Beginner's Guide to the Zodiac Houses

Guide to the Houses

There is more to your birth chart than your big three! Did you know that your house placements dictate how and where this energy will be expressed? Explore this guide to better understand the zodiac houses, giving you a fuller image of what makes you, you! 

The Personal Houses
The first six houses are called the personal houses. They rule our private and immediate lives: individuality, our daily environments, our siblings and peers, parents, and our attempts to define and express who we are.

A person whose chart has a lot of planets in the first six houses may have trouble leaving the nest or may remain nostalgically loyal to childhood friends.   

Folks who have the majority of their placements in the personal houses may also be action-oriented and have a more private nature when it comes to expression. This can cause them to be self-reliant, which can be a good thing if not taken to extremes of hyper-independence. 

Those with personal-house heavy charts have the benefit of a strong foundation, as this concentrated energy gives you a powerful sense of self-worth, routines, and daily skills. 

The Interpersonal Houses
The seventh through the twelfth zodiac houses are considered the interpersonal planets. These houses rule our subconscious, spirituality, career, travel, society, relationships, and joint ventures.

Those who have primarily interpersonal houses may be very career-focused and prone to leave the past behind, growing closer to friends made in adulthood. They are also not shy when it comes to feeling the full depth of emotion, as they often find comfort living in their mind and being in active conversation with their feelings.

Primarily, individuals who are more interpersonal-oriented are more focused on the collective versus the self. This can be great for community-building and relationships, and also can be difficult when seeking a sense of self. Those with interpersonal-dominant charts must ensure that they are pouring into themselves as much as others, as it is a disaster waiting to happen pouring from an empty vessel. 

While the first six houses relate to the development of the self (‘me’ houses), the last six houses govern interactions with others (‘we’ houses).    

First House - This house begins the zodiac, and is where the Ascendant sign resides. Where your ascendant placement is determines your appearance and first impressions, and also how you take on fresh starts and beginnings. 

For example, those with fire rising signs, such as Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, are more likely to start projects with vigor. They may lack the determination to see it through, such as an Earth rising like Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. For a fire-sign ascendant, the start is the best part! 

Second House - The second house governs the material realm in its most basic form. Our five senses, sensuality, and our immediate material and physical environment. This house also rules income, money, and self-esteem. 

While the zodiac shows what energy you have, the house represents how and where that energy will manifest. Here’s an example: Having your sun in the second house suggests your self-worth is tied to your work and material possessions, while Jupiter in the second house indicates an easier path to abundance and generosity with resources.

Third House - The third house rules all forms of communication. Our mental energy, how we talk, gadgets, and mobile devices. Third house placements also cover siblings, neighborhoods, local travel, libraries, schools, teachers, and community affairs.

Those with Mercury in their third house have a natural gift for communication and have ample mental energy, while someone with Saturn in their third house might suggest a more deliberate, critical approach to information processing and slower adoption of new trends. 

Fourth House - This house is ruled by the watery Cancer, and sits at the very bottom of the zodiac wheel. Thus, this house rules the foundation of all things, including home, privacy, your basic security, your parents (particularly your mother), children, your own parental abilities, nurturing, and TLC.

Fifth House - The Fifth house is the domain of the fiery and passionate Leo. It governs self-expression, creativity, attention, romance, drama, fun, and play. 

This energy translates to show how we flirt, how we express our creativity, what we enjoy doing, and our approach to romantic relationships. For example, those with Cancer in their fifth house tend to nurture their partners and are not ones to dive into flings. They are at their happiest when they can fully express their sentimental nature with those they love and have that energy reciprocated. 

Sixth House -  The sixth house governs health and service. It rules schedules, organization, routines, fitness, diet, exercise, helpfulness, and being of service to others.

Someone with an earth sign in their sixth house will be dedicated to the daily operations of the home and health. They will prioritize organization and cleanliness, and may express acts of service by clearing out a friend’s closet, contributing to city clean-ups, or cooking a nourishing meal.

Seventh House - This house is the sector of relationships and other people. It governs all partnerships, both business and personal, and relationship-associated matters, like contracts, marriage, and business deals. The seventh house is ruled by the air-sign Libra. This charming sign is one to see all sides of a situation, seeking a resolution that makes everyone happy. 

Your seventh-house sign dictates how you reach conflict resolution, your choice in aesthetics/beauty, your long-term partnerships, and your sense of justice. For example, if you have Sagittarius in the seventh house, you are likely to seek partnerships that are adventurous, optimistic, honest, and lovers of freedom. They may also be attracted to partners from different cultures or backgrounds. 

Eighth House - This elusive house is a sector that rules death, sex, transformation, birth, mysteries, merged energies, and bonding at the deepest level. The eighth house also rules property and money (real estate, inheritances, investments, etc), and all tortured feelings that rise up as part of the letting-go process. 

For example, someone with an Aries eighth house might approach these areas with boldness and initiation, while a Pisces eighth house suggests a more intuitive, spiritual, and compassionate engagement with these profound life experiences.

Ninth House - The ninth house is ruled by the expansive and travel-loving Sagittarius. Sagittarian energy covers the higher mind, international and long-distance travel, foreign languages, inspiration, optimism, publishing, broadcasting, higher education, luck, risk, gambling, philosophy, and ethics.

If your ninth house is ruled by Capricorn, it would indicate a more structured or disciplined approach to these areas, while an Aries ninth house would suggest a pioneering spirit in seeking knowledge and philosophical truth. 

Tenth House - The tenth house governs structures, corporations, public image, tradition, fame, honors, achievements, awards, boundaries, rules, authority, fathers, and fatherhood. The cusp, or border, of the tenth house is also called the midheaven, and it clues astrologers into your career path. 
  
Eleventh House - This house rules friendships, groups, society, teams, networking, social justice, rebellion, and technology. It also rules originality, eccentricity, sudden events, surprises, invention, astronomy, science fiction, and all things futuristic. 

Twelfth House - The twelfth is the final house of the zodiac wheel, which rules endings. This house covers the final stages of a project, completions, the afterlife, tying up loose ends, old age, and surrender. It also rules the subconscious mind, imagination, creativity, arts, film, dance, poetry, and journals.            

Conclusion

Now with a better understanding of the houses, you can have a more detailed look at what your cosmic make-up means, and how it is expressed. When we have a solid understanding of ourselves, we garner a stable foundation of self-worth that catapults us onto the correct life path. Being in active communication with the universe is a rewarding experience that’ll bring those blessings in!

Not sure how to dictate where your house placements are? We recommend visiting Astro Cafe at the link here. Plug in your birth city and time of birth, and you’re good to go!