Astrology part 2: The Houses and Charts

The Houses
















A chart can be very confusing when you look at it. What you are seeing is a "snapshot" of the universe for any given time.

The circle in the center of your astrological chart is the Earth. The darker line running horizontally across your chart represents the horizon (if you were born during the day, the sun will be above the horizon, below if you were born at night). It separates day and night

The first house will always be just under the horizon on the left. The seventh sign will always be right above the horizon on the right.

The darker vertical line running perpendicular to the horizon is the meridian, representing noon and midnight. The tenth house is positioned to the upper left of this line, the fourth house to the lower right.

The other lines on your chart are the cusps, of the astrological houses. The houses represent mundane position, or the relationship of the planets to the Earth at the time of birth. Houses change as the Earth rotates. So you need an accurate birth time to be certain of the position of your house cusps.

The house represents the objective, where the action takes place in our astrological sentence.

While the signs and ruling planets may move, the ordering of the houses stay the same on the different styles of charts.

House - Color - Attributes
First House - Red - Appearance, health, outward behavior, temperament

Second House - Yellow - Financial conditions, possessions

Third House - Violet - Siblings, communication, mental aptitudes, perceived abilities

Fourth House - Green - Beginning and end of life, domestic affairs, the home, parents

Fifth House - Orange - Creative expressions, love affairs, pets, sexual urges, speculation

Sixth House - Violet - Employer-employee relationships, sickness

Seventh House - Yellow - Business partners, contracts, marriage partners, obvious enemies

Eighth House - Red - Attitude toward life and death, gifts, partner's money, surgery

Ninth House - Purple - Long journeys, psychic development, publishing, religion and philosophical outlooks

Tenth House - Blue - Employment, reputation, social status, standing in the community

Eleventh House - Indigo - Friends, social alliances

Twelfth House - Indigo - Isolation, service to others, secret enemies

First House















The first house is the house of Self.

This is about you - your personality and character attributes, your outlook on life, your appearance and mannerisms.

It is also about your early childhood.

The first house is always located on the left just below the horizon.

In a Natural Wheel, the first house is associated with the planet Mars and the sign Aries.

Second House















The second house is the house of Possessions.

This is about your stuff. This deals with your sense of values and priorities as well as your earned income potential. It describes how you handle monetary income and what your material security needs are. It also deals with the physical substance of the body and your desire to accumulate personal resources.

In the Natural Wheel, the second house is associated with the planet Venus and the sign Taurus.

Third House















The third house is the House of the Environment.

This is about your mind.

This house deals with communication and self-expression, your day-to-day thinking and intellectual interests.

It deals with primary education, perception and speech.

It is also associated with your brothers, sisters, relatives and neighbors.

In the Natural Wheel, the third house is associated with the planet Mercury and the sign Gemini.

Fourth House















The fourth house is the House of Home and Parents.

This is the house associated with your home.

This is the house of things you inherit from your family such as your roots, past and family origin, especially your mother.

This also expresses how you like your home to be.

In the Natural Wheel, this house is associated with the moon and the sign Cancer.

Fifth House















The fifth house is the House of Love Given.

This is the house that is associated with your children, both physical and of the mind.

This is the field of creativity and self-expression. It rules children of all kinds - physical offspring and also your "brain child" -- the artistic creations or projects you love to work on.

This house also rules romance, love affairs, fun and amusements as well as your talents, hobbies and pleasures.

In a Natural Wheel, the fifth house is associated with the Sun and the sign of Leo.

Sixth House















The sixth house is the House of Work and Health.

This house is associated with your day job.

The sixth house examines the people who work with you and for you. It deals with your duties, your day-to-day responsibilities, daily work and mundane tasks.

It also deals with your servants, dependents, pets and mall animals as well as diet, sickness, health, hygiene and sanitation.

In the Natural Wheel, the sixth house is associated with the planet Mercury and the sign Virgo.

Seventh House















The seventh house is the House of Partnership.

This deals with your relationships: one-on-one relationships, duos and duels, peace and war, cooperation and lack thereof, marriage and divorce, open enemies, joint ventures, business partners.

It also deals with legal contracts and court trials.

In a Natural Wheel, the seventh house is associated with the planet Venus and the sign Libra.

Eighth House















The eighth house is the house of Renewal.

This is the house that deals with your investments. It represents your expenditures, death, legacies, investments, other people's possessions, corporation, taxes, inheritance, insurance.

It also deals with sex and regeneration in healing, sexual attitudes and behavior, marriage and shared resources.

In the Natural Wheel, the eighth house is associated with the planet Pluto and the sign Scorpio.

Ninth House















The ninth house is the House of Long Journeys.

This house is associated with the higher mind. It deals with your sense of purpose and direction; your search for new horizons.

It deals with travel, especially o distant lands.

It also deals with philosophy, prophecy spirituality and religion.

It can also be associated with higher education, advanced training, teaching, publishing, publicity, law and the courts. Also, organized sports.

In the Natural Wheel, this house is associated with the planet Jupiter and the sign Sagittarius.

Tenth House















The tenth house is the House of Public Standing.

This house is associated with your career. This house deals with what the world would remember you for; your public face, position of authority, honor and prestige, fame, profession or career.

It also deals with your long-range goals, your father, affairs of the state and large-scale organizations.

In the Natural Wheel, the tenth house is associated with the planet Saturn and the sign Capricorn.

Eleventh House















The eleventh house is the House of Loved Received.

This house is associated with your friends, goals and wishes.

