The 1st house is the house of Self, the place where you carve out an individual identity that you project in your own, distinct personality.
The 2nd house is the house of Money and Values, the place where you determine what is important to you and what is the price you are willing to pay in order to have it.
The 3rd house is the house of brothers and sisters, peers, and neighbors, as well as skills-based education, short trips, and communication. I think of the 3rd house as a quilting bee – sharing the project of making a quilt is in many ways an excuse for the social aspect of sharing ideas with others in your community.
The 4th house is the house of Home and Family. It describes conditions in your early life, family history, and where/how you feel comfortable living.
The 5th house is the house of Children. Modern interpretations read it as the house of Creative Self-Expression. This house describes how you put your individual stamp on things, how you play, and the kind of people who appeal to you romantically.
The 6th house is the house of Work, Health, and Service. Your daily routine and habits are also described by this house.
The 7th house was traditionally known as the house of Marriage. It’s often more broadly interpreted as the house of Important Others. The “others” we find in the 7th house are both kindred spirits and worthy opponents. They are our equals, our best friends, our other half, and on occasion, our open enemies.
Shared Resources are the traditional landscape of the 8th house; it’s often interpreted as the house of intimacy. The shared resources of the 8th house are both financial (joint bank accounts, investments) and physical (sexuality) – and no aspects of a relationship make us feel more vulnerable than money and sexuality! Ideally, these are the parts of life that we share only with those whom we completely trust.
Traditionally, the 9th house was called the house of Long Journeys Over Water. It’s also the house of education and beliefs. The “long journeys” represented by the 9th house can be literal ones but are also journeys of the mind and spirit. Education – both formal schooling and the kind of learning born of exposure to different cultures and belief systems – are 9th house territory.
The 10th house is the house of Career and Reputation, and what we might call your “calling” – the way you make your greatest contribution to the world, whether or not that’s how you make your living. It also describes the qualities and motivations that other people project onto you – much as children project qualities onto their parents, or employees onto their boss.
The 11th house is the house of friends, associates, and the future. Friendships based on shared interests, groups, clubs, and efforts to create a lasting legacy belong in this house.
In traditional astrology, the 12th house was called the house of Troubles. Modern astrologers think of it as the house of spirituality, dreams, confinement, hidden forces that are undermining you, and ways in which you can get in your own way. It can be associated with illness or a need for additional rest.