Astrology – The derived house system – Another layer of reading
The field of astrology is huge with so many possibilities. To study it in a manageable proportion, we must look at it segment by segment. Once we have two astrological segments under reasonable control, we can merge them to develop a comprehensible narrative. Once we’ve studied an additional segment, we use the same blending process to expand our information while keeping it cohesive. We study segment by segment, adding to our previous storage until we have a complete and usable body of information from which we can extract at any time. This reminds me of the way we learn anything, step by step, adding as we go.
To individualize that body of astrological information we start with the natal wheel for any given birth. We then draw from that pool of information at will, weaving together the various segments that are appropriate for that wheel in order to read that person’s life story. In short, we learn the basics of astrology so that we can tell the personal story of each individual sky chart.
In other articles I have suggested that there are four cornerstones in astrology: planets, signs, houses, and aspects. Also, my conclusion is that the planets are the cornerstone of the four cornerstones. Each of these four segments should be studied in the early stages of astrology so that they can be combined as described to begin the process of a reading. In this article we will look at two of the segments, planets and houses, in a particular combination technique called the derived house system. This technique is usable for those astrology students who have completed the beginner stage. Soon…
- Houses they are the division of the 360 degree wheel into 12 compartments. Each compartment contains about 1/12 of any person’s life experience or problems, so each compartment is packed with problems. Since the entire house system is built with the Earth at the center of each wheel, the houses are the realistic experience for that wheel and that person.
- planets They represent the various functions of the human being, such as the ego and self-identity drives, nesting, familial and emotional drives, the communication and learning function, the drive to relate, to name a few. Traditionally there are ten bodies: our star, our satellite the Moon, and our eight sister planets.
derivative house system To deeply study a single planet, we must go beyond the generic meaning of that planet to see it function in the sign it is positioned in, the house it occupies, the house it rules, and the aspects in which it is involved. All of that is valuable and is usually as far as any reading goes. The derived technique can give you another layer of house meaning simply by looking at the 12-fold process of any of the ten planets. As? You simply start with the position of a single planet in the house it occupies and mentally recognize it as the expression of that planet’s first house. Then count consecutively counterclockwise around the wheel from that first house. Each planet and what that planet represents in the individual will have a contribution from the 12 houses and their problems. You’re not losing the value of a regular reading of a wheel, you’re just adding an extra layer of meaning. An example might make this explanation easier to understand.
Let’s start with the Sun (ego drive) in Scorpio (sign) in the fifth house (occupation), ruling the third (rulership), and then list the aspects and their meanings individually. That takes you through the usual method of reading the Sun. For another layer of meaning, put your finger on that Sun (ego and self-identity) and recognize that the expression of your first house, regardless of which house the Sun occupies, is the way in which the world sees the problems of the Sun, how that Sun and its problems respond immediately to the activations of its environment, the personal self-projection of that Sun and the coping abilities of the Sun. Where does the Sun begin (the ego, own identity)? All of that actually takes place in the 5th house of this example, so you should also view this solar application as creativity, children of mind and body, speculation, and family values (natal 2 of 4). The Sun has more than its own identity, it also has a system of values, communication, relationship and all the other usual meanings of traditional houses and that is determined by this method.
- If the Sun is in the 5th and that is your personal projection point (1st house for that person’s Sun), the value systems for the Sun will be in the adjacent 6th house (next counterclockwise ). The value system of the Sun as the sixth house is related to issues of work, service and/or health.
- Communication for the problems of the Sun (self identity, ego, etc.) is the third house from the Sun or the seventh house in this example. In this example, the Sun’s communication mechanism will operate through the association network function of the association house of the chart owner.
- One more… home, home, roots (4th house matters) for the Sun actually occurs in the 8th (next house counterclockwise) of joint values, joint finances, joint affairs. life or death etc
To make it easier for you to pick up and play with this technique, here are some short statements about the basic meanings of the planets and houses:
First planets…
- The Sun represents self identity, ego, basic character and overall vitality.
- The Moon represents emotions, memory, maternal and instinctive impulses.
- Mercury represents problems of communication, education and transportation.
- Venus represents relationship skills and impulses, issues of social and financial value.
- Mars represents our assertive and aggressive impulses, courage or the lack thereof.
- Jupiter represents our expansive, philosophical, and life-seeking impulses.
- Saturn represents structure, duty, responsibility, and organizational skills.
- Uranus represents themes of rebellion, futuristic, unique, individualization.
- Neptune represents inspiration, aspiration, dreams, visions, delusional questions.
- Pluto represents power, powerlessness, empowerment, and destiny at work.
then the houses…
- The first house is self-projection, coping skills, the immediate response to the environment, the way the world sees you.
- The second house is values and social and financial resources, talents.
- House 3 is communications, education and transportation, siblings, cousins and neighbors.
- House 4 is home, home, family, roots, inner security, father, conclusions.
- House 5 are creations of the mind and body, love, speculation, family values.
- The sixth house is the affairs of daily work, service to others, and health.
- The seventh house is all associations, business and personal, networks and alliances.
- The 8th house is joint values and finances, insurance, taxes and death.
- The 9th house is belief systems, higher education, legalities, multicultural activities.
- The tenth house is goals, achievements, stature, reputation, career, success or lack thereof.
- The 11th house is friends, groups, career results, wishes, hopes and dreams.
- The 12th house is hidden, it is recessive and can self-sabotage, a blind spot,
Simply pick a planet and read it through the 12 houses starting with the house it occupies as number 1. You can do that for each of the 10 bodies. Initially, this is a study technique, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself including it in your readings quite easily.
Recommended reading:
Cornerstones of Astrology: Planets, Signs, Houses, and Aspects
