The 12 Houses in Astrology Explained

For roughly a hundred years, the Sun sign has been treated as all-important in popular astrology. Rarely are the other planets mentioned let alone the house system and this is because the people who wrote astrology articles many decades ago weren’t hugely educated on the subject. The issue persists today, and I think it’s a bit worrying because house offers a wealth of information about us.

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 roughly 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 discover this. They worry that it could mean they won’t have any 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, I can assure you. It just means that the sign on the cusp should be more closely studied as this alone offers a great deal of information.

Beware the Different House Systems

The house system used to calculate the houses can alter 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 & Paths Astrology, 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 may even be surprised to find a different rising sign! You can use an online calculator to compare house systems, if you wish. You can them see which one sits best with you.

Other popular house systems include:

• Whole Sign
• Koch
• Equal
• Solar Chart

The Meaning of Each House

In this article, I offer an 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 to avoid overwhelming you. In the future, I’ll almost certainly write in-depth articles on each of the houses.

The 1st house of Self

This house governs how others perceive us, especially when they first meet us. It’s 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 heavily influences our identity, how we think, feel, and act. It additionally influences how we perceive the world around us.

It’s linked to the sign of Aries, the direct and energetic 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 POSSESSIONS

This is second in importance to the first and follows it in a logical way. It represents the tangible aspects of our lives — our resources, property, money, and the job or other 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 tenacious 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

The 3rd 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 sociable and clever twins.

In summary, the 3rd house governs:

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

The 4th House of Home and Family

The 4th house of domesticity takes a look at where we come from. So, what the family that raised us was like, how we behaved and felt growing up, what the family home was like, physically, socially and emotionally, and what home and domesticity currently looks like for us. It also sheds light on where we end up in our retirement years (if we’re lucky enough to get there). It’s linked to the sign of Cancer, the shrewd and intuitive crab. It’s also known as the Imum Coeli or I.C. for short.

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 Creativity and Romance

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 Leo, the proud, playful, and energetic 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

This house provides information on what we prefer every day life to look like; the sort of things we’d like to include and how we deal with and enjoy daily life. It’s linked to the sign of Virgo, the hard-working, loyal, and dedicated virgin (although, of course, Virgos are not 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

This 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 next to the 1st house of self because everyone wants to know what their spouse will be like!

This house confirms what sort of person we’re attracted to and what we’re like in our romantic and business relationships. It’s 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 wish to formally commit to.

In summary, the 7th house governs:

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

The 8th house of death and taxes

This 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 linked to the sign of Scorpio, the clever and self protective Scorpion (although there are actually three signs within Scorpio). So that also looks at things like the occult and mysticism, which the sign is associated with. This house also indicates what sort of hidden activities or subjects people may 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 LEARNING and spirituality

Shows us how we express our inner selves, our spirituality, our deepest desires and our 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 optimistic and energetic sign of Sagittarius, the centaur; a mythical creature that’s half horse, 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

The 10th governs vocation and public reputation so it should always be examined when determining what sort of work someone does or what they may excel in. However, since the 2nd governs personal wealth, much can be learned by reading about that house too. It’s linked to the sign of Capricorn, the steely yet sensitive 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

This house 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 regard 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 don’t pay a great deal of attention to it but it has plenty to tell us about our subconscious selves. It’s linked to the sign of Pisces, the healer and fortune-teller of the zodiac. It’s 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 themes associated with it are favorable. If it’s mostly negative aspected it’s referred to as “afflicted”. This means that challenges may surface in the areas of life governed by it. If the house is heavily aspected, as in, many aspects formed with it, it may feature more prominently in your life — whether negatively or positively.

It can be hard to tell how a house is aspected by using an online 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.

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