The Western Astrology chart looks like a pie, which is split into 12 parts.
Each pie piece is called a house.Each house represents an arena of activity of your life.
Each house is ruled by a sign and a planet. If a planet is in a house it will play out its job in that arena of your life.
If a house has no celestial body in it I call it OPEN.
An OPEN house is like a blank slate, having no direct influence by a planet or other body.
Remember that the chart is an INTERPRETIVE tool so there is nothing wrong with having open houses.
If planetary energies are clustered in certain houses the person is more focused in those arenas.
Properties of each house
1st house Aries Planetary Ruler: Mars
Rules: head, face, brain, eyes
The 1st house represents the projection of the Self. Influenced by the Rising sign or the Ascendant, the first house is how people perceive you, the mask you present to others and the filter through which you perceive others. It is how you look, your physical presentation. The first house is a visual. It also shows your level of vitality and life force.
2nd house Taurus Planetary Ruler: Venus
Rules: throat, neck, thyroid gland, vocal tract
The 2nd house is the house of values and your relationship to what you own, your possessions, and what you desire to possess. It is the house of money-making and how you feel about making money. It rules what you earn, how you earn it, and how you manage your resources. Property and land is in this house. It is the house of luxury items and the sensual pleasures of life on earth.
3rd house Gemini Planetary Ruler: Mercury
Rules: arms, lungs, shoulders, hands, nervous system, brain
The 3rd house is the house of communication styles and how you organize the details of daily life. It is the house of writing and speaking. It points to early education, siblings, and how you organize the daily routines and tasks of everyday life.
4th house Cancer Planetary Ruler: The Moon
Rules: chest, lungs, breasts, stomach, alimentary canal
The 4th house represents home: your childhood home, your psychological understanding and remembrance of your childhood, your mother, and your present home. 4th house issues are ones of security and safety. We look to the 4th house for the psychological patterning that were set up early in life.
5th house Leo Ruler: The Sun
Rules: heart, chest, spine, spinal column, upper back
The 5th house is the house of creative self-expression, creativity, fun, amusement, children, and love affairs.
6th house Virgo Planetary Ruler: Mercury
Rules: digestive system, intestines, spleen, nervous system
The 6th house is the house of health and service work. It rules how we eat and how we care for our bodies. Chronic conditions and the tendency to experience ailments will be found here, as well as the preventative behavior to offset possible problems.
7th house Libra Planetary Ruler: Venus
Rules: kidneys, skin, lumbar region, buttocks
The 7th house is the house of contractual relationships: marriage and business partnerships. It is also the house of enemies. The house rules intimate, one-on-one committed relationships.
8th house Scorpio Planetary Ruler: Pluto
Rules: reproductive system, sexual organs, bowels, excretory system
The 8th house addresses resources held in joint ownership, other people’s resources and values, money that comes to you unearned. It is the house of sex, death, and transformation. Estates and affairs of the dead are addressed here.
9th house Sagittarius Planetary Ruler: Jupiter
Rules: hips, thighs, liver, sciatic nerve
The 9th house is the house of the higher mind, higher learning, and philosophy. It rules higher education, the law, publishing, religion and the spiritual path. This is the house of travel to see what’s out there, the eternal quest for truth.
10th house Capricorn Planetary Ruler: Saturn
PlRules: knees, joints, teeth, skeletal system
The 10th house is the house of career, social standing, and social status. It refers to the professional life. It is the house of politics, achievement and leadership.
11th house Aquarius Planetary Ruler: Uranus
Rules: ankles, calves, circulatory system
The 11th house is the house of hopes, dreams, and wishes. It is the house of friends, groups you associate with, organizational systems, humanitarian interests & global concerns. It is the house of electronics and mass communication.
12th house Pisces Planetary Ruler: Neptune
Rules: feet, toes, lymphatic system, fat tissue
The 12th house is the house of the unconscious, of what we keep hidden from ourselves. It is the house of dreams and subtle energies. It is the house of compassionate, selfless service, and caring for the downtrodden and disenfranchised. It is where we lose ourselves, melting into Oneness.