Astrology 101: The Houses Part 1
Welcome to the fourth and fifth installment of the Astrology 101 series, where we will be discussing the houses! If the planets describe the archetype, actor, or role played in our lives, and the signs provide the style or personality of which the planet will play out that role, then the houses describe where these actions will be taking place within our lives.
For this discussion, it’s important to note that I use whole sign houses. There are many different systems in modern astrology that divide the chart into twelve houses. Whole sign is the oldest and first house system used, and the only one that has proven to work for me. Additionally, whole sign house system is the only one that works with the theoretical framework that astrology was founded on – The Thema Mundi. Whole sign house system places each house to equal one zodiac sign, no matter what degree the AC is at. For example, if your rising degree is at 28 degrees Gemini, the entire sign of Gemini is considered the first house. Learn how to pull up your chart in whole sign here.
Feel free to experiment with other house systems in your development with astrology – however, be sure to pick one and stick with it. Understanding the framework for why that house system was created is useful. No matter what different house system you use, the meanings of the houses will remain the same. Let’s dive in.
The First House – Helm/Hour-Marker
The first house contains the rising sign, also known as the Ascendent. In ancient times, it was called the “Helm,” which is the lever or wheel that controls the direction of the ship. It’s called the Hour-Marker because it changes about every two hours and is therefore marked by the hour and minute of which you were born. Two people could be born on the same day, but at slightly different times, and that may leave them with different rising signs and therefore different first houses.
Due to the importance of having an exact time of birth, the first house is used to describe the individual. In a sense, it’s the place of self, how you see yourself and how other people see you. The first house is all about who the object of the chart is, and the other houses describe things and other people in the individual’s life. In ancient astrology, it’s known as the place of life, because it’s determined at the moment you were born and therefore considered to be the time when the soul enters the body. The first house can also describe one’s body and physical appearance.
Mercury is said to have its joy in the first house. For a planet to have its joy in a house simply means that it functions well within the house’s meanings. Mercury rejoices in the first because it’s the horizon, or the place where night and day blend together. If you remember, Mercury is neither diurnal or nocturnal, it is the psychopomp that is both. The first house contains both as well, both night and day, and the transitional space between.
The first house is used along with the Sun and Moon to determine who the person is and what they are like, as well as challenges or gifts the individual may have naturally when it comes to expressing oneself. The first house helps to describe the direction you may be drawn to take in your life, in a way, steering your life in a certain fashion, just like at the helm of the ship.
The Second House – Gate of Hades
Money, resources, and the objects that support the livelihood of a person are contained in the second house. It’s called the Gate of Hades because it’s the last place of darkness and “underworld” before the planets break into the first house, or the horizon, and can be seen in the light of day. Remember that the planets move clockwise through the chart while the houses are numbered in a counterclockwise fashion.
If the first house represents the life of the individual, the second house is all the resources needed to sustain that life and for it to grow and flourish. It is one of the houses used to determine work and livelihood, but more specially centered on how one makes money and brings in resources. The first house is more centered on the soul and spirit of the individual, and the second house is seen as the descent into the material world, similarly the connection between Hades/Pluto and wealth and riches that Pluto is associated with.
The second house not only describes the money we have and how we make money, but also how we spend money and the possessions we buy and hold value for. From a modern astrology perspective, the second house may also be seen as the self-esteem we have for ourselves, like whether we believe that we can achieve the things we want to do and are able to find abundance in the material world.
The Third House – Goddess
After the individual descends into the material world and develops the resources they need to support themselves, the third house signifies the beginning of the person’s movement to the outside world. It is represented by siblings, or close friends that feel like siblings, and other relatives. It also signifies short-distance travel, like walking around town and the neighborhood that one lives in. The third house is all about daily rituals and the daily routine one partakes in, like getting the mail, reading your favorite blog, talking with your neighbors, and going to the grocery store.
The Moon holds her joy in the third house, which is why it’s named the house of Goddess. The third house also represents daily worships, religious rituals, temples, and sacred places that one attends on a fairly regular basis. The Goddess is represented by the Moon, and the monthly rituals performed during the Moon’s phases, such as New and Full Moon rites. This may also be the place of divination, dreams, and spell-work under the lunations and the dark of night, as the third place sits well below the horizon.
Modern astrology tends to associate the third house with communication, which may be another aspect of the Moon having her joy there. The Moon is the fastest moving luminary, changing signs every two and half days, so it serves as a communicator or relayor of information between other planets that move slowly. Therefore, the third house may be associated with daily readings, writing projects, or teaching and communicating works of knowledge that you read and learn about every day.
The Fourth House – Subterraneous
The very bottom of the chart, represented by midnight and the darkest part of day is contained in the fourth house, or the subterraneous layer. Symbolically, this represents the hidden life of the individual, the home and living area that is concealed from how other people may see you in the outside world. This is often because the house opposite to the fourth is the tenth, known as the Midheaven and the most visible part of the individual. Therefore, the fourth holds the secrets or life that is tucked away from the public and visible parts of self.
The fourth house also represents the individual’s family and foundations, the familial roots and where the individual has come from. It represents the childhood and the environment that one grew up in as well as one’s current living situations and homelife. Parents, grandparents, and people you live with are represented by the fourth house. This place also rules over real estate or the physical area of residence, including your hometown. It shows where you tend to spend most of your time away from public visibility.
In the Hellenistic tradition, the fourth house often represents death or dying, especially with its relation to the darkest part of night. Modern astrologers have moved the aspect of death to the eighth house, but research and history have often shown the fourth house being activated during the times of loss or death, of oneself and family members.
The Fifth House – Good Fortune
The fifth house is traditionally associated with children of the individual, those that they birth themselves or adopt, or simply associate with through other family members and perhaps even with their work in the world. Pertaining to the theme of children, the fifth house also contains sex and causal partners of the individual as well as overall fun and creation energies. The idea is that children are seen as the creation of self, so other creative projects, things that we birth not only through our body but also mind, are found in the fifth house.
Venus holds her joy in the fifth, reiterating the aspect of fun and enjoyment found in this house, and is also why the fifth house is known as the house of Good Fortune. Venus is a benefic planet that is often associated with beauty, creativity, children, and having fun. The fifth house contains those benefic energies of producing fun and “good” work into the world, while also bestowing luck and blessings onto the physical aspects of the individual.
How you create joy in the world, through creative projects of the mind and through the body (children) as well exploring the joys of the body through sex and sexual activities are all related to Venus’ association with the fifth.
The Sixth House – Bad Fortune
Mars rejoices in the sixth house, the house following Venus’ joy, and is therefore traditionally known as the house of Bad Fortune. Practically speaking, the sixth house speaks to our body and heath. Physical illness, injury, and issues with our body health can be found when the sixth house is activated. This illness or injury is more related to the physical body, such as breaking a bone, which is in contrast to the opposite house that relates to mental health.
Traditionally, the sixth house also represents servants and slaves, or those that work under you. Applied to more modern times, this house may speak for your work environment, who you work with, your employers, and employees that work for you. It can highlight your daily work routines and the daily grind aspect of your career. Your daily work life, and how you interact with who you work with, are found in the sixth house.
Finally, the sixth house also represents our pets and four-footed animals. This is believed to fall under the subservient aspect of the house. Those with planets or prominent placements within the sixth house may be more inclined to have pets or work with animals on a daily basis.
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