This house deals with your detached or impersonal relationships; humanitarian and philanthropic enterprises; clubs, groups, organizations and associations; business connections and spheres of influence.

This also deals with the people who share your ideals and altruism. These are the rewards derived from the ambition of the tenth house.

In the Natural Wheel, the eleventh house is associated with the planet Uranus and the sign Aquarius.

Twelfth House















The twelfth house is the House with Drawn Shades

This is your house of secrets.

IT deals with the private and hidden side of life; the unconscious and subconscious mind, dreams. It is about behind-the-scene maneuvering, deceptions, secrets, hidden enemies, repression, neuroses and worry. It is about mysticism, mediation, past life issues and sacrificial service.

It is also about solitude or confinement such as prisons, asylums and hospitals.

This house shows us how we defeat ourselves.

In the Natural Wheel, the twelfth house is associated with the planet Neptune and the sign of Pisces.

Types of Charts

Natal Charts

The most well-known chart is probably a natal or birth chart. Your natal chart is a chart cast specifically for you, based on the time, date and place of your birth. It shows in which astrological house each planet was when you were born and what the relationship of each planet was to the others. It is a blue print for your character. This chart can tell you many things about yourself and your life, including past lives, karma, your potential, strengths and weaknesses, how you deal with emotions and challenges and how you interact with others. All other astrology charts are created in relation to your Natal Chart.

Progressed/Transit Chart (Timelines/ Horoscopes)

This is another map of the sky that indicates what you are becoming. In astrology, transits and progressions are used in determining which phases (stress, calm, growth, etc.) you are going through during a specific time period. These charts take a look at where the planets are during a given time frame at your current location and see how they relate to your natal chart.

Solar Return (Birthday Chart)

The Solar Return is a yearlong chart report (usually upwards of 40 pages) calculated for the time when the Sun returns to the exact position it was in your natal chart. It indicates the specific themes and issues in effect for any given year of your life. It also forecasts significant dates in effect for the year. This chart changes yearly, indicating influences in areas that need your attention. We act differently year to year because our rising sign changes. It is recommended you get a new chart on every birthday.

Lunar Return

The Lunar Return is a monthly chart calculated for the time when the Moon returns to the exact position it was in your natal chart. This happens every 28 days; there are thirteen Lunar Returns in a year. These charts mark the principal events of the month for which the return was produced. An added benefit of a Lunar Return is that it gives you your personal void-of-courses for the moon.

Relationship Chart

An actual chart computed for time, date and location halfway between the couples natal charts. It examines how two people act as one in their relationship.

Compatibility Charts

Although they are offered, you do not need special charts for this. Simply compare the natal charts for the two people to see in which areas they are compatible or conflicted.

Reading a Chart

Learn how to read and interpret your astrological chart using the planets, signs and houses to develop a comprehensive report.

A chart can be very confusing when you look at it. What you are seeing is a "snapshot" of the universe for any given time.

The circle in the center of your astrological chart is the Earth. The darker line running horizontally across your chart represents the horizon (if you were born during the day, the sun will be above the horizon, below if you were born at night). It separates day and night. The first house will always be just under the horizon on the left.

The darker vertical line running perpendicular to the horizon is the meridian, representing noon and midnight. The tenth house is positioned to the upper left of this line, the fourth house to the lower right.

The other lines on your chart are the cusps, of the astrological houses. Houses change as the Earth rotates. So you need an accurate birth time to be certain of the position of your house cusps

Every chart contains all 10 planets, however not every house will have a planet.

Reading a chart is like completing a sentence:

You express (Planet - noun/what) (Sign - adverb/how) toward (House-object/where).

The Elements and Astrology

Astrology as tripicities, three signs for each element. These indicate our strong points which we automatically use to function in the world

Fire, Earth, Air, Water

Fire (Intuition)

Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

These people have a fiery quality to their temperament. They function with flashes of incite and instinct. . Using spontaneous guesswork, they often go on a hunch or have a sudden premonition. They typically operate by the seat of their pants. They trust that their vitality, charisma, magnetism and and enthusiasm will contagiously inspire others. Others may perceive these people as risk takers, impetuous, impulsive, daring and perhaps even reckless. Intuition is their strong, superior function.

Earth (Sensation)

Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn

These people are bent on making things real and useful. They rely on what is tangible. Their five senses are their trusted instruments. They are the show-me, hands on, seeing-is-believing kind of person. Others may perceive them as overly cautious and pragmatic, perhaps slow to react and never one to jump into things. This is because of your elemental need to stay founded in physical reality of the present.

Air (Thinking)

Gemini, Libra and Aquarius

These people stay aloft in the realm of ideas, ideals and principles while striving to keep the high ground of human affairs. These people are predominately the thinking types. They are good at employing their intellectual skills as instruments of exchange, connection and communication. Their mind is their dominate muscle; they rely on its strength to work their way through a situation rationally. These people have the capacity to rise above events by linking past and present into a conceptual chain, giving a logical reason why. Because of their ability to detach mentally, others may perceive them as somewhat impersonal, even coldly analytical. Still others may characterize them as absent-minded, up-in-the-clouds or preoccupied. Thinking is their superior function.

Water (Feeling)

Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

These people draw forth feeling, affect and intimacy. They rely on hard-to-define impressions that are subtle. These are people who are acutely sensitive, seeming able to pick up vibrations from others. They are highly influenced by their own moods. Life's intangibles deeply affect them. To others, they might appear irrational. Others might be mystified by your life choices. What others may not understand is that these people are answering to their inner guide. Feeling is their strongest function.