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Houses: Introduction to the Angles

© Nancy Leigh Jobes

In astrology, the houses can be seen as slices of life. There are twelve houses, each representing an area of your life where the planets and signs fall.

The houses are found by using the time and place of your birth, which is why birth time is so important when constructing a natal chart. Without a correct birth time, the actual houses, signs in which they fall, and the planets contained in them will not fall in the right place to be your personal map. In essence, when you do not have a birth time and a chart is constructed for you, it is someone else's chart, someone else's life that the astrologer is reading!

The four house cusps (the line that seperates the houses) that are usually considered the most important those on the angular houses. The angles are the First, Fourth, Seventh, and Tenth houses of the natal chart.

The First House, also called the Ascendant, is the point which was rising on the eastern horizon intercepting the ecliptic the moment you were born. The sign on the cusp of the First House is also referred to as the "Rising Sign."

The sign on the ascendant and the planets in the First House or in aspect to the ascendant symbolize our outward personality. This is how others see us. The ascendant can also be our defense system from a psychological viewpoint - this is what we hide our true feelings and will behind. The ascendant is also related to the physical body. If you look at the part of the body that is ruled by the sign that is on the ascendant, you will often find that this will either be an extra-sensitive or extra-strong part of your body in regards to your physical health.

The sign and planets that are in contact with your ascendant or First House are important to learn if you are looking to understand why you are viewed a certain way, and to perfect how you wish to come across to others. The First House is ruled by Aries and Mars.

The Fourth House cusp corresponds to the IC (Imum Coeli) in many house systems. This is the point in the sky which was directly beneath you (on the other side of the earth) at the time and place you were born. The Fourth House will say how you view home and family, and what your early life and origins are like. From an esoteric point of view, the IC and Fourth House sign and planets (and aspects to those planets) will say something about your soul, what experiences you come into this life intrinsically knowing and understanding. These placements will also say something about your mother or nurturing parent, though there are some astrologers who feel that the Fourth says something about the father.

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