CONTSNTS

Pagc

Aclnufudgcrunts
Pnfaoc
Intmdrction

u
t,
t7

krt L Thc landnpe of tifr

Cbapar
l. BasicPremiscs
2. Sgace,Time and Bounderies
hrt 2: ttfepd.lt thcJouncy
The Ascendentand the First House
The Sc<ondHouse
The Third House
The knum Coeli end the bunh House
The Fifth Housc
The Sinh Housc
The Dcscendantand the SqrenthHousc
The Eighth House
The Ninth House
The Midhcarcn and the Tcnth House

3.
4.
,.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
ll.
12.
lr. The Elcsmth House
14. The Trrclfth Housc
lt. Grcuping the Houses

lg
24

t7
4'
48
,4
60
6'
7l
76
82
87
92
98
108

ACKNOWIEDGEMENTS
Manypeopleharahelped,supponedandtoleratedme throughthe
agonyand ecstasy
of writing this bookandmy sincercappreciation
ortendsto dl of thern.
In panicular,an eqpecidlyheardelt thanl$ goesto Max Hafler
for dl vrcsharedandfor pushingmein the bcginning;andto Roben
tVdkerfor pushingmethroughthe middleandcnd,for hisorccllent
his patient suppon through my
advice,criticismand zuggestions,
moredifticult periods,andjust for beingtherewhenI neededhelp.
My appreciationalsogoesto MaryAnn Ephgrarafor her adcpt
'Houses
uanscriptionof the
Seminar';to ChristineMurdockfor her
orpert and much neededhclp, guidanceand encoutagement;to
ksley C,otuill for hcr profesiond advice;and to SheilaSasponas
for her warm suppon.
I am naturallyindebtedto dl thoscpeoplewhoharcsharedtheir
go
knmrledgewith mc overthe years.Specidacknowledgements
to MaharishiMaheshYogifor his inraluableteachingand for the
orpericnccof meditation and what it openedup for mq to Darby
C.ostellofor titillating me with her Geminian insighs and for
inuoducing me to asuologycay backwhen; to my first astrology
BettyCaulfieldandIsabelHickey;to EanBeggfor helping
teachers,
me to begin to understandmyselfa little better; to lan GordonBrorn, BarbaraSomersand Diana Whitmore for the enornous
amount I leamedfrom thcm; toJudy Hdl for her generousand
constantsuppoft,wisdom,healingandhelp;andarterywermthant$
to Liz Greenewhoseinsightandgraceasa goodfricnd, teachcrand
asuologicdcolleaguchara left a decp mark on all my *ork.
Tcromore pcople descrvespecidmention. Ifords can't orpress
my ftelingp of apprcciationto a ceftainDona Margarita,Our lady
of C"omera,for sharingwith mc the porrcrof her lconine lorc and
spirit andfor providingmc with anidyllic atmospherc(in dl senscs)

12

THETIOYEIVE
HOUSES

to begin writing..And-last,-butccnainly nor least,I am especially

grateful toJaquelincClarc for being a true friend through al of this
and for the impeccablediagramsshe so caringly produced.

PREEACE
The hpuscsof the horoscopcform oneof the basicbuilding-blocls
with whicharcrystudentof asuologymustleamto *ork attheoutset
ofany scriousstudyofthc subjcct.Becauscthe houscsarcbasic,it
isoften assumed
that thercforetheyaresimple- pcrhapsthe most
simple and accesiblcof the uinity of planet-sign-houscwhich
comprisesthe foundationof horoscopeandysis.And bccauscthc
housesareoften consideredsosimple and accesible,theyarcalso
bclierredto bethe leastwonhyof anyin-depth perusalin the body
of asuologicdliteraturc.
I harrcfound in my orrn orpcricnce,however,that thc housesare
nosimplerthantheplancaandrigto, andpcrhapsevenmoresubde.
How could theynot be so,whenaftcr all eryone bom on a givrn
day will harrcthe sameplanetsin the samesigns,whilc planetary
placemcntsinthehouses
aredepcndentupon
that mostindividud
moment
they
of hctors,the
of binh? Bccausc aresorrcryindividual,
ponoy
a
m1p
of
a
rrcryindividud dcstiny,and ere*onhy of
th.y
much more onensiveinterpretationand andysisthan is usudly
offercdin asuologicdtortbools. Thereis a luge and unfomrnate
gepin this areaof the snrdy,and cenainlyno pzlstauthorhasdone
full justice to this apparentlyrc simple yet difficult issueof thc
'spheresof lift'.
I am thereforcdclighted to be ablc to write a prefaccto a boolr
which I ftel not only fills thir gapin curent astrologicdliterature,
but dso ortends the understandingof astrologyitself. Hward
Sasponashasmanagcdto do this without either violating thosc
herrcprorcn to be rzlid, or
Tpc1tsof- asuologicdtradition *-hi.h
ignoring asso manyauthorsdo - the curent urgent needto
bring pqrchologicdunderstandhginto a snrdywhich hasfor fu
too long bcen purely prognosticatirrcand behaviouralin its
interpretations.This book seemsto me to be unique dso in that,

Tl{E TV/EIVE HOUSES

dthough it is 'psychologicd
astrology'at ir best,it doesnot hide
behind psphologicd jargon,and its languagcspeaksboth to the
begrnngran{the orperienccdpractitiorrcr.q"itty clearly.
The issueof 'pryrhologicdasuology'appears-to
bea ratherthomy
one-in somerespects,because
many asuologers
who harastudicd
in oldertraditionsfeelthat thcir language,*hich hasstoodthe tcsr
of qan-ycenturies,is bcing encroachedupon by the languageof
psphology,and that astrology,in thesehands,is no longlr .furc,
but .is.bccoming an ortension of thc hclping profesions. But
psychologicdasuologyin the wayit is appfiedin Hocard,sbook
is not an erosionof the beautyand comp[iencssof the asrrological
mgdel.It cmbodies,rathcr,onclpparendyrrcrysimplcconceptlthc
redity of the psyche.That an individud's iift is charactedstiiofthe
individud oughtto bcobrvious,
but it isoccedhgly difficult to fully
graspunlcs one'sovmpspheisarealityto onesclf.Theinterprctation
of the houscsthat Ho*zrd oftn in such depth in this'book is
'pqrchological'
in the mostprofoundsense,ncrr.^_use
implicit in otry
chaptcris rhe obsenationthat an individud hasceriainkinds oi
l1rapanicularsphcrcoflifr because
that ishowthepc5rhe
:pyd*.f
o.{theindividud pcrceirrcs,
reacrstq and interprea that spfeie of
lift. The author phrascsthis rary eloqucntlyG ttr. first chaptcr:
prcmiscuponwhichpsphological
asrologyisbascd
fh9 nhilosonhicd
isthetaperrcn's
rediryspringp
outrzrdlromhisorhcrinncriandscape
of thoughs,feelings,orpcctations
andbclic6.
This.iscenainly.asuology,
and not an qtension of anythingelsc;
bgt it rpa3 astrologywhichprcsenes
the escntialdigniil'-{ot"e
of the individud psychc,and in which the houses,io lcs than thc
signsand planets,areinsideaswell asoutside,end becomcfull of
fo-{$. individud ratherthan remainingstatic,placcs,or
pemTq
'earnts'
in lift which harc no connectionto the-soul.
TF.
of astrologywhichis o,ident throughout
.
lgpo"d o<pcrience
the book is ortensirrcand impressirrc.
I harrchad manyoccasi6ns
to
lcam from and have my (mn asuologicd inrigha enhancedby
Hoqard'swork,asweharrcjointly foundedandco-directthc Ccnui
for Psychologicd
Astrologyin Londonwhichisfocussed
on precirly
thisapproachto asuology.
I cantherchreraommcnd Howzrd'sbooi
not only for thc clarity and depth of its content,but dso beceuse
I am well awarethat the interpretationswhich he oftn arc built
upon manyycanof directorpericncc,and not mcrelyupon clcrrcr
intellecnrd theorizing. Also implicit in thc book is a persond
commitmenr to the asuologcr'sovm devclopment anl inner

PREF/ICE

l,

confrontation,which I harrcalmys ftlt to bc thc chidcriterion for

of counrlling othen
anypcrmnmnting to tab up thc responsibility
in eny *zy. Thc pqrchcis obviouslye rcdity to the euthor, and
thcreforehe is ablc to communicateits rcality and its subtletiesto
thc readerthrough the asuologicdmodel. Gcnuinc authority of
this kind cannotbGfrted, dthough nurnetousasuologicdwriters
lppclu to oftr mellent thcorieswhich havt ncrrcrbeenput to the
tcst in lift. No one obscrvingthc &cts of a panicular planet in
a paniorlar housecanredly undcrstandthc complor isuc of hon'
creetes,brick by brick, thc apparently
an individud unconsciously
buter' reality whidr he or shc eocounte$unles there is somc
Otherwisethc interpretationsare
reletionshipwith the unconscious.
dcscriptionsof behaviour,which learrcsus backwhcrewe stancd.
I?hen thishappens,thecre*ftre,teleologicaldimensionofasuology
- its epacity to olrcn doorsto 1lrcrsonand dlow that perrcn to
seehowan enitude might beshapingoutcrlift and thereforehos,
of that anitude might shepea diftrent qudity
someconsciousness
to be creatirrc,
of lifr - c.onot be prescnt.Asuologythen ceases
and becomcsquitc poindesscrccptasa methodof justifring issues
for which the individud doesnot wish to take rcsponsibility.
As a lcarningtqtbook, Hwad's book is inrzlueblc, becauscit
b.gitu at thc beginningwith hasicprinciplesand takesthc reader
funher andfunhcr into thc complodtiesof interprcdngthe houses
whilc rctaining throughout an essentidclarity of writing and a
disciplinedstrucnre.I harcnodoubtthat it will becomeanessentid
tortbook for anyscrioussnrdert of astrologywishingto derrclophis
astrology
Asa stement ofwhat pqrchological
or heruodetstanding.
it couldnot put thc point
isreallyabout,it isdsoirmrluable,becausc
more dearly. kychological asuologyis not about abandoning
but abouta wayof understandingand
astrologyto pqrchotherepy,
both inner
encompasscs
rcadingthe synrbolsofthe horoscopewhich
points
*zy
to
thc
esentid
the
and outer lerclsof orpcricncc,and
houscs
are
thc
pattenr which undcrlie both. Usually
which
often
of
themes
confirsingbccauscof the epFuent divcrsity
occur undcr one umbrclla. br onmple, thc profirndities and
mystcricsof deathrrc conjoincdwith lifr insurancepoliciesin the
eighth, end thc complcxiticsof the rclationshipbetweenbodyand
'smdl animals'in the sixth.Houard'sbook
spirit arcmircd up with
prwidcs the esntid meaningwhichuoderlicsdl thescepparendy
dispamtethcmesconoectedwith one housc,which thercbyallws
thc rcadcrto understandwhydl thcsebuter' cfurum.ttenccatcpart
ofone core.Thlskind ofinsight is rareendcennotbeorrcrestimetcd
in ia relue.

l6

Tt{E TI7EIVE HOUSES

It isthereforewith greatpleastuethat I canintroducea bookwhich

I.am.cenainwill provideanimponantanduniquecontributionro
the body of astrologicdliterarure.
UZ GREEI.IE

INTRODUCTION
Manisaskedto makeof himsclfwhatheiszupposcdto become,
to fulfil his destinv.
PaulTillich
All around us in nature, life unfolds according to certain inner
designs.A rosebudopensinto a rose,an acorn growsinto an oak,
and a cateqpillar emergesas a bunerfly from its cocoon. Is it
unreasonableto assumethat human bcingssharethis quality with
the restof creation- that we,too, unfold accordingto an inner plan?
The concept that each of us has a unique set of potentialities
ycarning to be redized is an ancient one. St Augustine wrote that
'there
is one within me who is rnore myselfthan my self.'I Aristotle
usedthe word enteleclryto referro the errcludonand full blossoming
of something originally in a stateof potendd. Along with anteleclry,
Aristotle also spokcof essenceas those qualities which one could
not lose without ceasingto be oneself. In like manner, Eastern
philosopy appliesthe term dharrra to denote the intrinsic identity
and latent life-pattern presentfrom binh in dl of us. ltbthe dbarnza
of a fly to buzz, a lion to roar, and an aftistic personto create.Each
of these patterns has its own kind of truth and dignity.
Modem pslrchologyanachesmany different namesto the pcrennid
'to
quest bc that selfwhich one truly is'2 - the individuation process,
self-redization, sclf-acnralizadon,sclf-dorclopment, etc.By whatever
label it is cdled, the underlying meaning is clear: all of us possess
ccnain inuinsic porentials and capabilities.\Vhar's more, somewhere
deep within us there is a primordial knowledge or preconscious
percepdon of our true narure, our destiny,our abilities, and our
'cdling'
in life. Not only do we havea panicula( path to follow, but
on some instinctive level, we know what that is.
Our fulfilment, happines and well-being hinge on discovering

T}IE TVEryE HOUSES

this. pattcm and co-olrrating with its realization. The Danish

philosopherKie-rkegaard
obscircdthat rhe most commonform of
despar s that of not
P.i"g *\o weredly are,adding that an errcn
deeperforS gf_despeir
semsfrom choosingto be;;;.;oth;;
oT.sett.,
Ihe
pqrchologist
RolloMaywrote,.I7hen the oersor,
TT
clenles
h'' potentidities,failsto fulfil them,hisconditionis suilt.,.
Thcologians
ha'e interpretedthefounh cardinal,i,,j,irt-*Iiir,
as'the sinof failing to do with onet lift all that onekno*r one.odi
oo.' nur howcanweconnectto that part of ourselvrswhichknoc6
what wecouldbe?Hon,canwefind ihe path
tir"
lost the
"g"in,-r"-..," ilIi
l,^y? Is thereanymap thar cxists'which'i;'g"id.;
to ourselves?
The asrologicalbirthchanissucha map.A picnrreof thehea'ens
asit appearedat one'splaceandtime of binh, ihe ch* rr.b.ri*lr;
po_nra)'s
our ownuniquereality,innatepattemand inncr desisn.
A knowledgeof the chanenablesusro perceir*h;A;;r-;f;i;
wewouldnarunlly bedoing,if*c hadnot b*" f.ro;Jfi-di;:
socrety
and,perhapsmostcrucidly,b1tbc ambfualcnces
oforroui
nararc.
. Our beingis not o-nlygivento us but demandedof us, and it
rsup to us to makeof ourselrcswhat *c afemeanrto bccome.ln
the end,wedone areresponsibre
forwhat weao witt ourlG rri
dgSree
to
which
we
aCcept
or
rejecr
orrrtrue narure,purposcand
$e
identity.The binhchanis ihe bestguidewe harrc,o'rtiur-u.*
to ourseh'es.
Eachplacementin thelhan reraalsthe most;";;
and,appropriare
wayro unfold whoandwhatwcarc.SThynot listen
to the cluesthe chan hasto offer?

HovanoSasponras

Pz\RTI:
THE LANDSCAPEOF LITE
1.

BASICPREMISES
One may indced say that it is not thc event which heppcns

to the pcnon, but the personwhich happc*Jl:iffi

There are three basic ingredients which combine to make up an

asuologicd chan - plonets, igns arrd,boues. Planets represent
panicular psphologicd drircs, urges and motirntions. Uke verbs,
they depict a cenain acdon which is goitrg on - for orample, Mars
4lscrts,Yenusbarnonizcs, Jupitet cxpands, Sal;ttmresfiicts,etc. The
signs represent tweha qudities of being or attitudes tocnxrdslife.
The drirc of,aplanet iso<presedthrough thesign inwhich theplanet
is placed. Mars can assenin an Arien w:ry or lburean way; Venus
can harmonize in a.Geminian or Cancerian fuhion, and so on.
Hotses, hm,errct, show the specific areasof crrcrydaylift or fields
of orperience in which dl this is occuring. Mars in Dunrs will assen
itself in a slow and steady manner, but its placement by housc
determines the exactareaof life in which this sloc,and steadyaction
canmost obviously be obserrred- whether it is in the pcrson'scdecr
that he or sheactsthat way,or in his or her rclationships, or at school,
etc. Put very simply, the planea shourubat is happening, the signs
ltout it is happcning, and the housesubcre it is happening.
Servingasthe lensto focusand perrcndize the planetaryblueprint
onto the landscapeof actud life, the housesbring thc chart docrn
to eanh. And yct the meaningpand functions of the welrrc houses
are usually thc least understood of all the basicastrologicd factors.
It is the purpose of this book to oamine how a propcr appreciation

20

2I

THET\I/E[I[EHOUS$

BASICPREMISES

of the signsand planetsin cachof the twelra housescanguide us

to our-trueidentity, ill-uminatingthe path of self-discorcry
and the
unfoldmentof our life-plan.
Thereare a few reasonswhy the full significanceof the houses
hasbeensooften ornrlookcd.Mostasuologicaltortbools dcrcllon
the traditiond buter' meaningof eachhouseand ncglectim more
subtlcor basicunderlyingprinciplc.Unles the coremeaningof a
houseis grasped,the true essencJof
thar houseis 6st. br inst-ance,
the llth houseisnormallyknownasthe 'Houscof Friends,Groups,
Hopesand\Tishes'.At first thismayseemstnnge- whatdo friends
rUfhyarethesethings
ald groupsharreto do with hopesandwishcs?
dl lumped togetherunder the samehouse?Hoylerrcr,when tie
deeper,most basicprinciple of the houseis orplained, then the
connecdonbecomes
clear.Thekernelof the llth houseis ,theurge
to becomesomethinggreaterthan we alreadyare'.\UCe
do this 5y
connectingto somethinggr-eaterrhan our separateseh,es- by
digning oursehaswith friendsandsocidcircles,byjoining groupi
byidentifringwith causes
whic-hlift usout of ourscl# andencompass
usin a rasterschcme
of thingp.But thc desireto becomesomettring
grearcrthanvrcalreadyaremustdso bc accompanied
bythecapacity
to envisionnewand differentposibilities.In otherwords,hoping
and-wishingfor somethingmovesus beyondo<istingimagejand
modelsof ounelrrcs.!(e must hara a dreambeforewe.ariharrc a
dreamcometrue.Understoodin thecontoctof thc desireto ortend
our dready eristing sphercof orperience,the llth houselabelsof
'friends,
groups, hopesand wishes' begin to make senscin
relationshipro one another.
Theconrcntiondwayin whichthe influenceofplanea andsigns
in the houscshas been interpretcd is another bbstacleto frlly
appreciating
thesignificance
of eachhouse.krceiving orcntsaspurcly
ortemd cirom$anceswhfuhbcfallus,traditiond astrology
int-rprca
placements
in thc chanin a deterministicand htalist[fight, and
fr$r,9 comprehcndthe pan we play in shapingand coniituting
what happensto us. An 'errcnt-orientated'
a*rologer,for instanci
t-o
a
man
with
Saturn
in
the
llth
housJsomethinglike
Tjght_s.ay
'Your
fricndswill restrictanddisappointpu.' Thismaybc trui but
w@ gogd doessuchan interpretationdo for anyone?
. Thc philosophicdpremiseupon which psychoiogicdastrology
5 basedis that a person'srcdity springpoutwardfrom his or hii
inner landscapeof thoughts,fteling;s,orpectationsand beliefs.For
the man with Satumin the llth, uoubh with friends is only rhe
tip of the iceberg- the outer manifesrationof rcmething *U.h

hc, himself, is responsiblefor creadng.His difficulty relating with

companionsis the surhcc manifestation of something much deepcr:
his fear of orpanding his boundaricsto includc somcthing other than
himsclf. He cants to becomegreaterthan he alreadyis - to identifr
with somcthing beyond his otisting senseof self - and yet he is
afnid of endangcring the identity he already has. The llth house
'hold
on,
urgcshim to encompassa greaterredity but Saturn says
preservewhat you arealreadyfamiliar with.' Understood in this way,
it is not friendship which restric$ him, but bis oun restictiozr which
limit his friendships. The astrologerwho points out this dilemma
ushersthe man into the vestihule of changc. Confronting thesc
apprehensions,oamining their origins, and looking at the posible
waysof deding with his fean, are the kep which open the door to
funhcr growth and derrclopment. rUflhenappreciated in the contoc
of unfolding his potentid and realizing his life-plan, this man's
difficulties with friends becomcsa necessaryand productive phasc
oforperiencc. Gnppling with Satum in the llth, rathcr than arniding
'makes
of himself what he
it or blaming it on others, is one way he
is supposed to becorne'. How infinitely more beneficid this
'Sorry
old chap,your
interpretation of an llth houseSaturn is than
friends are no goodJ
In his book TlteAstrclogl ofPernnality, Dane Rudhpr, a pioneer
of perrcn-cenued astrology,proposcsthat reading the chan is to read
rhedbarna ofthe person. I In a later wo rk, TbeAstrclogical Houses,
he elaboratesmore fully on this, emphasizingthat thc planetsand
'celestid
instructions'on how a personcan
signsin cachhouseoffer
most naturally unfold his or her life-plan in that areaof existence.2
fu far aspossible,this book interprets the planer and signsthrough
the housesin this pcrspective.Howcrrcr,besidesjust indicating the
most authentic way to fulfil our inuinsic potcntidities, the house
placements dso show our innate predispositioa to perceive the
orperiencesassociatedwith eachhousein the context of the signs
and planets found there. For orample, a woman with Pluto in the
7th houseis ptedisposedfrom binh to o(pect Pluto in connection
with the affairsof that house.ril?hat'smore, becausePluto is what
she is orpecting there, Plurc is prcciselywhat she will find.
What we scein life is coloured by what we el(Pectto see.Tvantycight snrdentswere askedto describewhat they sawwhen a deck
of playing catdswasflashedone-by-oneonto a screen.Their basic
orpectation (or orienting paradigm) wasthe preconceptionthat a
packof cardsconsisaof four suits:mo black(spadesand clubs)and
two red suits (hearts and diamonds). However, when the

22

TFIETWETVEHOUS$

o(perimentcnslippeda ray'sixof spadesinto thc deck,manyof thc

snrdenusimplyrefuscdtheo'idenceof theiron'nelcsand torn'ened'
the red spadcto blackin their descriptions.In other uords, when
the red six of spadeswasflashcdonto the scrcen,they didn't even
notice the card'sincongruityto their opectationsof what a sixof
spadesshouldlook like. Theysawonly what they orpectcdro see,
not what wasrcnally there.s
Similarly,our archetypalorpecadons,asseenthrough thc signs
and planets in the houses,prccondition us to cenain yraysof
o<periencing
life. Thewomanbom with Plutoin thc 7th, then, will
filter issuesrelatingto pannershipthroughthe lensof that planet.
In this sense,sheis 'stuck'with Pluto in that dimensionof lift, just
asan acotnissruckwith becoming.anoak.Nothing shecando will
changethat planet bcing therc.But onceshebecomcsconsciotsly
awarethtt Pluto is the contort in which sheviewsthc 7th house,
a few altetnathrcsopen to her which didn't ocistpreviously.
To begin with, shccanaskherselfwhat purposethe 7th housc
Pluto serves
in the ovcrdl unfoldmentof her lift-plan. In this uay,
sheaccepts
andbeginsto co-operate
with herinbomnatue. Sccondly,
insteadof blaminglife or otherpeoplefor the stateof affairsin that
house,shecanry to understandthe roleshehasplayedin creating
the circumstances
there.Bydoing this, sheimbuesthe orpcrienccs
in her life with greatermeaningand significance- they iue not
just randomeventswhich 'happen'to her.FinallS if shecan 'use'
Pluto in its mostconstructircconnotations,sheis les likely to have
to suffleria gruelling sideanylongerthan necesary.On one levcl,
Pluto impliesthe tearingdorvnofforms andthe collapscof oristing
suucnrres.
But on anotherleral,Plutoreprescnatran$rmadon and
rebinh into a whole new wey of being. Through altering the
perspectira
in whichsheviewswhatishappening,shecanundcr$and
Plutosuphearalsasnocessary
oppomrnitiesfor grwth andchange.
Byfacingandcomingto tcrmswith the kindsof traumasasrcciatcd
with thisplanet,she'shifis'lerrcls
andfindsthat Plutohasawholc
other dimensionof orperience
-that 'theto oftr. Shelearnswhat Pancelc.us
obserrrdso long agq
deity which btingpthe illnessalso
bringsthe cute.'
Awarenessbrings change. Through oramining thc house
placementsin our chafts,wenot only aregircn clucsasto thc bcst
w:ry to meet lift in that area,but we alsogdn insight into thc
undcrlying archetypdoqrectationsopenting within us. Oncc*r
becomeawarethat wehavt an inborn biasto scethingpin a ccnain
context,wecanbeginto workconstructirclywithin that fizrncnork,

BASICPREMISES

snduallvoqanding itsbordcrsto dlon'for otherdtematives.Bcaring

there"ader.anuscrhisbookboth asa tool for personal
?iir-i"
"ii".[
andasa guidefor chaninterpretadon'Thesuggested
;;l;;.;;
...tt pt""".t and sign throgsl the housesis intended
;;;;;f
broadandgencnl6utfine,hgnetutlvinspiringtunhcr
;;;;t;
thousht and rdlcttion on thc natute of eachplacement'
applredtoo-n$dy'
Mv nrscotionsshouldnot betekcnu gospclor'cookbook'
tormat.
the
of
limiations
.na f apiEcire for theinherent
fully
bc
only
can
chan
in
the
factor
M;ifi- da"f is that orcry
the
Funhermore'
chan'
whole
the
in the light of
the
on
contingent
is
"o'oi..i",.a
horoscopc
in
the
-y phcJment
.ff;;;;f
it
is
drawn.
whom
for
entity
the
of
i:fi.,"i.f ,n letciof onscio'sncs
A *oman might be bom at the sametime' placeand date asher
the
Detfrog, and-thet*o charts*ould look oecdythe samc'But
and
of
awareness'
level
toits
according
mep
itog o;t o.t the binh
plays
our lerclof consciousncss
.oorai"g to hcri. Because
Ji."*ri*
of
mcaning
and
butcome'
thc
ii
dctermining
;.h
factor
one
-y
";.i"1rolc
rigidintcrpretetion
no
chan,
9f
;ffi;io,tr.
iarr u. nria. zuh of * is moie than the sum of the PuF of.the
freedom
.rr*. g*t, of us hasthe potentid for greatetawareness,
and fulfilment.

