The Twelve “Houses”:

The horoscope (hora=hour, scope=picture) represents the planetary positions at the time of a person's birth or other event. We divide the horoscope into twelve segments which are called the astrological “houses”.  These houses have been found to have a definite correlation with all the different aspects of a person’s life.

There are various methods used by astrologers to divide the horoscope into twelve sections resulting in "equal" or "unequal" houses.

There are twelve house cusps in a horoscope and twelve houses.  In an astrological chart, each of the twelve dividing lines ex­tending from the center (which represents Earth) to the outer circle, is called a house cusp.  The house cusp always precedes the house (reading counter-clockwise) and takes the same number as that house.

The ascendant is usually taken as the first house cusp, but there are some methods in which the first house cusp is calculated separately from the ascendant.  However, it is rec­ommended that the ascendant point (crossing of the ecliptic and the eastern horizon), even if not taken as the actual first house cusp, be at least marked on the horoscope as an important point

Following is a brief summary of the areas represented by the twelve houses and the type of questions that you can find the answer for:

First House: Your personality and self image and how people perceive you. In other words, what you project to the world? It also gives an indication of your physical appearance, your attitude towards self and the world in general, your self-opinion and how you express yourself. It also shows how you react under stress and to the conditions of the moment.

Second House: This house governs all matters pertaining to personal finances and your earnings. Your attitude towards money matters and wealth as well as your spending habits – are you impulsive or cautious in spending and where you spend your money? Are you a good credit risk? What are your best sources of earnings?  Will you have material gains through personal effort?

Third House: Conditions of your early childhood and type of neighborhood (important clue to many of your later habits!). Matters pertaining to your brothers/sisters and immediate relatives including your attitude towards them. Your early childhood education. How you communicate and matters pertaining to daily correspondence i.e. letters, telegrams, phone calls as well events involving changes of address and telephone numbers. It also represents your short trips and if you should be careful of walking, running or any accidents near the home?

Fourth House: Parental home environment and later your own domestic environment. This house can even give you a clue as to where you will eventually settle down! Type of childhood you had and your treatment at home.

Fifth House: All speculative ventures governed by the laws of chance e.g. lottery tickets, stock market, gambling etc. Matters concerning children and your attitudes towards them. Anything to do with your hobbies including stage, drama, theatre. This house also sheds light on your love affairs, romance, courtship and engagements. Which hobbies are you best suited for? What would be the personality of those you love and your children?

Sixth House: Work environment and your attitude towards work. What kind of work environment do you need? What type of worker are you? This house also shows minor ailments and preventive aspects of health and illnesses which could lead to major health hazards if not corrected earlier on.

Seventh House: Personal relationships and marriage. What kind of a marriage partner do you seek? Personality as well as known enemies! Are you prone to breakups and separations? Questions about civil courts and starting and ending of all personal ties.

Eighth House: All joint finances and properties. Money that you do not earn through any occupation or as part of your regular earnings. Questions regarding investments, loans, grants, legacies, inheritance, scholarships, income tax, insurance and monetary gifts. Your attitude towards others’ money and income tax. Should you avoid partnerships? Are you lucky with investments? Do you have difficulty raising finances?

Ninth House: All matters pertaining to law, religion, long distance travel and higher education and universities. Do you have delays in higher education? Should you be careful with the law? How is your attitude towards your own religion and other faiths? Do you have many long distance travels? Are you prone to vehicular accidents or while traveling? Do you an affinity for distant lands, foreigners, languages? Will you migrate to a foreign country? Will you have delays in publishing?

Tenth House: Career, social status and all matters which effect one’s status in society. Will you have public recognition? and will it be through fame or notoriety?! Will you have good public response? Are prone to scandals? Will you lead a public life? Do you have early or late recognition in your career and is it through your own efforts?

Eleventh House: Events affecting hopes and wishes for the future. What kind of social contacts will you have? Who are the type of people who will help you in your future goals? How is your attitude towards future plans? Are you suited for volunteer work?

Twelfth House: All matters that are more or less hidden from the public. and long term illnesses. Are you a research-oriented person? Do you enjoy secrets and mysteries? Do you have secret love affairs or are you more into love of secrets?!

