The four angular houses represent the four cardinal regions
in the sky as discussed in the last section. When we're
looking at a chart for the first time it's important to
notice in which broad region there is a predominance of
planets. Before looking at the degrees of planets, the
aspects, yogas etc., just get a feel for the chart by
identifying the regions where planetary energy is emphasized.
This section explains these broad regions as the four
hemispheres and the four quadrants.
The Four Hemispheres
The chart is divided into four hemispheres: upper, lower,
rising, and setting. The upper hemisphere is the region
above the horizon, in the visible portion of the sky.
It's houses 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, as well 1 and 7 to some
extent depending on the ascendant degree. The degree of
the ascendant marks the beginning of the upper hemisphere,
which can be at any degrees in the 1st house. For convenience,
I've used the middle of the 1st house in the diagram below,
or 15 degrees as the ascendant degree.
The upper hemisphere represents our outer public life.
When there is a predominance of planets above the horizon
it generally represents a person who is extroverted, objective,
relies on their conscious mind, and is active in their
outer public life.
The Upper and Lower Hemispheres
The lower hemisphere consists of houses 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
as well 1 and 7 to some extent depending on the ascendant
degree. It represents the opposite polarity: our inner
private life. When there is a predominance of planets
below the horizon, it generally represents a person who
is introverted, subjective, relies on their subconscious
mind, and active in their inner private life.
The rising hemisphere is the region to the left of the
middle point of the sky, or meridian. It's houses 3, 2,
1, 12, 11, as well 4 and 10 depending on the ascendant
degree. It represents an awareness of one's self. When
there is a predominance of planets in this region it generally
represents a person who is focused on themselves, independent,
and assertive of their needs.
The Rising and Setting Hemispheres
The setting hemisphere is the region to the right of the
middle point of the sky, or meridian. It's houses 5, 6,
7, 8, 9, as well 4 and 10 depending on the ascendant degree.
It represents an awareness of others. When there is a
predominance of planets in this region it generally represents
a person who is focused on others, interdependent, and
receptive to the needs of others.
It's helpful to be aware of the hemispheres in chart interpretation,
however, being broad regions there are obvious limitations.
For instance, the 8th house and 12th houses are listed
in the upper hemisphere. They are also water or moksha
houses as we'll discuss later in the lesson. These are
considered 'hidden' houses that relate to metaphysics
and mysticism. In this sense they don't fit into the 'public
outer life' indications of the upper hemisphere. On the
other hand, the 5th house is listed in the setting hemisphere.
It's a house of romance and love affairs which can be
explained by the fact that it's in the 'other' indications
of the setting hemisphere.
We need to keep in mind the general nature of the hemispheres
when including them in chart interpretation. They give
us another angle to understand the houses and can be a
helpful starting point for interpreting the chart.
The Four Quadrants
The next level of specificity for understanding the houses
is to drop the outermost houses of the four hemispheres,
thereby making them quadrants, of three houses each. For
instance, drop the 3rd and 11th houses in the rising hemisphere
leaving the 12th, 1st, and 2nd houses as the 'self' quadrant.
It make sense to give the outermost houses less weight
in the qualities of the hemispheres as we saw in the example
above of the 8th and 12th houses for the upper hemisphere.
The 3rd and the 11th houses are social houses, for instance,
which is least like the indications for the 'self' in
the rising hemisphere. The explanation for this is that
the angular houses embody the fullness of qualities of
the hemisphere or quadrant. For instance, the 7th house
embodies the fullness of the house of the 'other.' The
farther away we get from the angular house the less the
qualities relate to its indications. When we get to the
opposing house it represents the opposite polarity entirely.
The 'self' quadrant consists of the 12th, 1st, and 2nd
houses and represents the awareness of one's self. When
there is a predominance of planets in this quadrant these
planets were rising on the eastern horizon at the time
of birth. This quadrant represents the dawn of personal
inspiration, new beginnings, initiating new directions
which the sunrise represents. The person will tend to
be self-motivated, independent, and focused on his or
her own life and ambitions. They may fit into the qualities
of the 'Me Generation' of the US in the 1980's, and wear
t-shirts that say, 'It's All About Me'! In other words,
he or she may have a tendency to be self-absorbed, selfish,
and self-centered.