2t

TTMEAND BOTJNDARIES
SPACE.

2.

Ceusnrl
Eeurror

SPACE,TIME AND BOUNDARIES

A humanbeingis pan of the whole,cdled by us 'Universe';
a part limited in time and space'
Alben Einstein
According to the Bible, God beganHis great work by creatingthe
universe and then dividing it into different pans. i{e madi the
heavenssepararefrom the eanh, light separatefrom darkncss,and
day separatefrom night. In an attempt to manage,undersrandand
make senseof exisrence,human beingsorhibit this sametendency
to divide the wholenes of life into variouscornponent parts and
phases.Similarly, the binhchan, rhe map ofan individud's oristence,
reflectsthis slicing of life into different sections- rhe sum total
of which make a whole.
The Division of Space
No matter how haphazardthe universemight seemar times, it is,
nonetheles, fairly orderly.Cplic and prediaable, the cclestid bodies
manageto keepon their parhsand adhereto their proper motion.
Perhapsin an artempt to ascribemeaning and order to their lives,
our early human ancestorsobserrcd a relationship betweencclestid
ex'ents(the movementsof the Sun, Moon and planets) and life on
earth. But they neededto havea frame of referincc or backdropby
which to plot and pinpoint the positionsof thesemoving lighrs in
the sky.In order to do this, spacewasdividcd into different sictions
and labelled.
- Modern astrologersare faced with the sameproblem - how to
divide spacgto createa frame of refcrcnceby which to identifr the
positions of the cclestial bodies. It so happens,from a geocenuic
point of view, that the Sun, Moon and planets all appearro moue
in a broad circular path around the ianh. This-path cxtends

Fg.l
Tne DlvlslorrOr SPnce
approximately8 or 9 degreeson cither sidcof what is knownasthe
i'tOtn - th; apperenipath of the Sunaroundthe Eanh - and
is caneatheh4irc Bclt.l\e eclipticis then dividedinto twelrc
of Aries,thepoint
signsof thiny degceseach,stardngwith 0 degrees
(the.Eanh's
equator
*-h.re the Sun'Jpath intenectsthe celestid
k
Equingx.
into space)at the Spring
equatorprojeaed$i 53sc'
thesigttsof theZodiac(Aries,flurus, C'cmini,etc.)i aresrMivisions
of thl ediptic, thc apparcntyearlyrnorrcmcntof thc Sun around
the Eanh (sceFiguri i;' the posiiionsof the planctsarcmappcd
* The sigrs bcarthe sarnenlmesasthe constelladons,
but due to a
of thc Eqtinws, thc signsand
phenominonknwn as thePrcccstion
no longercoincide.
ionstellations

26

TI{ETTEryEHOUSES

againstthesedivisionsof theeclipdc,showingwharsigneachplanet
lappensto bepassingthroughon anypaniculardayof theyear(see
Figure2).
-.The plane6,eachar its ownrare,conrinudlymorarhroughthc
differentsigns.Th_eSun takesapproximately-one
month 6 p.r,
througha sign,and roughlyoneyearto makea full circleof alfthe
signsalongthe ecliptic.The Moonspendsabout2th daysin each
sign and tekes27vedap ro passthrough dl sweh,esigns.Uranus
takesapproximercly7 ycarsto passthrough a signand roughly g4
yearsto makea full circle.Asstatedin Chaprerl, a planetdis.ribes
a panicular kind of activitywhich o(presses
iaelf accordingto the

Fq.z
PLANETSMAPPEDAGAINST
THE ECLIPTIC

FOR JANUARYIst. I9B5

SPACE.TIME AND BOUNDARIES

narure of the sign in which it is placed.

The Division of Time

'horoscopus',
The word borcscopecomes from thc Greek word
'consideradon
of the asccnding
meaning tonsideration of the hour' or
'time-map'.
By
degree'.In other words, the horoscopeis literally a
dividing the spacein the heavensinto signs,the early astrologers
were able to plot the position of the planets in the sky. But they
soonrealizedthat somethingmore qasneeded- a frame of reference
to link the planetarypattern to a pafticular personborn at a ceftain
time and placc.
Besidesthe movementcausedby thc apparent revolution of the
Sun, Moon and the planetsaround the Eanh, there is another rype
of morrementwhich thc horoscopemust take into consideration:the
daifi rctation of tbe furtb on itsoumaxis.The earlyastrologershad
to find some way to correlatethe celestialphenomena of planets
moving through thc signsto the terestrid phenomenon of the daily
rotation of the Eanh on its own axis.
The most obviouswayof doing this wasto divide the twenty-fourhour rotation of the Eanh into sectionsbasedon how long it took
the Sun to morrefrom its position at dawn to its position at noon,
and from its noon point to its sunsetpoint, etc. Becauseat cenain
times of the yearthc Sun would spend longer abovethe horizon,
thesedivisions would not alwaysbe equal.
Manin Freeman,in his book Hou to Interpret a Binb Cltartt,
helps the beginning student of astrologyconceptualizethe kind of
movementcausedby the rotation of the Eanh. He suggeststhat we
imagine a day in earlyspring. From the point of view of the Eanh,
the Sun in earlyspring is situated in that pan of thc Zodiacal Belt
which is known asAries. At sunriseon the day in question,the Sun
and the sign of Aries will be scenappearing ovet the easternhorizon
of the observeron Eanh. By noon of that day,however,the Sun and
Aries areno longer due east- they harremorad to aposition more
or les orrcrhsadof the obscrrcqand a different sign, probably Cancer,
is on the eastemhorizon. By sunset,the Sun and Aries will be seen
to be setting orcr the westemhorizon, and thc opposite sign of Libra
(180degreesaray from Aries) will be rising oar the eastemhorizon.
At sunrise the nort day, thc Sun and Aries will again be seenin the
east, but the Sun would hara morad approximatcly one degree
funher along in the sign of Aries. Thus, due to the daily rotation
of the Eanh on ia own axis,the position of the signs(and anyplancts
which happcn to be in them) changesin relation to the horizon.

28

SPACE.
TIMEAND BOTJNDARIES

THET'$rEtVEHOUSES

The Division of the Chan into Anglcs

lb understand housesit is csendd to remember that we aredealine
with tqo kinds of morcmenr - that of the Eanh and the other phnd
around rhe Sun, but also the morrcmentof the Eanh on iis ois.
The division of the mundanc sphere into what ercnrually bccame
known asthe housesaroscout of a need to relate the axiai rotarion
of the Eanh with the mo'ement of the planets in the sky. Ifhile
signsaresubdivisionsof the apparcnt renLlution of the Sun, Moon
and planets around rhc Eanh, housesaresubdivisions of rhc Eanh,s
diurnd (daily) rotation on its own a:<is.
In
. TbeAstological Hoases,Dane Rudhyar orpands Cyril hgan's
view that what we now refer to as houses*ere oiiginallyperiods of
time called 'watches'.\Tatcheswerebasedon thehoramint of the
Sun as it rose in the ebst, passedoverheadof the obsener, and sct
in the west. Each watch corared approximately six hours of time,
marking-the points of sunrise,noon, sunsetand midnight. By the
advent of the Renaissance,asuologershad do'ised selr.ml -.thods
MrDnEvEi
ilD|uil CoLl
M.C.

UFJcET'DNT

AscCr{DArt

l.c.
lmur,rCoeu

f'g.3

Tnt Foun"Axeues

29

of dividing thesecatches into the twelve housesof the horoscopc.

Rrfthermore, they had derrelopcda conespondencebetweenrarious
typesof human activity and the different watchesor houses.In this
vay, the housesbecamethe frame of referencethrough which the
poicntialitics of a planet and sign combination could bc related to
the ectual qrcnts and concernsof life. !flithout the structure of the
houses,astrologerscannot bring the significanceof celestialsvents
down to eafth.
It is an easystep from the four watchcsto the four points in thc
chart known u tlte Angles (seeFigure 3). From the point of view
of an obscrver'sposition on eafth, at any tirne of day, a cenain sign
will be sc'ento be rising in thc eastwhilc its oppositesign (180degrees
auay) will be seento bc sening in the west. The degree of the sign
occupying the easternrnostpoint in the sky is callcd rhe Asecnding
Dcgrec and the sign it is in is cdled the Asccndant or Riitg Sign.
Asuonomicdly, the Ascendantmark the intersectionof the ecliptic
with rhe obsener'shorizon - in othct cDrds, thc meeting of heatrcn
and eanh. The opposite poht to the Asccndant is the Descdnfunt,
thc sign seaing in the west.The line connecting the Asccndant and
Descendant is called thc am of tbc horizon.
Lilcewise,at anytime of the dayfor an obsen'eron eanh, a panicular
'culminating'
at the upper meridian,
dcgreeof a cenain sign will be
thi point due south of the place in question. This is called the
Midhcaun or lfC an abbro'iation for the latin rcrm Mediam Cocli
'middle
of the heavens'.The opposite point to the Midheaven
the
'the
lomst
is cdled the Imam Coeli or IC, an abbreviation for
heavens'.Thc line connecting the Midhearrcn to the Imum C-ocli
is cdtcd the ocis of tbc meridian.
These four poina are determined asuonomicdly. Collectively
cilled tbe Anghs, the signsfound on thesepoints reveala great ded
about an individual's orientation to basicorperiencesin lift. Their
significanceis more fully discusscdin later chapters.The interscrdon
of the a:risof the horizon and the axis of thc meridian give rise to
the four Qaadrants of the chan. Ottiog to thc tilt of the Eanh, the
sizeof the quadmnts arising from this fourfold division arescldom
equal, and will rary according to the latitude and time of year of
the binh.
The Division of thc Four Anglcs into the Twclrc Houscs
While determining the anglesdoes not raise too many problems,
the manner in which the four angles should (or should not) be
trisectedto form the tcth'e houscsis amajorconuocrsy inasuology.

]O

TI{E T'UgELVE
HOUSES

On the whole, there seemsto be generalagreementthat the line

of the horizon - the Ascendant-Derendant oris - is the basisupon
whidr the division of the chan into housesshould rest.ln orhervords,
most astrologersagreethat the Ascendantshould mark the caspor
beginning point (or lcading cdge) of rhe lst house and the
Descendantshould mark the cusp or beginning poinr of the 7th
house.After that, astrologersdispersein all directions..Thosewho
suppoft the Equal HouseSystemof house-divisionprovide the least
complicated soludon. Cdling the Ascendant the cusp of the lst
house,they simply divide the ecliptic into twelvecqual-sizedhouses
of thirry degreeseach.So,if the Ascendantqcre 13degreesof Cancer,
then the 2nd housewould be 13 degreesof Iro, the 3rd house 13
degrccsofVirgo, etc.ln the cascofEqud Housechafis,the Midhearrcn
does not necessarilycoincide with any house cusp.
However,in Quadrant sptems of housc-division,the four points
of thc anglesall correspondto housecusps:the Ascendantbecomes
the lst house cusp, the IC becomesthe 4th house cusp, the
Descendant becomesthe 7th house cusp, and the Midheaven
becomesthe 10th housecusp.But how the intermediate housecusps
(that is, the cuspsof the 2nd, ]rd, trh, 6th, 8th, 9rh, urh and tzth
houses)should be cdculated raisesmany questions.In someof these
systems,sprceis divided to determine thesecusps;in other systems
time isthehctor upon which the division is made. A fuller discussion
of the question of house-division is included in Appendix 2.
Personally,and fot reasonsorplained in the Appendix, I favour
Quadrant systemsorrerthe Equd House Systcmand for the purposes
of this book, will gcnerallyrelate the cuspof the 10th houseto the
Midheaven, and the cusp of thc 4th house to the Imam Cocli.
One way or another, we want to end up with rwelra houses.Why
twelve?The most obvious reasonfor this is that astrologersbelieved
that the division of the mundane sphereinto housesshould mirror
the division of the ecliptic into twelvesigns.Rudhyaroffersa more
philosophical answer.He arguesthat eachquafter of the chan (as
defincd by the Ascendant,IC, Descendantand Midheaven)should
'each
be divided into three housesbecausc
opemtion of lift is hasically
thredold, including action, reaction, and the result of both.'2 In
his opinion, then, thc 2nd and 3rd housescarryout the significance
of the Ascendantand lst house;the lth and 6th housesfulfil what
is begun by the IC and 4th house;the 8th and 9th housescontinue
what is staned by the Descendantand 7th house;and the llth and
12th housescomplete what cas initiated by the Midhearan and tOth
house. Besidesjusti$ing the need for twelrrc houses,Rudhyar's

TIMEAND BOI.JNDARIES
SPACE,

31

reasoning hclps us to appreciate the fact that the meaning and

relevenceof eachhousc follons on logicdly from the previous one.
More will bc said on the cyclic processof the houses later.
The houscs are traditionally counted anti-clockn'ise from the
Ascendant. The lst and 7th housesare alwaysopposite onc anothr
- this meansthat the sign on the 7th housccuspwill bc the opposite
sign to the one on ttte lst house cusp, dthough thc actud degree
on the cusp will stay the same.This samerule apPlies to the other
pairsof oppositehouses:thc 2nd and 8th, thc 3rd and 9th, the 4th
and toth. the )th and ttth and the 6th and 12th.
Manin Freemanmakesthc relationship between the signsof the
zodiac and the melvdold division of the housesclearerby picturing
'great
wheel surounding the eanh along whoserim
the zodiac asa
the planets move'.This whecl is fixed againstthe background of the
hea'rcns,and the signsaremarked dong the edge.The twelrrchouscs
'spokes
of a moving wheel superimposed on the greater
are like thc
wheel'. The spokcsof thc housesrotate a full circlc every twentyfour hours in line with the daily rotation of the Eanh. The panicular
way the wheel of the housesis related to the wheel of the zodiac
at the time and place of binh is what makesthe chan unique for
each individud.3
Since the Eanh rotates once everytwenty-four hours, the t'welve
signsand ten planea passthrough thc twelrc housesin that period.
The binhchan is a frozen moment in time which shovmthc panicular
dignmcnt of planets, signs and housesfor the time and place of
bifth. Turopeople may be born on the sameday and havethesame
sign positions of the planets, but becauscthey are born in a different
placc or at a diffcrent time, thc planetary pattem will be seenin
a different area of the hearan. i.e. in diffcrent houses.
So fir we havc divided spaccinto signs, divided time into four
quadrants, and divided four quadrants into twelrrc houses.That's
enough dividing for nor', It's time to assignmeaning to the houses,
and consider thcir relationship to one another, and to our lives.
The Natural Tdn c
Since the housesare determined by thc line of the horizon (where
hearrcn and eanh meet), they relate the activitics and cnergics
synrbolizcd by thc planea in thc signs (cclcstial oents) to actud
lift on eanh (tencsuid crrcna). ln othcr words, thc housesshont
specific arcasof crrcrydayorperiencc through which the operations
cf ttre sigrs ana phncs manifot. Eachof the t*chc houscsrcprcsens
a diftrcnt dcpanment of lift - a paniorler phascofwhat Rudhyar
'thc
spcctrum of agedencc'.'
cdls

THE TWEIVE HOUSES

iil|l

|illr
i

iLr

But we still havethe problem ofassigning meaning to the diftrent

houses.Generdly, the meaning of eachhousemirrors the meaning
of the tweh,esigns of the zodiac Aries is considcred similar to the
lst house,fhurus is consideredsimilar to the 2nd house,and so on
right through to the connection of Pisceswith the l2th housc. ln
what is cdled the Notaral Zodiac (seeFigure 4), rhe first degree of
Arics is placed on the Ascendant, the firsr degreeof llurus is placed
on the cusp of the 2nd house, the fint degree of Gcmini is placcd
on the cusp of the 3rd house, etc. The Natural Tndiec is symbolic,
and its main purpose is to hclp the student gun ^ deepcr
under*anding of what the housessignrS. In rctaal prrcticc, tbc

1l
Ll

lir

ilr

Fi9..4
Txe NaruRn Zoonc

TIMEAND BOUNDARIES
SPACE,

13

boasesin aperson'sc/tart uill almost neaera/igntltemseltesin sac/t

an eract conespondence uitb tbe signs as in tbe Nataral Zodiac,
The coupling of 0 degrecsof Arieswith the Ascendantdoesmake
sense,however,becauseborh Aries and the Ascendant(cuspof the
1sthouse)arebeginning points in their respectivecycles.The yearly
cycleof the Sun'sapparenrmovementaround the Earrh bcginswith
0 degreesof Aries- the point wherethe celestialequatorinrersecrs
the ecliptic at the Spring Equinox. The daily cycleof the Sun ttuough
the housessymbolicallybeginswith the Ascendant- the point where
the horizon of the observeron eanh inrersecrsthe ecliptic. Since
Aries and the Asccndant both connore beginnings, it is
understandablethat they should sharea similar meaning. Aries is
a sign which implies 'initiation', fresh srafts,and the first impulse
to act. The Ascendantand lst houseare associaredwith birth and
the wayin which we meet life. The ruler of Aries, Mars,alsodenores
initiatory energy,the will-ro-be, and the urge to make an impact
on the environment.
Zipporh Dobyns, in Tlte Astrologer's CasebooL,5describes
astrologyas a symbolic languagein which the signs, planets and
housesform the alphabet. She fecls that astrologydepicts rwelve
wap of being in the world, or melvesidesof life. Theserwelveaspecrs
of the totality of life can be written in different ways,just as in the
English alphabet we have upper case,lower caseand italic letters.
Signs symbolize one form of the lerters of the alphabet, planets
another,and housesanotherstill. Signs,planetsand houses,in other
words, representdifferent ways in which rhe same rwelve basic
principlcs can be expressed.More spccifically,Aries, Marsand the
lst houserepresentone letter; Taurus,Venusand thc 2nd house
another;Gemini, Mercuryand the 3rd houserepresenta third letter,
etc. It must be remembered,however,that any planet or any sign
canbe locatedin anyhousedependingon the exacttime, placeand
date of binh. Therefore,the factorssymbolizedby a sign, planet
or house will be found to be mixed.
The Houses as Ficlds of Experience
In many textbooks, each house is generally allotted a field of
experience,dcrribing a panicular setof circumstancesin a person's
life. For instance, one traditional meaningof the 4th houseis 'the
'long journeys',
home',of the 9th houseis
and oneof the areascorrred
'institutions'.
by thc 12th houseis
Texrstell us that if we want to
know what a person'shome is like, we should examinethat person's
4th house.If wewant to know what will happen ro a personon long

HOUSES
TI{ETWEIVE
,4
journgls, we shouldanalysethe 9th house;and if we cant to find
out honrsomeonewill fue in hospitalsor prisonsweshouldconsider
the placemenain the l2th. \flhile rcmetimesquite accurate,this
wayof interpreting housesis flat, boring and not rrcryhelpful. In
Chapter1, I cmphasizedthat the coremcaningof thc housemust
be grasped- that essentialinner meaningfrom which springdl
and possibilitiesconnectedto that housc.
the endles associations
'the homc' for a reason,
The 4th houseis rcferredto asthe houscof
and that reasonshouldbc understood.The 9th houseis associated
travelisjust onewaythat a moregeneral
with 'longjoumqls' because
'Hospials
processassociated
with the 9th housecanbe lircd out.
and prisons'hardly scratchthe surfaceof the 12th housc.In hrt
2 of this book, we crackthe shell of eachhouscin an attempt to
'get at' the meaty,archerypdkemel.
cut through dl its layersand
Planetsand signsin a houserertedmuch more than iust what
might bewaiting 'out there'for us.Placemensin a housedcscribe
- the inborn imageswccarrywithin whichare
the inner landscape
'projeaed'ontothat sphere.\Ufle
filter whatishappcningoutsidc
then
through the subjcctivelensof thc sign(s)or planct(s)in a house.
'nice' someonedoes
If Pluto is in the 4th house,errensomething
for us in our home might be pcrceivedasdangerous,underhand
and threatening.But, most imponantly, the signsand planetsin
a housesuggestthe bestand most naturd mannet in which we
'should' meet that areaof life in order to unfold and realizeour
'eachhouscof the
inherentpotentiditics. AsDaneRudhyarwrites,
chan symbolizesa spccidisedaspectof [our] dbarrna.'6
The HouscsasProcess
t theps:rchologist
ln a lectureentided'Creatinga SacredPqr-hology',
JeanHoustonrelatedan anecdoteaboutthc life of MargatetMead.
As a child, Margaretaskedher mother to tcachhcr how to makc
'Yes,dear,but.1'ouaregoingto hara
cheese.
Her motherreplied,
to watchthe calf being born.'Fromthc cdf being bom to making
- MargaretMeadwastaughtasachild to do entircp(xesscs,
cheese
from bcginning,to middle, to end.
'age of
Dr Houston laments that we are thc victims of an
intcrrupted proces'.!7e tum on a switchand the world is sct in
motion. Wc knowa litdc about thc bcginning of thingp;*t knm,
alitde aboutthc endof thingp;but nt harrcno idcaaboutthemiddle.
It/c harrclost the senseof the nanrral rhythmsof lift.
Our curent culnrrc is insufferably imbalanced. Bcforc thc
sixteenthcenturythc dominantyorld vicwrzs orguric.Pcoplelircd

SPACE.
TIMEAND BOTINDARIES

''

closeto naturein small socialgroups,and perceivedtheir own needs

assubordinate to thoseof the community. Natural sciencehad its
basis in reason and faith, and the material and spiritual were
inextricablylinked. By the seventeenthcentury this world view had
changeddramatically.The senseof an organic,spiritual universewas
replaced by a different notion: the world as a machine, which
functioned on the basisof mechanicallaws, and which could bc
cxplaincd in termsof the movemcntand arrangementof its rarious
pans. The eanh wasno longerthe Great Mother, sentientand alive,
but a mechanism,reducibleto bia and pieceslike a clock.Descanes'
'Cogito,
famousstatement,
ergosam'- I think, therdore I am heralded a major split bctncen mind and matter. Peoplemovedinto
their headsand ldt the rest of their bodiesbehind. Fragmentation
becamethe rule of the day, and continues to reign even though
twentieth-centuryphysicshasshownthetrelationsbip is eaerytbing
- that notbing can be understood isolated from its context.
Ironically, astrology,the study of nature'scyclesand movements,
alsolost its senseof processand its fceling for thc organicwholeness
of lifc. The mechanisticworld view led to a belidthat nature could
and should be controlled, dominated and cxploited. SimilarlS
astrologycameto cmphasizcprediction and outcome at the orpense
of an understanding of the dceper significanceof things. Houses
weredescribedby keywordsand meaningswhich made them seem
asif they wereunrelated to one another,or only looselyconnected.
lD0hyis rhe 2nd houseof 'money, resourcesand posesions' follovrcd
'the
mind, immediate environment, and brothers
by the 3rd houseof
'work,
hedth and small animds'
and sisters'?rWhyis the 6th houseof
'creative
hobbics and
spawnedby the Jth houseof
self-o<pression,
spare-timeactivities'?Surely,just assummerfollons spring and day
turns into night, there must be somefundamental reasonwhy one
house leads on to the nexr.
Houses are not separate,isolated, dangling segmentsof life.
Conceived in their totality, they unfold a processof supreme
significance- the story of the emergenceand developmentof a
human being. Staning at birth from the Asccndant,we arenot even
awareof ourselvesasdistinct from anything else.Gradually, house
by house,through a scriesofsteps, phases,dancesand changeswe
build an identity which can ultimately expand to include all of
creadon.\?'eei-,ergeout of an amorphoussea,takeshape,and then
merge back again. Unlessappreciatedzrsa processof unfoldment,
both lifc and the housesforfeit their essentialmeaning. Processis
embedded in the very root of human experience.Division is only

i =Fi_gs#E
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--l

TI{E TWETVEHOUSES

of origin', the family into which we were born. Planetsand signs

in the 4th revealthe atmospherewe felt in that home, and the kind
'scripting'
ofconditioning or
we receivedthere - the psychological
family inheritance.Delving evendeeper,the 4th denotesqualities
we carry stemming from our racial or ethnic origins: those aspects
of the accumulatedhistory and evolution of our racewhich reside
within us. For example,Saturn in the 4th or Capricorn on the IC
sometimesderribes a home atmospherewhich wasfelt ascold, strict
or unloving, or a backgroundof a long line of staunchconservatives;
while Venusin the 4th or Libra on the IC will likely be more attuned
to the love and harmony within the early home, and may feel an
affinity and appreciationfor thc tradition out of which it hascome.
The Moon or Cancerthere blend easilyinto the home environmenr,
whereasUranus orAquarius in this position often feclslike a suanger
in a strangeland, curiously wondering how it 'ended up' in that
panicularfamily. MarcelProust,who in TbeRememberanceofTbings
Past uplorcd in unsurpasseddetail his early life and innermost
feelings,and thc workingsof memory iaelf, wasbom with the Sun,
Mercury Jupiter and Uranus all in Cancei in the 4th.
The influence parental figures hara on us is normally amributed
to the 4th-10th house axis.Tiaditiondly it has dways made sense
to associatethe 4th house(naturdly ruled by the Moon and Cancer)
with the Mother, and the 10thhouse(naturally ruled by Saturnand
Capticorn) with the Father.Most astrologerswrecontenr with this
classfication,but the work of Uz Greenehasshedsomeambiguity
in this area.Shc has found from hcr considcrableenperienceand
orpertise asan astrologicd consultanrrhat her clients' description
of the relationship to their mothers seemedto corelate more closely
with the 10th house,while the image of father worked better with
thc 4th.2
There aresolid cascsfor and againstboth schoolsof thought. Since
the 4th houseis linked to Cancerand the Moon, then it would seem
reasonableto assignit to the mother. Her womb wesour origind
home, and in infancy we aremore responsiveto the mother's moods
and feelingsthan to the father's. The father is rhen connectedto
the 10th house,Saturn and Capricorn: after dl, he is normdly the
breadwinnerand the one out More the public, and it used to be
thc practice that the son follovrcd the father's profesion. Howwer,
the opposing argumentsare equdly convincing. Thc Moon is not
just mothcr; it is also our brigins' and we inherit our name from
the f*her. In this vay, he can be associated
with the 4th house.The
l0th houseis much more obvious than the 4rh. and the mother is

TFIE IMUM COEU AND TI-IE FOURTI{ HOUSE

t7

much more obviousto the child than the father. The maternity-of
like
,ii. frtiia ir a clear fact - up front and publicly recognizable
hidden
sometimes
the lgth house.Paternity iimore speculative,
and perhaps'vena.yt,iry and theiefore maybe better correlated
Also,
ro the mori hidden and mysteriousIC point and the 4th housc.
the.*ildt
is usuallv
qt{t'
i; V.;tem societyat leasi, the mothir'nay-sayer'
ot childhood, tne
socidizing influence. she is the great
watch
onc with ihom we spendthe most time and whoserole tt tsto
and
good
is
what
ovr us and teach us the difference berween
mother
the
is
normdly
It
*.fpoUi. -d what is bad and not dloqad'
*tro'.it..-rrains thc child - the frst major adjustment we.have
ro makein orderto conformto societdstandards(saturn' capricorn
-and the l0th house).
that ir is possibleto fix a view that the 4th isalways
ia*'J.[era
vice versa.It is saferand
io,ft ir alwaysrnother or
f;;;;Jil
'shapingparent' - the one
perhapsmore accurateto saythat the
*ittt *ttom thc child spendsthe most time and who has the most
- should bc associatcd
ttte child to soci.e-ty
i"fil;;;"a"pting
'hidden
Parent" the one who
with the t0th house;iandrhe more
quanttly-'should
known
a
of
much
is les visible and who is not so
with a client
tdking
practice,
after
b. .orrrr.o.d to the 4th house.In
which
to
guess
as
educatcd
Pgelt
th..rttolog.r can formulate an
client's
U.ir"st ,o'*hi.h house.For instance,if I ascenainthat the
with an Aquarius Moon and I find Gemini on
Afi;;";;Gemini
,ft. Ji."i't fC and Uranus in the 4th house, it would -se5m-lifely
,rr", ,rr. 4th house,in this case,is an aPt descriptionof the father.
Not all charts make it this easy,howerrcr'
(be it
It is imponant to remembei that placemens in the 4th
was
actudly
the.parcnt
the'ay
*oitt.t or'father) may not describe
the
experienced
child
the
which
in
way
as a person,but iarhir the
4
child's
the
parent-imago,
the
what is known u'liaditional
o"r.'n,
t"??
ps'ychology.normdlfupn3ys
ittUo. i-rge of the parent.
the
the view thlt if somithing goeswrong betweenthe parent and
places
asuology
pqrchological
.o"trast'
6y
.nita, i it ,fte parent'sfiuli;
the
at leasrhalf oithe rcsponsibility on the child for orperiencmg
to
house
4$
(assuming
orample
panicularrrray.
For
o"t.", in a
4t
most
will
be
4th
in
the
Situm
*ittt
girt
f,..6; fathcr;, a little
will
;.-rp""ri; ;.'the Saturiine side of her father's nature. Hc
with
associated
those
than
other
qualities
or6U"Ut, orhibit many
tdil.fr.,ypJ

pri".rpt., but thechildin quesdonwillselcctitely'scrrcnty-firrc

;;;;t*;;;y'th.Sr'r.r-traits.Thefatheimayut-"^T--{!lj
per cent tol
Per cent of the time, but the twenty-tive

j
I

THE TWETVEHOUSES

which he is cold and critical will be what the daughter registers.

