The First House was called the “Helm” by Hellenistic authors. The traditionalist John Frawley calls it “the ship that one sails in” meaning the vehicle of the soul’s journey on Earth. The first house represents one’s appearance, well-being and overall fortune. The body, the early life and the environment are described by this house. Saturn is the planet through which the unmanifest takes form, and is the representative of the first house, which describes our birth, the event of our entry into the material world.
The Second House, or the ‘Gate of Hades’ (the exit from the underworld), represents that which supports us and works to secure our well being. This house traditionally is concerned with money and moveable assets, because as the planets try to move away from the Ascendant by their own motion, they are brought back to the Ascendant by the much faster motion of the heavens, as if you were making a good investment or putting money in the bank. All sorts of trading and commerce were located in this house, and many of the Hellenistic writers place business partners (people who are assets, therefore the more recent assignment of the ‘second in a duel’) here. The Hindus include food in this house, because it supports the body. Jupiter, the benefic associated with prosperity and wealth, and the second planet of the Chaldean order, was associated with this house.
The Twelfth House, called the ‘Evil Spirit’, is where we would find planets that have been carried away from the Ascendant by the diurnal movement of the heavens. This aptly describes Vedic astrology’s defining of the 12th as the house of loss. The more recent name, ‘the house of self-undoing’, makes sense from this perspective, because planets associated with this house would ‘take away’ from the rising sign, or the individual’s well-being. In the Chaldean order, Venus is associated with the 12th.
The next triad surrounds the 10th house. The 10th was known as the house of ‘Action and Occupation’ by Hellenistic practitioners, and the Hindus call it Karma Bhava or “action house”. This pivot is basically about what one does; one’s work or achievements. The 10th also describes the reputation and rank of the individual. The 10th can also represent marriages, especially as significators of status, and many Hellenistic astrologers placed children here. Mars is the Chaldean planet of this house, representing the honor or dishonor gained through taking action.
The 11th house, called the ‘Good Spirit’ promotes (supports) the career through friendships, introductions, patronage and alliances. This is the origin of the modern 'friends' attribution, or the old adage "it's not what you know (the 9th), it's who you know" that people often use as a reason for career success or the lack thereof. It can also describe resources that support one’s efforts, including gifts, or grants from the government. The Chaldean ruler of this house is the Sun.
Hellenistic writers associated the 9th house with visiting oracles and seers: it showed them the assistance or information received from the divine, how the native gets it, and the ‘journey’ to the divine, in the form of travel or spiritual learning and practice. The knowledge gained from the pilgrimage was considered the highest knowledge one could receive, hence the modern appelation 'higher learning'. I seriously doubt that considering the quest-like nature of this house that the ancients would have applied it to most of today's college educations, which seem to be oriented more towards job training than academic and philosophical pursuits. This house is called ‘the Good Decline’ by Valens and was also known as the ‘House of the God’, because it shows how one surrenders their own authority (10th) to that of a higher power, whether God or King. Jupiter is the planet associated with this house.
The 7th house group is centered on the pivot generally associated with marriage and death. The ascendant was associated with the idea of emerging into selfhood, while the descendant was associated with merging into the other. Most traditional and Indian sources associate the 7th with death, because it represents the daily disappearance of the source of life, the Sun. It is the house of sexual union, and, as in Hindu astrology, foreign travel was placed here. The Moon is the Chaldean ruler of this house.
The 8th is the ‘Idle Place’ and shows what carries the native into the underworld. Death, as an event, is disappearance from the light of day, which is really the 7th house. The good side of the 8th is that it represents benefits from death, hence the universal association with wills, legacies and insurance payments. Some Hellenistic authors placed enemies here – enemies do not appear in the 7th until the Medieval era. Modernists put sex here - this is clearly a mistaken association with Scorpio, but the act itself clearly belongs to the 7th, and its recreational value would fit in the 5th. Saturn is the Chaldean planet of this house.
The 6th house is ‘Bad Fortune’, or the illnesses, accidents and other misfortunes that tend to separate the native from their loved ones. Both Hellenistic and Indian authors place enemies in this house, as well as slaves (servants, tradesmen etc.). People represented by the 6th do the hard or impolite work that others won’t: they take the the burdens away from other’s lives. Mercury (god of thieves and servants) is the planet of this house.
The 4th house is the ‘Foundation of Happiness’. It is almost always associated with one’s roots, one’s nation and the foundation in life: in short, all things which help the native “stand firm”. This house shows what the native is willing to defend, and what they can (or have to) support, hence the classical association with one’s family, home, and parents. The dwelling place was assigned to the 4th in ancient times, as it is today. The 4th also represents permanence, immovable property and real estate. The Sun is the Chaldean planet of this house.
The 5th house, which ‘brings to’ the foundation, is known as ‘the Good Fortune’ by the classical authors. It was considered the place from which all mundane good fortune came to the native, as opposed to the divine gift of knowledge or prophecy from the 9th. Friendship and philanthropy are placed here by the older writers (Valens placed children, or possibly childbirth here), but the association of the 5th with fun and enjoyment seems to be a later invention, based on the fact that the Chaldean ruler of this house is Venus.
The 3rd house, called ‘the Goddess’, is the place of those who are born with the bearer of the chart, or the siblings. It also represents those who are welcome in the home, but do not stay there, such as visitors and neighbors. Scholars have noted that there was a host/guest relationship implied in the language used to describe this house, even when referring to travel. This travel could be to the next house or many miles, but there was an expectation of hospitality or patronage that was not there when discussing the 9th, or even the 7th. Mars is the Chaldean ruler, representing the strength from comradeship that humans share when working for mutual benefit.
By looking at the angles of the chart as stationary and considering the diurnal movement of the heavens, we can see how the original meanings of the houses were derived from the motion of the stars. Considering this support/pivot/decline pattern, and opening up the view of the houses to include the Chaldean rulers is a rewarding exercise in chart analysis. In future articles, as we discuss the lots, sect and 'rejoicing' we will come to know the richness (and depth) of tradition and philosophy inherent in the astrological doctrine.
© copyright Roy Kirkland 2007