
There are an endless variety of house divisions, including but not limited to Koch, Regiomontanus, Campanus, Porphyry, Equal signs, and Whole Houses. Most Astrological sites have the Placidus house division as their default chart setting, and that usually means that many of us also first encounter our natal charts in Placidus. The Houses are unquestionably one of the more hotly debated elements of Astrological practice, and amongst professional Astrologers, the lines of division (pun intended) are quite strong.įirstly, there is the issue of house division. What was once out of reach - the planets, twinkling in the sky so very far away - can now be seen at play in our lives.

When we begin to study the houses, we bring the planets down to Earth and into our lives.

While many will have certain houses of their natal chart more or less active, over time we experience the entire chart as we move through a cascade of Astrological transits and progressions.

Taken as a whole, the 12 houses successfully describe life as it truly is, full of rich experiences that are bleak, bountiful, and everything in between. Some houses have a nature that is more or less conducive to certain pursuits, as we'll discover. The houses also act as the 'homes' of the planets in our natal charts, and the presence or absence of planets within the houses can help describe where we seek or deny the expression of that planet's intentions. The houses are numbered one to twelve in a linear fashion, starting with the house of the Ascendant and continuing counter-clockwise until they finish with the 12th House any zodiacal sign can rule any house. The houses in Astrology are 12 different segments in the Astrological chart, similar to slices of pie, which contain or embody particular areas of life activity. and was recorded in Manilius’ work Astronomica. The ancient Babylonian Astrologers were likely the first to use houses in Astrology but our first recorded evidence of the Astrological houses in use dates to 22 B.C.E. The houses, however, have a singularly important purpose: they tell us 'where' it happens. It's commonly said that the planets tell us 'what' we're talking about and the zodiac signs describe 'how' it feels, with the aspects deftly explaining how certain planet-sign combinations interact, for good or for bad. The houses, alongside the planets, zodiacal signs, and aspects, are one of the integral components in Astrological study and practice.

If 'all the world's a stage' as Shakespeare famously put it, then the houses in Astrology are our very own Astrological stage where all the celestial drama plays out.
