The 12 Houses of Astrology, Explained

A person's birth chart is a snapshot of where the planets were at the moment of their birth. The 12 houses of the zodiac are one piece of the natal chart puzzle, from which you can gain interesting intel.

For instance, someone can be born with the sun in the first house of self or the twelfth house of spirituality. Understanding what each means can help you understand why you're such an extrovert while your bestie or S.O. is far more reserved.

Astrological houses represent areas of our lives. Where each planet is and in which sign can offer insight into what may make us tick or the areas we're poised for success.

Keep scrolling to find out what the basics of the houses in astrology can tell you about yourself and your path.

The Astrological Houses, Defined

The 12 houses show where in the sky each luminary (that’s the sun and the moon) and the planets appeared when you were born, wherever on Earth you were born. Houses represent the rotation of the earth around its axis over 24 hours.

As it rotates, the sun, moon, and all the planets appear to be moving through the 12 houses clockwise. They rise in the east (on the cusp of the first house, or the ascendant), hang out around the top of a chart at midday, set in the west (the right-hand side of your chart), and then spend time at the bottom of a chart in the middle of the night. 

You can think of this as a personalized star map — but it’s more than that. The house location of the luminaries and planets colors how they express themselves (more on that in a bit). 

How to Find the Houses in Your Birth Chart

As with many astrology concepts, when it comes to understanding the houses, it helps to have a visual. What better visual than your own birth chart? If you don't already have it handy, you can run one on an app like TimePassages or the website astro.com.

Note that the chart is divided up into 12 slices. Each of these slices represents a house, and the first house is where your ascendant or rising sign (the sign that was ascending on the eastern horizon at the time of your birth) falls on the left-hand side of the chart. 

From the first house, you'll want to follow your chart counterclockwise to note your second, third, fourth house, and so on. As you move through the houses, you'll notice that each is ruled by one of the 12 zodiac signs. You'll also glean that your planetary placements — including your sun sign, moon sign, and Mercury sign — reside within a particular house.