One of the most frequently asked questions in astrology is, what does a house mean. I could give you the complicated answer, but it’s really simpler if I explain it this way. Generally, a planet is the source of energy, a sign is how that energy will be expressed, and a house is where that energy will be expressed. It’s a simple 1-2-3 for the layman. It’s a bit more complicated for the astrologer, but that’s why years of study are usually required to interpret planets, signs and houses accurately. So, the following is a simplistic rundown of the areas that each house rule. This can be helpful if you have a chart, and you want to understand what areas of life each planet will influence.
The First House refers to the personality; personal appearance; individual awareness; the desire for action; personal initiative; it is the basic reference toward life and how the individual experiences life and how then individual assimilates that which is experienced; it is how we are viewed by others; self-image; instinctive behavior; temperament; SELF
The Second House refers to the material resources of the individual; the ability of the individual to earn money and to acquire possessions; it is the earning and spending capacity of each individual on his own; it represents how each of us determines what is valuable in our lives; self-worth; body awareness and image; how the partner is obligated to the native; comfort; survival needs; the necessity to sustain oneself in the necessities of life; the immediate future; IT IS THE PURSUIT OF DESTINY
The Third House refers to the brothers and sisters of the individual; neighbors; close relatives; early formal education; memory; short journeys; all forms of communication; the conscious mind; where we receive lessons in accurate perception and implies that the mind must exercise judgment and discrimination in what the attention is allowed to dwell upon; essential to the development of accurate, logical and practical reasoning powers; development of ideas and opinions; seeds of cooperation are planted here; incredible amount of learning takes place here and the ability to remember what is learned; IT IS PERCEPTION
The Fourth House refers to the individuals home, both as a child and the conditions of the home in old age; the influence of the dominant parent; the feelings we have about security and stability (or the lack of it); represents the past (and past life times) and all memories (especially the painful ones); food; household items; laundry; habit patterns formed in early life; ingrained emotional patterns; relationship to parents and family traditions; psychological foundations; how the individual is in private; loyalty develops here; house of trauma; ENVIRONMENT
The Fifth House represents all creative expression; all mental and physical forms of procreation; pregnancy; childbirth; children and their early education; sex for pleasure; creative arts; performing arts; drama; love affairs; romantic love; all pleasure and entertainment; social amusement; sports and speculation; relaxation; vacations; how the individual gives love; sensuality; sexual energy; gambling; risk taking of any kind; this house allows for the experience of pleasure in all its forms; happiness by your own creation; PLEASURE
The Sixth House represents work; service to others; the ability to use the mind in a practical way in performing useful tasks; attitudes towards work; service; devotion to handling practical tasks; responsibility; physical health matters; medical personnel; sacrificial service; dietary habits; personal hygiene; occupational hazards; clothing; employees; domestic animals; co-workers; daily routines; plants; the need for real rest; the ego emerges here along with the abilities to use in service to others; SERVICE
The Seventh House represents intimate relationships; marriage; partnerships (both personal and business); intimate friendships; the individuals contact with the public; legal affairs; formation of contracts and agreements; open adversaries and enemies; law suits; how the individual see s the rest of the world; responsibilities to others; social awareness; personal sense of justice and fair play; social activity associated with business or public relations; the condition of the first marriage relationship; the ability to take responsibility for the endurance of partnerships and marriages; it is the point where the individual encounters the first opposition to his/her own personal opinions and viewpoints; peaceful, harmonious relationships or warring, uncooperative ones; maturity begins here along with adjusting to accept different opinions and viewpoints; challenges; COOPERATION
The Eighth House refers to all joint resources; combine money; combined efforts; inheritance; taxes; insurance; death, wills, all legacies of the dead; occult energies that are the internal causes of physical manifestations; sex for procreation; transformation of personal motivation for better or worse; re-cycling of old, discarded habits and resources; spiritual regeneration; paranormal matters; occupations dealing with death; deep intense desire nature to join with another, that usually manifests as sexual desire; a force powerful enough, it usually is suppressed due to fear, and the real desire nature is denied; indebtedness; how one is obligated to a partner; the judgment of others; competition; self-mastery over others; this is a giving or taking house(there is no middle ground); THE USE AND/OR ABUSE OF POWER
The Ninth House refers to religion; philosophy; self-motivated education; the abstract mind; intuition; inspiration; morality; principles; the codification of cultural thought and tradition; long journeys; professionalism emerges here; preparation for acceptance of full responsibility for ones actions; establishment to personal; ethical codes of conduct; this house offers knowledge, wisdom, awareness, confidence and devotion to life goals, values and ideals; PERSONAL CONSCIENCE
The Tenth House refers to the individuals profession and reputation; relationship to those in authority and employers; people in positions of power; status in the world; desire for power and status; the fall from power if power is misused or abused; administrative duties and responsibilities; achievement and promotions; ones tendency to be dominant or to be dominated; self-esteem; acceptance of responsibility; where the individual distinguishes him/herself from others; gains the insight of one’s own destiny here; AMBITION
The Eleventh House refers to the goals of the individual; objectives; hopes and wishes; feelings of significance and fulfillment; social acquaintances and casual friends; group activities; occult; science; humanitarian interests; universal brotherhood; mass consciousness; detachment from self-interests; revolution against abuses of power; awareness of universal laws and principles; desire to be with others; how the individual receives love from another; goals and objectives are achieved here; HOPES & WISHES
The Twelfth House refers to the individuals psychological health; it is referred to as the house of sorrows; self-undoing; the unconscious mind; unconscious memories that are closely related to Karma; secret or hidden enemies; the house of hidden support or undoing; meditation; private affairs; mysticism; intuitive awareness; imagination; dreams; appreciation of beauty; self-deception; confinement; unconscious distortions; neurotic tendencies; escapist tendencies; drugs; alcohol; social responsibilities; spiritual debts; Karma; prisons; hospitals; institutions; all unresolved conflicts; what one projects onto imitate partners; all fears; breakdowns; how the individual behaves in private; RIPENED DESTINY
Pluto in Capricorn–Empire Killer