Our journey through the Astrological Houses begins in House 1, where our Ascendant sign lives. After becoming aware of "I," we move to House 2. Here, we add substance to our identity and learn our potential for fulfillment.
Over time, we understand our personality, realize our limitations, and understand how to get around them. Meanwhile, we arrive at House 3, the House of the mind, the brothers, and the environment.
Third House
- Sphere - Communication
- Planet - Mercury
- Sign - Gemini
- Element - Air
- Quality - Mutable
- Polarity - Male
- Position - Cadent
- physiology - hands, arms, shoulders
- Places - Schools
- Color - Yellow
- Keywords - Communication, language, immediate environment, mind, environment, siblings, neighbors
The 3rd House and Personality Development
Associated with the planet Mercury and the sign Gemini, House 3 reflects the entrance to a new stage of our life. Upon reaching this stage, we can already examine the world around us, interact with it, and form ideas and opinions about what we are encountering.
In terms of human development, House 3 corresponds to the moment when we begin to crawl and, soon, walk. Growing and exploring are qualities that are part of our genes.
As soon as we were able to lift our heads off the pillow and turn our necks to see a little more, we never ceased to be fascinated by the unknown.
As long as we feel minimally secure (a concept that can be very different between parents and their babies), we never stop trying to understand the world, question it, and explore it. Language adds to movement.
The first words, the little mischief, the grimaces, the crying for pampering, the ways to attract attention. All babies know how to seduce their caregiversჴ€”communicating their needs and getting what they want (almost always).
At the same time that all this development takes place inevitably comes the feeling of frustration. When we want to pick up a toy, we cannot or are so exhausted that we cannot fall asleep.
Now is the time for rules and limits. What we can or cannot do. Actions and behaviors that are applauded or that deserve a reprimand. We enter the world of symbols, ideas, and concepts through language. Now we can predict the consequences of our actions.
In the back of our minds, the sense of the abstract begins to develop. The object (or person) does not have to be in view to exist. But it's right there, somewhere other than next to your baby. When the mother leaves, it does not mean that she will not return, only that she has disappeared.
House 3 and the Structure of Thought
The 3rd House, or "the concrete mind" for some astrologers, marks this new stage: the mind is liberated and differentiates itself from physical existence, from the body.
The position of the signs and planets in the Third House describes our mental structure, that is, how we think. Is our mind fast, slow, logical, or analytical? Are our thoughts original and creative, or do they reflect the thoughts and opinions of those around us?
But it also reveals how we relate to knowledge and the learning process. Mars in the 3rd House firmly believes that knowledge is power.
The Moon in the same position can seek knowledge for the security it transmits, for the sense of protection when it transmits knowledge to someone. House 3 tells us what is external to us. What can we learn when we interact with the world?
Like the Ascendant and House 1, the positioning of signs and planets in House 3 reveals our predisposition to perceive certain aspects of our surroundings and neglect or omit others.
For example, Venus in the 3rd House absorbs what pleases her. On the other hand, Saturn tends to retain the most insensitive aspects of the environment, and therefore, for him, the world is not a place where he can venture without worry.
Family and Social Relationships in the Third House
Thus, the positions in House 3 reflect the meaning that we attribute to the exterior, but also what we retain of it. Due to inherent proximity, one of the first situations we get involved in when we go abroad is siblings.
House 3 shows how we relate to them and to all the people who are part of the closest family circle: parents, caregivers, grandparents, uncles, neighbors cousins.
For astrologers, the study of the Third House reveals exciting aspects about how we relate to others and the image we create about these people. But also how we were received in the family when we were born and the impact this event had on these people and us (because of how we were received).
House 3 also gives us directions for our first experiences in school. Expanding the social sphere beyond the family circle allows us to contact children of the same age (with personalities and life experiences that may be different or similar to ours) and with other adults, such as teachers.
Throughout childhood and early adolescence (life stages associated with this House), we assimilate a series of principles and values that will become the basis of our character.
House 3 and Communication
In mythology, Mercury (natural ruler of House 3) was the messenger of the gods. This House governs all forms of communication: writing, public speaking, email, radio, television, magazines, and newspapers.
Correlation and the ability to synthesize information also fall in this House. Such as short trips, changes in the environment, and the ability to adapt to new situations.
House 3 describes our family and environmental context. But it also refers to the mind, our predisposition to relate to others and the world, and the way we perceive the reality that surrounds us.
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