More often that not there is a collusion betweenthe parentd image
in thc child's chan and key placementsin the chan of the parcnt.
Forinstance, the chan of the girl's fathcr with Saturnin the 4th may
show the Sun in Capricorn, Capricorn ascending,or a Sun-Saurn
conjunction. Howwer, errenif her father's chan is not that closea
descriptionof the placemenc in lrer 4th house,the predilectionto
seea parent in a panicular w:ryoften hasthe effect of turning the
personinto what is being projectedonto him. If shekeepsreacting
to her father asif he is an unkind persone\rcnwhen he is displaying
love and generosity,erantudly he might become so frustrated that
he turns sour toqrardsher or giras up and aroids hcr altogether. And
'The
then the little girl saysto herself,
cad - I knew he waslike
that all along.' But washe?
lWeare born with rhc barebonesofcenain innatepredispositions
and orpectations, but the orperienceswe harrcaschildren add layers
upon layersof flesh to these.\U(/e
interpret the environment in a cerain
way and then form concreteattitudes about oursehasand life but
there' in generd bascdon theseperceptions.The litde girl we harrc
been discussingwith Saturnin the 4th dready hasa few oristentid
life-statementscoming to the fore 'hther doesn'tlorc me' and 'Pather
is a cad',to narne but rwo. Shewill caffy thescinside her evenafter
she hasdepaned from the parenral home where they will blossom
'Men
into more full-blown attitudessuchas,
find mc unwonhy and
.All
unlouble' and
men arecads'.Becomingconsciousof the origins
of these attitudes allowsfor the posibility of changing them, or
finding other waysof organizing orperience.Delving into the 4th
house,which showsthe archetypesacti%ted in the earlyhome life
berweenourselvesand the parent in question, can grcatly aid this
process.
The 4th house, in addition to describingour inherited origins
and that which residesdeep within us, is associatedwith the home
basein generd. What kind of atmospheredo we createin the homc?
\7hat do we aftract to ourselvesthere?What qualities in thehomc
environment do we most naturdly resonatewith? Thesequestions
can be answeredby oramining thc planea and signs in the 4th.
'in
T. S.Eliot writesthat
my beginning is my end.' The 4th house.
depictsour origins but it is alsoassociated
with how we end thingp.
'enact
The manner in which qleultimately resolrcan issueor
a closure'
will bc related to placementsin the 4th. Venus there ends things
neatly and fairly, all tied up in a pretty bundle. Saturnmay prolong
or bcgrudge an ending. The Moon and Neptune often slip away

TTIE IMUM COEU AND THE TOURTI{ HOUSE

'go
whileMarsandUranus out witha bang''
andpeacefully,
quietly
^
halt
thc conditionssu'ounding thesecond
1.friatn aisosuggeits
lvlany
end'
the
at
out
of lift. !0hat is riJst deepwithin us comes
or rotin and perhapsmovedbv the deathof a
;i;; tft;it;
"i.
ofour monaliryandconscious
'6;il;. , *itt U*otie in r.asinglyavare
"*.ri
tr litt ti-.,o *"t,i. bn thisbasis,wemaywillingly.makl
4ndventour innermostneedsencl
morespacein our livesto express
of life is a prercquisitefor
f..fi"g'r. Funhermore,she&orperience
soit isnotzurprisingth1 9urdeepcstandmostintimate
;|f-J;;ty,
motiradonsmay not emirge until the later years'One,extreme
rn whrcnPeoPre
illustrationof this is the dcath-bedcontessron,
theyhavekept
which
;;;i."llydisclose-truths aboutthemselves
guardedfor decades.
"-*y.toan.rapy, self-reflecrion,
rariousforms of meditation-rrfrit s whichtakesus into ourselves bring4th housegnergies
aveiltDleto
to'the *.f".. and can makethesemorcconsctortsl!
there'
what's.down
in life. Ratherthan neglecting
;;;.k;;[er
sooner
house
this
in
placements
to dealwith difficult
i, i,
up
"a"ir"Ute
hter. The 4th house,iikt our Pa$, dwayscatches
;;;;,t;
with us.

I
6r

7.

THE FIFTH HOUSE

ril

Tiuly,I sayto you,unlessyouturn andbccomelikc children,

you will neverenterthe kingdomof heaven'
Manhewrg:3

lrl

rL
I

I
IL
I

In thc 4th, we discoverour own discrereidentity, but in the 1th we

revel in it. The fire of the lst house burns without evenknowing
it is buming; the fue of the 5th ragesconriously and isjoyfully fanned
by the sclf. The nature of life is to grow, and this house(naturally
associatedwith Iro and the Sun) rcflectsour urge to expand, to
becomemore and more. and ro radiate out into life like the Sun.
By thc time we reachthe 5th house,we nov/ know that we are not
'a
everything;but we arenot contentjust to be somegns'- qrernusl
lWeare not all there is, but we can try to be
be a specialJorTueone,
the most important rhing there is.
The function of the Sun in our solarsyscemis rwofold: it shines,
giving warmth, heat and life to the eanh, but it alsoservesas the
centralorganizingprinciple around which the planea orbit. In this
'I',
sense,the Sun is like thc personal ego or the
the centre of
consciousness
which
the
diffcrent
aspects
of
the
selfrevolve.
around
Individualswith strongplacemenr in the )th panakeof the qudities
of the Sun. They need to shine and createfrom inside themselves;
they need to feel influential; and they need to feel that othersare
revolving around them. To some this meansliterally alwaysbeing
the cenrreof attention - a cravingto be worshippedlikc thc Sun.
One woman I kncv with the Sun and Marsin the 5th couldn't tolerate
being in the sameroom with the televisionon, becauseit meant
that othersin the room might focuson it rather than her. We must
remember that the Sun, although vitally central and imponant, is
not the only Sun in the galaxy- it is just one of many.The words
'everybody
is a star'.
of a popular song remind us that

t111il
.i
Lrii

5ttr
Embedded deep in our psyches,and rwerberating througtrout
be recognizedfor our spe-cialnes.
the ith houscis an-innatedisire to'curer'
ot rnore spell-binding and
As childrcn, we believethat the
Mother want to loveand
will
cenainly
captirating we ate, the more
our unique rahrc
othcrsvith
p[i..i us]Enslavingand enchanting
caredfor'
protected,
fed,
*I
ar.
lrrd *onh is one way of cnsuring
alive.
to
stay
-and therefore more likely
ilotlr;r k ynoteof the Jth is ginerativity - which simply de{ined
'the
ability to produce'ITheserwo principles, the need.to
means
be lorad for our specidnessand the desire to createtrom rnslde
with thc lth
ourselves,underfiimost of the traditional associations
house.
The lth housc is the area of the chart attributed to creatira
most obviously with anistic.endea\tours,although the
opt
"ion,
,ne lth neednt be just painting a picture or performing
.rJ",i"iry
to ther
"f
a dance.'scientistsor mathematicianscanapply themsehres
'lhe
Pavlom'
or
a
Picasso
as
plTion
or
ananistry
great
work with as

;[;;;Jpt"it."

i" thelth stridtigtrto."+: posible""'!",-!1

Mcrcury or C'emini in thc 5th may denote a talent

crltira orprcsion.
for writing or public speaking;Neptune or Piscesmay be absorbed

andraurusmight
;i,h ;;i?, d.,ry, phbtogr"ihyoidance.Cancer
JiUii a fliir foi iookiig;'*ftil. Virgoin this positioncanbe

morethan
orccptionallyadeptat sewingandhandiwork'Hon'ever'
here
placements
a.*iiUitg Jnich creativeouil.t weengage.il,the
ptece
ot
susqestti.- *oort, md stylewith whichit is pursued'-A
or
Uranus)
or
.iii. ."n be an intellerti^l' too, deforce(Mercury
peopte
Some
comcstraightfrom the hean (Moon or Neptune)'

I
62

lli

producespontaneously
and joyfully,while otherssufferextraordinary
binh pangs.Above and beyondpurely creariveexpression,
this is
the houseof the actor,and depictsthe way in which we tacklethe
an of living. One client with an obviouslth houseslantdescribed
'professional
herselfasa
person'- and shedid not intend this solely
in terms of career.
The creativeoutlets associatedwith the lth also include spons
and recreation.Forsomeit is the challengcof athletics,the contesr
and competition, thc joysof winning and coming first. For orhers,
it is the sheerecstasyof orenion and the pitting of the self againsr
the elements or odds. Similarly, gambling and speculation are
assignedto the lth aswell - wherewetestour wit and imaginadon
against fate and chance.
The lth house is more broadly associatedwith hobbies,
arnusementsand spare-timepleasures.Theseall soundteribly lowkeyfor a houscruled by the Sun and [ao. Hoqr\rcr, upon oraminarion,
they are more imponant than they first appear.Thc lth describes
activitieswhich makeusfeel good about ourselvesand makeus glad
to be alive. Hobbics and spare-time amusemenrs afford the
opponunity to panicipate in what we want and like to do. Through
thesepursuitswe feel the joy of beingfully inaolaed in somcthing.
Unfonunately, many of us havecareersor jobs which do not entail
this degree of engagcment. There is a great danger that our
enthusiasmand vitality rrould run dry unlesswe had spare-time
inteteststo rechargeand reinvigorateourselrres.
In this lighr, hobbies
and amusementsharrc an almost therapeutic effcct. The word
'recreation'
literally meansto make new, to revitalize and inspire
with life and encrgy.Planes and signsin the Jrh suggestthe types
of spare-timepursuits we might ocplore,and thc manner in which
this is undenaken.
Romancefinds its wayunder the heading of the 5th house.Besides
being exciting, passionate,heart-wrenchingor whatever,romantic
lWebecomethe main
encountersenhanceour senseof specialness.
focus of attention for somcbodyelse'sfeelings and we can display
our very speciallove to someoneelse.Placementsin the lth reveal
'create
the way in which we
romance'- the archetypalprinciple(s)
most likely activatedin thescsituations- aswell assomethingabout
thc kind of person who ignites us.
Sexual expressionis also linked to the 5th. A good sexrd
relationshipcontributesto our rnse of povrcrand qronh,highlighting
both our ability to give pleasureand the capacityto aftract others
to us. This powerto enchantand hold the atrention of othersis very

rllilr
I
I

liI
I
ri

ili

THETWELVE
HOUSES

;Liii

THE FIFTH HOUSE

6'

insdnca, (Corypare
reassuringand sad$es deeply embedded*yi*l
gth
personal
boundarics
our
transcend
to
weseek
where
this to thl
through intimacy.)
Allitris leadsio one of the main representationsof the lth
children, crearionsof the body and thl physicalextensionsof the
self. Most people primarily exPresstheir creative drives (and
symbolically cniure-thcir survival; through generating offspring'
riznl. thc 4th and toth housesindicate how we view our parents,
constellatedbetween
placementsin the 5th describethe arche-types
planets
here reflectwhat our
and
signs
children.
ourselncsand our
from other houses,
examp-les
with
line
In
to
us.
progeny mean
varietyofways'-For
a
interpreted.in
can
be
house
pl".".-.ttrt in this
'instance,
produceJupiterian.children
literally
may
in
the
'th
Jupiter
- thoseLoin ,rnder the sign of Sagittariusor wirh Saginariusrising
orJupiter conjunctat angl. or thi Sun, etc.Or we canunderstand
encounterJupiter
;upiter in the lth to mean our prcdispositionto
or are prone
children
our
onto
projectJupiter
we
life:
of
area
init
"t
of
their other
any
than
strongly
more
side
theirJupiteiian
to register
in
the role of
experience
our
describe
also
in
tihe
Planets
lth
traiti
parenr. satum there may be tenified of the responsibilityof parcnting
that they won't be good at it. Uranus' idea of bringing
"ft"ia
""a
may embracethe most new and avant-gardetheories
children
up
subject.
the
on
More than just describingexternalchildren, thc lth housecould
- that pan
aptly be called the house of out own Inner Child
9f
ui *tti.h lovesto play and which dwaysstayseterndtf f9t"tg.. trttt*
us all is rporrt"tt.orrs, natural child who cravesto be lovedfor his
" specialnesand uniqueness.However,aschildren, this
or her own^
pan of us is often quashed.lbobften, we are lovedfor conforming
and matching np to our parents'orpectationsand standards,rather
In this way,we losefaith in our budding
than for bein-gwho *.
"ti..
individuality-"nd b..o-e what liansactional Analysisrefersto as
'thc
of our own
adapted child'. Inrnriably, we will Pfoject the state
'the daryag-ed
inner child onto our actual offspring. \fe can heal
child, in ourselvesby giving the tb'e and acceptancewe weredenied
aschildren to our own progenyor other young peoPlewe encounter'
Howerrcrwe do it, it is nevertoo late to hara a hapPy chtldhood'
sre augmenr and enhanceour unique identityand orerciseour
through the creativeoutpbutings.of tlre tth' As a,b.y*,tr pdt
product,
we may errcngeneratesrunning works of art, wofthwhile
^new
books and-ideas,1r interesting children who in somc way
conuibute to society.Bcnefiting society,howerrcr,is not the main

64

THETOqELVE
HOUSES

concernof this house.\Titnes the reluctancemany people harrcto

releasingeither thcir worksof an or their children into the world.
In the 5th, wc createprimarily for ourselves,becausethe self takes
joy and pride in doing so,and becauseit is in the nature of the self
to create.

8.

TI{E SIXTH HOUSE

A monk toldJoshu:'l havejusrcnteredthe monastcry.
Please
teachme.'
'Haveyouearenyour
asked:
riceporridge?'
Joshu
The monk replied:'l haveeaten.'
'Then you
had betterwashyour bowl.'
Joshusaid:
A Zen story
The main problem with the 5th houseis a tendencyro 'go overthe
top'. lWedelight in self-expresion,but we don't know when to stop.
In the ith housewe no longer believeweore everything,but westill
think wc canbe or do znything. The 6th housefollowsthe Jth and
reminds us of our natural boundariesand the need for clearerselfdefinition. Like the philosophy of Zen, the 6th houseasksthat we
'perfection
respectand regain the
of our original nature',I that we
becomewhat we aloneare(no more, no less),and that we live this
in our everydaylives. Our true vocation is to be ourselves.

6ttr

66

TTIET\UTELVE
HOUSES

Thc 6th house shakcsa finger at the lth and retons:

Very well, it's wonderful to give orpressionto your creativeflair,
but haveyou really done it thar cleverly?That painting is not
quite right yet and you've orhausted yourselfstaying up rwo
nights working on it.
or
Sure, you are having quite a sizzling romance, but have you
examincd the practicalitiesof this asa long-term relationship
- not to mention the fact you can't stand the after-shavehe
wears?
or
Congratulations, you've had a baby girl. Now adjust your
scheduleand life to her and keep thosecleannappiescoming.
or
Rememberthat pany lastweekwhereyou really let yoursclfgo?
tVhcn you look back,don't you think you might haveoffended
that shyboy in the cornerwho didn't errcnharrea chanceto spcak
becauseyou monopolized the conversation?
The time hascomero takestockof ourselves,to dirriminate between
priorities, to assessthe use we are making of our power and
capabilities,and aboveall, to recognizethe limits and truth of our
own nature and humanity.
Tiry,r it may, a pear seedcan neverbecomean apple tree. Nor
should it, if we believeas Kieikegaarddid, that 'to will to be the
self which one truly is, is indeed the oppositeof dcspair.'2The 6th
houseis all about stickingto our plan and blossominginto precisely
what we are meant to bc. Doing this feelsright and good. But the
consequences
for not respectingthe truths of our own nature ale
stress,frustration and dis-easemessengers
tclling us that somcthing
is awry and needsto bc oramined.
'Reality
has both a "within" and a "without".'3 The 6th house
exploresthe relationship ber,weenwhat we are inside and what
surroundsus on the outside - the correlation betweenthe inner
world of mind and feelings and the outer world of form and the
body. The traditional6th houselabels, 'health, work, service,and
adjustment to necessity',all stem from this bodymind connection.
It is a basic fact of existencethat life has to be lived within

THE SD(TH HOUSE

67

boundaries.No matter how divine or wonderful we think we ate,

wc sdll have to eat, brush our teeth, pay bills and cope with the
necessitiesof cveryday,mundane redity. Funhermore, eachof us
hasa panicular body, a pafticular mind, and somepanicular task
'designed'
in a cenain way to servea PurPose
to perform. lUTeare
or function specificd in our own individud make-up and nature.
Nobody canfulfil that purposebetter than ourselves.We servebest
by being who we are. Through the necessaryadjustments and
refinements of the 6th house,we becomewhat we done can be.
'work
is the rent wc Pay for lifc.' For
Somebodyonce said that
many of us, work is something ue baaeto do in order to suPport
daily existence. Daily employment also implies roudne and
adjustment. \7c have to arive there more or lesson time, and we
cannot be asfree and spontaneousaswe might like with our lives
if we know the alarm clock is set to ring at seventhe next morning.
rUTehave to structure our dme, establish priorities, and make
dispensations.In one way,the need to follow a rigid schedulehelps
to order and pattern life. We escapethc existentialanxiety which
freedomof choicemight provoke:wehavea job and we know where
we must be.
Idealljt, however,the work-forceis composedof raried individuals
eachperforming thc panicular skills they havedevelopcdbest.The
end result is a perfectlyfinished product or the maintenanceof the
proper functioning of society.Planes and signsin the 6th describe
isues reladng to work and employment, and suggestthe tasksthat
wecan potentidly do most well. Placementsin this housemay rwed
the natureof our jobs -Jupiter or Sagittariuscould be a uarcl agent,
the Moon or Cancerlook aftcr children, and Neptune or Piscesdraw
pints at thc local pub. But much more than describingthe type of
employment, the placementshere suggestthe way in which we
approach(or should approach)doing the iob - not just ubat we
do, but hou we do it. For instance,thosewith Saturn or Capricorn
here may prefer a stablejob with clearlydefined requirements,at
which they can work slowly and steadily;while thosewith Uranus
and Aquarius in this housenormally hate to punch a clockand would
much rather work without a bosslooking over them.
The nature of relationshipswith co-workcrsis alsoshownby 6th
houseplacements.Venusor Ubra heremay fall in lora with someone
at work, while Pluto or Scorpio stirs up intrigues and complo<
'naturally
squared' the 3rd (seepage
encounters.The 6th houseis
'unfinished
around
sibling and early pcer
business'
121) and
relationshipsmay resurfacewith co-workers.

69

THE T\UUELVE
HOUSES

HOUSE
THESTXTH

ThLroughemployment situations,we find ourch'es in relationships

of inequality. Thiny peoplemay bc working under us, and wemay,
in turn, be subordinateto thiny others.How wecopewith dispcnsing
authority, and how we managein the more subservienrposition is
shown by the 6th. It is a kind of rehearsalfor the reladonshipsof
equality we form in the 7th house.
The 6th house also describesour relationship to the mechanic
who works on our car, our doctor and his or her receptionist,the
milkman - in fact anyonewho is servingusin someq/ay.Conrrrsely,
'a
our own qualities as server'and our deeperfeelingsand attitudes
regarding serviceare shown by placementshcre. This is not to be
taken lighdy, asmany peopleview humiliw and serviceCIthe pinnade
of human endeavour- asthe path to God and more enlightened
statesof being.
The way we use our time and the kind of atmospherewe need
in order to function happily in daily life is shownby the 6th. Signs
and planets in this housecolour the energieswe bring (or should
bring) into everydaytasks and how we approach the rituals of
'white
mundane existence.
Marsin the 6th may cleanthe houselike a
tornado',while Neptune is still trying to rememberwhereit left the
moP.
Pets- who arearound us in our everydaylife - aredso assigned
to the 6th house.This may seema trivial considerationand yet a
good number of peopleareprofoundly affcctedby their experience
'hook'
of caring for animals. Pets can be the
for any variety of
projectionsand for somepeople their_relationshipto their dog or
cat is asimponant aswith anyhuman. In cenain cases,pets:rssuage
what would otherwisebe an unbearablesenseof lonelines or feelings
of uselesness.
The lossor deathof a belovedanimd canrigger many
psychologicaland philosophical issues.
Thereis an obviousrelationbetweenwork and health - the other
major concernof the 6th house.Although the dominant work ethic
of rVesternculture may seemextremeor easilyabused,nonetheless
the need to be productive and useful is somehowbasicto human
nature. Overworkstrainsthe hedth, while too little work can leave
us listlessand lethargic.Redundancynot only deprivcsusof a source
of income, but alsoa sourceof a senseofwonh and purpose.Studies
haveshownthat the number of rcported illnessesincreascsin areas
where the uncmployment rate is rising. Conversely,some people
will use illnessas a way of escapingfrom a job they hate or which
doesn't suit them.
The 6th houseconcernforcraftsmanship,perfectionand technicd

proficiencyappliesto issuesof health aswell aswork. Optimally the

body i, fineiy mned mechanismwherethe different cellswork for
" of the largerorganism.Eachcell is an entity in itself and
the good
'do
its thing'
yetCachone is pan of alargu system.Each-cell must
whole'
greater
the
of
demands
the
to
submii
must;bo
Lut each
individual
each.
society)
(as
healthy
in
a
person
In a healthy
componenrassensrmelfand yet worksin harmony with the other
.o-pon.tt,t. The 6th houseasksthat we bring our different pans
- that is,our mind, body and feelings- into a harmoniousworking
rclationship.
Many individuals with 6th house placementsare especially
degree'In
interesiedin health and fitness,some to an obsessive
extremecases,specialdiets and techniquesfor maintaining.the
optimal functioning of the body dominareand structurethe life,
liaving litde time for anyrhingelse. Horrever,many-orcellentttealers
with traditional
havea 6rh houseemphasis,and ir canbe associated
herbalism,
osteopathy,
medicineaswell at.ir..rs in homoeopathy,
massage,etc.
It hL aheadybeenmentionedthat the body,mind-andemotions
operateas a unit. \fhat we think and feel will affect the body'
the stateof the body will influencehow we think and
Conversely,
feel. Psyihe (mind) and sonza(body) are inextricably linked'
physiologicaland chemicalimbalances,give
rise to psychological
proUt.,,'i, while emotional and mental turmoil can manifestin
physical
symptoms.The 6th housemay revealsomethingabout the
'unh"rryi"g
of i9Tai" illneses.Sarurncould
significance
p^rychological
in meeting everydayhje, aswell asarthritis. Mars
indicaic
"ligiaity
in the 6th nrihesinto life, *or1*' itseif to a frazzlc,only to bediagnoscd
later with high blood-pressure.However,it is an over-srmplficadon
to referto rh16th houseonly in relationro health. TheAmerican
Book of Natrition ond Medical Astrology by Eileen ftly"ll
San Diego, California)
(publis'hedby Astro Compudng Services,
and is highly
depth,
great
in
medical
ir"-in.t
"sttoiogy
recommended.
Through 6th houscissueswe refine, p!{ect and purify ourselves,
'channel'for being who.weare'\We
and ultiriately becomea better
could be rhe mosrwonderfullyinspiredartisr(1th house)b_utunless
we learn the toolsof the craft (6th [ouse) - the right useof brushes,
paints and canvas- we won't be able to concretizeor realizeour
'techniqueis the liberationof thc
iosibiliries. Ir hasbeensaidthat
imaginadon'.Theseare true watchwordsfor the 6th house'
of our unique individuality and
\fie embarkon life unconscious

68

rtill

TI{E TIrEIIYEHOUSES

by the end of the 6th houscwe harc a much more dcfined sensc
ofour on'npanicularidentity andpurpose.Likethe 3rd house,the
$h houy.emplqn the left brainactivityof reducingthingsto parr.
The problem with the 6th is that we end up seeingthe-worldroo
mrclt in termsof 'what is me' and 'whet-isnot-me'.IThen we
characterize
oursehres
by thoscfeatureswhich distinguishus from
- our weight,height, skin colour,job, car,hJuse- weare
94.11
left with the feeling that there is an absoiutedistinction between
who we areand who other pcople arc. !flhile it is thc purposeof
thefirstsixhouses
to makeusmorefullya*are ofourselrts^as*pmt.
individuals,it remainsfor the lastsixhouses(the 7th to the Uth;
to reunite us with othcn again.Otherwisclift is aurfullyloncly.'

