This is the first attribute of a chart reading as I believe it is the key to really understanding a person’s approach to the world. The Zodiac Signs are the most well known along with the position of the Sun within the Signs, but the house gives it meaning. Houses simply represent areas of life, but also not all areas of life are the same! There are our internal areas of our home in the fourth house or our relationships in the 7th house or our sense of self in the first. The Sun in the same sign if situated in the 1rst house, 4th house, 7th house or 10th house will give a very different result even if it is in the same sign. I get ahead of myself as I haven’t explained the houses yet!
Houses 1 through 4 are associated with our early years, through grammer school. The first house of self is where the ascendent resides and is the key to how the person will see themselves in the world. It is a keyhole into this world and sets up the signs for all the houses. This is why the time , date and location of birth is so important in a reading, because it sets up the houses. First is the physical self, presence. Planets in this house are felt strongly and are visible. The second house is voice, resources, and family while the third house is speech and local travel, early school The fourth house is home, the foundation of a person, and along with the first house is important to understand how a person approaches the world, their base. It is the house of the mother. These houses focus on self.
Houses 5 , 6, 7 are the teenage years where playing with others becomes important. The 5 house is the romance and fun house, also the house of children while the 6 house is daily work, health and obstacles one goes through to live. The 7th house is relationships and opposite the first house it is the other. Marriage, partnerships are in this house.
Houses 8,9,10 focus more on the external world and less internally focused. These houses are still about others, the 8th house is the sex death and taxes house and sudden changes and transformations. It is the scary house if you will but also one of great metamorphosis. The 9th house is higher education , international travel and the father. It is a lucky house along with the 5th. The 10th house is the career house or anything one does for society.
The last houses are 11 & 12 and represent more of the self in the world. The 11 house is friends, networks or wealth. The 12 house is foreign places , institutions like hospitals, isolation. It can be the place of the subconscious too. Things beneath the surface that others can’t see.
Each house will have a Zodiac sign starting with Acendent and then in the order of the Zodiac. For example if the first house is in Taurus the second house will be in Gemini and the 12th house will be in Aries. Planets may or may not reside in houses. Some people have houses that have lots of planets leaving many empty while others have planets scattered throughout. Houses will planets will have more focus in a persons life but the opposite house will also be impacted as houses are on an axis. For example, if you have many houses in your 10th house of career you may focus on this aspect in life more. This house is opposite the 4th house of home, and therefore this house will be impacted too. You may not spend much time at home or value it as much.
Vedic Astrology formats the houses in two styles, South and North Indian while Western Astrology uses the wheel format.