Astrology houses › 4th house
Astrology houses
The 4th house in astrology
Home, family and roots. The 4th house begins at the Imum Coeli (IC), the point of the zodiac directly below you at birth. It is the foundation of the chart: home, family, heritage and the private self that others rarely see.
What the 4th house covers
- Home and living situation
- Family and ancestry
- One parent
- Private life and endings
Planets in the 4th house
Planets near the IC are read as strongly tied to home life and family history. The Moon here is associated with deep attachment to home, Uranus with frequent moves or an unconventional household. Tradition also links the 4th with the later part of life and with property.
An empty 4th house
An empty 4th house is read through the IC’s sign, the opposite of your Midheaven sign, and its ruler.
Where the 4th house sits in the chart
The 4th house is an angular house. Angular houses (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) start at the four angles of the chart and are traditionally the strongest places for a planet. It corresponds to ♋︎ Cancer in the natural zodiac. In Hellenistic astrology it was called “Subterranean”, the lowest point of the chart.
The Sun crosses every house once a day. Near an equinox at mid-latitudes, someone born around about 10 p.m. to midnight local solar time has the Sun in the 4th house.
Frequently asked questions
What does the 4th house represent in astrology?
The 4th house begins at the Imum Coeli (IC), the point of the zodiac directly below you at birth. It is the foundation of the chart: home, family, heritage and the private self that others rarely see.
What does it mean to have planets in the 4th house?
Planets near the IC are read as strongly tied to home life and family history. The Moon here is associated with deep attachment to home, Uranus with frequent moves or an unconventional household. Tradition also links the 4th with the later part of life and with property.
What if my 4th house is empty?
An empty 4th house is read through the IC’s sign, the opposite of your Midheaven sign, and its ruler. Most charts have several empty houses, because ten planets are spread over twelve houses.
Which sign and planet rule the 4th house?
In the natural zodiac the 4th house corresponds to Cancer, ruled by Moon. In your own chart, the sign on the 4th house cusp and that sign’s ruler matter more.
How do I find my 4th house?
Enter your birth date, exact time and place above. Houses depend on the time and location of birth, so a chart without a birth time has no houses.
Is the Sun in the 4th house linked to my birth time?
Yes. The Sun crosses all twelve houses each day. Near an equinox at mid-latitudes, the Sun is in the 4th house for births around about 10 p.m. to midnight local solar time; seasons and latitude stretch these windows.
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.