9.

THE DESCEI\DANTAND
TI{E SEVENTHHOUSE
Dri,ren by the forceof lovethe fragments o{the world seekeach

otherthattheworldmavcomc
Ti:rlJit?in"rddcchardin
'rhe personalhouses"
The 6th houseis the last of what is known as
and representsthe refinementof the individual personalityttTo$\
work, scrvice,humility and amendonto crrcrydaylifc and th9 Rhnicd
body. tking a microscopeto lifc, thc 6th housc analysesand
categorizesiI into diffcrent parts, giving.each.panits app.rop.riate
placc and purpose. \7e now know preciselyhow we difter trom
'cverybody
and everything else.But, by thc end of the 6th house,
we have grown t.p"t"ti from one another as life will allow, and
"r
learn:that nothing existsin isolation.\rhcn
wehavea-newlcsson-ro
we arrive at the Descendant,the westernmostpoint in the chan,
we turn a sharpcornerand find ourselvesheading backagainto the
point whereit all staned.It will be thc work of the 7th to 12thhouses
ro reconnecrusoncemore to the lost senseof our unity with all life .
The Descendantis the cuspof the 7th houseand thc point oPposlte
'point
the
the Ascendant.Traditiondln the Ascendantis considered
'the point of
and rhe bescendant is considered
of self-awareness'
of others'.It describesour approachto relationshipsand
awareness
the qualities(alongwith the planetsin the-7th)that wea-relooking
for in a parrner.Michael Meylr in z{ Handboohfor the Hu.manistic
Astologer also writes rhat the Descendant(and .the 7th house)
denoreithe kindsof activitiesthat givethe individud the experiences
'he needsin order to realisethe significanceof others'''
'the
house of
Similarly, the lst house is traditio-nallyknown as
'.
labelled
is
lst,
from
the
the self The 7th house,which is the fanhcst 'the
'.
,rhe
marriage'
of
house
as
houseof the not-self It is alsoknown
,the houseof open enemies'.Marriagehereis taken
and curiouslyas

-tl
72

THE T'IOTEIVE
HOUSES

7+n
:o q:a" anyimpoftant relationshipbasedon murual commitment,
legally contractedor orherwise.I'the 7th house,rwo people come
togerherfor a purpose - ro enhancethe quality or in.ii lives by
joining with one another,to producea famity ind g.;in grearer
security
and stability, and to assuagelonelinessand isJatio"n
Most.astrologicaltortbooks teach that the planets and signsin
.
thc 7th housedescribethe ma'iage panner,or 'ihe significant6ther'.
This is rrue asfar as it goes.plaiements in the Tttioften indicate
the.kindofpanner(s)towhom we areaftracted.br instance,, -"n
with the Moon in the 7th may '.ek a pannerwho reflectsthe qualiriis
of the Moon: someonewho is re.epiiue,compassionat.
"nd."tirr!.
A wornan with Mars in the 7rh rrny be attraited ,o p*n.,
*lio
"
qualities
the
of
Mars:
someone
who is assenivi,direct and
1eflec-ts
forceful. Shemay be looking for someoneto make decisionsfor her
and to tell her what to do.If there area number of planetsor different signs(asin rhe case
of an interceptedhouse)in the 7th, the issueian'be.o-. u.ry
confusing.becausewe are looking for so many different kinds o?
anributes in apaftner. br e.xample,should a woman harreboth Sarum
and uranus in the 7th, sheis.scekingsomeoneto offlerstability and
security(saturn) and yet at the sami rime sheneedssomeonewho
is unpredictablc,orciring and highly individualistic(Uranus).These
rwo setsof qualitieshardly live comfonably togethei in oneierson.
she may marry Saturn first, becomedreadfufy restressand bored,
meet someoneUranian and file for a divorce.or she mav remain
married to Saturnand harc an affair with Uranus.Or sh. -"y -".ry
uranus first, di'orce him on accounr of his unstable and'erratic

HOUSE
AND TT{ESEVENTH
THEDESCENDANT

7'

charactet,and then breathing a sigh of relief settledown safelywith

Saturn. Or, if sheis somewhatmore psychologicallymatute, shecan
marry Saturn and find ways which are unthreatening to the
relationshipto satis$ her needfor Uranus,or evenderalop it more
in herself.Orshe canmarry aUranian man and provide the Saturnian
securityherself in the pannership.
More than just describingthc nanrre of the Paftner, signs and
planets in the 7th suggestthe conditions of the relationship: thc
archetypesconstellatedby the union itself. Saum therecould indicate
a union basedon duty and obligation. Marsin the 7th is prone to
'love'
into mariage, tempestuous.battles,
ar first sight, -$i"g
passionatereunions,and then more battlesagain.Anhur Rimbaud,
the Frenchpoet shot by his lorrcrVerlaine,had o<plosivePluto and
Uranus both in the 7th house.RexHartison, with six marriagesto
his name, wasborn with abundant Jupiter thcre.
As stated earlier, a planet or sign in a house suggeststhe
predispositionto meet that archetypd principle through the area
of life in question. Placementsin the 7th arewhat we o(Pectto find
in closepannershipsand thereforeindicate thoseatuibutes we notice
most in the other person.Inrariably, something in our pamner'schaft
will colludc with planetsand signsin our 7th house,and more often
than not, the panner's chanuncanm/yreflectsour 7th. br instance,
a woman who hasMars,Saturn and Pluto in the 7th may r,erywell
find a husband who has Mars, Saturn and Pluto in the lst or
something like an Aries Sun (rdlecdng her 7th houseMars),a Scorpio
Moon (rdlecdng hcr 7th housePluto), and *uee planes in Capricom
(reflecting hcr 7th house Sarurn).
Thc psychologicalmechanism of projcction must again be
mentioned in respectto the Descendantand 7th house.lnRehting
Liz Greenesuggeststhat the Descendantand the 7th houseplanets
'belong
to the individual, but are
rcpresent qualities which
'through
a Panner, ot
unconscious'and which we try to live out
through the kinds of experiencesthe rclationship brings'.2 kt's
explore what she means by this.
The Descendant - the westernmostpoint in the chan disappearsfrom view aswe arebcing born. In this sense,it describes
what is hidden in us, what we feel doesn'tbelong to us becausewe
can't or won't see it in ourselves.Diametrically opposed to the
Ascendant and lst house, the Descendantand 7th house teveal
quditics in ourselveswhich we have the most difficulty bwning',
bcing responsiblefor, and accepting.However,asJungpoints out,
'when
an inner situation is not made conscious,it happensoutside,

-T
14

THETWELVE
HOUSES

asfate.' If we are unconsciousof something in ourselvesthen 'the

world must perforceact out the conflict and bc rorn into opposite
halves.'3In other words, what we are unawareof in ourselves,we
inrariably attrac to us through others. Thditiondly the Descendant
and 7th houseare describedasrhosequdities we seekin a panner;
but on a deeper level they represenrthose qualities hidden in us
which we need to consciouslyintegnte into our awareness
ro become
whole - what Liz Greene calls 'the inner panncr'. If wc have
suppressedthese attributes in ourselrresbecausewe find them
disagreeableor unacceptable,then it is not surprisingthat we won't
like them when thcy aremirored backto us through anotherperson.
Hence, the connotation of the 7th house as the sphere of open
enemies.
Howerrer,we dso tend to inhibit or 'dis-own'potentially positira
traits aswcll and thesemay be the very attribures which dlure or
exciteus when we meet them in others.rWefall in lovewirh rhose
people who openly exhibit thesetraits becausethey make us feel
more complete. We i^pon thesequalities into our livesby marrying
them. Ideally,the paftner may serveasa kind of role model for rhese
energies,which evenrudly permircus ro consciouslyintegratethem
back into our own nanrre.All too often, though, we remain reliant
on the other personto supply them. r$(/epolarize with the panncr
and stayonly half a person.
It should be made clearthat projection is not something which
is purely pathological. A projected image is a porcntid locked up
within the self.Whcn rhereis the needfor this image to makeitself
known, thc first step is perceivingit in someoneelse.Then, hopefullX
we realize that it has something to do wirh us and we consciously
take it back. For examole.a woman with Mars in the 7th mav not
be in touch with her o*n po*., and assertirrcness.
Therefori shc
looks for those qualities in a man. She finds a paftner with a
prominent Mars,one who is dominant and sclf-ccnued,and shouts
orders at her. Through him, she has brought Mars inro her life.
Howewr, when shecanno longertoleratehim that way,it may dawn
on her that she has a right to make demands as well. Shc begins
to fight back,to make a standfor hcrself, and in this wayshediscorars
Mars in her own nature.
Once we have,to somedegree,reintegraredqualiriesin rhe 7th
houseinto our own idcntity, we servero exposethoseprinciples to
societyat large.Therefore,a personwith Marsin rhe 7th might be
someonewho rousesother people to action. Someonewith Saturn
there could funcdon asa teacheror mentor for orhers.Manypeople

THE DESCENDANTAND THE SEVENTHHOUSE

7t

inrolrrcdin thc helpingor caringproftsions.harrca heavyemphasis

of closeorchange
onthe7th. Theyrequireanalmoircontinualflow
'siphonoff' a packed
to
wiscr
It
is
others'
*d
ttt.-t.lrr.t
tr*."
ot the
7th houscin this way,and relievea one-to-onePaftnershlP
thcrc'
many
of
- brunt
-full
Planea
nndertheheadingof the7th' Social
The'lmrcr.o.r.t' i6o
"pp..n
of rampant
rhe orcesses
to-counter--effect
being
into
morescome
and
o{fairngs
degree
some
.ir,rt.
iusticein
to
and
inai"ia"Airy
laws be
these
Should
society.
of
members
of
the behaviour
the
redres
to
intervene
must
force
ouFide
an
then
uansgresed,
Hon,wefarein counsof this kind is shownby placements
balarice.
in the 7th.
with LibraandVenus,is the
The 7th house,naturdly associated
with others'It poses
greater
co-operadon
learn
we
which
in
sphere
(7th)rrcrsus
dil.--" *ith the lst housc:howmuchdo I co-operate
" muchdo I assenmywm way(lsQ?On theonehand'the9anger
lrow
is givingor blendingroo muchandsacrificingone'so*'n identity.
Oi the"other,*..oild demandrhatothersadapttoo muchto us,
The problem.t"t :l:itl{
-a J.pti* them of their individuality.
'lf
oor.rr.d bv a RabbiHillel: I am not for mysel( who will bc?
trid if I am only for myself,what am I?'a The 7th housesetsthe
t*t of encount;ringanotherpersonand bdancingboth endsof
the scale.

-TT{EEIGHTHHOUSE

10.

TT{EEIGHTH HOUSE

77

many planetsin the 8th in careersinvolving other people'smoney:

bankeis.stockbrokers,investment analystsand accountants'
However,the 8th house is much rnore than iust other people's
'that which is shared'and the manner in which
money.It describes
*e fuie or unite wirh others' Elaborating and expanding on what
hasbegunin the 7th, the 8th houscisthe nitty-grittyof relationships:
what f,appenswhen two people - each.with his or her own
temperament, resources,taluelystem, needsand biologicd tlo,tt<
- a$empr ro merge. A whole piethora of questionsand conflicts
are aPt to ensue:

!f.my devilsareto leaveme, I am afraidmy angelswill take

flight aswell.
Rilke
The 8th househas many labels.since it is opposirethe 2nd house
wltich 'nnl,ralues',it is commonly calred'the houseofother peoplei
r
mlues'. This can be taken quite iiterally. Signsand planei i"'rh;
8th.suggest how we fare financially in miriage, int.rit-..
businesspannerships.For.lnstance,
Jupiter th.i. -ay ;*ry ;;;
money,receivea good windf.dl *r^ough a legacy,escapelightly frothe tax inspector,and form beneficialbusiiesi
A poorlv
"tr*i"t.r]
aspectedSaturnin thc 8th, on rhe other hand, may
marry soil;;
who declaresbanftruptcythe pc d_ay,
inherit ia nort-oct in'r"np"iJ
debts, be scrupulouslyinvestigatedby the mx inspe*or, and ch'oose
crrsastrous
buslnesspaftners.Nor is it unusud to find people with

Bttt

I have somemoney and you have somemoney' How-shall we

spend it? How much shall we try to saveeach month?
or
I like sexthreedmesa weekand you seemto needit everynight'
Vho wins?
or
You bclievethat to sparethe rod is to spoil the child, but I insist
that no child of mine is to be hit' Who's right?
or
I don't know hm, you canbe friends with thal cgup-IgThey pall.f
irritate me. I'd ratiler wevisit my friendstonight. \7hose friends
do they end uP visiting?
The aisleintended to lead to the path of wcdded blissseemsto have
i-t Ji",o arrgingbattlefield and thereiswhat lookslike a funerd
uP ahead.
procesion
'
with Pluto and scorpio,is dso
Thc gth house,naturallyassociated
'the house of sex,death and regeneration''In the myth'
labellcd
tt e maide" Persephoneis abducted into the underworld by Pluto,
th. god of Death. Shemaries him there and returns to the upper
pcrson, no longer a li"]: gtl' but awoman' Reladng
go
"rtf?i*ft-ged
J..pfV with"anoiher personenrails1 k*d of death, the letting
identity.
knit
and tightly
down oiour ego-boundaries
'lWe''
'I'
"na'[["ting
\$7e
and are reborn as
tl.p"t"t.
dic
PersepLone,through relationship we are.plungcd into
Li[e "s
pars of
another's*oitd. In so<and"intimacy'we exPoseand share
considered
be
can
ourselueswhich are normally kcpt hidden.-Sex
j";;;;U.
*fri.fr remporarily makcsus feel better; or through

78

THE EIGHTH HOUSE

TT{ETWETVE
HOUSES

the sexualact, we may orperiencea form of self-ranscendence,a

union with anothcr self. In thc hcights of ecstasy,we forget and
abandon ourselrcsto mctge with another.The Elizabethansreferred
'the
to the orgasmas
little death'. Much about our scx.rd nanrre
is shown by placcmentsin the 8th.
Relationships are the catalystsfor change.The 8th housecleanses
and regeneratesth'rough drawing to the surface(usudly via a presenr
relationship) unresolrredissuesfrom previousrelationships,eqpecially
early bonding problemswith mother and father The first relationship
inour life, that with thc mother or mother-substitute,is the most
highly charged.This is not surprising asour survival dcpends on
her. lWe are allborn into this world potential victims: unles there
is the caring lorc and protection of sorneonebigger and more adept
than us, our chancesof surviral areveryslim. Thc lossof a rnorher's
love doesnot simply mean the lossof a personcloseto us: it could
mean abandonment and death. Many of uscontinue to projcrt ther
sameinfantile concernsonto later reladonships.The fear that our
panner doesn'tlorc usanymoreor is posibly betraying uswill rigger
or reawakenthe primd fearsof the lossof thc original love-object.
It then feelsasif our very survivaldependson the presermtion of
'If
the presentrelationship.Plcasand outcriessuchas you leaveme,
'l
I'll die' and can'tlivewithout you' rerrcdthe chargedundercurents
from early bonding difficultics infiltrating the realiryof the current
situation. Tiue, aschildren we might havedied if Mother ldt, but
more likcly than not, as adults we are quite capableof managing
our os/n surviral needs.Through exposingthese unresolvedand
hidden fears,the trials and tribulations in the 8rh househelp us
to shcd attitudes which are obsoleteand cumbersome.Not everv

oTTii:,l#,T3*il;",,"na1fears,
proponion
agood
oftheanger
and outrage we sometimesfeel and unleashon our paftner can be
'tracked
back' to infancy and childhood. Children are not all
'goo'
siqrcetness, and light. The work of the psychologistMclanie Klein
hasdepictedanothersideto the baby'snature.Bccauseof ia oftreme
helplesnes, the smdl child orpericncesenormousfrustrationwhen
his or her needsare not bcing understoodand met. Eventhe most
adept mother cannot alwaysinterpret prcciselywhat a screaming
babywants,and inrariably the child's frusration eruptsinto violent
hosdlity. Sinceearly expcriencesleavesuch a deep impression,all
of us have a'raginginfent' buried inside. A presentpartner thwans
us in somewayand the screamingchild may be awakenedyet again.
Like Persephone's
abduction into the underworld, in veryintense

to discover
we derend into the depthsof our being
relationships
rage'
grecd'
envy'
the
iealousy'
or"tttia i*drr.n J inhcriance 'nd control aswell asthe
"rr
,h.;;ig;pt*tt
;.,"#;"t^d;t='
the1o1t r":Tl fu*::
de*ructivefanusia wnictiil ili berr*th 'the
beast'in us that
It is only throught tognitini and accepting
t""oot changcanvthinswedon't know
ilo#r-.a'-v/t
il;;:
'We
wecondimn' Thedarker
isthere. cannot*""tfo* *tethi{S
tJgttl utrtre wecanbccleanscd'
sideof our natu* -* bt;;;;il;
or born again'
regenerated
stifled a rast
""P;i;tly,
ili;"yfi ;;-his darkcrsidewemavhave
"t"tigy' However' acfnowledging our
reservoirof psychic
meancathaning
cruelty,*'t'gZ'n9t 79' necessatilv
vindictirrcness'
'actingout' thcsettotio"' indiscriminatelv'Suchbehaviour
or
thanwewish'
energy 'owning' dt"toyttt"h more
cnpendsthc
exPlosive
"J;;ibiy
and
gontainingthcsc
ya
Ra$er,the keyliesin
eKPrcssmg
encrgv
iht;Ljh ,..ont"t$q :9 the fou.ntof
ilil;.
us'sreevenflrauy
insidc
it
hJlding9ll1o.
and
itsclfasoutragecrnstrncrs
becntrapped'Thus
this en.rgyr,o']'-tit-i"t,,, it ittith.it has
release
backinto thc psyche'more
diraned,it canbeconscio*lyi"ttgtated
outlets'Stewingin the
orchannclledinto constructive
productirrcly
tlrL.t
to shift is not rcry
.i pii;a .*otiott until they arc readv
8th houseit t^I1 .^,^oleasant,but who n*?t' t"ia-tf i'tttt
trtt oppomrniryto re-oaminethc conncruon
""fri,'.il h";yi.r*
andthoscproblemsenc"t"j:fl
betweenPresentrelationshipissucs
percePuon
iri
and fathei early life' Bascdon our
;rh;h.'-*hcr
kind
abouiwhat
opinions
of thc cnvironment;.htid;;;form
belids
Thesc
us.
for
ii tit
we.r. *aiir"iilild',-,h.t.;
ofperson
far into
'scripts' .orr,-.tJ 'i- optt"tt' often unconsciously'
or
'father cad'grows

;|"ilffi.

,n. i-i,,f.gl"f*fi" U.ti."a.that

wasa

i"go;td ttnsc.that'n -:1I::*'

into thecomantitltf;;Pry
weharrca mysteriousand
Due to the lawsorp'lJit'attertrinisl'
o"i ri*t 'ttt *rv peopleandsituations
uncannyability,o
""li'i"t
If not' we will probablv
which suPPort,hJ;il;;-p'it"t'.
of a comploristo prorrc
aim
-v t"tt' rne
tr; ,h", ;;;
;;il
tS:Ti",
in the 8th
and rubble from chjrdhoodare excavated
anddeeperoristentid life-staternents
house.Our more
Pt"bl;;;
,"rr*
rclationshipcrises.vith
inpre^scnt
areuncovcred
"lJ-ti*irrg'
of living besly'11t;x'
thc added-"to,ityl"d "'itaJ- ttt"1 rtlt
the past'whrchnas
from
.,p' *-i of the residue
;;'.1;
on life' oursilvesandothers'
ourperspecuve
colouredandobscured
andsclf'mastery
;. i f, frour" isgreaiersclf-knon'ledge
ffifr|"f

THE T\TEIVEHOUSES

freeing us to conrinue our journey renewed,les encumbered bv

unnecessarybryg gr.
Should vrcfail at amempts-at
merging and ,working through' rhe
rolatile isues which the 8th house eiokes, rhen *,i .* ,if., ro
plT-....lq !r:r. to gain a senseof what the dirorce proceedingsmight
be likc. Difficult planetary aspecrsto the gth narn of trl.rmiti.
separationsand 'mesy' dirorce settlements.The two 'raging infants'
and their respectirrclawyersare lefr to carry out the SattL in the
couftroom.
All levelsof sharedexperienceare describedby the gth house.
In addition ro the redm of joint finance and rhemerging of mo
individuals inro one, this househasa broaderecorogicil ,lZot. wi
all hara to shareour planet and its resources.The high_powered
entrepreneurwho indiscriminately
y lerrels
lerrelsforests
forestsfor hiJ
hiJown
orofir
own profit
is.disregarding.th.e
inhabitants of the forest, aswen asdepriving a
fellow human being of an areaof natural beaury -a intiir"tiJ".
I n5n""p sensitivityto theseisues will be mi'oied by placements
in the 8th.
The house dso denotes our relationship to what esoreric
philosophersc4l 'the.astrd plane'. A strong ehotion, though not
necesarily visible,will nonetheles penadc thc atmosphereiound
yt. Th.:.esrrd plane_is that level of oristence where seemingly
intangible but porrcrful emotions and feeling;scollect and circulaiJ.
T.h9pore rationdlyminded may doubt the ciedibility ofsomerhing
which cannor be seenor measured.And yet, almosi all of us havE
of enrering on. peisor,'s home and feeling
lt"d t: orpe{9nc9
immcdiately 'hit' by something unpleasant, while walkins irrti
another person'shouse and feeling uplifted and spirited. planets
and.signsin the 8th showrhe panicular kinds of energies'ho'ering;
in the astrd realm to which we are most sensitiue.Someone*ifir
Marsin the 8th will more easily'pick up on' angerin the atmosphere
than someonewith Venustherl who quickly-senscswhen ,lo* i,
in the air'. In this capacity,the waterygth houseis akin to the other
water houses,the 4th and thc l2th. Expcriencesof thc psychicor
occult sphereare shownin the 8th, ar *.ll asthe degre. of irrr.r.o
or fascination we harc for thar which is hidden,"mysterious or
underlying the surfacelevel of existence.
Death, asshown by placemens in the gth, can be taken literallv
to mean the manner or o(enuating circumstancesof our physical
death. saturn there may be reluctant to die, fcarful of
lies
",trat
belon{ corporealoristence.Neptune may die from drugs,
alcohol
poisoning or drowning, or gradually dijengage itself i-n a coma.

THEEIGHTHHOUSE

8I

Uranus may end it all rather suddenly.

Howc\cr, in the spanof one life-time, weorperiencemany different
psychologicaldeaths. If we have been deriving our identity from
a panicular relationship and it should finish, then this is a kind of
death of who we havebcen. Likewise,if we havegained our sense
of vitality or meaning in lifc from a cenain professionand then are
made redundant, we dso die aswe knew ourselves,Childhood dies
and adolescenceis born. Adolcscencepassesand we die into
adulthood. A bimh requiresa death; and a death requiresa birth.
Signsand planetsin the 8th indicate the manner in which we meet
zuchphasetransitions.Individuals with a srong 8th houseslant often
experiencethcir livesasa book containing many diffcrent chaptets,
or a long play with distinct changcsof scene.Theseendings and
new bcginnings may be thrust on us or we might assumea mote
acdverole in tearing dovrnold structuresto make room for something
else.
In mythology, the gods createthe world, decide they don't like
it, destroy what they harrcbuilt, and createanother. Death is an
ongoing proccssin nature. There is alsothe image of the dying and
reviving god, who is desroyed in one form but then reappearsagain
uansformed. Christ is crucified and then resurected. Dionysusis
dismembered,but Athene, the goddes of\$?isdom,rerues his he,an
and he is born again. Like the Phoenix, we may temporarily be
reducedto ashes,but we canriseoncemore, renewed.Form can be
destroyed,but essenceremainsto flourish again in someother form.
'So
long as you do not die and
The German poet Goethe wrote,
riseagain,You area strangerto the dark eanh.' On somedeep level,
anv survivorof the 8th house'sraumas and tensionsknows this.

THE NINTH HOUSE

8l

11.

