Description
Every house system is also affiliated with a zodiac sign can be dependent on the rotational movement of Earth on its axis, but there is a wide range of approaches to calculating house divisions and different opinions among astrologers over which house system is most accurate. To calculate the houses, it is necessary to know the exact time, date, and location. In natal astrology, some astrologers will use a birth time set for noon or sunrise if the actual time of birth is unknown. An accurate interpretation of such a chart, however, cannot be expected. The houses are divisions of the ecliptic plane (aThe twelve houses
The next table represents the basic outline of the houses as they are still understood today and includes the traditional Latin names. The houses are numbered from the east downward under the horizon, each representing a specific area of life. Many modern astrologers assume that the houses relate to their corresponding signs, i.e. that the first house has a natural affinity with the first sign, Aries, and so on.House modalities and triplicities
Similarly to how signs are classified according to astrological modality (Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable), houses are classified, according to a mode of expression, as Angular, Succedent and Cadent. Angular houses are points of initiation and represent action; they relate to cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn). Succedent houses are points of purpose and represent stabilization; they relate to fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius). Cadent houses are points of transition and represent change and adaptation; they relate to mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces). Following the classification of signs by the four classical elements (Fire, Earth, Air and Water), houses can also be grouped together in triplicities, related to a level of experience. In old astrological writings (e.g.The four bhavas of Hindu astrology
In Indian astrology, the twelve houses are called Bhava and their meanings are very similar to the triplicities in Western astrology. The houses are divided into four 'bhavas' which point to 'mood' or what the house stands for. These four bhavas are Dharma (duty), Artha (resources), Kama (pleasure) and Moksha (liberation). These bhavas are called 'purusharthas or 'aims in life.' The ancient mystics of India realized that the austere path of the yogi was not for everyone. They found that each human existence has four worthwhile goals in life: * Dharma – 1st, 5th and 9th Bhavas – The need to find a path and purpose. * Artha – 2nd, 6th and 10th Bhavas – The need to acquire the necessary resources and abilities to provide for to fulfill a path and purpose. * Kama – 3rd, 7th and 11th Bhavas – The need for pleasure and enjoyment. * Moksha – 4th, 8th and 12th Bhavas – The need to find liberation and enlightenment from the world. Theses 4 aims of life are repeated in above sequence 3 times through the 12 bhavas: * The first round, bhavas 1 through 4, show the process within the Individual. * The second round, bhavas 5 through 8, show the alchemy between relating to Other people. * The third round, bhavas 9 through 12, show the Universalization of the self.Houses for a nation or corporation
In his 1920 book ''The Arcana: Or the Stock and Share Key'',Systems of house division
There are many systems of house division. In most, the ecliptic is divided into houses and the ascendant (eastern horizon) marks the cusp, or beginning, of the first house, and the descendant (western horizon) marks the cusp of the seventh house. Many systems, called quadrant house systems, also use the midheaven (''medium coeli'') as the cusp of the tenth house. Goals for a house system include ease of computation; agreement with the "quadrant" concept (ascendant on the first house cusp and midheaven on the tenth); defined and meaningful behaviour in the polar regions; acceptable handling of heavenly bodies of high latitude (a distinct problem from high-latitude locations on the Earth's surface); and symbolic value. It is impossible for any system to satisfy all the criteria completely, so each one represents a different compromise. The extremely popular Placidus and Koch systems, in particular, can generate undefined results in the polar circles. Research and debate on the merits of different house systems is ongoing.Early forms of house division
The Babylonians may have been the first to set out the concept of house division. Specifically, they timed the birth according to three systems of time division: (a) a three-part division of the night into watches, (b) a four-part division of the nychthemeron with respect to sunrise and sunset, and (c) a twelve-part division of the day-time into hours. Babylonian astronomers studied the rising times of the signs and calculated tables of ascensions for their latitude, but it would take better time measurements by the Egyptians and the introduction of the concept of ascendant, around the 2nd century B.C., to give astrological houses their first recognisable structure and meaning, from the perspective of Classical Western astrology. The earliest forms of house division were those that link with, or run parallel to, the signs of the zodiac along the ecliptic.Whole sign
