The Ninth House of the horoscope represents the areas of life that, in many ways, take us to higher realms. Philosophy, International Travel, Foreign Cultures and Higher Learning all serve to expand our inner and outer worlds. This is a ‘fire’ house, representing activities that inspire us to pursue them with passion and enthusiasm. There is a sense of individualism here that ignites a type of pioneering spirit and self-confidence.
As planetary co-rulers of the sign, the mere mention of these two forces suggest Scorpio’s potential as a powerhouse of energy. This team may seem to have an overabundance of forceful dynamism, however they each represent a different dimension of drive and power that comes together in the sign of Scorpio. Scorpio is a water sign and from this one can assume that matters involving its ruling planets, Pluto and Mars, draw in a type of feeling or emotional energy, including sensitivity to nuances and undercurrents of issues that may not be obvious to everyone.
The Eighth House of the horoscope is often perceived as quite daunting, largely I think because it represents areas of life that most of us don’t fully understand and many would rather not talk about. The house of Transformation, Death, Sex, and Rebirth conjures up a great deal, but that is only part of this realm. Some areas of finance are housed here including shared resources (‘other people’s money), taxes, inheritance, alimony, loans and mortgages. There are also elements of spirituality, psychology, emotional support, well-being, and the occult. How and why these seemingly disparate areas of life come together in this house will become clearer as we consider its ruling sign and planets.
Venus Rulership is expressed in two signs. Libra is the second sign of the zodiac ruled by the planet Venus, the other is Taurus. Last month we looked at the Mercury rulerships, so Libra and Taurus are the second pair of signs in the zodiac which share a planetary ruler. Like Gemini and Virgo, the Venus ruled signs also represent one air sign and one earth sign. Air (Libra) reflects energy directed towards communication and connection, marking this sign as another of our ‘bridge-builders’ linking ideas and people. Earth (Taurus) is a grounding type of energy directed towards manifestation, giving form to ideas by creating structure and making things happen. Considering the elements alone one can begin to see how Venus appropriately represents both of her domains.
The Seventh House of the horoscope represents the areas of life associated with Marriage, Committed Relationships, and Partnerships. Relationships and partnerships show up in our lives in many different ways. Committed relationships such as marriage, significant business relationships, contracts, negotiations, and any of the legal parameters concerning these connections, are all represented by the 7th house. As an ‘air’ house, the activities here are associated with connecting to and relating with others. The tone and nature of the connection between two people sets the boundaries, or establishes the container, for the relationship. One’s interpersonal style of relating and communicating, as well as one’s intellect and perspective on relationships is characterized by the particular sign on the cusp of the house.
Virgo is the second sign of the zodiac to have Mercury as the ruling planet, the other is Gemini. At first glance, Virgo and Gemini seem vastly different, one is an earth sign and the other an air sign. They are both however, mutable signs which means there is a high degree of flexibility and adaptability with each. When I began my studies in Astrology, I often wondered why these signs shared the smallest planet in the solar system as their ruler. The key to understanding this rulership is to consider the qualities of Mercury itself, rather than comparing the particular qualities of the signs.
The Sixth House of the horoscope relates to the areas of life concerned with Health, Service, Work and ‘day-to-day’ tasks and responsibilities. This is an ‘earth’ house so the activities that occur here are practical and relate to the underlying structure of one’s daily life. Naturally ruled by the sign of Virgo, some related concepts include areas of service and devotion, refinement (improvement), analysis, discernment and systems. Mercury is the planetary ruler drawing in the elements of skills, craftsmanship, intellect, ‘busy-ness’ and those things which require hands-on attention in one’s daily routine.
The Sun is one of two luminaries in the natal chart, though for ease of reference we generally refer to it as one of the 10 planets. Thanks to print media, Sun signs became a significant part of pop culture in the 1960’s, a phenomenon that does not appear to be experiencing any decline and, as a result, most people tend to know their own Sun sign. In the horoscope, the Sun is the central figure representing one’s life force, the conscious mind and one’s creative energy. Simply put, it is our ego, our basic identity, and how we want to shine in the world. The Sun is what makes each of us unique, reflecting our potential and our spirit, as well as our purpose in life. It is the vehicle for our “doing” self, reflecting the energy that gets us where we want to go.
The Fifth House of the horoscope is most often identified as the house of Children and Creativity. Within this realm we also find Sports, Leisure, and Romance. So, what do each of these areas of life have in common? This is the natural house of Leo, so those things that make one shine have front and center stage. They each represent our creative self-expression, what we want to offer up, and how we want to be recognized. These are things we feel proud of and want to shout out to the world, “this is mine”, “it’s my baby”, “I did it”!
Home and Family, along with psychological roots and ancestry, are the areas of life represented in the Fourth House. Naturally ruled by the sign of Cancer and the Moon, matters of inner security, comfort, nurturing and mother is found here. This is a “water house” and so one can naturally assume there is a great deal of emotion reflected with many of the undercurrents present in family, representative of our ancestral roots and flavoring our individual experiences. The cusp of the Fourth House is at the base of the chart, where our past and our roots are anchored. It is from this location that everything in one’s life tends to flow, or at least begin.
