On this blog and on my Instagram, I refer to the houses in astrology a lot. For ease of reference, this post is a cheat sheet of the meanings of the houses, from my perspective.
I primarily follow Hellenistic astrology, which “is a tradition of Greco-Roman astrology that originated in the Mediterranean region sometime around the 1st century BCE, and was practiced until approximately the 7th century. It is the source of many of the modern traditions of astrology that still flourish around the world today. This tradition originated partially out of a synthesis of the ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian traditions of astrology, and it influenced many other subsequent traditions of astrology across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India during the middle ages and through to modern times” (source). Though I follow this approach, I don’t claim its primacy among astrologies--it’s just what I’m drawn to and find most useful thus far. I have also, of course, been influences by modern approaches to astrology, modern interpretations of Hellenistic astrology, moden psychology, and more. Pretty much every modern astrologer is some form of ecclectic astrologer, but I digress.
This quick guide to the house meanings will be a useful reference when thinking about transits or reading any of my astrological posts.
1st House: SELF
Appearance, the persona people experience when they first meet you, how you first respond to situations, how you see yourself (your identity) and how you present yourself to the world.
2nd House: PERSONAL RESOURCES
Personal money, money you earn, possessions, how you manage money, personal skills and attributes (especially those used to make money).
3rd House: COMMUNICATION, MENTAL ACUITY, &LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD/TRAVEL
Communication (style, form, frequency), mental quickness, learning style, school (especially primary and secondary schooling), siblings and friends that feel like siblings.
4th House: HOME, FAMILY, & FOUNDATIONS
Home (current home, but also childhood home), parents, cultural roots and traditions, ancestors and lineage, your foundational security.
5th House: CREATIVITY & ROMANCE
Creative activity (writing, singing, baking, problem-solving, whatever it is that makes you feel creative), children (creative production of the body), romance and erotic energy (the force of creation in the body).
6th House: DAILY LIFE & PERSONAL HEALTH
Daily schedules/lists/plans, daily habits, daily work, employers/employees, personal health, habits, pets.
7th House: COMMITTED PARTNERSHIPS
Marriage, business partnerships, other committed partnerships (especially those managed by a contract, written or social).
8th House: SHARED RESOURCES & MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE
Other people’s money, spouse’s resources, taxes, debt and loans, shared resources, wills and inheritance; but also magic, taboos, sex, death and rebirth (real or metaphoric), mental anguish, transformation and what must be sacrificed for transformation.
9th House: PHILOSOPHY AND THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE
Higher education, philosophy, religion, esoteric knowledge, astrology, long-distance travel, publishing, and generally the learning and sharing of wisdom.
10th House: CAREER & PUBLIC LIFE
Career, public status, public life and position in the community, reputation.
11th House: COMMUNITY & DREAMS
Friends, groups and organizations you belong to, patrons who support your work, social life; but also hopes, dreams, aspirations.
12th House: SPIRITUAL LIFE & SECRET LIFE
Solitude, institutions (convents, monasteries, prisons), intuition, transcendence, old age, what’s hidden or secret, the unconscious, sorrow, endings, healing, connection to the divine oneness.