The 12 Houses in Astrology Explained

For roughly a hundred years, the Sun sign has been touted as being all-important in pop astrology articles. Rarely are the other planets mentioned let alone the house system and this is because the people who wrote the articles decades ago weren’t normally qualified astrologers. The issue still persists today, and I think it’s a bit worrying because each house offers more specific information on the different areas of people’s lives, no matter their Sun sign!

If one or more planets is present in a house, that too will influence it. The signs and planets are linked so reading an article about Jupiter in the 7th, for example would be akin to reading about Sagittarius in the 7th really.

As an important side note, many people have “empty houses” in their charts. These are houses that don’t have any planets in them. Some people panic when they find out. They worry that it could means they won’t have children if the 5th is empty or if the 7th is empty that they’ll never get married. But that’s all a big load of myth. It just means that the sign on the cusp should be more closely studied as it alone offers a wealth of information!

Beware the different house systems

The house system used to calculate the houses can change the signs on the cusp of each house. There are many other house systems in use across the world. The house system used at Stars and Paths, and the system which I personally use, is the Placidus house system. If you use a different system to calculate your birth chart, you may find different signs on the cusps. You could even be surprised with a different rising sign!

The meaning of each house

In this article, I offer a brief overview of what each house in the zodiac wheel governs. I could go into a lot more detail about each house (as in a lengthy article for each house!) but this article is to help you get the gist of each one as there are twelve to get to grips with! So, I’ve kept things to the point here.

The 1st house of Self is all about how others perceive us, especially when they first meet us, and how we perceive the world around us. It’s also the mask we wear in public and in the company of people we don’t know very well. It’s a big chunk of who we are as it can heavily influence how we think, feel and act. It’s linked to the sign of Aries, the ram.

In summary, the 1ST house governs:

• How strangers and new people view us
• How we understand the world around us
• The mask we often choose to wear in public
• What we look like
• Overall personality

The 2nd house of personal values is second in importance to the first and follows it in a logical way. It represents the tangible aspects of our lives — our resources, values, and the means by which we secure our livelihoods. It’s a reflection of how we build and manage our wealth and personal resources, and how these aspects contribute to our sense of self-worth and security. It’s associated with the sign of Taurus, the bull.

In Summary, the 2nd House Governs:

• Personal wealth
• Physical belongings
• Stability and security
• Self esteem and self worth
• Personal values and ethics
• Skills and talents

The 3rd house of communication and thought process follows sort of completes the picture of who we are on a personal level to a large degree as it represents our intellect, how we think, and how we communicate. It’s linked to the sign of Gemini, the twins.

In summary, the 3rd house governs:

• Intellect
• Communication 
• Siblings
• Neighbours
• Short journeys
• Transportation
• Manual skills (and hands)

The 4th house of the house of home and family takes a look at where we come from—so what the family that raised us is like, how we behaved and felt growing up, and what home and domesticity looks like for us. It also sheds light on where we end up. It’s linked to the sign of Cancer, the shrewd and intuitive crab, always ready to strike at a good business opportunity. It’s also known as the Imum Coeli or I.C.).

In summary, the 4th house governs:

• Home and domestic life
• Property and land
• Mother or primary caregiver
• Family and heritage 
• Emotional foundations
• Nurturing and caregiving tendencies 
• The past
• Retirement 
• Endings and closure

The 5th house of play and creativity is all about romance, creativity and play. Whenever I think of this house, I feel it to be the lightest in energy. It’s all about joy, fun, play, creativity, and just general freedom and love. It’s probably the most lovable and peaceful of all the houses. It’s linked to the sign of proud, playful and energetic Leo, the lion of the zodiac. It’s associated with playful, boisterous, creative Leo, the lion.

In summary, the 5th house governs:

• Creativity
• Self-Expression
• Recreation and Entertainment 
• Romance and Relationships 
• Children and Parenthood 
• Venturing Into the Unknown

The 6th house of work and daily routine provides information on what we prefer every day life to look like; the sort of things we’d like to include in them and how we deal and enjoy daily life.it’s linked to the sign of Virgo, the hard-working, loyal and dedicated servant to humanity. Virgo is depicted as the virgin in astrology… Not to say that Virgos are chaste!