In the whole sign house system, sometimes referred to as the 'Sign-House system', the houses are 30° each. The ascendant designates the rising sign, and the first house begins at zero degrees of the zodiac sign in which the ascendant falls, regardless of how early or late in that sign the ascendant is. The next sign after the ascending sign then becomes the 2nd house, the sign after that the 3rd house, and so on. In other words, each house is wholly filled by one sign. This was the main system used in the Hellenistic tradition of astrology, and is also used in Indian astrology, as well as in some early traditions of Medieval astrology. It is thought to be the oldest system of house division. The Whole Sign system may have been developed in the Hellenistic tradition of astrology sometime around the 1st or 2nd century BCE, and from there it may have passed to theDebate surrounding whole sign houses
There is debate surrounding the claims that the whole sign house system was the original form of house division and that it was the dominant form of house division among ancient astrologers. One argument against whole sign houses is that it is never explicitly mentioned in the text of any ancient astrologer when explaining how to divide up the houses. A counterpoint is that it is implied and it would be the only house system that makes sense in ancient charts where only an ascendant degree is presented. However, if one knows the longitude of the location of the astrologer, one would only need the ascendant degree to determine the quadrant houses. Another argument against whole sign houses is that it breaks with principles of primary motion since planets can go backwards through the houses (e.g., a planet can go from the 8th house into the 9th house given the right conditions). Additionally, there is concern that whole sign houses demotes the value of angularity. Whole sign houses is essentially an American driven movement that is argued to have decontextualized Hellenistic astrological texts from those that preceded and proceeded them. In Europe, most astrologers previously associated with traditional astrology never really took up whole sign houses.Equal house
In the equal house system the ecliptic is also divided into twelve divisions of 30 degrees, although the houses are measured out in 30 degree increments starting from the degree of the ascendant. It begins with the ascendant, which acts as the 'cusp' or starting point of the 1st house, then the second house begins exactly 30 degrees later in zodiacal order, then the third house begins exactly 30 degrees later in zodiacal order from the 2nd house, and so on. Proponents of the equal house system claim that it is more accurate and less distorting in higher latitudes (especially above 60 degrees) than the Placidean and other quadrant house systems.Space-based house systems
In this type of system, the definition of houses involves the division of the sphere into twelve equal lunes perpendicular to a fundamental plane (the Morinus and Regiomontanus systems being two notable exceptions).M-House (Equal Mc)
This system is constructed in a similar manner as the Equal house, but houses are measured out in 30 degree increments starting from thePorphyry
Each quadrant of the ecliptic is divided into three equal parts between the four angles. This is the oldest system of ''quadrant'' style house division. Although it is attributed toCarter's Poly Equatorial
This house system was described by the English astrologer Charles E. O. Carter (1887-1968) in his ''Essays on the Foundations of Astrology''. The house division starts at theMeridian
Also known as the Axial system, or Equatorial system, it divides the celestial equator in twelve 30° sectors (starting at the local meridian) and projects them on to the ecliptic along the great circles containing the North and South celestial poles. The intersections of the ecliptic with those great circles provide the house cusps. The 10th house cusp thus equals the Midheaven, but the East Point (also known as Equatorial Ascendant) is now the first house's cusp. Each house is exactly 2 sidereal hours long. This system was proposed by the Australian astrologer David Cope in the beginning of the 20th century and has become the most popular system with the Uranian school of astrology. The Ascendant (intersection between the ecliptic and the horizon) preserves its importance in chart interpretation through sign and aspects, but not as a house determinant, which is why this house system can be used in any latitude.Morinus
French mathematician Jean Baptiste MorinusRegiomontanus