Will you be working for the government or large corporations? Are you suited to work in an institutional setting like laboratory, hospitals, detective work, espionage, prison or a convent? What major illnesses should you watch out for? Who you your secret enemies? Do you tend to isolate yourself? What are your secret inhibitions?

Here are some more meanings to clarify the Houses:

First House:  (Corresponds to the sign of ARIES)

Our egos, attitudes towards self and others, self-opinion, self-expression, physical appearance, new beginnings, reactions un­der stress and to the conditions of the moment, injuries to self or personal danger.

Second House:  (Corresponds to the sign of TAURUS)

Personal finances, attitudes towards money, wealth, material gains and losses through personal effort, spending habits, areas of earning as well as spending, credit risk.

Third House:  (Corresponds to the sign of GEMINI)

Early childhood communication (Television and Radio, learning etc.)  correspondence (letters, telegrams, phone calls etc.), short trips, walking, running, neighbors and near relatives, events involving changes (address and telephone changes etc.), accidents, early education.

Fourth House:  (Corresponds to the sign of CANCER)

Parental home environment and later on our own domestic conditions, type of childhood, treatment at home, all domestic affairs.

Fifth House:  (Corresponds to the sign of LEO)

All speculative ventures governed by the laws of chance, (e.g. lottery tickets, stock market, gambling, etc.), children and attitudes toward them, hobbies, stage, drama, love affairs, romance, courtship, engagements.

Sixth House:  (Corresponds to the sign of VIRGO)

Work environment, attitude at work, place of work, first "health house", minor ailments and the state of health.

Seventh House:  (Corresponds to the sign of LIBRA)

Personal relationships, projected self-image through partner­ships, marriage, business partners, open enemies, breakups and divorces, civil courts, starting and ending of all personal ties.

Eighth House:  (Corresponds to the sign of SCORPIO)

All joint finances and properties, money that we do not earn through occupation (i.e. legacies, loans, inheritance, scholar­ships, income tax, etc.), insurance, monetary gifts, dealing with others' finances, dead-end projects, second "health house", sex related problems.

Ninth House:  (Corresponds to the sign of SAGITTARIUS)

All matters pertaining to the expansion of the mind (mentally as well as physically), higher education and universities, phi­losophy, religion and attitudes towards other faiths, long dis­tance travel (usually those involving passports and visas), avi­ation, major travel accidents, languages, foreign lands and their peoples, import export, law and legal matters, high courts, politics, diplomats, immigration, publicity and publishing.

Tenth House:  (Corresponds to the sign of CAPRICORN)

Career and social status, public recognition, all matters which effect one's status in society (e.g. fame, notoriety, divorces - in combination with the seventh house), public scandals, social environment.

Eleventh House:  (Corresponds to the sign of AQUARIUS)

Events affecting hopes and wishes for the future, desires, ambitions, attitudes towards future plans, contacts, patrons of the Arts, volunteer work, socializing humanitarian work.

Twelfth House:  (Corresponds to the sign of PISCES)

All matters that are more or less hidden from the public, se­crets, mysteries, governments or large corporations, institu­tions, hospitals, prisons, inhibitions, third "health house" for serious illnesses, boarding schools, convents, hidden contrac­tual matters, detective work, espionage, research.

General Notes on Houses:

The HOUSES 1 to 6 represent the effects produced by our own efforts (i.e. our "stimulus"), whereas the HOUSES 7 to 12 indi­cate the "response" from others, and those areas of our lives which are dependent on the outside world.

There is a natural order in our lives which corresponds with the order of the SIGNS as well as the HOUSES starting from Aries and the first house.  Aries represents the "birth of the Zodiac" and symbolizes new beginnings and the ego.  Similarly, the first house is the basic self and what we bring into this world at the time of our birth.  The sign of Libra divides the horoscope equally into two parts (the scales are the symbols for Libra), and shows the interaction with other people and the mutual de­pendency which is also the theme of the seventh house, where the horizon divides the horoscope in a similar way.

Therefore the first house qualities are best represented by the sign of Aries, the second house by the sign of Taurus, the third house by the sign of Gemini and so on to the twelfth house which is represented by the sign of Pisces.

Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces