On a birth chart (also called a natal chart), the 12 houses are arranged in a counterclockwise ring according to your perspective view of the sky at the precise time and location you were born. The circular house chart is not the same as a zodiac wheel, which is based on the sun’s observable path around the earth. Houses are determined by the Earth’s own 24-hour rotation.
This house is embodied by the energy of Aries and its ruling planet, Mars. Your Ascendant sign is very important. It’s your personality and persona, your social standing, and the way you look at things. It also determines your Descendant (the sign on the Western horizon when you were born, 180 degrees away from the Ascendant), which determines who you’re attracted to and get along with.
This house is embodied by the energy of Taurus and its ruling planet, Venus.
This house is embodied by the energy of Gemini and its ruling planet, Mercury.
This house is embodied by the energy of Cancer and its ruling planet, the Moon.
This house is embodied by the energy of Leo and its ruling planet, the Sun.
This house is embodied by the energy of Virgo and its ruling planet, Mercury.
This house is embodied by the energy of Libra and its ruling planet, Venus.
This house is embodied by the energy of Scorpio and its ruling planet, Pluto.
This house is embodied by the energy of Sagittarius and its ruling planet, Jupiter.
This house is embodied by the energy of Capricorn and its ruling planet, Saturn.
This house is embodied by the energy of Aquarius and its ruling planet, Uranus.
This house is embodied by the energy of Pisces and its ruling planet, Neptune. [2] X Research source
Calculation methods can be broadly split into 2 groups: Equal House systems where all houses are uniform in size, and Unequal House systems where house sizes can vary.
Whole Sign: In this system, each house lines up with an entire zodiac sign. The 1st house spans your entire Ascendant sign, your 2nd house spans the entire following sign, and so on (mathematically, the cusp of each house is at 0 degrees of its corresponding zodiac sign). Equal House: Houses in this system may not align exactly with the zodiac signs, but they are still all the same size. Each house will be offset from a zodiac sign by the same amount. This amount is determined by the degree of the Ascendant at birth (for example, say your Ascendant sign is Gemini and it had risen 5 degrees when you were born. The cusp of your 1st house would be 5 degrees Gemini, the cusp of your 2nd house would be 5 degrees Cancer, and so on). One downside of Equal House methods is that the Midheaven degree (usually the cusp of the 10th house, where the sun is highest in the sky) can move around to other houses.
Placidus: The cusp of the 1st house is the degree of the zodiac sign rising at birth. Over the course of 12 hours from birth, the degree of the horizon is measured every 2 hours to mark the cusp of the next 6 houses. Those lines are then extended across the birth chart to complete the remaining 6 houses. Koch: This method works like Placidus, except it uses Midheaven as the starting point instead of the Ascendant. Its results are very close to what you’d get with Placidus, but planets can change houses if they are close to the cusps. Porphyry: The cusps of the intermediate houses are based on the number of degrees between the Ascendant and Midheaven. That number is divided by 3, and lines are drawn across the chart to mark your 12th, 11th, 5th, and 6th houses. So if there are 84 degrees between Midheaven and the Ascendant, each house is 28 degrees wide.
Compare multiple readings to see which you identify with. Online birth chart calculators make it fast and easy to compare charts created with different house calculations. The location of your birth might influence which method works best. A Placidus or Koch chart creates wildly unequal house sizes for people born near the poles, so a Whole Sign or Equal House chart might work better. If you’re calculating houses by hand, systems with simpler math (Whole Sign, Porphyry) might be easier to determine than those with complicated math (Koch, Placidus). However, online house calculators make using any system a breeze.
Say you have Mars in your 1st house (the house of self). Mars is a soldier that represents action, fitness, and aggression. This could be interpreted as you having the willpower and assertiveness to accomplish your personal goals. Imagine Saturn in your 3rd house (the house of communication). Saturn is responsible and cares about rules and obligations. This might mean you have a tendency to communicate very logically with the goal of accomplishing important tasks. Your birth chart shows where your interests lie and where you’re drawn. By examining certain houses and certain signs and certain planets in the chart, you can map out a course for your life, even including a list of possible careers!
Imagine Mars in your 1st house ruled by Gemini. You have the willpower to accomplish your goals, and your method of getting what you want will probably involve Gemini’s witty, chatty, dualistic nature. Picture Saturn in your 3rd house ruled by Taurus. You communicate logically to accomplish a goal, but may be slow, static, or stubborn like Taurus in your negotiations.
