The twelfth house is paradoxically the closest and also the furthest from the first house, which is the house of self. More than at any other place in the astrological chart this expresses to us that we are both the individual and the collective. We can understand our hidden strengths, our weaknesses, and our suffering here. The twelfth house is associated with monasteries, convents, hospitals, or prisons. Healing plants and herbs as well as addictive drugs also come under the purview of the twelfth house.