Houses 101: How Your Chart Maps Life Areas

Houses describe where life unfolds. Your ascendant sets House 1, and the rest follow in order. Signs on each house give the tone; the house lord shows how that area operates; planets in a house flavor it directly.

• •1st: self, vitality, identity, how you present.
• •2nd: income, resources, speech, values.
• •3rd: courage, communication, siblings, skills.
• •4th: home, roots, emotional security, mother.
• •5th: creativity, children, joy, learning, romance.
• •6th: health, daily routines, service, obstacles.
• •7th: partnerships, contracts, clients, public dealings.
• •8th: transformation, shared resources, research, hidden matters.
• •9th: dharma, higher learning, teachers, long journeys.
• •10th: career, duty, reputation, public status.
• •11th: community, networks, gains, aspirations.
• •12th: rest, retreat, spirituality, foreign lands, release.

To read a house: note the sign, its lord and where that lord sits, then any planets occupying the house. Blend all three for a clear, practical interpretation.