How is a chart laid out?
An astrological chart is laid upon a circle of 360°, divided into 12 houses of 30° each, as from our viewpoint on Earth, it appears as if the Sun and all the planets are laid out around us in a circle. Originally there were no houses, but the early Greek astrologer, Vettius Valens, suggested measuring time and space, and dividing up the sky. The house system gives us the context about which sphere of life astrological triggers are happening in.
House systems
There are many different House Systems in use by astrologers for different purposes. They have been developed to try and solve certain problems that plagued astrologers, for example, the fact that the Earth is a spherical 2 dimensional shape, and not a circle, and they have evolved over millennia.
For example, Placidus is a house system in which the Ascendant and its degree, form the cusp of the first house, and is very popular with astrologers for constructing natal charts.
In the Whole Sign house system, each house begins on 0° of the new sign. The Ascendant will therefore fall somewhere inside the first house, depending on which degree it falls. The Whole Sign method is useful if you are listening to horoscope reports, as by listening to the report of your Ascendant or Rising Sign, the chart displayed in the astrologer’s example will always have the same house layout as yours. Astrological Software like Astro Gold, for example, will allow you to try out different house systems and choose the one you like.
Chaldean Order
The Ancients laid out the houses around the astrological wheel according to the Chaldean Order in an anti-clockwise direction. That meant that the sign of Aries, ruled by Mars, was placed in the House 1 position, the house of ‘me and my body’. Taurus, ruled by Venus, had the House 2 placement, the house of ‘my goods’; and the sign Gemini, ruled by Mercury, inhabited House 3, the house of ‘my local area’ and communications.
House 4 at the bottom of the chart, was ruled by the Moon in the sign of Cancer, the place of home and early life. The Sun, ruler of Leo, ruled House 5, the place of pleasures and children. The sixth house, the house of service as well as illness, fell into Virgo, ruled by Mercury.
House 7 on the Western horizon, the house of relationships with others, was ruled by Venus in the sign of Libra. Mars, ruler of Scorpio, inhabited the 8th house, the house of my partner’s money, as well as death and other taboo topics. The 9th house belonged to Jupiter, in the sign of Sagittarius, who ruled all things religious or spiritual, higher education and all things ‘faraway’, like overseas travel.
At the top of the chart is the house of career and status, House 10, in Capricorn, ruled by Saturn. House 11, the house of hopes and dreams, money you earn and friendship, was also ruled by Saturn, this time in Aquarius.
The final house in the sequence was House 12, the house of escape, secrets and self undoing, ruled by Jupiter in the sign of Pisces.
From Pinterest: Kelly’s Astrology
Copyright 2017
The sign in the first house of your birth chart is likely not Aries, though it might be. This is because the Ascendant, which is the zodiac sign rising on the Eastern horizon at the exact time and place of your birth, marks the beginning of the first house and the eastern angle of the chart. From our perspective on Earth, it’s as if we are inside the compass looking outward.
Let’s take a deeper dive into the meaning of the houses:
House 1: ME
The first house of the chart represents the individual’s body and general health, their appearance, their personality and identity. It also shows their primary motivation in this life. Basic needs of the individual in this house would be for independence, recognition and appreciation. These characteristics will be modified by who rules House 1, as well as the planets that inhabit it. See my blog post, “Let’s look at the planets in the birth chart” to get more context here.
House 2: WHAT’S MINE
House 2 represents what belongs to the individual, their possessions and resources, their money, their security, and even their values, self worth and peace of mind related to these. It can also reflect what the individual eats or puts into their body. Basic needs of the individual here would be for a sense of purpose and self worth, with strong values, and of course, to have material security; and would be modified by the House 2 ruler and planets in the house.
House 3: WHAT’S AROUND ME
House 3 speaks to the immediate environment of the individual, their neighbours, communications, short journeys and local travel. The early life and education of the individual is also represented here, as well as their siblings. The basic needs of the individual here are to be able to identify and communicate with the people around them, as well as to be open to change and new environments. Your astrologer will gain useful knowledge around what is promised by House 3 in your natal chart, by looking at its ruler, as well as any planets in the house and the aspects they make.
House 4: MY HOME
House 4 sits at the bottom of the sky and is symbolic of the roots of the individual. It therefore speaks to the individual’s life foundations; home and early life, ancestry, and the individual ‘s parents, especially the father. The concept of ‘home’ as property is also covered here. Needs of the individual in this house are for domestic security, a sense of belonging to a family or ‘roots’, and also a need for privacy.
