I’m a coach who uses tarot and astrology to help self-doubters transform their relationship with themselves so that they can stop playing small and create the life they want. I believe that tarot and astrology are a ton of fun…and when you use them on a regular basis, they are truly powerful catalysts to creating the life you want. I write about how I use these tools in my life on a daily basis.
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A primer on the astrology houses
Published 19 days ago • 4 min read
Hi Reader!
As you may or may not know, I’m a coach who uses tarot and astrology to help you work with your true nature so that you can find a path forward when things are hard, make your creative ideas come to life, and do things your way…even when it seems like everyone else is doing it differently.
But…how do coaching, tarot and astrology help you do those things, exactly?
Well, that’s what I hope to explore and unpack over the next year. I am going to be writing emails about each of the astrology houses and their connected signs, tarot cards, and planets so that we can all learn more about how astrology and tarot inform our lives…and what to do about it.
But before I get into the individual Houses, let’s start with the basics. Aka what the Houses even are.
When you look at a birth chart, the Houses are the pie slices of the circle. They are determined by what time you were born, so if you don’t know your birth time, now is a great time to call your mom or dig up your birth certificate to find out.
The Houses represent different areas of your life.
Here’s a quick rundown of all 12 Houses:
1st House: Your identity and how you see the world
2nd House: What you value and feel resourced by
3nd House: How you perceive your immediate surroundings and communicate
4th House: Home and inner roots
5th House: The house of joy - creativity, kids, hobbies, romance
6th House: Daily habits and your body
7th House: Partnership
8th House: Intimacy, ego death, transformation
9th House: Expansion and meaning - religion, higher education, long distance travel
10th House: Reputation and career
11th House: Wider community, the collective, hopes and dreams
12th House: The house of the unseen and endings
I’m going to answer some questions about the houses here. If you have a question that isn’t listed, please email me and I will shoot back an answer!
Q: Why do the houses matter?
A: They show how you operate in different areas of your life. Even if you don’t have any planets in a given sign, most of the signs show up in your life in some way, through the houses. For example, I don’t have any planets in Aries, but my 3rd House is in Aries, so that’s the area where confidence and independence shows up the most.
The houses also matter because they determine how the planetary movements, aka transits, impact your life specifically. If a planet is currently going through a certain house, it will impact that area of your life. So Jupiter in Cancer can be amplifying your career if it’s in the 10th, while it’s supporting your friend’s dating life when it’s in her 5th House.
Q: What if I don’t have any planets in a house?
A: If you don’t have any planets in a house, that doesn’t mean you don’t experience that area of your life. It just means that’s likely not an area of emphasis for you. We can look at the planet that rules the house to better understand that house.
Q: What does it mean for a planet to rule a house?
A: Every house has a sign on the cusp (aka the line at the beginning of it). Every sign has a planet that rules it. The planet that rules the sign on the cusp rules the house. For example, if I have Aries on the 3rd House cusp, Mars rules my 3rd House because it rules Aries.
If you want to see all of the ruling planets of the signs, consider purchasing my Astrology Dashboard Notion Template. It gives a great introduction to the houses, signs, and planets, and you can also use it to record your astrology learning.
Q: How does knowing about the houses help me do inner work?
A: Understanding your houses gives you a deep understanding about how you uniquely operate in the world. For example, I have Gemini on my 6th House cusp, so while all of the productivity gurus say I should make a plan and stick to it, I know that I’m built to have flexibility as part of my daily routines. Knowing that gives me tremendous freedom and lets me release any guilt about my “failure” to do things in a more structured way.
Q: How is this different from just reading about the houses online? A: Most astrology content focuses on giving you information about your placements. I'm going to help you understand how to actually WORK with what you discover - how to befriend the challenging parts, leverage your strengths, and create more internal collaboration instead of just knowing about them.
Q: Do I need to know a lot about astrology to follow along? A: Not at all! I'll explain concepts as we go. Whether you're brand new to astrology or have been studying for years, you'll find practical ways to apply this to your inner work.
Q: What if I can't find my birth time? A: We can still work with a lot of this! I'll share ways to explore these themes even without exact house placements.
Got more Qs about the houses? Send them my way and I’ll answer them and include them in a future email.
I’m excited to dig in deeper to the houses with you…and along the way, dive into some personal storytelling, archetypical astrology, and personal growth work too.
I’m a coach who uses tarot and astrology to help self-doubters transform their relationship with themselves so that they can stop playing small and create the life they want. I believe that tarot and astrology are a ton of fun…and when you use them on a regular basis, they are truly powerful catalysts to creating the life you want. I write about how I use these tools in my life on a daily basis.
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