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Get Your Reading NowWhat Do The Houses Mean in Astrology?
Remember that damning tweet your ex posted, then deleted? You captured that tweet with a screenshot immediately—pics or it didn't happen, right? That's not just a modern motto.
As above, so below, because the moment you took your first breath, the Universe captured a selfie—your first screenshot—showing every star, moon, and planet's location at that very moment, precisely where you were as a newborn stargazer contemplating her vast cosmos. If you divide your cosmic snapshot into 12 sections—voila! The 12 houses in astrology.
First house of self | Sign: Aries | Planet: Mars
The house of self holds your ascendant or rising sign, the sign that was just emerging on the eastern horizon at your birth. It makes sense that this first house is the house of self. It represents your emergence into existence and how you outwardly appear.
The Aries ruler serves as a tempering mirror reflecting your true identity, how you relate to your physical self, and where you can personally grow. After all, you'll never be closer to anyone than you are to you.
Second house of possessions | Sign: Taurus | Planet: Venus
Once you emerge from the Universe's bosom into physical existence, part of the human experience is collecting possessions. Taurus presides over this house, imparting a firm, watchful eye over finances, the possessions you have, and what you hold most dear to your heart. Venus softens the bullish Taurus influence, which helps you see how your money, belongings, and resources influence how you value yourself.
The Venus-Taurus partnership here, in trilateral union with your sun sign, presents an open world in which your potential is only limited by your perception of it.
Third house of communication | Sign: Gemini | Planet: Mercury
Nicknamed The Twins, Gemini rules the house of communication and sharing as two identical fluid shapes that together create one full, unique being—you. As fluidity goes, Mercury's authority is apropos: it suggests a "temperature of the water" influenced communication.
Communication, in this sense, is anything you impart or transmit, whether spoken, unspoken, or written. It can include your mental processes and learning style, as well as how you interact with your immediate environment, the people within that environment (siblings, for instance), and the people just outside this environment (neighbors, extended family).
Fourth house of home and family | Sign: Cancer | Planet: Moon
There's an intimate relationship between Earth and Moon. The planet and its satellite are forever entwined, which can be witnessed most apparently in the changing of tides and the light shone upon a path at midnight.
This relationship is personified by you and your family. In this natal house, Cancer acts as a yardstick measuring family dynamics and emotional experiences during childhood, which built the foundation for your nurturing instincts—self-nurturing and nurturing of others.
Fifth house of creativity and romance | Sign: Leo | Planet: Sun
Leo's suave, debonair lion strides confidently across life's savannah, with his fiery mane magnificently gleaming in the early morning sunshine. So, it's not surprising that the house of creativity and romance—your passion—is ruled by both the lion and the sun.
Your fifth house placements help guide you to what makes you feel happiest and most fulfilled in romance, the arts, and personal hobbies. In other words, this is a house of creation, both artistically and realistically, as in the creation of children.
Sixth house of work and health | Sign: Virgo | Planet: Mercury
Virgo is the pragmatist of the zodiac—the one with separate planners for work and personal tasks, and a to-do list that includes every minute detail of every task's subtasks. It's the routine that matters, and Virgo thrives in the garden of routine.
Virgo presiding over the house of work and health is quite appropriate, and Mercury serves as a guide to the importance of your duties (to self and others) and attention to detail.
Seventh house of partnerships | Sign: Libra | Planet: Venu
Libra, the sign of balance and beauty, creates the ultimate partnership with Venus, the planet of love and harmony, to illustrate the perfection to which all partnerships should aspire, lest they be for naught.
Your placements in the seventh house explain how you approach one-on-one relationships (platonic, romantic, or business), as Libra and Venus temper and highlight your idea of partnership harmony: your ideal balance between independence and companionship in matters of the heart and independence and collaboration at the office.
Eighth house of transformation | Sign: Scorpio | Planet: Pluto
Scorpio's logic is often presented with a sharp tongue, but its validity is made clearer by its edge. Scorpio and Pluto preside over this transformational sector of your chart, providing an intimate glimpse into changes in your life, the kinds of changes that are inevitable, hence Scorpio's necessary guidance.
The placements in your eighth house illustrate how these life changes—literal and figurative births, deaths, and regeneration—affect you, your resources, and your intimate relationships.
Ninth house of philosophy and travel | Sign: Sagittarius | Planet: Jupiter
Sagittarius is the philosophical scholar of the zodiac, the Socrates of the stars. Joined by the planet of fortune, Jupiter, the ninth house has adequate rulers presiding over personal belief systems, morals and ethics, and higher learning.
Your placement in the ninth house explains what you can learn about yourself and others through long-distance travel, especially since real growth comes from outside the comfort zone, such as immersion in cultural experiences beyond your native land.
The tenth house of career and reputation | Sign: Capricorn | Planet: Saturn
Capricorn is the Dolly Parton of the zodiac: it's the powerhouse. Capricorn's influence rewards hard work for honest gains, and Saturn illuminates your goals and how your image is not only reflected to you, but also to others.
Capricorn and Saturn preside over the tenth house as stewards of the placements in this house, to strike a harmonious balance between ambitions and responsibilities.
Eleventh house of friendships and community | Sign: Aquarius | Planet: Uranus
Aquarius is the sign of enlightenment, and as it presides over the eleventh house, this constellation beams open understanding into your friendships, networks, groups, clubs, and all other aspects of your life in which you are part of something greater.
Uranus's influence injects a raw genius into your group undertakings and can foster profound financial wealth.
Twelfth house of the unconscious | Sign: Pisces | Planet: Neptune
Pisces is the psychically gifted of the zodiac. Pisces, presiding over the final house of the chart, the house of your unconscious mind, illuminates the importance of finding time for self-reflection, healing from your wounds, and finding your own version of closure.
Pisces and Neptune together demystify your latent talents and underline your own unique spiritual nature.