The Self Quadrant
The 'other' quadrant consists of the 6th, 7th, and 8th
houses and represents the awareness of others. When there
is a predominance of planets in this quadrant these planets
were setting on the western horizon at the time of birth.
This quadrant represents the setting of personal inspiration
and ambitions, and therefore the interest in others. The
person will tend to be focused on others, sociable, and
relationship-oriented. They could be service oriented,
or they may fit into the definitions of a 'rescuer' or
'co-dependent'. In other words, they may be so focused
on the needs of others that they lose awareness of their
own needs, or lack personal motivation.
The Other Quadrant
The 'outer public life' quadrant consists of the 9th,
10th, and 11th houses and represents the focus on one's
external life. When there is a predominance of planets
in this quadrant these planets were visible overhead at
the time of birth. This quadrant represents midday when
we are the most busy, and focused on our professional
lives. The person will tend to be career driven, active,
influential, engaged with the public, and extroverted.
They could have a sense of a mission to fulfill, or they
may fit into the definition of a 'workaholic.' In other
words, they may be so focused on their work that that's
basically all they do, at the expense of other needs like
their family or home life.
The Outer Public Life Quadrant
The 'inner private life' quadrant consists of the 3rd,
4th, and 5th houses and represents the focus on one's
internal life. When there is a predominance of planets
in this quadrant these planets were invisible, below the
Earth, at the time of birth. This quadrant represents
nighttime when we are the least active with career related
activities, and focused instead on our private life, like
home and family. The person will tend to be domestically
oriented, private, emotionally sensitive, reflective,
and introverted. These people could be most difficult
to understand because they are so secretive. They could
have a profound inner life, but they may also avoid focusing
on their career. In other words, they may be lazy, shy,
and lack career ambition.
The Inner Private Life Quadrant
The 2nd and 12th Houses
We said earlier that if you understand the four angular
houses than it's much easier to understand the other eight
houses. This is because the angular houses, as the four
pillars of the chart, are their pivotal points. The 2nd
house from the angular house represents the gains, accumulations,
or further fulfillment of the indications of that house.
Likewise, the 12th house or the previous house represents
the losses, endings, or the undoing of the indications
of that house. With this principle we can understand the
adjacent houses to each of the four angular houses. This
2nd and 12th house principle can also be applied to any
house, but since the angular houses are the four foundations
of the horoscope, it is important to understand the adjacent
houses in relation to them.
For instance, the 2nd house represents money, earning,
wealth, assets, andthe accumulation of resources because
it represents the 'gains' of the self (1st house). Likewise,
the 11th house represents the gains of the career (10th
house), and the 8th house represents the gains of the
spouse (7th house), or other gains from other people like
inheritances, insurance policies etc.
The 12th house represents debts, expenses, isolation,
and illnesses because it represents the 'losses' of the
self (1st house). Likewise, the 6th house represents conflicts
and loss of relationship (7th house), and the 3rd house
represents communication and networking with others or
the loss of one's private inner life (4th house).
Bhavat Bhavam
By understanding this fundamental logic, we can see how
many of the common indications of the houses are derived.
This method is called bhavat bhavam, which literally
means from "house to house." By reflecting on
this principle, we can continually deepen our understanding
of the houses.
Another use of bhavat bhavam is to take the same house
number and add it to itself. For instance, the 3rd from
the 3rd is the 5th house (always count from the house
itself as the 1st). The 5th house shares similar indications
to the 3rd house, like writing and the fine arts, because
it is the 3rd from the 3rd. Likewise, the 9th house shares
similar indications to the 11th house, like financial
gains, because it is the 11th from the 11th. The 3rd house
is a house of longevity, like the 8th house, because it
is the 8th from the 8th. The 7th house is also a house
of career and public life, because it is the 10th from
the 10th. It represents business partnerships, which is
a blend with its indication as a house of relationships.
The 9th house is also a house of children, because it
is the 5th from the 5th etc. This house-to-house principle
can be extended to every house and reveals that there
is a harmonic relationship between such houses.
Lastly, we can look at the relationship of any house number
from any house. For instance, the 6th house represents
the career of the father, because it is the 10th from
the 9th. The 10th house is also considered the house of
the father, along with the 9th house, because it is the
7th from the 4th, or the marriage partner of the mother.
Have fun exploring these principles on your own. It will
deepen your understanding of the houses immeasurably.
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