Stellune
If planets are the actors in your birth chart and signs are their costumes, the houses are the stage sets. Each house is an area of life, and a planet’s house tells you where its energy tends to play out.
Why houses need a birth time
The houses are worked out from the horizon and the overhead point at the moment and place of your birth. Because the sky turns a full circle every day, the houses shift by about one sign every two hours. Without a reliable birth time you can still read your planets and signs, but the houses will be guesswork.
The twelve houses
| House | Area of life | Questions it answers |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Self, body, first impressions | How do I come across? |
| 2nd | Money, possessions, self-worth | What do I value and how do I earn? |
| 3rd | Talk, learning, siblings, neighbourhood | How do I think and communicate? |
| 4th | Home, family, roots | Where do I feel I belong? |
| 5th | Creativity, romance, play, children | What brings me joy? |
| 6th | Daily work, routines, health habits | How do I run my days? |
| 7th | Partners, close relationships, contracts | Who do I commit to? |
| 8th | Shared money, intimacy, change | What do I share and transform? |
| 9th | Travel, study, beliefs | What gives life meaning? |
| 10th | Career, reputation, public life | What am I known for? |
| 11th | Friends, groups, hopes | Who are my people? |
| 12th | Rest, the private self, endings | What’s hidden or needs retreat? |
The four corners
Four houses begin at the chart’s angles, and they’re the most noticeable:
- 1st house, beginning at the rising sign: you.
- 4th house, at the bottom of the chart: home and roots.
- 7th house, opposite the rising sign: partners.
- 10th house, at the top: career and reputation.
Planets close to these corners tend to be prominent in a person’s life.
How to read a planet in a house
Combine three things into one sentence: the planet (what), the sign (how) and the house (where). For example:
Venus (love and pleasure) in Taurus (steady, sensual) in the 10th house (career) suggests someone who does well in work involving beauty, comfort or quality, and is well liked at work.
Try it with your own Sun, Moon and Venus first. Three sentences like that will tell you more than memorising every house meaning.
Empty houses
Most charts have several houses with no planets in them. That doesn’t mean that area of life is empty. It usually means it isn’t a major theme, or that it runs fairly smoothly. The sign on the edge of the house (its cusp) still describes your style in that area.
House systems
Astrologers divide the chart into houses in more than one way. The most common systems are Placidus, Whole Sign and Equal. They mostly agree for people born near the equator and differ more further north or south. If a planet seems to sit in different houses on two websites, a different house system is the usual reason.
Questions people ask
What is the 1st house in astrology?
The 1st house starts at your rising sign and describes you: your body, your manner and how you come across.
Which house is love in astrology?
Romance and dating are linked to the 5th house, and committed partnership to the 7th.
Which house is career?
The 10th house, which starts at the top of the chart (the midheaven), is linked to career and reputation. The 6th house covers day-to-day work.
Do I need my exact birth time for houses?
Within about 15 minutes is usually enough. The closer the time, the more you can trust the houses.
Astrology here is for reflection and self-understanding. It doesn't predict events, and it isn't medical, legal or financial advice.