House (astrology)
The 12 houses in Western astrology represent distinct areas of life experience, shaping how planetary energies manifest in an individual’s natal chart.
[2] The houses are divisions of the ecliptic plane (a great circle containing the Sun's orbit, as seen from the earth), at the time and place of the horoscope in question.
Liz Greene views this house as representing the mask we wear to navigate external life while concealing deeper psychological realities.
[7] Deborah Houlding emphasizes its traditional role as the foundation of vitality and character, where the ascendant sign influences temperament and health.
[9] Arroyo simplifies it as the house of self-sufficiency, showing how one's attitude toward money and possessions reflects broader psychological patterns.
[9] Arroyo describes it as the house of everyday learning and practical communication, governing both casual conversations and intellectual exploration.
Greene sees this house as the foundation of the inner self, where unconscious family patterns and childhood experiences shape adult life.
[7] Houlding highlights its traditional role as the house of ancestry and heritage, reflecting physical property and familial lineage.
[9] Arroyo focuses on the emotional security found in home life and how family relationships influence psychological well-being.
Greene views this house as the arena for authentic expression, where individuals explore their unique identity through love, art, and play.
Greene highlights this house as the space where individuals balance personal needs with responsibility, integrating work and health into a cohesive routine.
[7] Houlding notes its traditional role in governing illness, servitude, and labor, focusing on the obligations that structure daily life.
[7] Houlding emphasizes its traditional role in governing alliances and open enemies, highlighting the balance between cooperation and conflict.
Greene delves into its role in deep psychological transformation, where themes of power, control, and emotional vulnerability surface.
[7] Houlding connects it to traditional topics like inheritance, death, and joint finances, emphasizing the merging of resources and identities.
Greene highlights the house as the realm of the search for meaning, where individuals explore spirituality, culture, and belief systems.
Greene interprets it as the house of external achievement, where societal roles and ambitions are pursued to fulfill personal destiny.
[7] Houlding highlights its traditional role in representing authority figures and social standing, often linked to one’s professional path.
[8] Rudhyar sees it as the culmination of personal development expressed in the public sphere, representing the manifestation of one’s life purpose.
Greene describes it as the sphere where individuals pursue collective ideals and engage in group dynamics to realize shared visions.
[11] Angular houses are points of initiation and represent action; they relate to cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn).
Succedent houses are points of purpose and represent stabilization; they relate to fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius).
Cadent houses are points of transition and represent change and adaptation; they relate to mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces).
[13] Following the classification of signs by the four classical elements (Fire, Earth, Air and Water), houses can also be grouped together in triplicities, related to a level of experience.
Goals for a house system include ease of computation; agreement with the "quadrant" concept (ascendant on the first house cusp and midheaven on the tenth);[14] defined and meaningful behaviour in the polar regions; acceptable handling of heavenly bodies of high latitude (a distinct problem from high-latitude locations on the Earth's surface); and symbolic value.
[citation needed] Martin Gansten argues that in Valens, houses were often provisionally approximated by sign position alone, but calculation of places by degree was consistently upheld in principle as more accurate and useful.
French mathematician Jean Baptiste Morinus The celestial equator is divided into twelve, and these divisions are projected on to the ecliptic along great circles that take in the north and south points on the horizon.
To better compare systems subject to distortion, a high latitude city was chosen (Stockholm, Sweden) and the time corresponds to a long ascension sign (Cancer).
[citation needed] This is also the more common criticism of the whole sign and equal house method as it concerns the location of the Medium Coeli (Midheaven), the highest point in the chart.
Since this point is associated with ambition, career, and public image, the argument is that the Midheaven, therefore, must be the cusp of the similar tenth house.