TI{E NINTI{ HOUSE

Mankindispoiscdmidwaybetcrcen
thcgods-O
Tffil*
The 8th houseinrariablyimpliessomedegreeof pain, crisesand
suffering.$opefu,lly,in survivingthesedifiicult times,weemerge
tencwed,cleansed,and wiserabout ourselrasand life in generd.
Havingdescended
into the depthsand rcmehon'managedto find
our wayup again,an overviewis gainedwhichdlowsusto conceirrc
of life asa joumeyandprocess
of unfoldment.Thefiery 9th house,
naturdly associated
withJupiter and Sagittarius,followsupon the
troubled watersof the 8th and offersa broaderpe$pectiveon all
that hasoccurredup to nos'.Enoughorperiencehasblen gathered
to attempt formulating someconclusionsabout the meaningand
purposcof our sojoum.
The 9th is the areaof the chan most directly concemedwith
philosophyandrcligion- questions
aboutrhe'whp andwherdores'
of ocistence.
h isherethat weseckrheTiuth, endearouringto fathom
theunderlyingpaaems
andbasiclac/swhichgoramlift. In onesense,
thesufferingincurredin the 8th compelsusin this direcdonbecause
pain is moreeasilyborncifwe canenvisionsomepurposefor having
to endurc it. In addition, if sufferingis in any urat linked with i
failure to live in accordance
to rhe lawsor rrutbsof oristehce,rhen
discovering
and adhcringto theseguidelinesmight decrease
the
amountof pain we needincur.
Human_beings
seemto requiremeaning.We apparentlyneed
absolutes,
firm idealstmardswhichqrecanaspire,andprecepswhich
serveto steerour lives.lU7ithoutmeaning,thereisoftenthc fteling
that we havenothing to live for, norhing to hopefor, no reasont;
strugglefor anything,and no directionin life. Manypsychologisa
believethat much of modern-dayneurosisis relatedto a lackof

9ttr
meaning or purposein life. Regardless
of whether it is true or not,
'out
we are comfoned by the belief that there is something greater
there': that a coherentpattern existsand that eachof us has some
panicular role to play in that design.Whether it is ultimatcly up
to us to createour own meaning in life or whether it is our task to
discoverGod'splan and intention, the searchfor guidelines,goals
and a senseof purpose forms the crux of the 9th house.
'the
higher mind' The 9th housesignifieswhat is known as
that pan of the mind linked to the faculty of abstractionand the
inruitive process- ascomparedto the concretemind shownby the
3rd house.Mercury,the natural rulcr of the 3rd and 6th housesis
a fact-gatherer;whileJupiter, the naturalruler of the 9th denotes
the symbol-makingcapacityof the psyche,the tendencyto imbue
. Facts
a particulareventor happeningwith meaningor significance
aredrawnfrom
arecollectedin the 3rd. but in the 9th conclusions
them: isolatedfactsareorganizcdwithin the frameworkof a larger
schemeof things or seen as the inevitable offspring of higher
organizingprinciples.
tDThilethe lrd and 6th housesareanalogousto the analyticaland
with the 9th
associated
companmentalizingleft brain,the processes
house(and the 12th)correlateto the activityof the right brain. The
right brain can identify a shapewhich is suggestedbv only a few
lines.The poins arementallywoven togetherinto a panern.Synthedc
and holistic,the right brain thinks in images,seeswholes,and detects
'the
left [brain] takessnapshots,
pattcrns.As MarilynRrgusonwrites,
the right watchesmovies."
conceded
Thc 9th houseoften believesthat eventshavea message

84

THET\TEDT HOUSES

in them.Jupiter or Venusin the 9th, for instance,may givethc feeling

that everything that happens is ultimately positive and to one's
advantage,as if there werea benign Higher Intelligenceat work
guiding our unfoldment. Saturnor Capricornin the 9th could have
more difiiculty perceiving meaning in an event, or elseinterpret
the meaning in a negative light. Albert Camus, the French
existentialistphilosopherand writer, had Saturnin Gemini in this
housc:he believedthat eventshaveno higher or absolutemeaning
other than that which human beingsattribute to them.
Placementsin the 9th describesomethingabout the stylewith
which we pursue religious and philosophical issues,as well as
zuggcstingthe kind of God weworshipor the nature of the philosophy
in lifc weformulate.Fore.xample,Mercuryor Gemini theremay lead
one to try and graspGod intellectuallywhile Neptune or Pisces
predisposcs
one to embracethe deiry through heardelt devodon,
to zunenderthe self. Marssuggestsa dogmatic and fanaticd approach
to religiouspursuitscomparedto the greatertoleranceand flexibility
exhibited by Venusin thesematters.The God-imagc is alsoshown
by planets and signshere. Saturn or Capricorn might conceiveof
a harsh,punishing, critical and paternalisticGod, who must be
in thc 9th, on the otherhand,
obeyedat all costs.Neptuneor Pisces
envisionsa compassionate
and loving God, inclined to leniencyand
forgiveness.
The 3rd houserulesthe immediate environment and that which
is discoveredby exploring what is at hand. The 9th describesthe
perspectivewe gain standing back and viewing life at a distance.In
this way, the 9th is linked to travelsand long journeys.Tiavelling
can be taken literally to mean journeysto other lands and cultures,
or it can be understoodmore symbolicallyasjourneysof the mind
or spirit - the broadenedhorizons gained from extensivereading
or the insights gained through meditation and cosmicreflection.
Understoodmore literally, through trarrcllingand mixing with people
rearedon traditions different from our own, our oudook on life is
expanded. The taste and style of somecultures may appeal to us
more than others, but nonetheless,other facetsof the myriad
possibilitiesof life areglimpsedand comparedwith our own. Tiavel
enablesus to view the world from a different perspective.I may be
involvedin a complicatedrelationshipin london about which I feel
confuscdand uncenain; yet, when I uarrclto SanFranciscoand reflea
on this relationship, somehowthe added distanceof 6,000 miles
helps me to understandit more clearlythan when the relationship
is right in front of me. The cpitome of a 9th houseexperiencemight

THE NINTH HOUSE

be the view of the world afforded the astronautre-enteringthe eanh's

atmosphere.There,at a glance,is-the.wholepicrure- our P.lanct
seen as an entity in reladon to limitlcs space.One's ordinary,
mundaneand everydayconcernsassumea different proponion after
suchan orperiencc.JohnGlenn, the first Americantoorbit the eanh,
had both Neptune and Jupiter in his 9th house.
Placementsin the 9th designatethe archetypd principles we
encounteron our travels,and may evenreved somethingabout the
natureof the culture or culturesto which wearedrawn. br instance,
Saturn there may experiencedifficulties or delayson journeys,or
ffavelmore specficallyfor a practicalpu{Pose,suchaswork or study.
Hcnry Kisinger, the American foreign ambassadorunder Nixon,
hasCapricornon the cuspof the 9th, and Saurn, its ruler, in Libra,
the signof diplomacy.If Pluto or Scorpiois in the 9th, wemay aftract
experiencesin another country which profoundly transform us, or
we may be drawn to a counily with Pluto or Scorpiostrong in its
national chan. Admiral Richard Byrd, the first man to fly to the
North Pole, had innonativeUranus in this house.
Returning much closerto home, 9th houseplacementsindicate
relationshipswith one's in-laws.Just as the third housefrom the
Ascendant describcsour own rclatives,the third house from the
Descendant(the 9th), describcsthe panner'srelatirts. rVhethersuch
relationshipsare cordial or stormy will be shown here. An in-law
might reflect a planet in the 9th housc, or receivethe projection
of that principlc. SomepeoplewithJupiter in the 9th seethe unirarsc
in a grain of sand, whilc others might perceive it in their
mother-in-law.
Journeysof the mind aredescribedin the 9th, which is alsoknown
asthe houseof highcr education. The chosenfield of study or the
nature of the collegeor university experiencein gencrd is shown
by placementshere.Foro<ample,Neptunc in the 9th may concentrate
on-a degreein an or music. However,that same Neptune could
indicatc confusionand vacillationin the choiccof a courseof study
or disappointmentand disillusionmentduring the stayat unirrcrsity.
Uranui may rebel againsttraditional systemsof highcr educadon,
or pursue a degreein someunusual or newly rising field, or bc the
firs1 person to securea place at Offord at the age of seven.
'\fe
'I
The lst houseis am' while the oppositehouse,the 7th is
'\fle
'I
have'.
are'. The 2nd is have' and its opposite, the 8th is
'\we
'l
think'. The
Correspondingly,the 3rd is think' and thc 9th is
9rh describesthought structureswhich are codified on a collective
level. These include not only the religious, philosophicaland

TI{E TWETVEHOUSES

cducational sy$cmsasdready discussed,but alsolegd systemsand

thc body of law. The 7th house is the lower courrs, but the 9th
representsthe higher coufts - the supremelaw of the land which
governsthe actions of the individud within the broadest socid
context. In the 3rd, we learn about ourselvesin reladon to those
in our immediate environmenr, but in the 9th a senseof our
relationship to the collectiveasa whole is kindled. Thc 9th is also
associatcdwith the publishing profession, in which ideas are
discminated on a large scalc.
Traditionally, planets in the 10th are associaredwith careerand
profcsion. The researchby M. and F. Gauquelin, however,has
establisheda correlation berweencenain planetary placementsin
the 9th and people who have achievedsuccessin fields related to
thc naure of theseplanets.A discussionof thesefindings is found
on pages118-119.
In the 3rd house,we oramine that which is immediate and direcdv
in front of us; in the 9th, we glimpse that which is not only fanher
'up
aray but also
and coming'. Suongplacementsin this houseconfer
an unusual degreeof intuition and foresighr- the abilityto sense
the direction in which someoneor something is heading. Thc 9th
'tunes
house
in' to the pulseof a situation,quickly regisering rends
and cwrents in rhe aun-osphere.Jules
Veme,the scieniefiction writer
with a remarkablegift for anticipating furure discorrries,wasborn
with Uranus in the 9th house.On one leral, the fth givesthe prophct
and visionary,while on another it denotesthe public relationspersonJ
or the promoter intent on opening new vistasfor othcrs. Energies
in thc 9th can be expressedthrough rhe travel agent picking out
'just
the right holiday for you'; the entrepreneurconfiding to you
the latest sure-fire investment; the proponent of the most recent
psl,chotechnologyto hit tm'n which promisesinstant cnlightenmenr
in one weekcnd; the coachgiving his team a pep-ralk bdore the
big game;the tipster advisingon the winning horse;or the anistic,
literary or theatrical agent discoveringthe next big new tdent.
In the 8th, we dug into the past and dredged up thc remnanrs
of our primordial and instinctual nature. In the 9th, we look to the
fururc and what is yet to unfold. Depending on the planes and
signs there and aspectsto these,we may seea future full of hope
and new promise or one in which the bogeymanlurks around the
cornerjust waiting for us to be foolish enough ro passthat way.In
cither case,it might be useful to reflect on something which St
'dl
Catherine once observed,namelv that
the wav to hearcn is
heaven.'2

t2.

THE MIDHEAVENAND
TI{E TENTH HOUSE
theheightof amountain,until youharrcreached
Nerrcrmeasurc
the top' Then youwill seehow lw tt
S;, Hammarskj<ild
!7hat the 9th houseenvisions,the 10th house brings to eanh' In
Quadrant systernsof house-division,the Midheaven !h. de-gree
olthe cclipiic which reachesits highestpoint at the meridian of any
place - mark the cusp of the 10th house.The Midheavenis the
most elerated point in the chan, and symbolically speaking,
'stand
out' aboveall othersin the horoscope.Thc
placementshere
qudities of any sign or planet in this position correspondto what
'standsout' in
in us is most visible and accessibleto others, what
'$0hereas
the IC and 4th house (the oppositc housc) rePresent
us.
what we arelike prirately and how we behaveat home behind closed
with Saturnand
doors,the MC and 10thhouse(naturdly associated
publically,
the imagewewish
Capricorn)indicatethe waywe bcharrc
'step
when we
don
to pr.settt to the world the kinds ofclotheswe
o,ri'. Lir Greenecallsthc MC and 10thhouseour'socialshonhand'
- how we would most like to be seenby othersand how we describe
ourselvesto them.
In keeping with the elcrated position of thc Midheaven,
placemenisin this areaof thechan suggestthoscqualitiesfor which
i. *"nt to be admired, lauded, looked up to and respected.It is
through the signs and planets here that we hope to attain
achierrment, honour and recognition. Placementsin the 10th denote
what we would most like to be rememberedashaving contributed
to the world. This is the houseof ambition, behind which lurks the
pressingurge and compulsion to be esteemedand acknowledged.
believedthat if you performed a truly noble or
ih.
"nli.niGreeks
heroic deed, you were rewardedby being made a constellation in

11'

88

l
'

THETIrETVEHOUSES

the hea*ns for dl to seefor all eternity. Besidesthe recognition

it
fTs u:, bcing famousmeensw li* inpeopl.t -ina, for'*.r.-ft.
$orated ego, so teartul of its own finitenes, finds this idea
rcrv
reassuring.
The narureof our contribudon ro societyand our status
and prace

in the world areshownby the signon ,t. uiar,."".i.-ilJ"

the 10thhouse,*d
srudies
('r;;;;s;;
Gg;;;
T t:$"q":lin
l-18-19)
anyplanetson the
9thhousesideof theMC.Tfrephne, ;fir;
the signon the Midhea'enand im placemcniby ;;;:'il*
;e
aspectalsoshedslighr on careerandrocadon.rro:*si.r, oth.r
areas
ot rhechaftdsohaveconsiderabre
bearingon theissueof proftssion
(suchasrhc 6th house,2nd house,
ro the Sr",;;il,-;;;
TpC"cts
q. fqh Tap asawholemust
becarefuilyassesscd
r;;il;;;;
wiselyin this respect.
rhe signsand planeain the lOth and on th.
. In somecases,
housesideof the Midheao, *"y literallya.r..iU. if,. ;";;;;i 9th
the individual'scareer.br instanie,satuin therecouldfii;;;;
teacher,iu.dg9or scientist;
Ju-piteran acror,pfriforopfr.i;;;;;j
agent;and the Moon a profesionalchildminderir i""t..p.i.
ThomlsMann,theacdaimedGermanwrite.,h"a tlr..o--il;ti;
signof Geminion theMg
Td Mercuryin the t0th. F;; S;hril,
the Austriancornposer,
hadmusicalpisceson rheMidhea'en,anl
Neptune,rts ruler, in the lth, the houseof creativeorpresion.
Howerrcr,
it issaferro assume
tharthepositionsn."r rh. l,tC*a
in the 10thsuggesr
not somuchtheactuarprofessi* ur, i"trr..,rrl
approacha personhasto thecareer- themannerin whichthc *ork
ishandledorpackaged.
Thejudgewith sa*n in the rothwili moii

'
i

,,llilil

lOth

THEMIDFIEAVEN
AND TI{ETENTHHOUSE

89

likely follow the letterof the law than the judge with Uranusthere,
whosereadingswould be moreindividualistic,unconventional,
and
shocking
to
others.
'
The kinds of energieswe exhibit or encounterin the pursuit of
a vocationarealsosuggestedby placementsin the lOth. Saturnor
Capricorntheremay work long and patientlyto reachthe top; Mars
or Aries is aggressive
and impatient in this sphereof life, while
Neptune or Pisces
may be vagueor confusedasto its rolein society.
The 10thhousecould alsodescribewhatwe representor symbolize
to others.Marsmight be seenasa bully or the pinnacleof courage
and strength; Neptune as a saint or maftyr, champion of the
downtroddcn,or the victim himself; and Venuscould symbolize
the epitome of style,tasteor beauty.
If the 4th houscis associated
with the father,then the 10thhouse
is assignedto the mother.In the beginningof life, sheis the whole
world to us. Early bonding patternsestablishedwith her will be
reflectedlaterin life in how we relateto the externalworld in general.
In otherwords,the natureof what passes
berweenmotherand child
(asshown by the MC and placementsin the 10th) resurfaces
at a
laterstageof dwelopmentasour wayof connectingwith societyand
'out
the world
there' as a whole. If we found mother threatening
and potentiallydestructive(suchasa difficultly aspectedPluto in
the 10thmight suggest)then lateron the world will seeman unsafe
placeand wewill attemptto defendourselves
accordingly.
If mother
placements
wasexperiencedassupponiveand helpful (well-aspected
in the 10th), we carryan expectacionthat the world will treat us
similarly - what Erik Erikson callsbasictrust,
If we associate
the l0th housewith both mother (the shaping
parent) and career,then the choiceof vocationmay somehowbe
influenced by our experienceof her. Forinstance,if Marsis in the
10ththe mother may havebeenexperienced
aspushyand assertive.
The child, therefore,harboursresentmentand angeragainsther,
and growsup with the desireto actualizea position of power and
'pushed
around' in
autonomy in the world so he or she won't be
thc samewayasin earlylife. Fightingwith the mothercreates
a pattern
of fighting with the world.
Sometimesit is the desireto win lovefrom the mother (thereby
ensuringour survival)which underliesour choiceof profession.For
example,if Mercuryis in the 10thhouse,the mother may havebeen
experiencedasexpresiveand intelligent.The child then feelsthat
this is what Mother valuesand appreciates,and so strivesto gain
her love and suppon by developing such traits. An expectationis

I
90

THETWETVE
HOUSES

established that excelling in this way earns recognition, and

accordingly,later in life, a careeris sought which brings Mercurial
qudities to the fore.
In some cases,it may bc competition with the mother which
nudgcsus in the direction of a cenain career.If Venusis in the 10th,
the mother may have been seenasglamorousand beautiful. In a
sense,Venushasbcen projected onto thc mother. In order to reclaim
his or her on n Venusianqudities, the child may later seeka profesion
in which he or shecan be admired asbeautiful, elegantor tasteful.
At its most simple, the 10th house describesthose qualities of
the mother (or parent in question)which arein us aswell, whether
we like it or not. The isue is complicated,however,by the possibility
that placementsin rhe lOth often denote aspectsof the mother's
personalitywhich were 'unlived' - attribures and traits which the
mother did not consciouslyoeress or representin the child's grwingup years.Planetsand signsin this housemay describethe way the
motler would haveliked to hara been if only shehad dlowed herself
the opponunity to do so. A child who is acutely sensitiveto the
mother's psycheand undercurrentsin the home atmosphercwill
be receptivenot only to what she manifestsoumardly but alsoto
'live
what sheis denyingor suppressing.The child may bc swayedto
out' the mother's shadon,side, as if mother is made more whole
or redeemedin this way.The mother of a child with Uranusin the
lfth, for instance, may harreappearcd extremely conventional,
straight-lacedand restrainedon the outsidc,whilst under the zurface
lurked explosivefeelings and the desirc for space,freedom and
'busting
loose'. In some way this unvented Uranian side is
communicatedto the child, who growsup with a compulsionto
enact just those qualities to which the mother has not allowcd
expressron.
The placementof many planets in the 10th usually suggesc
someonewho is ambitiousand desirousof recognition,statusand
prestige.Men are normallvgiven more permissionto pursuethese
needsthan women.It may be easierfor a womanwith a strongl0th
houseto seeka pannerwho ispowerfulor famousand thereby impon
a position in the world in thatway. Shemay evenbe the one who
pusheshim on to fame and prestige.Ultimately,however,shemay
feelresentfulthat it isher husbandreceivingthe acclaimratherthan
or unconsciously
devisewaysof punishing
herself,and consciously
him for this. Likewise,eitheror both parentswith a stronglOth house
may displaceunfulfilled achievementand recognitionneedsonto
a child. Somechildren may co-operatewith the projection,while

THE MIDT{EAVENAND TFIETENTH HOUSE

9r

others may rebel againstit, often becoming the exactopposite of

what the parent(s)hoPed.
The toih houic extinds bcyond the mother or shaping PTelt
to dcsignateour relationshipwith authority figuresin generd: EIly
or mistreatedby a pa5lt wlll often
angero-rhun at beingsupprcssed
with other symbolsojnowgr.
oflaterlnteracdons
disiort the reality
just cause,but the style'
and
a
true
have
may
The revoludonary
convlctlonsmay
esPouses
she
he
or
which
in
manner or intensity
of earlier
contamination
rhe
view,
point
of
reductionist
*irr.., from a
bclitde
not
to
is
This
parcnts.
of
rhe
rcgime
from
the
irru., *.*ing
tfel
bYt
in
society,
is
unfair
which
tJ
that
judge
iho
obiect
those
or
ro considertheir 10th house,and its psychological
",.l-"auised
"rJ
Throwing a punch ar one'sbossor eggsat thc prime
implications.
'angry child' in us but may not be
of veriting the
a
way
is
-ilir,.,
the most cffectiveway to promote eventhe most neededt!"tg9t'
Presidingoverthe ,op of tt. chan, the 10th housesignificsthe
fulfilment"of the individual personality through thc personal
satisfactiongained in using our abilities and talents to serveand
Some may even earn aPplause and public
influence ii.,y.
great value 1qd wo1h.
of
their
recognition
travelled from the lst house to the l0th'
has
bC'en
way
i"lo.rg
asseparateentitis,
consciousof ourselrres
e,,en
riot
were
we
bt:
In the
By
thc timethe l0th
cxistence.
individual
ourown
of
no,.*r,
'incamated' sufficiendy
"*.
and
dercloped
have
we
howerrer,
is reached,
not only to harrca more solid and concretesenseof who we ate, but
also to be held in esteemfor it'

THE ELEVENTHHOUSE

L3.

THE ETEVENTI{HOUSE
In the heavenoflndra, thereissaidto bea nerworkofpearls,
so arranged,that if you look at one you seeall the others
reflected
in it'
A Hindu sutra
From being oblivious of being anybody,to winning recognition as
a somcbody:this hasbeen the route from the lsr houseto the 10th
house.But now that the egohasbeenfirmly establishedand duly
acknowledged,what happcns next?
At ia deepestlevel, the llth house(associatedwith the sign of
Aquariusand co-ruledby Sarurnand Uranus)represents
the anempt
to go beyondour ego-identity and becomesomething greaterthan
what we alreadyarc. The main way of achievingthis is to identify
with something larger than the self - such as a circle of friends,
a group, a belief systemor an ideology.
Accordingto GeneralSystems
Theory nothing canbe understood
in isolation but must be comprehendedas part of a system.The
componensof the sptem and their aruibutesareviewedasfuncdons
of the total system.The behaviourand expressionof eachvariable
influencesand is influencedby all the others.In what is known as
'high
a
synergy'society,the goalsof the individual are in harmony
'low
with the needsof the systemasa whole. In a
synergy'system,'
thc rndividuals,in fulfilling their own needs,do not necessarily
act
for thc good of the wholc.' How we function as part of a system
is shown by the llth house.
In keeping with its dual rulership, the concept of group
consciousness
implied by the llth canbe understoodin rwo distinct
ways.Saturnsecksgreatersecurityand a more solid senseof identity
'belongingttrrough belonging to a group - what psychologistslabel
identification'.Being a member of a panicular group, whether it

I ltfl
thc sense
is a social,national,politicalor religiousgroup,enhances
'lb
extent,
some
numbers.
in
of who we areand girasa feeling of safery
service
in
the
is
used
world
rest
of
the
this is exploitive,iince the
most
is
this
of
Eridence
identity.
the
of augminting or bolstering
the
having
with
concerned
bverly
clearl!seenin thosewho are
.'right'
'right' places,and aligning the
self
friends, being noticed in the
'right' beliefs.2The most negativeface of this Saturn
with the
undercurrenl of the llth manifestswhen a grouP is threatenedby
anothergroup - suchasblaclsmoving into a white area'orJungians
movinglnto-a predominantly Freudian neighbourlogdr The-Uranian-sideof the llth houserepresentsthe kind of group
which spirirual teachers,mysticsand visionariesfrom
consciousness
and times haverepeatedlyespoused.Instead
cultures
all different
'me-in-here'versus'you-out-there'par{1igm or selftypical
of the
model,'theyspeakof the individual'sunity with all of life, that we
arepart of a gieatcrwhole, interconnectedwith thc restof creation.
Mirioring ttre mysticd perception of the unity of all life, recent
scientific- breakthroughl demonstrate the wcb of relationship
undcrlying cverythinf in the universe.For instance,David Bohm,
a British plysicist, thiorizes that the universemust be understood
'a
as singie undivided whole in which separateand indcpendent
pans haie no fundamental status'.3A thorough analysis9f thq
parallclsbetweenmodern physicsand Easternmysticismis f9u1d
in highinTbe Trc ofPltysicsby Fritjof Capra,an eminent researcher
cnergyphysics.Someof the paraflclshe tecountsaresostriking-that
it is almbsrimposiblc to determinewhether cenain satemen6 about
the narure of life hauebeen made by modern scientistsor by Eastern
mvsdcs.'

