The houses in astrology divide your birth chart into twelve areas of life — self, money, communication, home, love, work, partnership and more. Signs describe how a planet acts; houses describe where in your life it acts. Here is what each house means, with a full guide to every one.
How the houses work
The twelve houses are drawn from your birth time and place. The 1st house begins at the Ascendant, the degree rising in the east when you were born, and the others follow counter-clockwise around the chart. Each house has a sign on its cusp (its starting line) and may contain planets.
A house with several planets is a loud theme in your life. A house with none is not empty of meaning — you read it through the sign on its cusp and where that sign's ruling planet sits. This site uses Placidus houses, the most common system in Western astrology.
The twelve houses at a glance
- 1st house — Your self-image, body, appearance and the way you start things.
- 2nd house — Money, possessions, earning power, values and self-worth.
- 3rd house — Communication, siblings, short trips, early learning and your daily mind.
- 4th house — Home, family, roots, your private life and emotional foundations.
- 5th house — Romance, creativity, play, children, pleasure and self-expression.
- 6th house — Daily work, routines, health habits, service and pets.
- 7th house — Marriage, committed partnership, close one-to-one relationships and open rivals.
- 8th house — Intimacy, shared resources, inheritance, crises and deep transformation.
- 9th house — Long journeys, higher education, philosophy, beliefs and the search for meaning.
- 10th house — Career, public reputation, ambition, achievements and authority.
- 11th house — Friends, groups, networks, community, hopes and long-term goals.
- 12th house — The unconscious, solitude, dreams, rest, spirituality and hidden strengths.
Angular, succedent and cadent houses
The 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses are angular: they start at the four angles of the chart and planets here are especially visible. The 2nd, 5th, 8th and 11th are succedent and are about building and keeping. The 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th are cadent and are about learning, adjusting and preparing.
Finding your houses
You need an exact birth time. Enter it in the free birth chart calculator to see which house each of your planets falls in, then read the guide for each one.
See your own houses
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Questions
How many houses are there in astrology?
Twelve, each describing a different area of life.
Which house is most important?
The angular houses — 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th — are the most visible. In your own chart, the houses that hold the Sun, Moon and several planets matter most.
What is an empty house?
A house with no planets. It is normal: with ten planets and twelve houses, every chart has several. You read it through the sign on its cusp.
Can I find my houses without a birth time?
No. The houses depend on the exact time and place of birth.