House 5: MY PLEASURES
House 5 is the house of where and what we give our love to, and the consequences of that. It is also considered the house of good fortune, luck, and the fruits of good karma and rewards. Love affairs, sex, and therefore children, fall into this house, as well as our creativity, as it brings us pleasure. Sports are also reflected here. The needs of the individual in House 5 are for creative fulfilment, fun and sexual connection. Depending on the ruler of the house, the planets in it, and their condition and aspects, the need for pleasure can be a hedonistic driving force.
House 6: HOW I SERVE
House 6 is the house of daily routines, how I serve others, my toil and labour, often thankless work without reward. If I overdo this, I will end up in situations detrimental to myself, causing stress, suffering and illness. People that the individual employs are also signified here, as well as our pets. The needs of the individual in House 6 are to feel useful through the serving of others, and to experience good health. The downside of needing to serve others can often mean that we need to address issues of becoming the martyr or the victim. How this plays out in the life of the individual will be strongly influenced by the 6th house ruler and its planets.
House 7: WE
House 7 is opposite House 1, the House of Self. There is a distinct push and pull between who we are as individuals and who we are as relational beings. This may be easier or harder for us depending on the 7th house ruler and the planets in the house. House 7 represents all the different kinds of relationships we have with others; marriages, long term relationships, business partnerships and even our relationships with our enemies.
The needs that surface in the 7th house are the needs of being connected to and validated by other, whether it be through social interaction or primary relationship, and especially when it comes to interdependence vs independence.
House 8: OUR MONEY
House 8 is the house of other’s money, including our partner’s. It sits opposite House 2, the house of our own possessions and money. Once again, the ease or not of this dynamic is strongly influenced by the ruler of the 8th house, as well as the planets situated there. It is the house of inheritance from others, as well as the endings of contracts, including soul contracts with others. Grief and mourning, fear, sex, as well as death, are all represented here.
The needs of the individual in House 8 are to find supportive resources through dependence upon others, in order to make themselves feel more powerful.
House 9: FAR AWAY
House 9 is opposite the 3rd house in the chart, nearby vs far away. Foreign places, overseas travel and journeys are topics that falls into the 9th house, as well as religion and spirituality, study and higher learning, and the law. 9th house dominant individuals need to travel and study in order to feed their thirst for learning new things. They need to grow spiritually and experience personal freedom. The ruler of the 9th house, and the planets in it will determine how much of this is expressed in the life.
House 10: MY WORK AND STATUS
The 10th house at the top of the chart shows how high the individual will fly, or what the highest potential for the life is, and the status or fame that he or she will achieve. This is of course dependent on the condition of the ruler and the planets in the 10th house. The individual’s profession and career path can also be read here. The ruler of the 10th is representative of the mother, opposite the father in the 4th house of home. The individual here needs recognition, achievement and status in order to gain power, popularity and influence.
House 11: WHO I ASSOCIATE WITH
The 11th house is associated with your hopes and dreams, as well as the money you earn. Depending on its ruler and the planets in the house, it’s considered the house of good fortune. Friends, and the groups that the individual aligns themselves with, are all included here. Social success and friendship are vital needs in the 11th house. Pursuing and fulfilling ideals in order to be part of something are all important to the individuals with a strong 11th house.
House 12: HOW I ESCAPE
The 12th house is the place of isolation and avoidance. Prisons and hospitals fall into this house. It is where we self sabotage, and either undermine ourselves, or are undermined by others, which leads to sorrow, loss and suffering. It is also the house of secrets and hidden things, as well as chronic illness. Our deepest fears may reside here too, the ones which we are unwilling to face, but which we may be forced to look at, leading eventually to spiritual growth through extreme hardship. The needs of the individual in the 12th house are privacy and seclusion, and spiritual awareness, which ultimately leads to spiritual growth. With maturity, sacrifices may need to be made.
To sum up:
The Angular houses
Houses 1, 4, 7 and 10 are called the Angular or pivotal houses. Planets at the angles of the chart are considered of greater importance in a chart as they cause dynamic events to happen, and so are more powerful. This is where the individual acts on the world. It is relatively easy to implement your ideas into action in an angular house.
The Succedent Houses
These are the secondary houses where we express what we love. Houses 2, 5, 8 and 11 are where we interact with the world.
The Cadent Houses
The Cadent houses of houses 3, 6, 9 and 12 are considered to fall towards the next angles, and so are considered weaker. These houses are where we react to the world. It is considered better to have the most malefic planets in these houses as they have less opportunity to do harm.