In summary, the 6th house governs:

• Work and employment
• Service to others and responsibilities
• Daily routine and order
• Small matters and problem solving
• Self improvement and well-being
• Pets

The 7th house of marriage and partnerships is the start of the non-personal houses, although I’m not too certain why they’re called that because the info the contain is still very personal to us! This is second most popular house in astrology because everyone wants to know what kind of person will be their special person!

This house confirms what sort of person we’re attracted to, what we’re like in our romantic and business relationships. It’s always in the sign opposite the first house (ascendant). It’s normally referred to as the descendant by pro astrologers. It’s linked to the sign of Libra, the scales of balance, justice, harmony and beauty.

This house— along with the Sun, Moon, Venus, and Mars—shows you what type person you find most attractive and are most likely to want to formally commit to.

In summary, the 7th house governs:

• Type of person attracted to
• Marriage
• One one interactions
• Open enemies and conflicts
• Binding agreements

The 8th house of inheritance, death and taxes is the house that astrologers look at to try and gauge what sort of inheritance you might receive, what kind of tax situation you may experience as well as, most crucially, what sort of passing you may experience. This house also looks at how long your life might be. It essentially rules everything associated with the mysterious and otherworldly sign of Scorpio, the scorpion. So that also looks at things like the occult and mysticism. Applying this to a person typically looks like what sort of hidden activities or subjects they might be drawn to.

In summary, the 8th house governs:

• Inheritance
• New beginnings / rebirth
• Shared resources 
• Occult and mysticism 
• Taboo and secrets

The 9th house of higher education and spirituality shows us how we express our inner selves; our spirituality, our deepest desires and ultimate goals. It also looks at what kind of adventures we like to go on, what sort of subjects we’re interested in, and how we prefer to learn (for instance, by watching videos, listening, reading or by taking physical action). It’s associated with the energetic sign of Sagittarius, the centaur (a mythical creature that’s half man, half human!).

In summary, the 9th house governs:

• Higher education
• Spirituality
• Adventure and exploration (including abroad)
• Learning and expansion of knowledge
• Teaching and publishing

The 10th house of career and public image governs vocation and career so it should always be examined when determining what sort of work someone does or what they might excel at. However, since the second house governs personal wealth, much can be learned by leaning about it. It’s linked to the sign of Capricorn, the forever pressing forward, sensitive yet resilient sea goat (a mythical half-goat, half-fish creature). It’s also referred to as the Medium Coeli (or just M.C. for short).

In summary, the 10th house governs:

• Career
• Public reputation 
• How others view you at work
• The father
• How disciplined and structured you are

The 11th house of friends and networks shows us what our connections with other human beings are like. For instance, what sort of people we have around us and what our relationship is like with them. On a wider scale, it looks at how we perceive humanity as a whole and how we typically interact with it. Technology is also ruled by this house, although it’s more about how we think of modern tech generally rather than how we use it on a personal, daily basis. It’s linked with the cool, intellectual sign of Aquarius which is depicted as a man pouring water from a large vase.

In summary, the 11th house governs:

• Friendships
• Networking
• Groups
• Community and causes
• Tech and innovation 
• Hopes and dreams (for self and humanity at large)

The 12th house of dreams and the subconscious is the most mystical, mysterious and enigmatic house. It’s the very last of the houses, and honestly, people barely pay any attention to it but it has plenty to tell us about our unconscious side. It’s linked to the sign of Pisces, the healer and fortune-teller of the zodiac, depicted as two fish swimming in opposite directions.

In summary, the 12th house governs:

• Dreams
• Subconscious mind
• Spirituality and mysticism
• Secrets and hidden enemies
• Isolation (with regard to being alone)
• Mental health and healing
• How we connect to the divine

How the houses are aspected

If the house is mostly positively aspected, it means that the above themes associated with it are favorable. If it’s mostly negative aspected it’s referred to as “afflicted” and it means that one challenges may present with the themes of governed by the house. If the house is heavily aspected, as in, there are many aspects formed to it, it may feature more prominently in your life. 

It can be hard to tell how a house is aspected by using an online bird chart calculator. If you aren’t sure how your houses are aspected, it would be best to consult a professional astrologer.

My closing note about the astrological houses

Although plenty of people these days are familiar with their “big three”, a lot people aren’t familiar with the house system. Yet, there’s a plethora of information stored within this system! Your houses are definitely worth looking at if you’re interested in expanding your knowledge of astrology and further interpreting your own birth chart and those of others.

Other astrologers may have different opinions so you may find that other articles on the same house differ quite a lot to mine.