Astrology is often considered a fun part of our lives that only applies when we read daily horoscopes or obsessively check the sun sign compatibility between us and the people we like. But if you take the time to delve beneath the surface of the sun, moon, and rising signs, and look at your personal birth chart, astrology is a detailed and fascinating ancient practice that can help you learn more about yourself. If you've witnessed astrology enthusiasts gush about their birth charts to anyone who'll listen (guilty as charged!), then you've probably heard of the 12 zodiac signs and wondered what they mean. Because finding out someone's "Venus in the 10th house" or their "5th house in Aries" may sound like literal astronomical mumbo jumbo right now, but have no fear, sisters. You'll get astrological house interpretations that will help you understand more about your birth chart - and in turn, learn more about who you are based on the stars.
Most people are already somewhat familiar with the concepts of signs and planets in astrology—if you're a little more advanced, you're probably also familiar with an astrological birth chart, which is essentially a map that shows where each planet is in the zodiac in your at birth. In your birth chart, all the planets are placed in 12 astrological houses, each representing a different area of your life. "A birth chart is a person's personal road map of life, describing our personal vibe and goals - according to astrology, it is divided into 12 houses, which describe the areas of life that are important to us," astrologer Lisa Lisa Stardust tells Bustle. "It depends on the day, place, and time of one's birth." The house position each planet is placed in (or the area in which you live) affects how that planet's influence manifests in you. Each of your house cusps will also fall into one of the 12 signs in your chart, which will give you a deeper understanding of the energies of the area of your life that that house rules.
If you read your birth chart, you will notice that it is round and looks like a pie. The pie is divided into two overlapping sets of slices - one set of slices being the 12 astrological houses we are discussing. These slices are always in approximately the same position, as the cusp of the first house in anyone's chart will be near 9 o'clock. The second set of overlapping slices in a birth chart represents the zodiac signs, which may look different for each person. Therefore, whichever sign slice the cusp of each house falls on is the sign that rules that house in your personal chart. (Note: In the image above, the sign is perfectly aligned with the house, but this rarely happens in real life!)
Collectively, it is said that these 12 houses represent all areas of a person's life and experience. The 1st through 6th houses are known as your "personal houses," or the houses that revolve around your own affairs, while the 7th through 12th houses are your "relationship houses," or those related to your relationship with the world around you. Contact the relevant house. As you navigate the house system and its meanings, you'll notice a thematic journey that builds outward—from your personal inner world to your transcendent interpersonal connections with the outer world. Unlike planets and signs, houses are not associated with a certain type of energy—rather, they provide the context for the landscape in which the planets and signs interact in our lives.
Each house also has its own natural planetary ruler and sign, which may differ from your own. For example, the first house of the zodiac is naturally ruled by Aries and is associated with Mars. But in your personal chart, it's likely to be in Libra, housing Mercury and Jupiter. Reasonable?
It's helpful to know exactly what each house in astrology represents - but remember, in order to know what that area looks like for you , you'll have to consult your birth chart (you can calculate it online for free, just You have your exact date, time and place of birth). If this all sounds complicated, a professional astrologer can be a huge help in navigating your birth chart and understanding the houses and the signs and planets in each house.
Let’s have an astrology open house, shall we? These are the basic meanings of the 12 houses in astrology.
1st house: house of self
Natural ruler: Aries and Mars
What it represents: Your first house is also known as the "Ascendant" and it begins our journey through the astrological houses. It stands for “you” in the simplest terms and governs our self-image, sense of self, and the image we project to others. It even literally rules our appearance. The 1st house (quite appropriately) covers concepts related to "firsts" and new beginnings - such as the first impression you make, or the way you take initiative and start something new. Also, if you know your rising sign, that will tell you that your first house is in that sign - because rising sign is just another term for the cusp of the first house. If you have any planets in the first house, they are likely to play a significant role in your life and personality.
Second House: House of Finances and Values
Natural Guardian: Taurus and Venus
What it represents: The 2nd house is the house of all physical things—including your five senses and all basic sensory experiences. It also has to do with money, wealth and earthly possessions and your attitude towards these things. Also, it's about value - when I say value, I mean how you value material things and how you value yourself , so your self-esteem and self-worth are also connected to the 2nd house. On the dark side, this is also an area of the chart that, depending on your placement, can indicate issues with greed, low self-worth, or financial difficulties.
Third House: House of Communication
Natural ruler: Gemini and Mercury
What it represents: The 3rd house is where we start to step outside of ourselves a little and interact with the people, places and things around us - so it determines how you express yourself through language (this includes communication through virtual reality) the internet and you devices), your basic activities (such as commuting to and from work), the way you think and use basic logic, and your most basic, simple relationships (such as with siblings, neighbors, and coworkers). Since it's ruled by talkative Gemini and communication-facilitating Mercury, it also rules things like small talk and gossip. In other words, it rules the areas of your life that tend to get chaotic during Mercury retrograde.
Fourth House: House of Home
Natural Guardian: Cancer and the Moon
What it represents: This house is your foundation (literally, it's at the very bottom of the zodiac!), and it represents matters of home and family unit. This covers safety issues, both literal safety (such as housing security and a safe place to live) and emotional safety (such as the way you feel safe, nurtured and nurtured). Ultimately, it represents your sense of home—both in the place you live and the people who make you feel comfortable. Houses are also connected to your ancestors, your memories, your past and your sense of nostalgia. The planets here indicate a lot of energy in your home life.
