Astrology reference

The Twelve Houses

Signs describe how; houses describe where. The house a planet occupies tells you which room of your life it decorates.

I

First House

The Ascendant · Self

The mask you wear before you decide to. Physical appearance, first impressions, and the instinctive approach you take to any new room.

  • ◇Natural sign: Aries
  • ◇Angular — strongly felt
  • ◇Keywords: body, arrival, style
II

Second House

Resources

What you own and what you believe you are worth — the two are rarely independent. Income, possessions, and self-esteem measured in tangible terms.

  • ◇Natural sign: Taurus
  • ◇Succedent — steady
  • ◇Keywords: money, values, security
III

Third House

Communication

Siblings, neighbours, short journeys and everyday thought. The house of how you gather and pass on information.

  • ◇Natural sign: Gemini
  • ◇Cadent — adaptable
  • ◇Keywords: speech, learning, local life
IV

Fourth House

Roots

Home, lineage, the parent who shaped your private self, and the conditions you need in order to rest. The base of the chart and of the life.

  • ◇Natural sign: Cancer
  • ◇Angular — foundational
  • ◇Keywords: family, property, belonging
V

Fifth House

Creation

Play, romance, children and creative output — everything you make because you want to, not because it is required.

  • ◇Natural sign: Leo
  • ◇Succedent
  • ◇Keywords: joy, risk, self-expression
VI

Sixth House

Work & health

Daily routine, service, craft and the body as a working instrument. Improvement rather than achievement.

  • ◇Natural sign: Virgo
  • ◇Cadent
  • ◇Keywords: habit, discipline, wellbeing
VII

Seventh House

Partnership

The Descendant. Marriage, business partners and open enemies — all the people who define you by contrast.

  • ◇Natural sign: Libra
  • ◇Angular
  • ◇Keywords: contracts, mirroring, commitment
VIII

Eighth House

Shared depths

Other people's money, intimacy, inheritance, death and the psychology of merging. Nothing here can be done alone.

  • ◇Natural sign: Scorpio
  • ◇Succedent
  • ◇Keywords: debt, sex, transformation
IX

Ninth House

Meaning

Long journeys, higher study, law, philosophy and belief. Where you go to find a framework large enough for your questions.

  • ◇Natural sign: Sagittarius
  • ◇Cadent
  • ◇Keywords: travel, faith, publishing
X

Tenth House

Vocation

The Midheaven. Career, public reputation and the authority you answer to — later, the authority you become.

  • ◇Natural sign: Capricorn
  • ◇Angular
  • ◇Keywords: status, legacy, ambition
XI

Eleventh House

Community

Friendship, networks, causes and the future you are building with other people rather than for yourself.

  • ◇Natural sign: Aquarius
  • ◇Succedent
  • ◇Keywords: allies, hopes, collectives
XII

Twelfth House

The unseen

Solitude, the unconscious, institutions and self-undoing. What operates in you without being observed — and what is quietly protecting you.

  • ◇Natural sign: Pisces
  • ◇Cadent
  • ◇Keywords: retreat, dreams, release

Continue Reading

The PlanetsTwelve bodies and points, their cycles, rulerships and afflictions.Aspects & PatternsAngles between planets, their orbs, and the major configurations.Elements & ModalitiesFire, Earth, Air, Water — and the cardinal, fixed and mutable modes.GlossaryTwenty-five terms across astrology, tarot, runes and numerology.