12 Houses Of The Horoscope: The Themes & Lessons Of Each

Just know this: The houses are essentially what grounds astrology in earthly matters, as each one is associated with certain areas of life, such as career, home, and relationships.

The first six houses are known as the "personal houses" because they govern themes of daily life, community, and family, while the last six houses are considered "interpersonal houses" since they rule experiences such as relationships, travel, career, and friendships.

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The 2nd house relates to your sense of stability, how you make money in the world, and also your immediate environment. It's a very physical and material realm that governs the five senses. The 2nd house is also associated with values, self-esteem and self-worth, income, and how we begin to feel at home in our bodies and environments.

The 3rd house rules all aspects of communication: thinking, talking, and your online persona. This tech-savvy sector rules media, electronic devices, and the ways we give and receive messages. Building upon the first house of identity and second house of material resources and value, this zodiac zone is about community, neighborhoods, and local travel. Also ruled by the 3rd house: siblings, neighbors and neighborhoods, libraries, and primary school years. It's how we first learn to articulate our ideas in the world.

The 4th house, also known as the house of home and roots, is the foundation of the whole chart. Situated at the bottom of the wheel, its topics include home, security, mothers and lineage, children, care, and how we feel at home and safe. The way you nurture others and your approach to self-care is also dictated by this sector.

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The 6th house is all about service and health. Other 6th house topics include organization, daily routines and upkeep, fitness, self-care, diet/exercise, natural living, and being of service to other people and the planet. You can begin to see how the topics build upon each other, moving from selfhood and identity to expression to service. After the 6th house, the themes turn outward, toward the betterment of society and the care of the body.

The 7th house, situated directly across from the first house of identity, is all about relationships and other people that we come in contact with. In this realm are all partnerships (business and personal), contracts, marriages, and business exchanges. It's where we team up with others and get to know ourselves through our interactions and creating mutual give-and-take. Creating a balance of two forces is the goal of this house.

The 8th house is one of the more mysterious areas of the chart. It has to do with transformation via the birth-death-rebirth cycle, sex, deep bonding, and other people's money and energy (passive income, investments, inheritances, et al.). The 8th house is all about looking into the depths, sorting through energy and resources, and getting to know the self and others on a deep level. It's the zone of merging, where two become one, and is associated with reproduction and regeneration.

The 9th house is connected to expansive thinking and growth of all kinds including global travel, higher-level learning, philosophy, religion, belief systems, publishing, university teaching, as well as what we believe in (morals, ethics) and how we take risks and venture to various parts of the world, our minds, and our beings. While the 3rd house, which lies across from the 9th on the zodiacal wheel, is all about knowledge and information, this one is about wisdom, intuition, and the big picture.

The 10th house, located at the very top of the chart, is the most visible and public area of the zodiac. Traditions and institutional structures are ruled by the 10th house, as well as tradition and whatever legacy we are meant to leave in this world. This is the world's stage and how we're seen—our status and leadership. It's also about honors, achievements, fame, public reputation, as well as authorities, fathers, and fatherhood. The ruling sign of the 10th house cusp is also called the midheaven, and it can give astrologers a sense about your career path.

The 11th house governs all things related to large groups of people. It's also associated with the future and our hopes and ideals. Friendships, networks, teams, and collectives are associated with this part of the sky. Additionally, all of the things we associate with "Aquarian" such as originality, eccentricity, unexpected happenings or insights, inventions, astronomy, sci-fi, rebellion, and all things future-oriented. The 11th house is all about envisioning future possibilities, often with a group of likeminded people and possibly including a revolution.

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