THE T'iTEIVE HOUSES

THE EI^EVENTHHOUSE

One recenttheoryproposedby a British plant physiologist,Rupcn

Shcldrake, ispanicularly rele\rantto the llth house.Sheldrakesuggess
the possibilityof invisibleorganizingfieldswhich regulatethe life
of a system.In 1920,Villiam McDougall of HarvardUniversitywas
studyinghow quickly ratslearnedto escape
from^maze filled with
water: meanwhile.other researchers
in Scotlandand Australia who
wererepeating theseexperimentsfound that their first generadon
of rats,bred from a different strainto the McDougdl rats,pcrformed
the taskwith the samedegrceofability asMcDougall'slastgeneration.
'picked
The skill wasin someway
up on' by other ratseventhough
they were in another pan of the world. Such occurrenceshaveled
Sheldraketo theorizethat if one memberof a biologicd species
learns
a new behaviour,the invisibleorganizingfield (morphogeneticfield)
for that specieschanges.The ratswho masteredthe task made it
possiblefor other ra$, manymilesaway,to do rhe same.5On some
deep lcvel, we are all linked together. Sheldrake'stheory is nicely
summed up in a remark oncemade by theJesuitpricst Piere Teilhard
de Chardin, born with MercuryJupiterand Saturnin the llth: A
truth once seen,even by a single mind, alwayscnds by imposing
itself on the totality of human consciousness.'6
lnTlte Aquarian Conspirrclt,Marilyn Rrgusonwrites,'Youcannot
understanda cell, a rat, a brain srructure,a family or a culrure if
you isolateit from its context." Similarly,Carl Rogers,one of the
foundersof humanisticpsychology,
onceremarkedthat the deepcr
the individual delvesinro his or her own identity the more he or
shediscovers
the wholehuman race.Our identity hasa much wider
membershipthan the 'skin-encapsulated
ego'iscapableof admining.
In this light, the developmentofgroup consciousness
asseenin rhe
llth houseis not solelyfor the purposeof aggrandizingor bolstering
the ego-identity.Rather,the awareness
of being part of somcthing
largerenablesus to ffanscendthe limits and boundariesof individual
separateness
and experienceourselvesasa cell in rhe larger body of
humanity.Out of this realizationgrowsa senseof brotherhoodand
sisterhoodwith the co-inhabitants of the planet far beyond the
obligatoryties of family, nation or church.
Syntropy- the tendencyof life-energyto moverowardsgrearer
- is the
association,
communicadon,co-operationand awareness
main principle upon which the llth house operates.Having
recognizedourselvesasseparateand distinct individuals there is the
call to reconnectwith everything from which we have previously
differentiated ourselves.Just asmatter organized itself into living
cells,and living cellsgatheredtogetherinto multi-cellularorganisms,

it may be that at somestagehuman beingswill integratc themsehas

into someform of globd super-organism.Evenon a Sarurnianlcrrcl,
the interdependenceand interconnectivityof life on the planet is
bccoming increasinglyobvious. Communications technology has
dramaticallyenhancedthe speedofglobd interaction and Marshall
'global
village' is nearto being
Mcluhan's conceptof the world asa
an actuality.Multinational corporationsand conglomerateslink the
economiesof thc world inextricably togcther. The collapseof the
monetary systemof one country would havea disastrousrippling
effecton a host of others. Isoladonismand nationdism areno longer
practically viable. On another level, small groups, nerworls,
movementsand suppon systemsareproliferating all overthe wodd,
gatheringpeopletogetherto promote common causes.In shon, much
in the samewaythat our own body changesand develops,the larger
body of humanity is alsogrowing and cvolving. The way in which
wemight panicipate in and servethe evolution and progressof this
collectiveSelf is shown by placementsin the llth house.
In the 5th house,our energyis usedto distinguishourselvesfrom
others,and to augment the senseof our own individual worth and
specidness;in the llth, our energycan be investedin promoting
and fulfilling the identity, purposeand causeof anygroup to which
we belong - whether this is understood to be the whole human
raceor a particular segmentof it. In the lth, we do what we want
to do for our own sake.In the llth, we may chooseto relinquish
or compromisesomeof our preciouspersonalurges,inclinationsand
idiosyncraciesfor thc sakeof adhering to what the group decides
is best.
is a keynoteofthe llttr. A society(10thhouse)
Socid consciousness
is structured on cenain lawsand principles (9th house).laws and
societyeasilybecomeboth crystallizedand turgid, and invariably
cenain elemcntsof societyarefavoured by the systemwhile others
areoppressed.Groupswhich feel neglectedor betrayedby the odsting
lawscan find a voice through the kinds of reformsassociatedwith
the llth house. Often, those with strong placementshere work
through humanitarian orpoliticd groupsto implement neededsocid
changes.However,it is just zrscommon to find otherswith an llth
houseemphasisjockeyingbackand fofth from one socialengagement
to the next - Ascotthis week,centrecoun at Wimblcdon the next,
and then a day at Henley's before going off to the opera at
Glyndebourne.
In somecases,placementsin the 1lth may signify the soruof groups
toqardswhich we gravitatc.br insance, Neprune could be interested

THE TITELVEHOUSES

THEELEVENTH
HOUSE

in musicsocieties,spiritualistor psychicgroups;Uranuswith asuology

groupsi and Marswith the local rugby club. However,rather than
just describingthe type of group, it is more likely that signsand
planetsin the 1lth symbolizeour styleof behavingand interacting
in group situations.The Sunor ko theremay haveto be the leader,
dcriving a good propoftion of its worth and identity from group
involvement.Mercuryor Gemini in this housemight appearasthe
secretaryof the group or as one of its most cleverspokespeople.
Someonehasto makethe tea, and the Moon or Cancertheremay
be happy to providenot only theseservices
but its home asa meeting
place as well. Funhermore,the llth house givesa senseof how
comfortablewe feel in group situations.Venusor Libra may blend
in easilyand makemanynewfriendsthrough joining a group. Saturn
or Capricornis more likely ro hold back in the group, and feel
awkwardor lumpish mixing with the others.OscarVilde, who rose
to the heightsof success
in london's anisticand socialcircles,had
the Moon in lro in the llth. PaulJosephGoebbels,the official
propagandist of the Nazi party who controlled public
communicationsand rhe media, had Pluto conjunct Neptune in
Gemini in this house.
Friendshipclearlyfits into the llth houseidcd of becominggreater
than what we already are. People are linked together through
friendship,personalboundariesirc cxpanded,and both the nceds
and resourcesof others become interwoven with our own. \ile
introduce our friends to new ideasand interestsand, likewisc,we
are broadened by what they have to share.
Planetsand signsin the llth often describethe kinds of friends
to whom we gravitate.Forexample,a man with Marsin this house
may be attracted to those people who exhibit obvious Manian
qualities, such as dynamism, drivc and directness. However,
placementsin the llth may dso showthosequalitiesin ourselves
'dis-own',project
which wc
ouflardly and meet externallythrough
friends. If the man with Marsin the llth hasnot developcdhis own
'Mars'
'get
side, and lacksthat cenain
up and go', his friends will
then provide that energyfor him
they stimulate and push him
into action. He may evenpossess
an uncanny ability to evokesuch
qualitiesin his closeassociates,
who in most other situationsand
with other people might be normally more placid and withdrawn.
The llth housealsosuggeststhe way in which we make friends.
Marscould rush impulsivclyinto fricndship,while Saturnis more
awkward,shyor cautiousin this respect.How we behaveand what
energieswe awakenin friendship is alsoshown by placementshere.

Venusmay make friends easily,but prefers to keep things light

(althoughshemay expectfriendsto 'live up to' ratherhigh ideals).
Pluto suggestsintense and complicated associarionswhich
significantlytransformusor in which issuesof betrayal,intrigue and
treacherycome into play.
In the llth house,thereis the desircto transcendor movebeyond
existingimagesand models of ourselves.!7e yearnfor a more ideal
selfor a more utopian society. Therefore, this areaof the chan has
beenlabelledthe houseof hopes,goals,wishesand objectivcs.The
desireto becomesomethinggreaterthan we aremust be accompanied
by the capacityto envisionnewand different posibilities. Morethan
anyother species,the largehuman brain and evolvedcerebralcomor
endowshuman beingswith the capacityto imagine a wide range
of alternatives,choicesand outcomes.The manner in which we
envisionpossibilitiesand proceedtoward realizingthesehopesand
wishesis shownby placementsin the llth. Forinstance,Sarurnrhere
may havedfficulry in forming positiveimagesof the future or may
encounter blocks, delays or obstructions on the way to finally
grounding its goalsand objectives.Marssetsa goal and rushesafter
it, while Neptune may be confusedabout what it really wanrsor
merely fantasizesand daydrcamsabour unrealistic aims. In rhis
context, it is helpful to remember that the more clearly we can
imagine a possibiliry,the closer we bring it to actualization.
Encouragingpositivevisionsof the future aidsthe proces of moving
in a more positive direction.
Evolution pushestovrardsgreaterand greaterlevelsofcomplority,
organizationand connectivity.In the first air house(rhe 3rd) vrcgain
the ability *rough languageto distinguishsubjectfrom object.Our
own mind is developedas we relate to others in the immediate
environment. In the secondair house (the 7th) we grow through
the close encounter of our own awarenesswith another person's
awareness.
Subjectand object, differentiatcd in the 3rd, meet face
to facein the 7th. In the last air house(the llth) our individual minds
are connectednot just to the minds of thosecloseto us bur to all
othcr minds. Eleventhhouseplanerssensitizea personto the ideas
and thoughrs circuladng on rhe level of the group-mind. It is not
such an unusual phenomenon for somebody in San Franciscq
somebodyin london, and anotherpersoninJapan ro 'flash' on rhe
samebright newidea independendyof one anotherwithin a relatirrly
closespan of time. In the 1lth, we discoverour relatednessnor just
to our family, friends,countryor lorrd ones,but to the wholehuman
race.

96

97

.ii]

li
14.

TI{E TWETFTHHOUSE

il

til

ii
il

I
I

THE T!TEI,.FTI{HOUSE

99

If the doorsof perceptionwerecleansed,

would
errerything
appearto man asit is' infinite'
v'liam Brake
Commencingwith the lst housc,growthhasentaileddistinguishing
ourselvesfrom the unbounded and universalmatrix of life out of
which we first emerged.Howevet,aswe have seenin the llth, the
distinction berween ourselvesand others is chdlenged by the
understandingthat eachpan of a rystemisrelatedand interconnected
with the other paru. Mysticsand scientistsalike tell us that we are
not so sepdate after all. Who we are is influenced by others, and
others are influenced by who we aJe.Our minds are linked and
directly affectedSone another.The notion thatwe orist asanisolated
entity is quickly losing ground to a more collectiveor broadersense
of the dissolution of
of sclf. In the 12th housc, the rwin processes
the individud ego and the merging wirh something greaterthan
the self is felt and o<perienced,not via the mind or intellect as in
the llth, but with our hean and soul. Or as Christopher Fry puts
'The
it,
human heaft can go to the lengths of God.'
The poet \Talter de la Mare writesthat bur dreamsaretalestold
in a dim Eden.'On is most underlying lercl, the 12thhouse,naturally
associatedwith watery Piscesand the planet Neptune, represents
rhe urge for dissolution which cxists in each of us - the yeaming
to rcturn to the undiftrentiated uaten of the comb, to the otiginal
stateof unity. Freud,Jung, Piaget, Klcin and a host ofother modem
psychologistsagreethat the infant's first strucnrre of consciousnes
is pre-subjcct/object,ignorant of boundaries,spaceand time. Early
memoriescut the most deeply.On rcme deep lerrcl,aneryindividud
intuits that his or her innermost nanrre is unbounded. infinitc and
etemd. Thc redirorrcry of this wholenes is our greatestnecd end

tZttr
perspectirre,
the desireto
went. From e rcductionist pqrchologycanbc understmd
reconncrtwith the lostscnscof origind wholeness
asa regressionbackto the pre-binh state;but in spiritual teffns,
thissameurgeuanslatesinto e mptical longingfor union with our
soruceand e direct otpcrienceof being pan of somethinggreater
then ourselves.It is a kind of divine homesicknes.t
thc proqpcctof a renrmto that statesoundsblisfirl,
In oncreqpcct,
ccstaticandserenelypeaceful.And ytt, somethingelsein us- the
ego'sdesireto preseneitsclfandthc ftar of is ovmdemise- contends
wittr this longing. Thc egohasfought hardto win a sliceof lifc for
itself:whyshouldit relinquishthis?In thc glyph of Pisces,the sign
ascietod with thc l2th house,tc,ofishessf im in oppositedirections.
Human b.i"gF are fucd with e fundamentd dilemma,with two
contrastingpuUs.fach personuantsto losea senseof isoladonand
and yct eachpersonis
tnnscendhis or her individud seParateness
los
of the separatgself.2
terrified of disintcgrationand&cads thc
and yetfcaring
wholeness
This aistendd double bind wanting
l2th house.
predicament
of
the
is thc major
and rcsistingit
people
is
so
frightening,
Because
thedissolutionof theego-identiry
yearning
the
to
satiS
in
attemPt
sceksubstitutegratifications an
for sclf-transcendence.
One strategyfor reconnectingto unity is
'If
through sor and lorc: I am lorrcd,held or included, thcn I go
Anothcr ploy to rcgain a lost senseof
bqpnl my scpafirteness.'
omnipotenceand omniprescnceis through wielding porrcr and
prestigc 'If I canortend my tcrritory of influenceorrcrmore and
more things, then the restof lifc is connectedto me.' Immcrsion
in dcohol or drugpis anothcr*zy to breakdwn boundariesand

rlll
i

llil
i

il

IOO

rigidities. suicidal urgesand variousother forms of self-destructive

behaviour often cloak the dcsire to rerurn ro a more blissful state
of non-differentiated being. others '.ek tranrendence more directlv
through meditarion, prayerand devotion to God. The l2th housc
may raisc any of theseissues.
Hoycvel it is approached,the l2th housede-srrucures',engulfs,
.
absorbsor inflatesindividual identity. Irtting go of the 'me-in-icrei
versus'you-out-there' paradigm meansthat the borders berween
ourselvesand others become blurred. For this reason, a sffong
emphasison this housecanindicatepeoplewho hara greatdifiicult!
in forming clearlydefined identitiei. They ar. *y.1 by whatevei
they arearound, or whoeverthey makeconracrwith. others diston
their pcrsonalidentitiesdramaticdly out of proponion. Ratherthan
sacrificethe ego ro merge with somethingn'minous and divine,
a personmay rry to imbue the egoitself with rhosequalities.Instead
of secking to_reconnectto God, the persontries ro play God - a
form of inflation related to whai Abraham Masiow called
'
higher-sidetracking'.
Along with thc l2th houseconfusionabout who we areoften comes
a lack of a.nyconcretedircction in life. On some level, there may
be th.efceling that sinceevcrything is all the sameanlnley,whatt
the difference?As soonasa dear identiry isdisdnguishcdbt rt .n r.
is imposed_onthe life,something happenswhiih pulls the" rugfrom
under rhe feet and nebulousnes reignssupremiagain. As i,on as
the individual thinks he or shchas.aptured somethlg upon which
to hang the senseof 'I', it mysteriouslyslipsavay ot diipiears. The
capacityto hold things togetheror funhlr thcir own pirsonal ends
is somehorvsubservienrto a much greaterdissolvingpdr orrcrwhich
there is little contiol.
The obscuring of boundariesberweenthe self and othcrs may
createconfusion about_wherewe begin and other people end, bui
it dso confersa greaterdegreeof empathy and compassionfor thosc
with whom we sharethe Eanh. So-overwhelmedby the suffering
around them, somepcople with a-strongl2th housewill seekan!
m3ary of gscapingor withdrawing from tlrc world altogether.Othen
who feel the pain 'out rhere' asthiir own will naturalliwork in some
way-to_relieve
that pain. 1b rnrying degrees,the tzth housedescribcs
the helper, 'fixer',rescuer,martyr or siviour who ,takeson' the needs
and causesofothers.
The original meaning of the word sacrificeis ,to make sacred'.
Somethingwasmade sacredby offering it to the godsor the higher
forces.Rippling through all the lcveh Jfmeaninfof the tzth iirhe

trill
lll
i

rii

itlr
11ri
l.

||l
iiii

iiiil

THET\TETVE
HOUSES

ril11

THETVELFTHHOUSE

IOI

suppositionthat the individual is redeemedthrough self-sacrifice,

through offering the self up to somethinggreater.This is true in
sofar aswemust, to someextent,let go of a senseof an autonomous
and separateself to mergewith the all-embracingwhole. While
sacrificeand sufferingoften serveto soften the ego and give rise to
greaterempathyand spiritualawareness,
the valueof pain and the
'l
natureof sacrificeare too easilydistortedinto haveto sufferto
find God' or Anything that might constitutepersonalsatisfaction
must be givenup.' Howwer,perhapsit is not thingsthemselves
which
must be sacrificed,but ratherour attacblneflt to them. 1b the degree
thar we derive our identity or fulfilment from such things as
relationships,possessions,
ideologiesor beliefsystems,welosetouch
with our deeperand most basicunbounded nature.
Somepeoplemay evenmanageto acquircor achievetheir llth
housedreamsand wishesonly to discover,
in the 12th,that theystill
feelcheatedof a morecompletehappiness.\(rhat theythought would
givethem ultimate satisfactionjust wasn'tenough,or didn't turn
'Quod
hoc ad
out to be everything.The Romanshad a saying
'What
is this comparedwith eternitv?'
aeternitatem?'meaning
Similarly,the 12th houseis a constantreminderthat all joyslong
for infinity.
'liaditionally,
the 12thhouse(alongwith the other waterhouses
- the 4th and the 8th) revealspatterns,drirrcs,urgesand compulsions
and yet
which operatefrom below the level of consciousawareness
significantlyinfluenceour choices,attitudesand directionsin life.
memory pa$ experiences
colourthe way
Storedin our unconscious
we seeand meet the world. But from how far back do thesepast
influencesstem?
planetsand signsin the l2th may relateto what
In somecases,
psychologistscall 'the umbilical ef[ect'.According to this concept,
the developingembryo is receptivenot just to physicalsubstances
which rhe mother ingests, but is also affected by her overall
psychologicalstateduring-the gestationperiod. Her attitudes and
experiences
areransmitted through the umbilical connectionto the
'passed
on' to thc child
foetus in the womb. The nature of what is
in this way is shown by placementsin the 12th. If Pluto is there,
the mother might have endured a traumatic time during the
pregnancy.The child is then born with a senseof the dangerof life
and a nagging apprehensionthat doom is only around the corner.
There is no consciousmemory of thc sourceof this attitude: only
a rague feeling that this is what life is about. Forexample, I recently
came acrossthe caseof a pregnant mother who wasdiagnosedas

TTIETWEIVEHOUSES

laving.a brain tumour. Her babydaughter*zs bom with pluto in

the 12th and the mother died shonly after her binh.
\U7har
aboutfunher backthan the womb?Manyasrologenreftr
'house
to the
the 12th
12thas
asthe
the 'house
lzrrna'. Reincamationisr
of lzrna'.
Reincamationisrbefs'e that
the immond human soulis on a journcyof perfection-i r.*
to irs sourcethat cannot be accomplishedin one shon liftspan.
Definite laws, rather rhan chancl, operareto determine^the
circumstances
of erarylifetimeor eachsiageof the sojourn.with
eachnew incarnadon,we bring with us tfre har'esr
"i*p;ri.;;;
from pro'io's liras,aswellaslatint capaciries
awairingderclopment.
causesserin motion in prior odstences
affecrwhat-we-..i in th.
presenrone.Thercul chooses
a cenaintime to bebornbecause
thc
asrrologicdpaftemfits the oqxriencesneededfor the presenr$age
o{Browth.In this sense,
theentircchandepictsou,Ao*ro boih
what hasaccruedasa resuhof pastactions-andalrc what we need
to.avakento proceedfunher.Morespecift"lly,the r2th housesho*s
ate bringing over'from rhe pastwhich will operarcthis
yl"l
"" on eitherrhe debir
lifetime
or creditiide of ou,
'trouble
"..ouirt.
Difficuh placemen$in the 12thmayindicareold
spots'
andenergieswhichc/emisusedin earliir li'es andsdll needto llcarn
to handle-wisely
in this9y. Fo.siti'eplacements
in rhishousesuggest
ingrainedgyalitiesyhich will senrcusadmntageousty
this riftifine
asa resultof 'work' doneon them in thepast.nehtirrcio *ris theory
someastrologers
labelthe l2th thc houseof'self-sustainm.ttt
o, t liundoing'. Forinstance,if Marsor Aries is there, it could bc thar
selfishnes,impulsirrcncs,or rashneshasbcena problcmin th;
ppt agd a continuadonof suchbehaviour-"y bi rhe causeof a
'don'nfall'
in this lift. on theotherhand,aurcll-aspected
tzth house
Mars-suggesa
that positiveMarsqudities suchario,rrag., strenqth
and fonhrightnessha'e alreadybeenlcamedand wilisustain ihe
natirrcthrough d4ql. times, comingro the fore just when they
aremo$ needed.rWithmixedaspec$to placements
in thc l2th,
the effectof tl,ratplanel _orenergysomehowhangsin thc balance,
p if.*q arebeing.testedfor howwehandlethat piinciple. If *c use
ig wSly
be rccruded;if wc run amock-withthe planct or
",.411
sig_n_in
question,-rhe
consequences
atelikely to be serrcre.
r$(/hether
wereftr to 'the umbilicaleftct' orio thc theoryof karma
and reincamation,placements
in thc l2th describcinfluenceswhich
harrecomedwn to us from crusesand sourceswhich we cannot
obviouslylcmeqrberor see.Through the mtery 4th we i"h.tii ot
rctain rrcsdge.s
of our ancestrdpast.In the l2th, it is posible thet
wr arcreceptirre
to ancrtn largerpoolor mcmory- whitJung c2[ed

THE TWELFTHHOUSE

rhecollectiveunconscious:the endre memory of the whole human

'the prccondition
race.Jung defined the collectiveunconsciousas
of eaitr inlividud psyche,just asthc scais the carrierof thc individud
wave'.3In someway,asshownby the 12thhouse,eachof usis linked
to the past,carryingrecordsof experiencesfar bcyondwhat we havc
-personallyknown.
Besidesthe residueof the past,hovrever,the collecti'rcunconscious
isdrc the storehouseof latent potentids waiting to be tapped. Colin
'the
unconsciousmind may includc all man'spast
!(ilson writes that
t
but it dso includes his fururel The unconsciousmind is more than
just a reserroirof represed or buricd thougha, impulscs an{ wishel
- it isalsothe sourceof 'potentiditiesfor knm'ing and operiencing'
which the individual hasyet to contact.5The 12th house' in othcr
words, containsour future aswell .rsour Past.
Somcpcoplc with 12th houscplacementsserveasthe mcdiators
and transmittersof universd, mythic and archetypalimagess'wirling
about on the leral of the colleaira unconscious.1b %rying dcgrees,
actors,religiousleaders,healers,
cenain artists,writers, comPosersr
piophea
tap into this realm and become
modern-day
mptics and
'tuned into'.
with
what thcy have
others
for
inspiring
the vehicles
They touch the appropriate chord which then resonates with
something insidc us, and we are able to share thcir orprcrience'
Numeroui oramplesof chaftswith 12th houseplacementsillusffate
this phenomenon: the comPoserClaude D9b9sy with sensuous
Venus in ko in the 12th; tUfliUiamBlakc with the imaginative and
fteling Moon in C:ncer in this housc;the poet Byron whoseopansira
and playful use of word, rhyme and form invigorated,the whole
Rom-anticmo\ment hadJupiter in Gcmini in the 12th; and the
visionaryPierreTeilhard de Chardin with the Sun, Neptung, Vequs,
Pluto and thc Moon all in the 12th, are just a few casesin point.
It is asif energiesin thc 12th housc are not intended to be used
solelyfor personalends.lVe may be askcdto o(Pressthat principle
for tLe sakeof others, not iust for ourselrts. For instance,if Man
is there we may take on the role of fighting a battle or causefot other
people.In thij sense,wegiveour Marsaway,or bffer it-up' to others.
Mercury in the 12th may speakother people'sthoughts or servcas
a spokespersonfor others.
Somepeople, through 12thhouseplacements,lead what might
'sy-Uoti. lives'.Their individual life issuesrcflect rends
be called
or dilemmas in thc collectiveatmosphere.For orample, Mahatma
Gandhi, with the Sun in Libra in the 12th, became the living
cmbodiment of a Libnn principle of pcacefulco-oristencefor millions

IO4

THETWETVE
HOUSES

of people. Uranus in the 12th houseof Hirler's chan renderedhim

orceptionallyopen to ideologieswhich may have been in the air at
that dme. Bob Dylan has Sagimariuson the 12th housecusp an<i
is rulerJupiter in the ith, the areaof the chan related ro creative
orpresion. Through his music he was both the mouthpiece and
inspiration for many of the trends of the 1960scounter-culture.A
blackwomanwith Uranusin Cancerin the 12thwasborn and raiscd
in a pan of England where rhere were hardly any non-whites. In
having to integrateherselfinto the life of the townshe wasnot onrv
dealing with her own personaldilemma but fighdng the causeoi
many other black people as well.
The 12thhousehasbecn calledthe houseof 'secretenemies'and
'behind
rhe scenesactivity'. This could bc taken literally to mean
people who plot or-conspireagainstus. However,it is more likcly
to penain to hidden weaknessesor forces in ourselveswhich
undermine the realizationof our consciousgoalsand objectirres.In
brid, unconsciousdrivcsand compu.lsionsassho*n by the izth ho,se
placementscan thwart the achievementof our consciousaims. br
instance,if a man hasthe Moon and Venusin the 7th house,there
is -a strong urge to be close to another person in an intimate
relationship.Burif this man alsohasUranusin the 12th,it suggesa
that unconsciously there may be such a suong desire for frellom
and independencethat he will somehowsaboage any amempt ro
form binding ties. Generdly, in any contest bctwein conscious-aims
and unconsciousaims, it is usudly the unconsciouswhich wins. In
this casc,-hemay habirudly be attractedonly to thosewomen who
are not free to marry or who, for rcme reason, do not wish to
reciprocatehis adrances.In this way,the unconsciouscompulsion
to remain independent (uranus in rhc 12th) is vicroriouso'er thc
more consciousneeds.If we are consciousof urgesin ourselves,we
can do something to regulate and dter thesc if we so wish. If we
ate unconsciousof cenain patterns or drircs, thesehave a way of
dominadng and conmolling us. \tr(/harwe are unconsciousoi in
ourselrashasa knack of coming up from behind and hitting usover
thehcad. Therefore,if no matieihow hard vrc rry somec6nscious
god is condnudly blockcd, we might oamine the l2th housefor
clues why.
The linking of the l2th housewith instirutions makessensein
the light of the rarious connotations of this house discused so far.
Thc 12th shmn what is hidden or in the backgroundjust ashospitals
'stored
iwey'
1nd prisonsare,itr p"n, placeswherecenaln people are
from society.Thoscwith difficult placementsin the l2th may track'

TFIE TWELFTHHOUSE

IO'

under the *rain of life or fdl prey to powerful unconsciouscomplores

which erupt ro the surface,resulting in the need to bc looked after
'put
away' becausethey are considered
and contained. Others are
dangeroustothe well-being of society.In anyof thesecases,the will
of a higher authoriry is forced on them, congruent with the 12th
houseprinciple of the individual submitting to something greater
than the self. Hospitdization or a pcriod of withdrawal from life
may be neededto re-establishpsychologicaland physicalbalance,
thus making a personultole again- another 12th houseprinciplc.
Experiencesin orphanages,hospicesand homesfor thc disablcd also
appear via the l2th.
It is not uncommon to find people with placementsin this house
working within suchinstitutions. Servingothersles fonunate than
the self is the pracdcaloeresion of compassionand empathywhich
the 12th houseconftrs. Thc Church, rariouscharities,or the monasdc
life will be other sphcreswhich absorbthe personwho feelsit is his
or her calling to sacrificeor dedicatethe life to God or the welfare
'bad
karma' can be
of others. Rcincarnationistsbelievethat past
cleared through goodwill and serviceof this kind.
fu alreadymentioned, thc 12th housegivesaccesto the collective
archirre of aperience passed on generation after generation.
Therefore,it is not surprisingthat the keepersof this storehousethosewho work for museumsand libraries- often hara 12thhouse
placements.
It would not be appropriate to discus the l2th house without
mcntioning again the researchdonc by Michel and FranEoisc
Gauquelin.6 They analysedthe careersof succesful sponspeople
and found a corelation with Mars in the 12th housesectorof the
dran. Similarly,rienti*s and physicianstended to harrcSatum there,
writen the Moon, and aconJupiter. Basedon their snrdies,it appears
that planets in the l2th (and to somecxtent the 9th, 6th and 3rd)
significantly determine the characterand professionof the natirc.
This surprisedmany astrologerswho assumedthat placementsin
the lst or 10th housesshould be strongerin this respect.
Howerrcr, are their findings so strange in thc light of what we
'give
auray'
understand thc 12th houseto be? If there is an urge to
whateveris in the 12thto other people, then it follonrsthat we could
make a careerout of the principles there. Also, if the 12th house
indicates energiesin the collectivc atmosphere to which w are
sensitirc, then it is likely that our characterand o<presion will reflect
thesc.Sporupcople capturethe collectirr urge to competeand be
first (Mars);writerstune into the collcctiraimagination (Moon) and

THE TWELVEHOUSES

scientistsservethe collectiveneed to classifrand structure(Saturn).

