The Astrological Houses of The Self

The ‘houses’ in astrology refer to the division of the circle into twelve segments. In Natal Astrology, the houses symbolize different facets of the Individual Self. Each person is, after all, multidimensional! The concept of the chart wheel helps to illustrate the many dimensions of human expression and life experience. If you think of Houses as the field of life experience – then the idea that the different environments and relationships are an extension of your whole self starts to take shape.

Here’s a clue to the way the Houses work in your personal life: consider the way you might act or dress if you were being interviewed by a prospective employer and contrast that with the way you act or dress at home around the people who know you on an everyday level. These two experiences illustrate the differences between two different houses in your chart.

If you use the idea that the Planets represent the actors in the drama of your life, and the signs show the roles the actors play – then the Houses are the setting and scene of the play. Houses also represent the different relationships in your life. While the illustrations and ideas presented here note some of these relationships, of course, there are more relationships beyond these. Hopefully, the qualities of the relationships presented will give you basic ideas that you can expand as you further your study of astrology.

Take a look at the chart wheel itself. There are twelve divisions. Also, there are four parts of the wheel that have more impact and expression. These are the ‘angles’ in the chart.

The Ascendant (usually the cusp of the 1st House) and Midheaven (usually at the cusp of the 10th House) are especially significant. The sign on your Ascendant (ASC) indicates the way others see you, and can color the way you project your personality.

Many times, the first impression others have of you is described by your rising sign or Ascendant. Your Midheaven (MC) illustrates your public persona, and the sign at your MC can signify the qualities you hope to satisfy through your vocation.

As you begin to explore astrology and to read more about it, you’ll run across the idea of House Systems. There are several methods for calculating the divisions of the houses, and systems have been developed by various schools of astrology. The most commonly used calculation systems are Placidus and Koch, although other popular systems in use are Campanus, Equal Houses, and Porphyry.

There are strong advocates for each of these systems, and their divisions represent philosophical as well as mathematical variations. My personal preference is Koch. When the time of birth is not known, I find that setting a chart for noon on the day of birth, utilizing the place of birth, and then placing the Sun on the Ascendant and using equal houses works reasonably well. This type of chart calculation is called a Solar Chart, or Sun on ASC Chart.

Now Read The 12 Houses Defined & What They Mean For You for a better understanding of each house.

All material copyright 2004-2009 by Gloria Star. All rights reserved.