Astrology houses
The 12 houses in astrology
Signs describe how a planet acts; houses describe where in life it plays out. Read what each house covers, then enter your birth details on any house page to see its sign and planets in your chart.
| House | Area of life | Natural sign | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st house | Self, body and first impressions | ♈︎ Aries | Angular |
| 2nd house | Money, possessions and self-worth | ♉︎ Taurus | Succedent |
| 3rd house | Communication, siblings and the local world | ♊︎ Gemini | Cadent |
| 4th house | Home, family and roots | ♋︎ Cancer | Angular |
| 5th house | Creativity, romance, play and children | ♌︎ Leo | Succedent |
| 6th house | Daily work, health and routines | ♍︎ Virgo | Cadent |
| 7th house | Partnerships and close relationships | ♎︎ Libra | Angular |
| 8th house | Shared resources, intimacy and transformation | ♏︎ Scorpio | Succedent |
| 9th house | Travel, higher learning and beliefs | ♐︎ Sagittarius | Cadent |
| 10th house | Career, reputation and public life | ♑︎ Capricorn | Angular |
| 11th house | Friends, groups and hopes for the future | ♒︎ Aquarius | Succedent |
| 12th house | Solitude, the unconscious and what is hidden | ♓︎ Pisces | Cadent |
See which planets are in your houses Your birth chart lists every house cusp and each planet’s house.
Angular, succedent and cadent houses
Angular houses (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) start at the four angles of the chart and are traditionally the strongest places for a planet. Succedent houses (2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th) follow the angles and are associated with resources and what is built up. Cadent houses (3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th) fall away from the angles and are associated with learning, adjustment and transition.
How houses are calculated
The 1st house begins at the Ascendant and the 10th at the Midheaven, both computed from your birth time, latitude and longitude. Placidus divides the time each degree takes to rise and culminate into thirds; Whole Sign uses the rising sign as the whole 1st house. Above about 66° latitude Placidus is undefined and we switch to Whole Sign. See the methodology.
The Sun’s house and your birth time
The Sun passes through all twelve houses every day, moving from the 12th (just after sunrise) to the 10th (late morning), the 7th (before sunset), the 4th (before midnight) and the 1st (before dawn). So the Sun’s house in your chart is a rough check on your recorded birth time.
Frequently asked questions
What are the houses in astrology?
The twelve houses divide the sky around your birthplace at the moment of birth into twelve areas of life, starting from the eastern horizon (the Ascendant). Signs describe how a planet acts; houses describe where in life it shows up.
Do I need my birth time for houses?
Yes. The houses turn through the whole zodiac every day, so a house cusp moves about one degree every four minutes. Without a birth time, a chart has no reliable houses.
Which house system should I use?
Placidus is the most common in modern Western astrology and our default. Whole Sign houses, used in Hellenistic astrology, make each sign one house starting from the rising sign. Both are offered on every house page.
What is the difference between houses and signs?
Signs are fixed 30° sections of the zodiac measured from the March equinox. Houses are measured from your local horizon and meridian, so two people born on the same day in different places or hours can have the same signs but different houses.
Why are some of my houses empty?
Ten planets are spread over twelve houses and often cluster, so several empty houses are normal. Astrologers read an empty house through its cusp sign and that sign’s ruler.
Astrology is a symbolic and cultural tradition. The planetary positions on this site are calculated with astronomical accuracy; the interpretations describe what astrologers associate with them and are not scientifically validated predictions about personality, relationships or the future.