Sincethe 12threlatesto reconnectingwith somethingnuminous
and divine, an individual may experiencea planet there asthe key
or path to greatnes and self-ranscendence.Naurally, he or sheqould
want to developit. On somelevel, they may belicrrcthat the doors
to heaven are opened through orcelling at whaterrcrptinciple is in
the 12th. The deep longing for wholenes and immondity which
existsin all of us is the enticement which modrates achierament
through 12th house planets.
For some people, e.L2th house emphasisconuibutes to the lack
of a clear identity nebulousnes, directionles lirres,victimization,
the orperience of being overwhelmed by unconscious drircs or
undercurrenm at loose in the atmosphere, and a distoned senseof
the value of suffering and self-sacrifice.On thc other hand, the 12th
houseconceptof zurendering the senscof being a separatedfgirres
rise to true empathy and compassion, selfles service, anistic
inspiration, and ultimately the capacityto merge with the grcrter
whole.
In the lkh house,we theorizeon the unity and interconncrtednes
of all life. It is acknowledgedin principle. In the 12th, the mystery
of our onenesswith the rest of creation is pcrceirrcd dircctly with
errcrycell of the body. All of o<istenceis felt aspan of ounelves, just
asportions of our body are pan of us. \7ith such an awarenes, it
would be asdifiicult to heedlesslyharm another personasit would
be to cut offone of our fingers. Conrrcrsely,
what we felt servedour
own individud well-being would inrnariablyserrr the good of the
whole.
An old story illustrates the positirc side to the 12th housc. A man
is allocrcdto visit Hearcn and Hell. In Hell, he seesa largegathering
of peoplc sitting around a long table set with rich and delectable
food. And yet these peoplc are miserableand starving. He soon
discoversthat the reiuon for their dreadful state is that the spoons
and forksprovided for them arelongerthan their arms.As a result,
they areunable to bring the food to their mouths and fted themsclrres.
Then the man is shown Heaven. He finds the sametable set out
there, with the same extra-long eating utensils. But, in Hearrcn,
insteadof just trying to feed their own selrrcs,eachpersonuseshis
or her spoonand fork to feedonc another.They aredl well-fedand
h"PPy.
While notfully losing our own personalidentity or scnseof out
own unique individuality, we need to orperience, acknwledge,
honour, and connect to, that pan of us which is unirrcrsaland

TFIETWEI.FTHHOUSE

unbounded. Uldmately, the uick is to swim in the cretersof the 12th

housewithout dtowning in it.
'we
emergcout of the-universalmatrix of life, establishourselrrcs
asindividuil entities, and then find that after all w are redly one
with all creadon.\urhether our connecrionwith the greaterwhole
is consciouslyorperienced or not through the 12th house, it is
inevitable that oir phpical bodieswill die and disintegrate Ybtl
the body dies, so dbesthe senseof our having a seParatephysical
eristence.one way or another, we return to the collectiveground
out ofwhich wehavecome.vhat wastherein the beginningis there
at the end. V'e arrive back at the Ascendantto begin again on a
new lerrclof the spird.

ilI
i

GROI.JPINGTI{E HOUSES

which fdl belowthe

and lower(nonhern) hemispheres'The houses
with the
most-directly
rlAi-

rli

L5.

GROUPINGTTIEHOUSES

(ilr.,
ffi;;;
.concerned
"rJ and stp"t^it idtntitv andthe basic
iniiua"d
il;;.:;;oi"r,
Theseareknon'nasthe
requirements p.*on "ililo.ttftift'
"
PersonalHoases.
.focuson
{1r. fro"reswhichareabovethe horizon(houses7-12)
intimate
oi,nl individualwith others:on an
the interconnection
of *.iety asa whole,and in relationto
t.rm,
level,in
;;;_;".
Ttt.tt areknown astheCollectiacHotses(see
il;;i;;;"tio".
Fieure
""Th. 5).
the line of the horizoncuttingof rhc meridiancrosses
"*1, in half' #;;l'ilg
anotherdivisionof thewheelof
thehorizon
i-fr. fto"t.t, theFour Qaidrants(seeFigure6)'

formeasurable
Search
elementsamongyourphenomena
and
then searchfor relationsberweenthesemeasurcs.
Alfred Nonh Vhitehcad
(Scienceand the Modetz lYorld)
The twelvehousescan be subdividcd and classifiedunder different
headings.A knwledge of thescgroupingsenrichesan undcrstanding
of the meaning of eachhouseand the way in which one houseor
sphereof life relatesto another.

SOUTH

WEST

EAST

Hemisphercs and Quadrants

Thc line of the horizon divides the chan inro the upper (southern)

SOUTH

//\

Fig.6

/\

COLLECTIVE
HOUSES\
Aotses 7-12

WEST

FAST
PER.SOIVAL
HOUSgS
Houscs l-6
''-----'
NORTH

rllllll

Fq.5

to takcshape
In Qaadranr/ (houses1-3) the individualbeeins
throughthe
forms
identity
asa distinctentity.A t;;J"f ; t6;t

;'ff'-t;;;i;;;"it'rrtit'r'"*;t:b"dvand'subsnn"^(?ldhouse)
of life'

matrix
;J;i;d
6rd house)-outof the unirrcrsal funherorpresion
ln Oadrantll(houscs 4-6) growthinrolvesthe

*,;';ffi ;;;;;il;Jlftr-Jn"riat.dself.tnthc4thhousc,_shaped
theindividud
f".kg-;e*J -i.r,ta inheritance,
il;;il;it
\(iith this
idcntity.
own
oi r,it or her
mouldsa rnote.og.ni-r.*i
.I'
in the
oumardly
itself
to o(press
;;?, ;ir; seels
;; ilffid
panicular
irs
pcrftct
and
fine-^nrne
1thhousc,anotnennrni.itp*iry,

IIO

THETIUTETVE.HOUSES

nature, skills and capabilities(6th housc).

In Quadranr 11l(houscs7-9) the individual expandsawareness
through relationship with orher people. In the 7th house,thcre is
the closeencounterhtween one lrrson's reality and anotherperson's
redity. The 8th housedepica the breakingdown of the individud
ego-identity through the processof merging with another. The
subsequentbroadening, reauakening,and re-visioningof the self
is shown by the 9th housc.
In QtdrantlZ{houscs 10-12)the main concemis the oganding
or transcendingof the boundariesof the selfto include not just oni

.r(^s&
PHASE
Itr
Houses9-lz

PHASEII

Housess-B
PHA5E
T
Housesl-4

F'ry.7

GROUPINGTI{E HOUSES

is describedby
other, but many others. A person'srole in socicty
are explorecl
the 10th house,rarious forms of group consclousness
-.\is ortrer
identiry
individual's-spiritual
an
r" ,h.-il h, and
of the selt relationshipto rhat which is greaterand yet inclusive
12th.
is
" orplored in the
of the housesby.quadranmmakessensein
Vhifilgro"pi"g
biundaries createdbythe crossof the horizon
.;;;?rillSgical

-.iiJL, i isposibleto subdividethewheelin yetanother

iJil.
1-4,theindividualisbornandbecomes
tn houses
;; G; it*ie r1.-rt.i
backgroundand
o*n existence'bodv,mind'
Ji
;;t;t;iilt'
'me-in-here'.Houses
of the
a sense
i;;iiilr. lhis phaseestablishes
selfwith
the-autonomous
share
and
op,.tt
,o
urge
l-iJlpi.. thi
'you-out-therc'.
ln houses
9-12the task
ott.is,',mi.-in-h;' -..L
i, i",.**ion, nor justwith'afewothers,but with society-at-large
we area paft: the devclopmenr.of
*ti.r.
ffi;?;;;;;l,
"r*,ich
eachphasebeginswith
classification,
this
In
,.Ai,v.
tJ'Jt-ii-n.r.;
mdrcaung
thc soarkandinoiration of a fieryhousc(lst' 5th and9th)
awatery
with
n'.* l.,ol of being;andeachphaseends
,h; L'*h il;
assimilation
"
the disolution'
t
li,n, eth and tzth) desciibing
""r.
stage'
no<t
the
to
leads
which
and transition
Ancular. Sucdcnt and Cadent
to whethertheyare
according
classificd
T#h;r;;;aditionally
or cadent'
angular,succedent
Angulat Houscs(Figuret)
erethe
, theAngalarHo.uses
In Ouadrantryr,.-, of housc-division
lstnogs3
the
alstll
onei*hi.h fofiowimmediatclyupontherog
the4th housewtth thelu' tne /tn wltn
bcsinswith thc Ascendant,
tbth with the MC' In the naturalzodiac'
;i,h.
.h$;;;;;;
to thecardindsigl:f {i::!:.Rtl:F
,ft. tg"ft housescorrespond
I ibra(autumnalcquinox)and
solstite;'
(summir
Cancer
eouinox),
new
andrelease
Lloli."li t*i"r.,,.lstice). cardinalsignsgnerate
rcprescnt
and
acdon
spurusinto
-g.,i"tt'ot'*
iililtt",tt
;rJ;.'#;.-;;
J1iii *tfi .tt harrca strongimpacton our individualitv:
ffi
o.rro*fia.ntitv(rsthouse),thehomc-andfamilybackground(4th
ielationships(7th) and career(lfth)'
il;).
-Th;;ic*
;;;t
one
of the cardindcros figuratiralysquareor oPPose
sPneres
rePresent.tour
hogses
the four angular
anothcr.-Likewisc,
other' nn
of lift which are potcntially in cgn{llct wrth each

bl_,*.
,f,; f."a"*1 Td.di!r"-as presenred
il;;dt";
posible
of
"f
interpreiadon
in
the
ai[i.* -g,if", fr",rl *iU hclp

I
GROUPINGTHE HOUSES

THE TVETVE HOUSES

Irt

will versuslove:how much

rwo housesgivesthe classicdilemma of
how much do we adjustto
do we assenour own ,rrJiuid""tity and
adiust too
need or r.q,rire. There is a fear that if we
*i"r-*fr.tr
if we
conversely'
ldntlty; but
much, then we loseour own seParate
us'
love
won't
and demanding' then others
;;;;;;'df-.entred

Tlte 4th-tOtb oPPosition

at home and
Here. one oossible.o.rfli., is bctween staying
from the
away
in the family unit (4th) versus-being
p"iiiip",-g
rsedtn
imme
man
familv in order ro esnblisira carcer(1fth). The

#..i;il;;tbti#t

d*'not h"utihetimeto bewiththefamilv'

of life ' The woman

or sDaremorncntsto r.flttt on the deepermeaning

mavbetornbetween
theserwohouses
q*t"
-,it-*p""fr*
for. prot r.io"'iilL; 'ott "' " *tft ormother'Thechildthedesire
tnt'adult-like' behaviourexpected
(4th)

I
HOUSES
ANCULAR.
Enr;rgg
Activatlry t Gewrar;LngFio.8
t
squaresand opposidons plenets may make to one anothet if pleced
in rhese houses.r
Tbc lst-7tb opposiion
(lst)must besacrificed
Somedegreeofpcrsonal identity and fuom
to funcrion in a relationship (7th). An opposition between these
t A squareis a 90 degreeanglebctwecnt*o planes; the oppcition is a
180dcgrceanglc.A planet in thc lst may or m.y not opposca planct in
thc 7th. Hovcrrer.if thcy arein opposition,tensionariscsbctyiecnthcsc
o*o iueasof lift. Ewn if they do not form an oppositionaspcct,thc pull
of,onchouscandthc pull of thcoppcitc trorc corld still prescntaproblcrn
Thc semeeppliesto planetsin thoschouseswhic-h,figuntirrcly spcafing
et least,squaleone enother.

.o,rld .o.,iiit*itf'
in-us
cannot
[fe (10th). The businessman'for instance'
;; ;;"i;:it.;l
collapse
to
l.t#;;,;;;-;
a ctientif the dealrhreatens
iri ri".l
"i
at
-" the last mornent'
(4th) influenceshow wefunction laterin
ilr;itconditioning
as a child that we feel
society(10th). ff"u. *t Bttn so dcnigrated
the reiectedchild who
we have nothing to off.i'otitty?.Or itt *t
makea mark on the world? Have
tJrho*-'ittttn'
i;;.;;i";d
""a
piotected bv-oyr parentsthat we lack the
il:;;;Goil.d
at dl ?Thcse
"r,i
J. t-.8.:." ; ;nture out of tht familv home
;tip;;;,
in the 4th
planets
oppttitions berween
isues may ar$ert,n.t.
"tt
and toth houses.
Tbe lst-4tb rqaare
(lst)' but t9
Ve arebom scparateand unique individuals
*i:*fl,:'

;;;;
ia;

individualitv?
ourbudding
h";Jrir. tarrtJ*pptnorquash
rnl'eorn tne
yh9hadJupttcr
up thechanof a vgung.rnl"

naturdspontanelty
i" tqttia to Neptunein Scorlioin the4th' His
andrestricted
containcd
andenthusiasm$"pii.ii" thti"ltt4 to be
\0e might
4th)'
in
the
r",r,cr(Neptune
soasnot ro disrurb
to smv
"in-"g
"r
t;Jif.na.n, -i fttt (lst), but.regresive.urges
itk ;;
withwhatissecureandalreadyknowninhibitus(4th).
The4tb-lth sqa*re
likelihood
berweenthe 4th and7th houses'thereisa
Vith squarcs
the
(usually
parent
a
busines'around
;il,:ffi;""n."rt.a
often
(4th)
life
in
p*ttins
elly
establishcd
fathcr)onto a p""".L
peopleclearly(zth;' Problemsin
;;;;htt
io
ability
our
obscure

II4

THETWETVE
HOUSES

establishinga home (4th) with a panner (7th) could ariseif planes

in thesehousessquareone another.The capacityto be objectiraand
fair with others is interfcred with becauseof childish needs and
complexes.

ti

Tbe Ttlt-tOth rqilare

Conflictscould surhce betweencareer(10th)and relationship(7th).
If we are so busypursuing a career,w may haveles time for close
pannerships.Our amractiveness
to a panner (7th) may be contingent
on our statusin the world (10th). Or a panner may be sought who
enhancesone'ssocid standing. Isues with our morher caninterfere
with seeing a panner clearly.
Tbe 1st-10tb tqaare
Sclf-disciplineis neededto forge a career(10rh) and this inrnriably
limits our personal freedom and spontaneity (lst). \flhat sociery
approvesof and ralidates (lOth) may imposc restrictionson what
we arenaturdly inclined to do (lst). Somethingthe mother represents
(10th) may inhibit the orpresion of the lst houseplanet. One man
with Venusin Iro in the lst squaredto rhe Moon in Taurusin the
10th wanted to be an anist (Venusin Iro in the lst) but his mother
insistedthat he choosea more practical carecr(Moon in Taurusin
the 10th). Often, we are labelled solelyby what we do in rhe world
(10th) rather than by other qudities we might possess(lst).
SuccedentHouses (Figure 9)
The forcesset in motion in the angular housesare concenrrared,
embellished,utilized and derrclopedfunhcr rnrhe Saccc&nt Hotses:
the 2nd, lth, 8th and ttth. Thesehousesare narurdly associated
with the fixcd signs of Taurus,Iro, Scorpioand Aquarius, which
consolidatethe generativeenergyof cardinal signs.The succedent
2nd house adds substanceto the persond identity (1st) through
dcfining our posesions, resources,shape and boundary. In the
succedent5th house,weaffirm and suengthenthe senseof 'I' distilled
from the angular 4th by orpressing who we are and impresing
on othen. Through the activiry of relating to othen (angular
ourselrrcs
7th house) we increaseour resoutcesand deh,edeeper into ourseh'es
(thc zuccedent8th). hnicipating in the mainaining and functioning
of society (thc angular 10th) enhancesthe awarenessof ounelrrcsas
socid beingsand prwidcs the basisfor oganding our scnscof,idcntity
to encornpassbigger and broaderboundarics(the succedcntllrh).
Likc the angular houses, thc four succedent houscs reprcrcnt

HoU5E5
Fig.9SUCCEDENT
Stabttt:rttlSu ConcretizlngWry
in conflict with eachothcr'
spheresof tift which are Potentially

'tii;;I,kK"#i"';natoneP'g,"ryY11.'.11'd^*trffi

Tbc znd-Atb oPPosition

Cbntlrctslrlscucrw'ssuw"rvr'v
prcrrrrcs and
dear' Tht. ?n9 housc
*r,", -o,rter
Pcnxln holds
r-.- aarrp nrrrr

;'ilh";""" uTq
;H.ffiH;#.t;
1* :::*'ffi
fr wLJ*s'lY ;;u""Jfi.'tTSl:::f#Y

fflHfr ff.*:S."i.fi
ilil ""d;;$': 11ii:;t*fi
f'$l.iTT$"ii#'
ilil'&;;JG'h',":3gT,i:g31
ffi:."fi .ffi o g3inrna$eryorrcrinstirrnrelFoccsscs.
t0rsOmeuungrrsw'
evalueOfsom.thing,
The 2n{ housc.scestttcry'*--,L*iO.ttotft.(Srhl.
hiidan

ffi;::J',r,.tii;*

oPPosiion
TbcI'h-u'b
Tbc
Stb-tttb oPPotttr:e-

such

f^. nrrt r.,n oenootrl satisfaction'

I" rh. lth housc,wecreatefor oq1a1,q:f-rmr. .''r enersy

ourownltion'r1,11-q. 19:
asdesigning
designing K:?:"9
such asnl*i:
o"#t"ts,
P*:t-::
ar qclr''trurE vs v""
to something grelt:1t- rt-

;#;:-ieili.
--;'hr
-mignt

"
lssuc
or helons. Anorher
whic\
r"" i't1g.to-,hi.h
Y"'
11-9.rons'
r
o
r
u
o*s
chi
childlen
our
our
rcleasc
.t? *iiting to release
*. are
wc

bc whether
whcther

#fii'-ilii,q'ffi 11fff'ffi J*:

i'fl i'T)'ffi"fi:

r r s!'---t*t
d an ()ut) rnfo rnc Ytltuu \ rrur/l'
iat, I am a mcmbcr.
d,
thc.gortP
of
conscnsus
thc
I *tti l",ic end
^ rI acccpt
- --^ii rh.,n,,rrrr
thcgroup

iffiffiffi;;;;"fo;o
opinion (lkh)?

m. ('ttr,fordo

l16

THE T\TELVEHOUSES

Tlte Znd-)tlt sqaare

A numberof conflictscanbe stired if planetsin rhe 2nd square
planetsin the Jth. Theneedfor securityanda regularincome(2nd)
could interfcrewith time spenton morecreativeand recreational
activities(lth). C.onrcrsc\ithestrugglingafti$ or 'resting'actor(5th)
oftensuffersfrom the lackof a stableincome(2nd). Somepeoplc
with squares
betweenthe 2nd and tth derivetheir senseof power,
qiofthandimponance(5th)solelyth'roughwhattheyownandposses
(2nd). Children(lth) might be treatedas posesions(2nd) or
orperiencedasa drain on one'sresources.
TlteStlt-8tb sqilare
In the 5th house,welike to beseenasbright,positive,creativeand
special.Valueisplacedon thosethingswhichenhancethejoy and
dignity of life. Thc 8th dcpictsthe darker,more intenseand
destructiveelemcntslurking in the persondity.If weharrctheserwo
housesaccentuated
we may bc engagedin a fiercebattlebetween
light and dark forcesin the psyche.Thc kinds of crisesassociated
with the 8th house can temporarilydisrupt the tth house's
spontaneiryandenthusiasmfor life. Insteadof feelingin chargeof
our lirrcs(lth), we may be drirrcnby unconscious
complores(8th)
to actin waysorcrwhichweha'relittle conuol.Sorualconquestcould
be utilized asa meansof affrming our sclf-importance.Squares
betweenthc Jth and Bthhousescensomedmes
manifestasintensc
conflictswith one'schildren.Perrcnalcreativity(5th) is associatid
with emotiondtensionandfrustration(8th).On the positircside,
periodsof psyctrological
renewaland cleansing(8th) frec the lifeforceto express
itself morepurely(lth). Creatiraorpresion(5th)
may be a way of clcaring something out of the system(8th).
Destructirrc
(8th) may be glamorized(5th) asin the casc
ercesses
of the tornrredFrenchpoet,Rimbaud,whohad Satumin the 8th
squaredto Neptuncin the Jth.
Tbeail-ittb tqt drc
Thc llth housemayhaveavisionof a bettersociety,
but hasit taken
into accountdeep-seated
complocs(8th) in peoplewhichobscure
the ability to relateto othersfairlyandobjectirrcly?
Theragingand
needyinfant in us (8th) canwreakhavocin our relationships
with
friendsor groups(llth). Thesocietalrdormerwith squaresbctween
the llth andthc 8th maybefiredwith suchconvictionthatanymeans
justifiesachievinghisor herends.Sexrdundercurents(8th)could
intrude on a fricndship(11th).In shon,highly chargedemotions

TI{E HOUSES
GROUPING

II7

cotrld inhibit the eascwith which we rclateto the largerunit of society.

C.onflictscould arisebetweenour own humanitarian, political and
rccid ideals (llth) and those of our panner (8th).
Tbc 11tb-2nd sqaarc
The llth house may ptoposc such liberd aims as the equd

distributionof wealth,but the 2nd houscdesireto onn thingp

pcrrcndly couldcontradictthis. The 2nd houseneedto establish
conflictswith the llth houseurgefor
clearindividualboundaries
'out
a widcr group membership.Elcrrcnthhouscidealismmay be
of touch'with thedm,n-to-eanh2ndhousc.Problcmscouldensue
in financid dedings(2nd) with friends(11th).\U[ecould bccome
sostronglyanached(2nd) to achio,ingcenaingodsandobjectirres
(llth), that orcesirrcforcccouldbe usedto obtainthese.\I7emay
(2nd)to idcas(llth). Morepositiraly,theremay
clingtoo tenaciously
bc the practicalscnseand ability(2nd)to realizehopesandwishes

(nrh).

Fig,toCADENT
H0U5E5
Dist r [unting, Read;ivstul,g

rrtsnrvntariryE*jy
Cadcnt Houscs(Figurc 10)
with
T?ne
CadentHottscs(the3rd,6th, 9th and 12th)areassociated
r07hile
Pisces.
and
Virgo,
Sagittarius
the mutablesignsof Gemini,
angularhouscsgazalarcenetgyand succedenthousescorrccnrrotc
enirgy,the cadenthovxs distribttc andrcorganizcenergy.Incach

TFIEHOUSES
GROUPING

TI-IE TIUTEIVE
HOUSES

cadenthor.tse,
wereconsider,
readjustor reorientateourselves
on the
basisof what we harrcprwiouslyexperienced
in the preceeding
house.In thecadent3rdhouse,weleammoreabourwho
succedent
we are through comparingand contrastingourselves
with rhosc
aroundus.As thementd capacities
derclop,weenteravorld bcJnnd
that of the bodilysenses
andbiologicdnccds(2ndhouse).Thccadent
6th houscreflectson the useor misuseof thc outpouringof energy
in the 1th, andmakesadjustments
accordingly.
The intcrpersond
explorations
andstruggles
of the8th areconducirrc
to the9th house
reflectionsonthe deeperlawsand proceseswhichgorrcmodstence,
and the patternswhichweaveus together.The perspectivc
of rhe
individud ego,alreadyreelingfrom the llth houseorperienccof
beingpan of a groupor largersystem,finally,in the cadentl2th,
topplesdowndtogetherfrom its positionasking of the mountain.
Cadenthousesharcoftenbeendescribed
asweakor insubstantid.
but the research
doneby the Gauquelinssuggesathat placemens
in thesehouses
aremorepowerfulthanpreviouslybelierrcd.
Michel
Gauquelin and his wife FranEoise
are both psychologists
and
statisticians
whoharrcstudiedrhediumd disuibudonof thc plancts
in thousandsof accuratelytimed binhchans.In panicular,they
analysedthc houseposition of planetsin the chafts of cenain
profesions- actors,artists,doctors,businesorecutircs,politicians,
scientists,
soldicrs,sporuchampions,writersandothcrc.Theresults
of their researchshovrcdthat the planea naturallyassociated
with
eachof theseproftssions(suchasMarsfor sporapeople,Satumfor
scientists,
etc.)appearedmoreoften in the cadenthousesthan in
the angularhouses,astraditiond asuologywould hara orpccted.
br instance,Marsin the chartsof successful
sponspeopleappeared
mostoftcn in the 12thand 9th houses:that is, justafterthe rising
and supcriorculminationof the planetratherthan just beforein
the lst or 10thhouses.The noc mostfrequenthouscpositionsof
Marsforthe sponspeople
theytestedc/erethe6rh andthe 3rdhouscs.
Agarn,thesearejust dter the settingand infcrior culminadonof
theplanet,ratherthanbcforein thc 7thor 4thhouses.
Thecondusion
to be drawn from their surry is that cadent housesare more
imponantfutors in determiningcharacterand
careerthanprwiously
suspected.
Bridly recapitulated,they found thesecorrelations:I
1. Marsappearedmostfrequendyin cadenthouscsin thc cherts
of physicians,military leaders,spons cha,mpionsand top
occutives.

3.
4.

