How To Read Houses In Astrology
“The wise rules their stars and the fool obeys them”.
When we take a moment to pear into the mystery of life and take the key to unlock and decode our birth chart we can see the energies at play in our lives. It’s from this point of view we can choose to be a victim to our circumstances and believe what we are told - or, we can see the magnetic field at play and choose, at your own free will how you will play out your life.
Learning how to read your birth chart starts with decoding the symbolism of houses in an astrological wheel to will help you better understand your psyche. Astrology is a life long education, and don’t get overwhelmed if you can’t pick things up as easily, it takes years to understand it and there is so much more to discover.
If this is your first time using astrology I highly recommend looking up your birth chart in either of the following links:
It’s very important to know your exact time of birth so that we can properly calculate what signs rule your houses. Everyone has 12 houses, but the sign that rules each house will be different based on the time you were born. Someone with Gemini rising (the first house) is born at a different time than another with Capricorn rising.
Someone with Gemini in the first house will carry more energy of a forever learner and they may be witty, charming and energetic. Self expression is important to a Gemini rising whereas a Capricorn rising is more serious/step by step individual who is outcome oriented. They’re very put together with their eyes on the prize.
To start, your astrological wheel consists of 12 houses. Each house represents a different aspect of your life and the world around you.
When a planet is in one of these houses - the planet will be heavily influenced by the energy from the home it resides.
The very first thing that’s important to note is to understand which house means what.
A western astrological chart is presented in a wheel format. Depending on the time you were born, the houses in your chart will differ in size. The size of the each home in the chart does matter but it’s not the be all end all. I started by using Whole Sign charts, which basically divides the chart up into equal houses per sign. I now use Placidus to read charts because I find it more accurate. Placidus is more precise.
Basically, if you have LARGER houses in your wheel, the planets take a longer time to move through those houses, meaning it will have a larger impact on your life. However, it’s important to understand the basics before moving too far ahead as it can feel very overwhelming.
You may also read the term cusp. One sign rules the cusp (the beginning of one home and the end of one home which is really the beginning of the next house) of the house. Most of the time different signs rules different cusps, but there are exceptions where one sign can rule multiple houses. I have this in my chart. Again, this is part of the placidus chart, whole sign will have one cusp ruler (sign) per house.
There is also something called an intercepted chart, which can be a blog post all on its own. An intercepted chart means that three signs are involved in a home, but there is one that floats in the middle and is not on the cusp of a home. Whatever home this lands in means that there is a wound here, and that you may have a hard time fully expressing the nature of this home. It’s amplified if there are planets, which means that it will draw our attention in life.
Each sign will rule a different house depending on your rising sign, however there are signs that rule the homes as a general rule of thumb. If you have Aries rising, then your chart won’t change from the general wheel but for everyone else it does. I have played out which sign generally rules each house for when you’re further down the line in your astrological interpretations they will come in handy to use to help to read the energy in the home.
So these are basic interpretations for each house:
First House
This is the house which our rising sign cusps. It represents our physical traits, who we are and how we self express. If there are any planets on your ascendant line then these planets represent special gifts you have entered into this life with.
Ruled by Aries
Second House
This house rules our relationship with money, assets, personal possessions and our morals and values.
Ruled by Taurus
Third House
This house represents our relationships to our siblings, short travel, communication, immediate community and our neighbours.
Ruled by Gemini
Fourth House
This house carries our IC, Ileum Coli, which is an angle in the birth chart that represents our home and private life.
Ruled by Cancer
Fifth House
This house is called the house of creativity and children. This house rules sex with no strings attached, our personal self expression and our future children, should we choose to have them.
Ruled by Leo
Sixth House
This house represents our daily work routines, how we are of service to others and health.
Ruled by Virgo
Seventh House
This house represents our relationship. Those relationships can be romantic, business or close relationships we carry. This house carries the descendant, which is opposite the ascendant. The descendant represents how we carry relationships in our life.
Ruled by Libra
Eighth House
This house is one of the more complex homes. It represents death, sex, taboo, mysticism, shared resources such as money, taxes and finances. This house also heavily indicates transformation
Ruled by Scorpio
Ninth House
This house represents higher education, spiritualism, long foreign travels.
Ruled by Sagittarius
Tenth House
This house is on an angle called the midheaven. This is the pinnacle in our lives and it represents our careers and prestige in the world. It also represents our public image.
Ruled by Capricorn
Eleventh House
This house represents our long term dreams and goals. It also represents our wider network, not close friends but our community or society at large.
Ruled by Aquarius
Twelfth House
This house is also another complex home that feels misunderstood. The twelfth home represents the unseen, mysticism (as well as the 8th), institutions such as jails and hospitals, and spirituality. The difference between the twelfth and eighth house is that the twelfth is more concerned with the transendence of spiritualism where the eighth is more representative of the activities of the occult.
Ruled by Pisces.
If we were to put this all together….
For example, if you have the moon in your 9th house of Sagittarius.
In short, the moon, in astrology represents your mother or a female authority and it also represents your home and how you self nurture.
The ninth house represents our higher education, spirituality and long foreign travels.
Weaving together a story is where your intuition comes into play, and always trust your first instincts.
Some examples of how this moon would play out are….
- You find education, spirituality and learning a form of nurturing
- Perhaps travelling abroad to foreign countries fills your cup.
- Perhaps you grew up overseas and creating a home that feels connected to the world at large is important.
- You may not know your mother, you may have been adopted or your mother wasn’t around/available for a big part of your life.
Etc.
Think of it like the planet is the actor and the house is the stage. Meaning that the planet will carry its own characteristics and the house will set where and in what area of life the planet will act out.
Hope this helps!
Xo