The Houses:

“All house systems are based on two primary axes: the Midheaven (or Medium Coeli) and Nadir (or the Imum Coeli), (MC/IC) and the Ascendant and Descendant (AC/DC). The Midheaven is connected to the highest point along the zodiac at the time of birth; while the Ascendant shows the degree on the eastern horizon at the place of birth. The horizon is the line labeled: AC/DC.

From those angles, the rest of the houses define the individual relative to his or her world, not only in a more subjective, personal sense, (through the affairs and psychological conditions described by the houses below the horizon of the chart), but also in a more objective, collective sense, (through the circumstances and social encounters delineated by the houses above the horizon).”

~ from Rulers of the Horoscope by Alan Oken

The astrological Houses show the “where” of the chart ~ where are the energies of the planet/sign combinations manifesting with their greatest strengths or weaknesses? The Houses are the most physical indicators in the chart; they reveal “place.”

The Houses don’t play a part in our work and study of TAM. However, they are an essential part of understanding your natal chart and so we’ve included basic information, as well as lists of their areas of impact to better help you study your own nativity.

Like the Signs, the Houses have a lower/higher correspondent relationship, as well as the triplicity of orientation.

When interpreting any chart, you need to keep in mind the natural horoscope. For instance, if your Ascendant is Virgo, it also means your first House cusp is Virgo. In addition to looking at the qualities of Virgo and those of the 1st House, you must also consider the Sign of Aries, (1st House in the natural horoscope), as well as the energies of Mars, the ruler of Aries.

While the Planets and Signs can change Houses and appear anywhere on the natal wheel, the Houses are stationary. Regardless of the Sign on the cusp of a House, that House will also offer up not only its essential meaning, but will also contain the energies of its natural Sign and ruler, which should also be considered in one’s interpretation.

The sign on a cusp shows us both how we approach the affairs of that house, as well as what lessons we’re learning about those life affairs, or what opportunity is presenting itself to us. When we don’t have a planet in a house, the planet that rules the sign on the cusp is the primary significator of what and how we’re relating to those life affairs.

Thus, we always have at least two signs at work influencing how we do what we do in any life area; the sign on the cusp, and the sign of the planet that rules the sign on the cusp. The only exception is when the planet is in the sign it “rules” or its “home.” Then the sign on the cusp is the sign the planet rules. This is a very powerful influence, and usually exerts an influence on other planets and houses as well through dispositorship.

This is all part of the reason Astrology is not just a science, but also an intuitive art.

The 4th House concerns our foundation in life; it reveals the nature of your family life and home situation. It can also indicate your circumstances in later life ~ the conditions under which this incarnation ends.

The 7th House, in contrast to the 1st, now indicates the nature of one’s marriage or business partnerships. The House of “open enemies” and those who may oppose you, as well as the conditions under which one learns to cooperate in order to achieve one’s goals.

The 10th House is fully involved with one’s career and social contributions. It also indicates the dominant parent, with the 4th House concerned with the weaker parent. As one grows spiritually, the 10th generally indicates your “calling in life,” and how this contributes to the advancement of Humanity.

A Succedent House is an astrological term for the houses that follow the angular houses in an astrological chart. The succedent houses are the 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th houses. Because the angular houses are the most powerful places in the chart, (planets in angles more forcibly show their effects), succedent houses are concerned with resources and the collectivization of energy, according to the activities of the House.

The 2nd House, for example, suggests rewards coming from personal effort as indicated by the 1st House. It may also generally show property and individual financial security. The 5th House is concerned with creativity, such as children, (considered family resources), or personal creativity in the arts, predicated on the firm establishment of one as an individual through expression of the 4th House.

The 8th House is about other people’s resources available to the individual through partnerships and social relationships. This includes legacies and other benefits which may accrue to the individual ~ money that is not directly earned or created by the person.

The 11th House shows social connections created through one’s career or position, (10th House). Personal ideas or self-expression widen to encompass new information and the application of intellectual growth geared toward helping all of Humanity.

Cadent is a term used to refer to the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th houses in an astrological chart. Cadent houses indicate human relationships and transitional states of Being. Planets in Cadent houses are generally considered to have less energy and impact than those found in the Angular and Succedent houses.

The 3rd House covers short distance travel, the nature of one’s relationship and ability to communicate effectively with the immediate environment. Studying the 3rd House enables one to determine the general mental abilities of anyone. Also includes the “House of the Family,” (except parents), but including neighbors and close friends, as well as the sphere devoted to high school.

The 6th House “controls” the various jobs which might or might not contribute to one’s career. This House also covers general health and the work environment, including employees, as well as small animals, especially pets.

The 9th House includes long-distance travel, higher education, understanding social mores, and the underpinnings of national law. Also one’s religious aspirations and associations, and partners’ relatives.

The 12th House affects secretive relationships, “hidden enemies,” and is called the “House of Self-Undoing.” Also called the House of Karma, a study of this House, its ruler, (as opposed to its natural ruler, Neptune), and any planets located here describe the conditions one must overcome in order to be free. It also relates to prisons, asylums, monasteries, nunneries, and other places of confinement or seclusion.

What follows are brief descriptions, gathered from books and around the internet, of the areas governed by each House. As always, please remember these summaries are not exhaustive in their scope. They are only meant to give you a good start in understanding the Houses.