1I9

Jupiter appearedmost frequently in cadenthousesin the chans

oflctors-playwrighr, politicians, military leaders,top orecutives
and journalists.
Saturnappearedmost frequently in cadenthousesin the chans
of scientisa and phpicians.
The Moon appcaredmost frequently in cadent housesin the
chans of writers and politicians.

ln the discusion of the 12thhouse,I haveotplained why I don't

find theseresultsthat surprising(seepage 105).A similar rationale
can bc applicd to the other cadent houses.The 9th is where we look
for truth and principles to guidc our lirrcs- therefore we will be
highly motirated to developand give orpressionto the planetstherc
asl *ay of lending greatermeaning to our odstence.Both the 6th
and rhi lrd housei describcour effons to discernhow we differ ftom
other pcople. Therdore, dcrrclopingthe planets in thesehousesis
.n .i"l if *. areto diftrentiate ounelrrcsfully from othersand ddine
ourseh'esasscparateindividuals. The urge to connect to something
greatcr than the sclf (as shown by the 12th and the 9th) and the
urge to estabtishand dramcterizeour or'n specificidcntities (asshown
bV,h. 3rd and the 6th) arethe two complementary principles which
form the crux of the human dilemma. Seenin this light, thc planets
in these housesassumee gtcr;t imponance.
As in the cascof the four angular housesand the four succedent
houses, the four cadent housesfiguratively square or oPposeone
another. Eachone representsa contrastingview of life and a different
method of acquiring and processinginformation.
Tlte 3rd-9t/t opposition
The 3rd housedescribesthe nature of the analyticd and concrete
mind while the 9th house denotes more abstract and intuitive
The 3rd houseseesthe pans; the 9th looks first
thought processes.
at thJwh-ole.\fhen planetsarefound in opposition berweenthese
two houses,it could signifr a good balanccand integration berween
thc right and left hemispheresof the brain. Hwever, in cenain cases,
the opposition might d.note a Personwho gathersfacts(3rd) and
then diaws the wrong conclusions(9th) from them. Mountains are
a Pemonmay adhere to somebelief
madeof mole-hills,oi conversely,
around them (3rd) solely
(9th)
intcrpret
erarphing
and then
or truth
factsare distorted
words,
principles.
In
other
in the light of thcse
weekspreparing
many
labour
for
pro'trc
point.
The
house
may
a
to
Jrd
precise
meaning
the
conveys
word
making
sure
that
each
llcture,
a

-.I
I2O

TF{ET\UEIVEHOUSES

intended. The 9th houselecturermay preferto wait to seewhat the

audicnce is like, trusting that he or she will intuitively know what
to saywhen the time comes.Sometimeswith the 3rd-9th opposition,
there is a persistentfeeling that the grassis greenerfanher afield.
Tlte 6t lt-t Ztlt opposition
The 6th house examinesthe myriad forms of relative existence,
scrutinizing in detail how one thing diffcrs from another.The 12th
house,howwer, embracesthe essenceof a thing - not how much
'ftels'
it weigtrsor measures,but what it
like. The 6th is dirriminating
and selective,carefullydefining boundaries;the 12this empathctic
and all-inclusive, and a boundary-dissolrar.The 6th house is
pragmatic, logicd and concernedwith the errryday redities of lifc;
the 12th aspiresto transcendwhateveris mundane, and is awareof
the elusive,unknoqrableand mysteriousnuancesof o<istence.Thc
6th house plans life; the 12th flocNswith it.
Oppositions betweenthesctwo housesheighten ther contrasting
approachesto life, but afford a geater chanceof achievinga synthesis
of the rariousmodesof bcing. I haneseen6th-r2rh houseoppositions,
for instance,in the chansofspiritudly-minded people who alsohave
thcir fecr firmly on the ground. One wasa dendst with Moon in
Capricorn in the 6th opposingJupitcr in Cancerin the l2th, who
wasa devout follower of an Indian guru. Another ws a carpentet
who rolunteered his servicesto rain pcoplc inThird !7orld counries
in his skill. He had three plancts in the 6th opposingUranusin the
12th.
Oppositions between the 6th and tzth somedmesmanifest in
phpical ailmenr which arepqrchologicalin origin. Reincamationists
believethat ccnain health problems (6th) may be the consequences
of past-life behaviour (12th). For orample, if a man overindulged
in food and drink in a prwious lifc, hc might be bom this lifc with
allergiesto cenain foods,forcing him to pay more attention to what
he put into his body. Or a person who habitudly looked down on
othersin apast lift couldfind himsclfabnormdlytdl in this lifttime.
Or perhapshc would be born unusudly shon, sohe could orpcricnce
what it felt like to be the one looked down upon. In any case,with
6th-12th oppositions, the origins of ill health may be difficult to
diagnose,stemming from a sourcewhich is not obniousto fface.

Tbe 3rd-6th tqilare

Here we harrclinked together the two housesmost dirc'ctly rclated

GROUPINGTF{EHOUSES

Lzl

to rheprocesesof the logicalandrationalleft brain.Thetendency

; f"" ,i. mind to onerJork.The 3rd housclikesto knowa little
wantsto know
whilethe 6th.house
tmething abouteverything,
and
things'Put thesetwo tog.ether
p""lut.
;;;;-h;
"T.*
"bo.r,
posibleabout
who wantsto knowasmuch as
il;;;_i.uoav
ispossiblcthat
Vith
;ry.hfi.
ilanets in both the 3rdand6th, it
Thkento extremes'
oyt o{ existence'
somtthin! couldbe analysed
berween
*ho insissthat theonlyrealdifference
i;;;"iJ bEapersor,
,ir;;ht; OltbrttoandHamletis that the lettersof the alphabetare
differentlyin eachplay.
"rt".tgid
U."r. poritively,tirereisgerrcrilyth..pursuitof information(3rd)
of .tring it prictically'(6th).Therecanbe a greatdeal
foi,t . ,.1"f..
aboutthepreciseand
muc'hdiscussion
ou.rd.i"i6
"nd
"?Ui.t*l"g
Consequer.rtlx
;;;;;; ;d*mething shouldbe done'
:-T:t- :::l
wrth
ihcjrd/6th housecombinationusuallydo not let othersescape
these
with
whimsicalorrague'If I havesomeone
[.i"ni* abstract,
for a chanrlading, I will allowanextrahalf;i;;:;;;;'-;.h;Juled
'h;;l;;
---Vlirf, q;.ttions at theend'('Vhat emctlyd9 yoqmeanby ' ' '?')
rif"*o betweenthesehouses,it isposible that hedth isues
mobility T 1e[ asthe clearfunctionin-g
physical
(Otfri.o"ia afFect
^Sometimes
(3rd)
conflictswith siblingp
urueso6ad
il.t'. -i"a (3rd).
(6th)'
co-workers
inihe'form of problemswith
i.*f"..
Tbe 6tb-9tlt sqlare
9thhousewith
andtruth-seeking
rt .."-ui.ation of theorpansive
aresdessou.
produce
can
6th
themundaneandpracticdly-minded
searcn
constant
ln
a
to another
whomovesfrom onepreoccupation
will
they
is
that
catch
Ji"g *ti.t ii totaly fulfilling..Thc
il;;.
been
hara
hopes
the
which_all
;*"iiy find"rharthc thirrg'upon
Whenthat fails'something
;i;;;A *-.rt * aus shonlf the mark'
ilse is ferventlypursucdwith the sameabidingconvictionthat it
'werything'.Ratherthan.looking,to
onethrng,to,be
shouldprovidi
thewholetruth,theyshouldapproachitwiththeatutudethatlt
mavoffersomeversionor anglcbf the truth' In otherwords'they
oron. thinfto bewerything'Thqnthevcanfind
,.d ,h;;;t;;;.
bit of the truth andotherkindsof
;;fi;;i;;;;ff.t
"no,li.,
to complete
openingthemselves
not
are
futfit*.rri. In thisway,they
all the
deliver
doesn't
attintion
of
if o". focus
J6;iil.n,
nourishmenttheYcrara.
---ffr.
rq""re beiweenthe 6rh and 9th canbe seenhistoricallyin
(9:ry
thc conflictbetweeninductivemodesof rientific inrrcstig"Uql
beliefs
and
faith
religious
from
arises
-d tfrrf.i"d of kno"'int",hich

-l
t22

THE T\TELVEHOUSES

(9th). 6th-9th tension also manifests in the kinds of theologicd

disputesthat areconcernedwith exactlyhow many angelscandance
on the head of a pin. Scriptures(9th) may be interprered in a
fundamentalist way: laws and rituals are to be followed exactlyto
ensurethat eran rhe most humble or ordinary aspecrsof existence
(6th) panakeof the sacredor areperformedin accordanceto higher
law (9th). There is also the ability to perceivecosmicsignificance
(9th) in the smdlest dctails of life (6th). On another level, health
problems (6th) could occur through travel (9th). Or rhere may be
many differencesof opinions with in-laws(9th) orar rhe managemenr
of daily affairs (6th).
Tbe gtb-tztlt squore
In this casewe havetwo housesof an orpansivenature in relationship
to one another.Neither sphereis fond of boundariesand limitations,
and those with planets in both these housesmay nor fccl very
comfonablc within the confinesof a mundane exisrence.Usudly
an interest in philosophical or religious mamerspredominates: in
e:ftreme cases,they live in a world of symbols, dreams and images,
surviving from one peak orperience ro the noc, ofren totdly
forgetting about having to go to the dentist. They may have an
unending sourceof uanspersond inspiration but no vehiclesfor
expressingor relating their vision to everydaylife. Not inclined to
andytical thinking, they may swallow a belid whole and lira it
fervendy until it is spat out again and something new is looked for
to swallow.Somesidetracktoo fu with delusionsof being another
Napoleon or Chri$, landing thcmsclrrcsin mentd insriturions (12th).
More positively, thosewith a heavy9rh-12th emphasisserrato open
other people's eyes to realities beyond the kcn of the rypicd
3rd-6th housc thinker.
There arediftrences in the 9th and t2rh houseapproachto 'higher
understanding'.The 9th housebelievesthat the basicpatternsand
principleswhich governlife can be known and comprehended.The
12th housefeelssomcthingwhich is often unfarhomable and bqpnd
knowing. Th. 9th house is basicallyconcernedwith scding new
heighs; the 12th finds inspiration not only in the heights, but also
in the depths- ecstasyand pain, blis and suffering,areintimately
connected.On a more mundane level, there may be strangeand
inexplicableyearningsto travel to different countriesand a danger
of imprisonment (12th) in a foreign land (9th).

GROUPINGTHE HOUSES

12t

Tltc ard-tztb tqaale

mind and thc 3rd
Broadlyspeaking,the 12this the unconscious
is hiddenand
what
of
domain
-iird. The t2rh is the
thc consciour
at handin
and
immediate
is
what
unseen,while the 3rd perceives
at its
be
apprcciated
can
the environment.An altion or starement
feelings
less
obvious
facenaluc(3rd)or may be felr to be cloaking
this is known u the metaor moti\ations(12th).In psychology,
ihe actionsand makessenseof
meaning.The 1rd houseobierves
'picksup on' andissensitive
to other
theworIs, but thc l2th house
combination
The
lrd/l2th
levelsof what is beingsaidoi done.
manylevelsof realityar once.Thisconferseitheruncanny
Derceives
oragreardealof mentdconfusion.
i*igt , into peopleandsituations
Shouldtheybeiievewhattheyhearandseeor whattheysenseand
feel?
arenoruncorrunonamongsiblings
Thesekindsof mixedmessages
theyounger
(3rd).In general,oldersiblingsfeelambiralenttou/ards
but jedousy
new
baby,.
the
love
to
theyaresupposcd
it itd' ttt{ t
"*'
perceives
sibling
younger
The
anddestructiveurgeiarerhiie aswell.
ye!
and
her,
or
him
the older child aclingkindly towards
fe.nse:
somethinglcs pleasantpassingbemeenthemaswell.vhich lcvel
shouldUelatci asred?A caselnquestionis a womanI knewwith
Saturnand Pluto in the 12thsquaredto the Moon in Scorpioin
the 3rd.Heroldcrsisterwasoutwerdlykind to her,but underneath
resentedthe intrusionof theyoungerchild. Iater !! lifc, the younger
child grewinto a womanwho had enormousdifficulty trustingor
or done
waso<pressed
befiorlngin whatothcrssaidto her.lg'haterrer
threaten
to
intended
was
if
it
wasinteforetedin a negativelight_as
blcamedeafin oneearandliveda lonelylife
her.Shemysteriously
(12th)with siblings
in isolationfromothers.unrerclrcdpastissues
vray
with.thosearound
natural
in
a
(3rd)prernntedherfrom relating
t*l
making
capacityfor
the
and
lrd,
betweenrhetrh
tr squares
ii.t
by
distoned
be_
life
may
percei'rc
dccisionsoi rhe ability to clearly
oramined
be
need
to
These
.ompio,es.
Jccp-rootedunconscibus
of theimages.ano
up througha comiousandpis (3-rd.)
andcleaned
psyche(12th)'
the
lerrcl
of
surface
fantasieslurking beniath the
Classi&ingthe Houscsby Elemcnts.
Therearethree
Anotherfry,o grouptht housesis by_elements.
(2nd,
6th and tOth);
houscs
eanh
three
ani
9th);
fti fio* tfg, llr
houses(4+,
wetet
thrce
and
ttth);
and
(3rd,
7th
tt[ee air houscs
canbc
gth and 12th).Ameaningfuland sequentidderrclopment

124

THE TVET]fE HOUSES

THEHOUSES
GROUPING

obscned as we progressfrom the firsr houseassociatedwith a

panicularelement,to the secondhouseof that element,and on
to the third houseof the sameelement.In general,the first housc
associated
with a panicularelementbringpthe natureof that element
into focusand personalizes
it. The nen housealignedwith thet
elementfunher differentiaces
and definesrhat principle,usually
tirough comparingour orpresionof it with that ofothers.Thethird
houserclatedto a panicularelementuniversdizes
ir orpresion:
that elementcanbeseento beoperatingon a broadcollectirnle.r'el.

- the activity of releasingthe lif'e-force.The lst houseshowsthe

initial stiring of beinginsideus,the urgeto be a separateand distinct
person.Developingthe signsand planetsin the lst housevitalizes
and enlivensus.
The secondfire houseis the 5th house.It is alsoa succedenthouse.
Therefore the lth house combines the qualities associatedwith
with the elementof
succedenthousesand the qualitiesassociated
stabilizeand utilize the energy
fre. Succedenthousesconcentrate,
generatedin angularhouses.In the caseofthe 5th house,the pure
ipirit of the lst houseis given focusand direction. \7e strengthen
orrrs.nre of identity (lst) by pursuing thoseoutlets and interests
which make us feel more alive, and by stamping our individuality
on what we do or create(1th).
The third fire house is the 9th house.It is also a cadent house.
Thereforethe 9th housecombinesthe qualitiesassociatedwith cadent
with the elcment of fire. Cadent
housesand the qualitiesassociated
housesreconsidlr, readjust and reorientatethe way we focus our
energy.In the 9th house,we revamPour senseof identity through
viewing life and ourselvesin a broadercontoa' The fre we recognizcd
burning insideusin the lst and 5th houscshasnorvspreadto everyone
'fire'
or spirit asa universd attribute existing
elsc we now perceive
in everything around us. In the lth house, we orplore -our own
persond creaiivity,but in the 9th weglimpse the workingsof a cosmic
ireative intelligence which shapeslife in accordancewith cenain laws
and universalprinciples.
In the first fiic house(lst) our own identity is sparked.ln the second
fire house (5th) we strengthen,confirm and expressthat identity.
In the third fire house(9th) the creativenature of fire and the urgeto-bc is seenexpressingitself impersondly through the archetypd
principles
which governand generateall of life.
ft; three fre liousessymbolicallytrine one another. Planetsin
the lst, )th or 9th housej may literally trine eachother - that is,
form 120degreeanglesto eachother (allowing an 8-10 degreeorb
or so). However,in finding irspectswe must alwayscount the actual
number of degrecsbetweln ihc two planets, not just the number
of houses.A planet in the lst doesnot automaticallytrinc aplanet
in the :th. and in some cases,due to the unequd size of houses
in Quadrant systems,the rwo plantsmay evensquareone another.
Nonetheless,it is helpful to understandthc basicaffinity between
with the sameelement in the natural
placemena in houscsassociated
zodiac.

Fg,lf FlRg: Tlv.Trinlrt5 of Spr{f,.

The Firc Houscs:The Tirinityof Spirit (Figurc U)
Fireisthg lift-forcewhichanimatesdl living forms.It isthe element
associated
with thewill-to-be theurgeto orpresfrom insidetheseff.
The lst hous isthefirst fire house.h isalsoangularIfve combine
the qualitiesof fire with the nanre of angulerhouscs(activiryand
releascof encrgy)we arrivcat a good derription of the lsr house

12'

126
Tbc lst-Jth

THE T\7EIVE HOUSES

GROUPINGTI{E HOUSES

tine

If a planct in thc lst housetrinesa planet in thc )th, then the lst
houseplanet finds a creativereleasethrough the 5th houseplanet.
For instance,if Mercury is in the lst house and trine to Jupiter in
the )th, the urge to communicate and exchangeinformation
symbolized by Mercury may have an outlet through someform of
anistic expression(Jupiterin the lth). In trine contacrslerween the
lst and the 1th, therc is a natural easeorflow in oumardly ogresing
who we are. The French author, Victor Hugo, who expresed his
humanitarian concerns*rough literature had sympatheticNeptune
in the lst trine to Mercurv in the )th.
Tlte )th-9tb tine
If a Jth houseplanet trinesa 9th houseplanet then whar we o(press
or create (lth) often influenccs and inspires other people (thc
orpansirrcnature of the 9th). It may seemasif crcativity flovn through
us from a higher sourceof inspiration or 'fired' vision. Iord Byron,
the English Romantic poet who orpressedhis acute sensitivity to
beauty through his work, had Vcnus in the 9th trine Neptune in
the Jth.
Tlte lst-9tb tine
Thosewith trines berweentheserwo housesnaturally acrin accord
with a broadened view of life. Their actions comply with trends
already in the atmosphere,and rhereforelessresistanceis met in
achieving their aims. A wide scopeon oristence(9th) guides the
manner in which they meet the world (lst). The dangerwith this
trine is that it can too easilygive rise to the individual idenrifying
the self with the Voiceof God, and justifring acrion on the basis
of a higher authority or guiding principle. For example,Francisco
Franco,the fascistdictator, had the Moon, Neptune and Pluto in
thc 9th trine to Saturn in the lst.
The Eanh Houses: The Thinity of Matter (Figure 12)
The elementof earth is associated
with the plane of material ocistence:
the condensationof spirit into concreteforms.
The first eanh houseis the 2nd house.It is alsoa succedenrhouse.
Therefore,the 2nd houserepresents
macer trying to makeirelf more
secureor stablc hencethe associadons
of the 2nd housewith money,
possessions
and resources.It showsthose things - including the
body - which we like to callour own. In economictermsit is capitd.
Thc secondearth houseis the 6th. which is alsoa cadenthouse.

Fi1..17
EARIHzTlw Trinity of f{atter
thc eanhprinciple.
Therefore,thc 6th houscadjusaandreconsiders
andskillsarccomparedto otherpople's
In this housc,our resotuces
and skills.Our specidabilitics arcrcfined and perftcted.
rcsources
Thebodyasnall nee&attentionto functionefrciendyandill hcalth
canbc undentoodasthe bodytrying to readiustit-self.ln economic
tenns, it reprcscntsthc labour force.
The thiril eanh houscis the 10th,which is en angularhousc.In
this case,thcre is the needto ggnctatematter,i.e. productivity-ln
oneseflicrthe lfth represenathc forccsof merugemcntwhoactively
orgariizcand orrcneCceitd and labour.Morepcrsondly,it sho*s
hw *l purposdrlly stnrcnre and dircrt our encrgyend $ili{cs
for the saleof concrctcand definite rcsuls. Hence,thc associetion
of thc lOth with cereettarnbition and the my rc likc to bc secn
by thc *orld. Morc broadly,the lfth houscdepica tlc rylc $c
iiaviaU pUp in petpctuatingandrneinaining thc bodyof sociay
itself.

THE T\UTELVE
HOUSES

GROUPINGTHE HOUSES

r2g

In the first earth house (2nd) the body and matter itself is
differentiated from the ouroboric wholenessof life. In the second
earth house(6th) our particular body and resources,differentiatcd
in the 2nd, aremore specificallydelineated.In the third eanh house
(10th) our own body and practical skills (differentiated in the 2nd
and more clearly defined in the 6th) come together with others to
form and maintain collectivematerial existence.
The three eanh housessymbolically trine one another,and planets
in these housesmay literally trine eachother.
Tbe 2nd-6tb trine
If a planet in the 2nd trinesa planet in the 6th, thc individual is
equippedwith resources
and abilitieswhich he or shecanuseskilfully
and productirrcly,and usuallywith adequatefinancialremuneradon.
There isoften an efficient and adept handlingof the materialworld.
Tlte 6tb-l0tb tine
With this trine. there is the likelihood rhat a oerson'sskillsand stvle
of working are conduciveto successin a career.It is possiblethat
something inhcrited via the mother (10th) contributes to the
repenoireof tdents and abilitics(6th). The daughterof showbusincs
parenr, Candice Bergen makesgood use of both her beauty and
intelligencein her careersasan actressand photo-journalist.She
is born with VenusconjunctUranusin Gemini in the 6th trine to
Jupiter in Libra in the 10th.
Tlte znd-totb tine
In this case,the careeris usually well-suited to the remperament
and abilities. Money and statuscan be earnedfrom what a person
naturally enjoys doing. Something of womh is inherited via the
mother or shaping parent (10th). Sir Harry Iauder, the comedian
and entertainer,had a wide public appealand wascspeciallyloved
for his Scottish dialect. He was born with Mercury (the planet of
speech)in thc 2nd (resourccs)trine to Neptunc in the 10th.
The Air Houses: The Thinity of Relationship (Figure 13)
Air is associatedwith the capacity to detach the self and view
something objecdvelywith distanceand perspective. Oncewe have
separatedor distinguished ourselvesfrom the universalmatrix of
lifc, then we canstart forming reladonshipswith what wefind. The
elementof aircorelates to the intellect and rhe communicationand
exchangeof ideas.

Fig.J3
AfR 7TlwTenrtS af Rela.tionrhip
The first air housc is thc 3rd, wirich is alrc a cadent housc.
Morrcment,mental deralopmcnt and the advent of languagecnablc
ts to readjustand reddine the rnorc concretesarscof rlfjust brming
in thc lst and znd houses.Thc sccond air house is the 7th, which
is angular. My mind and pcnpectivc on life (3rd) rneetsyour mind
and pcrspcctivc on lifc (7th). The coming togethcr of two pcople
gcnerates1n enorrnousarnount ofenergy and the failure or succcss
of a relationship may affect hon'we feel about many other areasof
our livrs. The third air house (llth) is succedent.tU[estabilize and
strengthcn our viewpoints by looking for other pcople (groups and
friends) who shareout ideas.Minds come together in the llth. Ideas
'isms'
'fi:cd'
which are broadly applied to
into ideologies and
a,re
'taken
large
up' by
numbers of people.
society and
air
houscs
symbolically
trine one another, and planets
The three
in thcsc housesmay litcrdly trine each other.

130

HOUS$
THETWETVE

GROI.JPINGTHE HOUSES

l,l

Tlte 3rd-7th trine

with communicationandif aplanetthere
The 3rdhouscis associated
trinesone in the 7th, thereis an easein communicatingwith closc
partners.\U(ecan makc oursclvcshcard as well CI being able to
understandor appreciateothers(intellcctudly at least).Thcre is
usudly a lively interestand fair degrecof perceptioninto the way
in which one petsonor thing interactsor relateswith anothcr.
Tlte 7tb-11tbtinc
A pannershipmayserveasa sourceof socialor intellecud orpansion.
It may be a friend (11th)who introducesthis pcrrcn to the future
rnarriagepanner(7th).Or animponantrelationship(7th) maybe
formed with someonethc person meets through a group or
goals
theperson's
organization(llth). Unrdly thepanner(7th)shares
and objectivesand is helpful in achievingthese.JeanHou$on, a
hasJupiterin the 7th trine
leadingfigurein humanisticpsychology
to Pluto in the llth. Sheand her husband,RobenMastets,cofoundedaninstirutefor mind research
andhavetogctherderrcloped
numeroustechniquesto broadenawareness.
Tlte 3rd-11tbtrine
If a planetin the 3rd trinesa planetin the llth, thercis usudly an
easerelatingto groupsof people.Theremay be an intuitirrc grasp
of hm, theindividud mind (3rd)islinkcdto othen(11th).Theperson
canspcakclearly(3rd)aboutbroadconcepcor thosethit gpwhich
(llth). Fricndsor goups (11th)inspireando<pand
heor sheenvisions
the perrcn'spoint of viewot
thc thinking (3rd), and conrrcrsely,
generdknowledgeaffecaothers.Albcn EinsteinhadUranusin the
(Uranusin
3rd trine to Neptune in the llth. His new discorrcries
of theinterconnectednes
the 3rd)haveledto agreaterunderstanding
of dl life (11th).On anotherlerrcl,a 3rd-uth uine maymcanthat
groups(3rd)canbeformcdto promotenecdedsocid
neighbourhood
(llth), or a sibling(3rd)might introducetheperrcnto new
changes
fricnds,ideasor groups(llth).
The \lhter Houses:Thc Trinity of Soul (Figure 14)
lVater is the elementassociated
with the fcelings.All threewater
with emotionswhichdwellbeneaththesurface
housesareconcerned
They alsodeal with the pastconditioned
levelof consciousness.
tesponses
which arenou,instincrual,unreflectirtcand inbred.
Thefirst waterhouseisthe 4th, whichis drc angulat It describcs
feelingsactivedeepwithin us,aswell asthe family backgroundand

Ftg.l*
WATER:Ttrc Trtn;tty of Sout
influenceswithin the eerlyhomewhich shapcthc idcntity. In the
socondcaterhousc,thesuccedent
8th, ow ftelingparestrenglhened,
deepcnedandsdrrcdthroughdoscrelationshipwith anotherpc$on.
T*o pcople,eachwith their os'nfamily backgrounds
andcmotiond
meke-upattempt to rnergeinto one.Greatersccurity(a succedent
qudity) issoughtthrought*o pcoplelinking theirftelingpogether.
In the 8th, our own ftelingp (differcntiatedand recognizedin the
engular4th) floc, into anotherperrcn'sftelings. In the third weter
house,the cadent12th,we progressfrom union with a sclectfcs'
(8th) to a scnscof unity with all life. S0eacknm'ledgethe collective
unconscious,
the collectivEseaout of whichwedl emerge,and the
background*r sharewith errcryone
and everphing.
ln thc 4th houseweftel our frfn ioy -d pain; in the 8th weftel
thc joy and pain of a closcassociate;
in the 12th,weftel thecorld's
ioy -d pain. The scquentidderclopmentof thc cater houscs,as
with thc housesof the other elements,is a rnovcmentfrom the