Houses Overview

The Twelve Houses. If the signs describe how a planet expresses itself, the houses describe where it acts. The chart is divided into twelve houses, each one an area of life such as identity, money, relationships, work, or career. A planet in a given house pours its energy into that part of life. Venus in the second house brings its love of beauty to money and possessions, while Venus in the ninth brings it to travel and belief. The houses are built from the exact time and place of birth, which is why an accurate birth time matters so much. The first house begins at the Ascendant, the point rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth, and the houses are numbered counterclockwise from there. The sign on each house cusp, and any planets sitting inside, color how that area of life tends to unfold. A house with no planets is not empty of meaning; it is simply governed by the sign on its cusp. Together the twelve houses map the full territory of a life.