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Astrology · houses

The 12 astrological houses: areas of life and signs

The birth chart is divided into twelve houses, like a dial that starts at the Ascendant.

  • houses
  • areas of life
  • cusps
  • axes
The 12 houses Calculate my rising sign

By Thomas Guilhot · updated

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The twelve houses, from the ascendant (on the left), counterclockwise
The essentials

The houses at a glance

For you

A house does not say what will happen: it names the area of life where a planet and a sign express themselves.

Six axes
1-7, 2-8, 3-9, 4-10, 5-11, 6-12
Read more

The profiles

Twelve houses, twelve areas

Three families

Angular, succedent, cadent

  • 4 housesAngular

    They begin on the four angles (ascendant, IC, descendant, Midheaven): tradition sees in them the most visible areas.

  • 4 housesSuccedent

    They follow an angle: tradition sees in them what is consolidated, owned, and kept.

  • 4 housesCadent

    They precede an angle: tradition sees in them what circulates, is learned, and gets prepared.

In a sign

Each house in each sign

The sign on the house cusp and its ruling planet (glyph in the cell): 144 pages.

House in rows, sign in columns: each cell leads to its page
AriesTaurusGeminiCancerLeoVirgoLibraScorpioSagittariusCapricornAquariusPisces
1st house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
2nd house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
3rd house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
4th house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
5th house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
6th house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
7th house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
8th house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
9th house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
10th house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
11th house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎
12th house♂︎♀︎☿︎☽︎☉︎☿︎♀︎♂︎♃︎♄︎♄︎♃︎

How the houses are calculated

The houses translate the Earth’s rotation in one day: in twenty-four hours, the whole zodiac passes across the horizon, and the division of the sky changes minute by minute. This is why the time of birth is essential to place them. House 1 begins at the Ascendant, house 7 at the Descendant, house 10 near the top of the sky, house 4 at the very bottom. The other six are spread between these four angles.

Each house is read in three steps: the sign that opens its cusp sets the tone, the planet that rules this sign says which other area it leads to, and the planets present add their color. An empty house is therefore neither a lack nor a dead sector. Opposite houses form six axes, such as self and other (1–7) or home and career (4–10), which illuminate each other.

Frequently asked questions about the houses

What is a house in astrology?

A house is one of the twelve sectors of the birth chart, whose layout requires knowing the exact moment and place of birth. Each corresponds to an area of life: the person, money, close ones, home, creation, daily routine, partnership, sharing, horizons, career, friendships, inner life. Signs say how, houses say where.

What is the difference between a house and a sign?

Signs divide the Sun’s annual path: they depend on the day of birth. Houses divide the local sky according to the Earth’s daily rotation: they depend on the time and place. Two people born on the same day in Lille and in Marseille, or six hours apart, have the same planetary signs, but not the same houses.

Why aren’t all the houses the same size?

With most calculation systems, including Placidus, used by default on the site, the size of the houses depends on how fast the signs rise at the horizon, which varies with latitude. In Paris, Aries rises in about an hour, Libra in nearly three. Some houses thus span more than 40°, others less than 20°.