Twelve life areas
The 12 astrological houses and the zodiac signs
What each of the twelve houses of a birth chart means, how they differ from the signs and the main house systems astrologers use.
| House | Areas of life | Natural sign |
|---|---|---|
| 1st house | Self, appearance, beginnings | Aries |
| 2nd house | Money, possessions, values | Taurus |
| 3rd house | Communication, siblings, short trips | Gemini |
| 4th house | Home, family, roots | Cancer |
| 5th house | Creativity, romance, children, play | Leo |
| 6th house | Work, health, daily routine | Virgo |
| 7th house | Partnership, marriage, open rivals | Libra |
| 8th house | Shared resources, intimacy, death and rebirth | Scorpio |
| 9th house | Travel, higher learning, belief | Sagittarius |
| 10th house | Career, reputation, public life | Capricorn |
| 11th house | Friends, groups, hopes | Aquarius |
| 12th house | Solitude, the unconscious, hidden matters | Pisces |
Zodiac signs and houses are different
The signs divide the ecliptic by the Sun’s yearly path; the houses divide the sky by the Earth’s daily rotation, starting from the ascendant. Signs describe how something is expressed, houses where in life. Each house has a “natural” sign in the same order (Aries for the 1st, Taurus for the 2nd and so on).
House systems
| System | How it divides the chart |
|---|---|
| Whole sign | Each house is one whole sign, starting with the rising sign. The oldest system, used by our calculator. |
| Equal house | Twelve 30° houses starting at the exact ascendant degree. |
| Placidus | Divides the time each degree takes to rise; the most common modern system. Breaks down near the poles. |
| Koch | A time-based system similar to Placidus, popular in Europe. |
Angular, succedent and cadent
Houses 1, 4, 7 and 10 are angular (the strongest), 2, 5, 8 and 11 succedent, and 3, 6, 9 and 12 cadent. The four angles are the ascendant, the IC (4th cusp), the descendant (7th cusp) and the midheaven (10th cusp).
Find your houses
Calculate your chart to see which house each planet falls in.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 7th house in astrology?
The house of partnership: marriage, business partners and open rivals.
What does an empty house mean?
Nothing is “missing”. With ten bodies and twelve houses, some houses are always empty; astrologers then look at the house’s sign and its ruler.
Updated · How we write and check this guide