Houses in Astrology: Domains, Signs and Planets

In Astrology, the 12 Houses are the basis for the study of our astral personality. Each of them represents a phase, a step, and a stage in our spiritual life journey.

In Astrology, the 12 Houses are the basis for the study of the astral personality. They make up the “where,” each focused on a specific area of life. It is in the Houses where the different energies of the planets act. The Zodiac wheel symbolizes the journey that each of us has to make while passing through the Earth. Each House represents a phase, a step, a stage of this journey.

Houses in Astrology, Planets, and Signs

The horoscope is based on the analysis of three central elements: planet-sign-house. Some astrologers consider houses to be the genuinely individual element of the birth chart.

After all, all people born on a given day have the same planets in the same signs, while the location of the Houses depends on the time of birth of each. This individuality makes them the central point of reading the letter.

House Division Systems

There are many systems of House divisions, that is, ways of artificially dividing the space around the Earth to organize all the celestial elements in the natal chart.

The most popular was discovered by Placidus around 1688, based on the time it takes for each degree of the ecliptic (imaginary or apparent movement of the sun around the Earth) to pass from the Ascendant sign to the Midheaven. Therefore, it is considered a time-based system.

Other systems used are Regiomontanus, Campanus, Porphyry, or Morinus, but the oldest is the Equal House System. In the latter, the Ascendant is defined as the cusp of House 1, and all Houses are the same size (exactly 30 °).

The Journey through the 12 Houses

The 12 Houses are not separate, isolated astrological entities as independent segments of life. The life of each one of us begins with birth, in the Ascendant. Until that moment, we are not aware of ourselves as unique individuals.

Gradually, House by House, through a series of steps, phases, and changes, we build our identity until we become part of a reality that transcends us. We come to the end of the personal growth cycle and return to the origin of all things.

The symbolism of the Houses in the Astral Chart

Each of the twelve Houses represents a sphere of human life. Therefore, through the use of Houses, Astrology discovers in what area of daily life the movement of the planets affects us.

• The planets represent motivation.
• The signs show how we are going to direct or use this motivation.
• The Houses show in which sphere of life this motivation and effort will manifest.

In the birth chart interpretation, some Houses are more critical than others and give more strength to the planets in them. The main focus is on the 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th, 10th, and 12th houses and the Midheaven. However, all houses can reveal necessary information depending on the living area under analysis and are therefore the object of study.

In the birth chart, it can happen that the Houses are empty, unoccupied by planets. However, the spheres of life that they cover are still important: the sign found in the House must be analyzed and the planet that governs that sign. This information gives a good indication of how the person reacts to matters related to the House in question.

What the Houses Represent

The first six houses have a traditional application, while the rest are related to more external problems and other people. The First House is the most personal, and the seventh, for example, represents the attitude of people towards their partners. The fourth House relates to home, and the tenth House relates to matters outside the home, career, and ambition. A sign and a planet govern each House.

House 1 or First House

• Domains/concerns - initiates the Zodiac and covers all beginnings: first impressions, ego, physical appearance, physical body, sense of “I.”
• Sign linked to this House - Aries.
• Planet linked to this House - Mars.

Read more about this House.

2nd House or Second House

• Domains/concerns - Material resources, everything you call “mine.” Possessions, material goods, property, even the possibility of earning or accumulating more money. Capabilities and concern for personal safety.
• Sign linked to this House - Taurus.
• Planet linked to this House - Venus.

Read more about this House.

House 3 or Third House

• Domains/concerns - Communication, learning, thinking, gadgets and services. Brothers and sisters, neighbors, travel local means of transportation, short trips, primary education, teachers.
• Sign linked to this House - Gemini
• Planet linked to this House - Mercury.

Read more about this House.

4th House or Fourth House

• Domains/concerns - Family environment and domestic life in general. Home, roots, parents (particularly mother), privacy, personal safety, children, caring skills, relationship with childhood.
• Sign linked to this House - Cancer.
• Planet linked to this House - Mars.

Read more about this House.

5th House or Fifth House

• Domains/concerns - All kinds of leisure activities. Self-expression, drama, creativity, ideas, fun, games, parties, hobbies, relaxation, vacations, special dates, romance, lovers, sex, pregnancy, children.
• Sign linked to this House - Leo
• Planet linked to this House - Sun.

Read more about this House.

6th House or 6th House

• Domains/concerns - Health and service to the other, professional relationships, or another function that involves relating to the social sphere. Personal health and illness. It includes doctors and hospitals, as well as nutrition and health.
• Sign linked to this House - Virgo.
• Planet linked to this House - Mercury.

Read more about this House.

House 7 or Seventh House

• Domains / Concerns - Romantic partners, business partners, and all relationships that require much cooperation on a regular basis. The focus is on others, the kind of people with whom the native’s affinities are most significant.
• Sign linked to this House - Libra.
• Planet linked to this House - Venus.

Read more about this House.

House 8 or Eighth House

• Domains/concerns - Ability to share (particularly money and personal property). Sexual relationships shared feelings, and any beginning and end, such as birth and death—significant changes in lifestyle or ways of thinking.
• Sign linked to this House - Scorpio.
• Planet linked to this House - Mars or Pluto.

Read more about this House.

House 9 or Ninth House

• Domains/concerns - Expansion of horizons at all levels: spiritual, metaphysical, educational. They are traditionally known as the “House of the Higher Mind.”
• Sign linked to this House - Sagittarius.
• Planet linked to this House - Jupiter.

Read more about this House.

House 10 or Tenth House

• Domains / Concerns - Status, career, personal goals. The ego is at the center of everything. In the birth chart, the cusp, or edge, of this House is called Midheaven (MC) and gives clues about the professional path.
• Sign linked to this House - Capricorn
• Planet linked to this House - Saturn.

Read more about this House.

House 11 or Eleventh House

• Domains / Concerns - Friendships, group activities, originality, eccentricity, unexpected events, surprises, invention, Astrology, fiction, social values, political beliefs, social justice, rebellion, and humanitarian causes.
• Sign linked to this House - Aquarius.
• Planet linked to this House - Saturn or Uranus.

Read more about this House.

House 12 or Twelfth House

• Dominions/concerns - Loneliness, sacrifice, what is lost to us, mysticism, karma, ulterior motives, unrevealed intentions, secret enemies, ego destruction, ambushes. It governs the imagination, creativity, the arts, journalism, and the subconscious.
• Sign linked to this House - Pisces.
• Planet linked to this House - Neptune or Jupiter.

Read more about this House.

Learn more about the Houses in Astrology, what they say about your personality and how to interpret the different elements of the birth chart.

The 12 Houses in Astrology

• House 1 - Individual Identity (the “I”)
• House 2 - Money, Earnings, and Possessions
• House 3 - Mind, Environment, and Brothers
• House 4 - Home
• House 5 - Creative Self-Expression, Hobbies, and Fun
• House 6 - Work, Health, and Small Animals
• House 7 - Couple and Marriage
• House 8 - Sex, Death, and Birth
• House 9 - Philosophy and Adventure
• House 10 - Career and Social Statutes
• House 11 - Friends and Community
• House 12 - Spirituality and Subconscious