And last but not least, we have the houses. This is where things can start getting a bit technical and complicated, but we’ll try to break it down simply.
If you’ve ever looked at your birth chart, you can see it’s broken up into 12 “houses” or sections, which are each associated with one of the 12 signs. The 1st house, for example, is associated with Aries and its ruling planet Mars. Makes sense, given that Aries starts the astrological year. The second house, then, is associated with Taurus (the next sign after Aries) and its ruling planet Venus; The third house is Gemini, and so on.
When thinking about the themes of each house, knowing which sign it’s associated with can help. Leo, for example, is associated with the 5th house, and both deal with themes of expression, attention, and creativity.
Things get interesting here when you look at your specific birth chart, and namely your rising sign, which becomes the location of your “personal” first house. For example, if your rising sign is Aquarius, which is associated with the 10th house, Aquarian qualities may show up in areas of self-identity, which is what the 1st house is all about.
When you begin to understand your planetary placements relative to your specific chart and where your 1st house is, you really start to see how your behavior or temperament can be influenced by these subtle chart intricacies.
Curious to dive deeper? Check out our guide to the 12 houses for more information.