The
Houses Defined
The birth chart is divided into twelve
houses, each of which represents a different area of life. The
houses are where we encounter the energies of the signs and
planets.
 The
First House is the house of personal identity, and is where
we encounter things that we consider to be fundamental to
who we are as individuals. The First house is what we bring
forward, what we hold out when we go into the world and relate
with others. Anything that we can use to describe ourselves
from who we are to how we look is found in the first house.
The Ascendant or Rising Sign is the sign that
was on the eastern horizon at the time of birth. The Ascendant
is not a house, but an Angle. It is usually also the start
or cusp of the 1st house. The Sign of the Ascendant shows
how we first encountered and experienced the world, and this
experience shapes all of our future experiences. The Ascendant
is the way that we want the world to see us. It how we want
to be known by others; it is the mask that we wear.
 The
Second House is the house of material security, and is where
we encounter anything that we can call our own. This includes
both our material possessions and our values, beliefs and
talents. The second house represents how we generate our resources.
 The
Third House is the house of social and intellectual learning.
This is where we begin to explore our environment, and to
make sense out of the world. The Third House is also related
to early education, all forms of communication and short journeys.
The Third House also contains brothers and sisters, childhood
friends, and neighbors.
 The
Fourth House is the house of emotional identity. The fourth
house is where we discover our connection with our emotions,
and with our past. The Fourth House represents the home, the
family, and our most private thoughts and feelings. The Fourth
House is the most private and personal area of the chart.
The Fourth House, as well as the Tenth House relate to the
parents; traditionally, the Fourth House represents the Father,
but the more recent definitions assign the Mother to the Fourth
House. Often, a compromise is reached, and the Fourth House
is assigned to the "more nurturing" parent.
 The
Fifth House is the house of identity security. This is the
house where we encounter the things that make us feel special,
the things that we use to receive attention and admiration
from other people. Children, love affairs, gambling, and any
kind of creative expression are all part of the Fifth House.
 The
Sixth House is the house of material learning, and it is where
we encounter the things that we must do on a day-to-day basis
in order to maintain a physical body. The Sixth House concerns
our physical health, as well as our job or daily occupations
and things that we do to be of use and service to others.
 The
Seventh House is the house of social identity. While the first
house represents who we are, the seventh house represents
who we are not. This house represents our partners, both romantic
and platonic, contractual obligations, and open enemies. The
Seventh House is the house of one-to-one relationships.
 The
Eighth House is the house of emotional and soul security.
This is where we seek to connect and merge with another person
on the deepest levels. The Eighth House is related to sex,
to death, and to other people's resources. The Eighth House
is also related to all activities where we can lose our sense
of self through intense focus. Research, investigative activities,
psychology, and archeology are found in the Eighth House,
as are occult and secret pursuits.
 The
Ninth House is the house of learning about identity. In the
Ninth House we encounter the things that help us to discover
our place as individuals in the greater scheme of things.
The Ninth House relates to higher education, long distance
and foreign travel and organized religion.
 The
Tenth House is the house of Material Identity. This is where
we seek to create a tangible manifestation of who we are in
the world. The Tenth House relates to our career, to how we
are known by others, and to our accomplishments in the outside
world.
 The
Midheaven is the most visible point in the chart, and it represents
how you actually are seen by the world (as opposed to the
Ascendant which represents how you would like others to see
you). The Midheaven is not a house, but an angle. It is usually
(but not always) the cusp of the Tenth House. The Midheaven
is your public face, and also where you encounter success
and recognition from the world. The Midheaven and the Tenth
House rule the career, while the Sixth house governs your
day to day work, and the Second house your resources and how
you are likely to earn a living.
 The
Eleventh House is the house of Social and Intellectual Security.
In the Eleventh House, we seek acceptance by our peers as
an equal. The Eleventh House represents friends and social
groups, and it also represents the love that we receive from
others.
 The
Twelfth House is the house of Emotional and Soul Learning,
and it contains the things that we must do on a day to day
basis to maintain a spiritual and soul identity. Traditionally,
the Twelfth House is related to prisons, secret enemies and
the unconscious, as well as service to others and institutions.
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