Fifth House: House of Pleasure and Creativity
Natural Guardian: Leo and the Sun
What it stands for: This house is about creativity, the realization and expression of joy - in short, having fun! This includes hobbies and recreational activities you do to make yourself happy, as well as everything to do with romance, relationships, and casual sex. It also rules the child in a literal creative sense. It's also considered the house of "luck," so if you want to know how you fare in games of chance, look at your planets here. This is the house of the heart—your joys, your passions, and your romantic and creative pursuits—so analyzing your planetary positions and signs in this house can tell you how to handle these things.
Sixth House: House of Health and Service
Natural Guardian: Virgo and Mercury
WHAT IT REPRESENTS: This house is about the work and service you put into your life - what your work ethic is like, how you personally serve others, and even the mundane tasks we need to accomplish today - day-to-day life. What matters is not what your career is, but the actual work and dedication you put into it. This house also rules health (which, of course, determines your physical ability to actually work ). This involves all aspects of a healthy lifestyle, such as diet and nutrition, exercise, and the pursuit of self-improvement. Interestingly, this house is the ruler of pets and small animals, perhaps because of the important role they play in our health and daily responsibilities.
Seventh House: House of Partnerships
Natural Guardians: Libra and Venus
What it represents: Since this house is opposite your first house of self, so is what it rules - so this house is less about the self and more about our one-to-one connections with other people. It governs all kinds of relationships and partnerships, including marriage, as well as business partnerships (basically any relationship where there is a contract between multiple parties!). Conversely, it also rules negative relationships, such as competitors, enemies, divorce, or litigation. As you may have noticed, legal matters are a theme here (Libra is the sign of justice, after all), so keep an eye on your planetary placement in this house as a potential indicator to be wary of binding contracts. In general, this house covers one-to-one relationships in general, so planets here may also just indicate how you relate to other people and operate in a community.
Eighth House: House of Sexuality and Transformation
Natural Guardians: Scorpio and Pluto
What it represents: The 8th house has a reputation for being quite mysterious, wide-ranging, and difficult to define—and given that Scorpio rules the zodiac, it's also stereotyped as being on the dark side. According to AstroStyle, this house rules "death, rebirth, taxes, inheritance, wills and legacies, sex...potential mystical abilities, common resources...bankruptcy, loss, personal sacrifice, alimony, clairvoyance." Well, gee, that was a mouthful. But all in all, this mysterious house is about transformation. It's about endings, yes, but also about the new beginnings that follow that they inevitably bring about - a natural transfer or exchange of energy. This might explain why seemingly random things like taxes are included here along with things like sex. This house is about personal growth, personal boundaries, and the sacrifices we have to make and the crises we have to face in order to facilitate those things.
Ninth House: The House of Big Ideas
Natural Guardians: Sagittarius and Jupiter
What it represents: This house is highly philosophical as it relates to our core belief systems, higher education, religion and the pursuit of knowledge. Remember that the 3rd house is about fundamental ideas? This house, its opposite, rules higher and more complex ideas, and higher education. In true Sagittarius form, it also rules our sense of adventure, including travel, long distance travel (literal and spiritual), and the exploration of different cultures or languages. The Ninth House is where we find deeper meaning in life, broaden our horizons, challenge and develop our personal beliefs.
10th House: House of Public Image
Natural rulers: Capricorn and Saturn
What it represents: Your 10th house cusp is at the top of your chart, also known as the Midheaven in astrology. This is especially important as it relates to your overall life path and career. This house governs your public image, reputation, professional life, social status, and even fame. It also represents authority – which can be translated as representing a “father figure” or a father’s influence in your life. Look at where you are in this house to gain insight into your career path, and be on the lookout for any tendencies that suggest you see yourself too much through the eyes of others and are overly concerned with your reputation.
Eleventh House: Home of Community and Friends
Natural Guardians: Aquarius and Uranus
What it stands for: Unlike a Partnership House, which is more focused on contracts or one-on-one relationships, this house is more about community, membership, organized groups and working together. The eleventh house rules friendships, teamwork, networking, and, in addition, social justice—and Aquarius' deep desire to change the norm. It also represents our common or lifelong goals and aspirations for human progress, and our efforts to make these fantasies a reality. Look at your 11th house placement to gain insight into your role in a community or other group dynamics.
Twelfth House: House of the Subconscious and Secrets
Natural rulers: Pisces and Neptune
What it represents: Welcome to the mysterious twelfth (and final) house. Given that this is the last house of the zodiac, it represents endings and the deepest evolution of our souls. It rules over our unconscious, secrets, dreams and sleep, karma and past life trauma, our shadow selves, surrender, mystical and supernatural energies, and incarceration (literal and metaphorical). In other words: heavy stuff. This house rules the depths of our unconscious—those parts of us that we avoid, or don't even know exist—so working to understand where you are in the twelfth house can help you understand our deepest inner workings. Who are you. The more we work to heal our deep wounds, the less we have to worry about the other confusing ways darkness will show up in our lives.
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Now that you know more about the house system in astrology and what part of your life each house represents, take a look at your birth chart! Once you find the sign that each house in your chart belongs to (and the planet you inhabit in each house), you will learn more about yourself and how you relate to different aspects of your life.
