Twelve houses of the zodiac signs and their meanings

In this interesting post, we will check the twelve houses of the zodiac signs and their meaning. A house is one of the twelve sections dividing the local sphere – or terrestrial globe – viewed from a precise time and geographical place, into sectors from the poles to the horizon. Six of these are always above the horizon, the other six are always underneath.

The system of calculation of these segments, or houses, used by today’s astrologers, goes back to ancient times.  It was devised at a time when astrologers were beginning to move away from purely collective considerations towards concerns that were more particularly related to the individual, his personality, his destiny, and his future.

Terrestrial and Celestial Sectors

Sectors dividing the local sphere and positioned inside the 360 degrees of the zodiac are called ‘terrestrial sectors’. Indeed, as mentioned above, they are calculated according to a terrestrial time and place, enabling us to place the horizon, the line going from sunrise to sunset on that day, depending on the place of birth. By opposition, the signs of the zodiac are called ‘celestial sectors’ since, of course, they are inscribed on the zodiacal wheel placed on the celestial sphere. However, the notion of terrestrial and celestial sectors also has a special meaning when interpreting both the position of the houses and the signs of the zodiac.

Thus, houses deal with the actual being and material life of an individual, his integration into social life and his adaption to individual needs, whereas the signs of the zodiac reveal the wide fundamental tendencies of a person’s natural expression, his/her personality, and the similarities he/she shows with the elements of nature. Indeed, the 12 signs of the zodiac are closely linked to the seasons and the period of the year to which they correspond. But, the houses only represent a single moment fixed on the local sphere.

Therefore, to simplify, one could say that the former reveals the nature of the individual’s life, while the latter tells us about his existence on Earth. The planets in the signs of the zodiac, or the planet/sign combinations, inform us about the deep psychology of a person and the foundation of the personality. The planets found in the houses or planet/house combinations indicate how these characteristics, which are inherent in the individual, manifest themselves in social life and material reality.

Houses

Terrestrial sectors are called houses. However, originally they were called ‘Demeures’ from the Latin domirari meaning to be late, to stop, to retain, and later on, to stay, a place to stay. This Latin word is similar to another, dominari, meaning to dominate, to be master of, to command, or to rule. The dominus was the master of the house. Now, domirari and dominari have a common root of origin in domus, dome, house. Thus, the twelve houses together form the house of the zodiac, the latter being divided into twelve distinct and specific houses.

The Meanings of the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac

These are the personality traits and psychological expressions governed by each of the houses. So let’s check the meanings of all twelve houses of the zodiac signs:

• The First House or ascendant reveals individual expression, temperament, self, appearance. A person’s way of saying “I” is the result of the elements indicated by this house.
• The Second House reveals self-preservation, affinity with the natural environment, acquisitions, and relationship with material possessions and money.
• The Third House reveals the individual’s relationship with the social environment, routine, practical intelligence, sociability, the nature of exchanges with others.
• The Fourth House reveals the foundations of life, family, homeland, essential roots, parental relationship, home life, and habitat.
• The Fifth House reveals the expression of vital energy, feelings pleasures, creative powers, production, ability to love and procreate, relationship with one’s children.
• The Sixth House reveals the relationship between an individual and the material daily life, health, competence at work, ability to maintain health and wellbeing.
• The Seventh House reveals the ability to adapt to others, and the desire for partnership and relationship. Here the individual says “we”!
• The Eighth House reveals the instinct for life and death, the power to regenerate, the ability to bounce back, to absorb outer elements, and the attitude to change and to death.
• The Ninth House reveals the potential for superior intelligence, the individual’s ability to widen the social or geographical horizon, the taste for adventure and travel.
• The Tenth House reveals the way in which the desire for social and existential independence is manifested, the individual’s ability to catch the public eye, to take responsibilities, and to succeed.
• The Eleventh House reveals the expression of objective judgment which will enable the individual to find emotional and psychological harmony.
• The Twelfth House reveals the expression of moral and spiritual strength, the behavior when faced with obstacles, the ability to withdraw, to change, and to evolve.