category related to our everyday activities.
This inner circle of the astral chart is fixed and is orientated in such a way that East lies to the left, North lies at the bottom, West lies to the right and South lies above the figure. The first House is in the East and the rest follow in an anticlockwise manner.
The zodiac circle moves concentrically with the Houses, meaning the signs pass through all of them successively. A planet (or more than one) found in a specific astrological House affects the area that House represents, and influences it in accordance to the planet's characteristics.
In order to divide the circle into twelve astrological Houses, we must first consider the horizontal natal line, which joins the cusps of the first and the seventh House. The cusp of the first House is known as the ascendent, while the cusp of the seventh House is known as the descendent.
Secondly, we must pay attention to a perfect line traced through the meridian of the birthplace, these two lines divide the chart in four parts. The points where the lines cut the circle are called the cusps, and in these cusps the angular or cardinal houses begin. These are the first House or Ascendent, the tenth House or Midheaven, the seventh House or Descendent, and the fourth House or the Rootpoint (also known as Imum Coeli).
For the rest of the Houses, we the main way of dividing them is into two groups, the fixed Houses, which are the 2nd, the 5th, the 8th and the 11th; and the mutable, which are the 3rd, the 6th, the 9th and the 12th. There is another secondary way of dividing the Houses, the first group are the Fortunate Houses, the 2nd, the 5th and the 11th; and the Unfortunate houses, the 6th, the 8th and the 12th.
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The 12 Houses of the Zodiac
We will now go over the 12 astrological Houses, and we must remind you that the first 6 are related in some way to the other 6.
The 1st House
This House represents personality, mood, health, and physical aspects such as body type. It represents how the subject come across to others, and influences his/her gestures and behaviour to others. If a planet is found in this House it has a very strong influence.
The 2nd House
This house symbolizes all our possessions, and our attitude towards them. It signifies material resources which help us in a physical sense. It is also related to affectivity, tied in strongly with whatever planet is found in it.
The 3rd House
Of all the Houses, this is the one that ties into family bonds: brother, partners, etc. It is also linked to education, communication, means of transport and languages. It's the House which symbolizes intelligence and all types of relationships we each develop with our environment and our everyday life.
The 4th House
It's the beginning and the end of life, home is our base. It's the astrological House linking us to our parents, along with the 10th House. Affecting our aptitude and capacity to maintain the bond. Another topic it affects is the stability of our household, our intimacy and our dream states.
The 5th House
This House is the one which affects children, projects, hobbies, sports, guessing games and our love for domestic animals. If there is an unfortunate planet in this House, it could mean irresponsibilty and hedonism.
The 6th House
This House affects work, subordinates and the person's attitude towards them, it also affects health (although some details cannot be found in this House).
The 7th House
Similarly to the first House, the seventh House is related to people surrounding and linked to the individual, whether it be an affectionate bond, or a business one. It also gives clues as to how a marriage or couple is.
The 8th House
This House governs money coming from legacies and inheritances, from stock market trading and from insurance companies. This House also gives clues about sexual urges, shared feelings, life, death, and our attitude towards these topics.
The 9th House
This House is linked to intellect and education, much like the 3rd House. However, this House references higher-level studies, more specific topics, real and imagined discoveries, our idios kosmos, our morale, our ethics and our dreams.
The 10th House
Connected to the 4th House, this is the House of aspirations, public image, and everything related to our external environment, our social position and our success.
The 11th House
This house extols our personal pleasure, our friends and acquaintances, places in which we meet people (clubs, nightclubs, associations, bars), It also affects our intellectual pleasure and the way we interact with physical exercise.
The 12th House
This is the last House and it strengthens the need for isolation and for being independent. It also affects our subconscious and is the House of avoidances, misfortune and hidden enemies. If there are a few planets in this House it is read as a tendency of avoidance through the use or misuse of addictions which distract the individual from his/her harsh reality.
Lastly, if a House hasn't got any planets in it, it doesn't mean that it isn't important for the individual in question, but that we should take into consideration the sign in which the cusp of the house falls on.