The celestial equator is divided into twelve, and these divisions are projected on to the ecliptic along great circles that take in the north and south points on the horizon. Named after the German astronomer and astrologer Johann Müller of Königsberg. The Regiomontanus system was later largely replaced by the Placidus system.Campanus
The prime vertical (the great circle taking in the zenith and east point on the horizon) is divided into twelve, and these divisions are projected on to the ecliptic along great circles that take in the north and south points on the horizon. It is attributed toSinusoidal
Sinusoidal systems of house division are similar to Porphyry houses except that instead of each quadrant being divided into three equal sized houses, the middle house in each quadrant is compressed or expanded based on whether the quadrant covers less than or greater than 90 degrees. In other words, houses are smooth around the zodiac with the difference or ratio in quadrant sizes being spread in a continuous sinusoidal manner from expanded to compressed houses. Sinusoidal houses were invented and first published by Walter Pullen in his astrology programKrusinski/Pisa/Goelzer
A recently published (1988) house system, discovered by Georg Goelzer, based on a great circle passing through the ascendant and zenith. This circle is divided into 12 equal parts (1st cusp is ascendant, 10th cusp is zenith), then the resulting points are projected to the ecliptic through meridian circles. The house tables for this system were published in 1995 in Poland. This house system is also known under the name Amphora in the Czech Republic, after it was proposed there by Milan Píša after the study of Manilius's "Astronomica" under this name ("Konstelace č. 22" in: "AMPHORA - nový systém astrologických domů" (1997) and in the booklet "Amphora - algoritmy nového systému domů" (1998)).Time-based house systems
Alchabitius
The predecessor system to the Placidus, which largely replaced the Porphyry. The difference with Placidus is that the time that it takes the ascendant to reach the meridian is divided equally into three parts. ThePlacidus
This is the most commonly used house system in modern Western astrology. The paths drawn for each degree of the ecliptic to move from the Imum coeli to the horizon, and from the horizon to the midheaven, are trisected to determine the cusps of houses 2, 3, 11, and 12. The cusps of houses 8, 9, 5 and 6 are opposite these. The Placidus system is sometimes not defined beyond polar circles (Koch
A rather more complicated version of the Placidus system, built on equal increments of Right Ascension for each quadrant. The Koch system was developed by the German astrologer Walter Koch (1895–1970) and is defined only for latitudes between 66°N and 66°S. This system is popular among research astrologers in the U.S. and among German speakers, but in Central Europe lost some popularity to the Krusiński house system.Topocentric
This is a recent system, invented in Argentina, that its creators claim has been determined empirically, i.e. by observing events in people's lives and assessing the geometry of a house system that would fit. The house cusps are always within a degree of those given in the Placidus system. The topocentric system can also be described as an approximation algorithm for the Placidus system. Topocentric houses are also called Polich-Page, after the names of the house system creators, Wendel Polich and A. Page Nelson.Chart gallery
The following charts display different house systems for the same time and location. To better compare systems subject to distortion, a high latitude city was chosen (Stockholm, Sweden) and the time corresponds to a long ascension sign (Cancer). For clarity purposes, all the usual aspect lines, degrees and glyphs were removed.The MC in non-quadrant house systems
In the whole sign and equal house systems the Medium Coeli ( Midheaven), the highest point in the chart, does not act as the cusp or starting point of the 10th house. Instead the MC moves around the top half of the chart, and can land anywhere in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, depending on the latitude. The MC retains its commonly agreed significations, but it doesn't act as the starting point of the 10th house, whereas the Equal house system adds extra definition and meaning to the MC including any cusps involved, any interpretations applied to the MC itself concur with other house systems. This is also the more common criticism of the whole sign and equal house method as it concerns the location of the Medium Coeli (Midheaven), the highest point in the chart. In the equal house system, the ascendant/descendant and midheaven/IC axes can vary from being perpendicular to each other (from approx. +-5 deg at most at equator to approx. +-15 degrees at Alexandria to +-90 degrees at polar circle). As a result, equal houses counted from the ascendant cannot in general place the midheaven on the tenth house cusp, where many feel it would be symbolically desirable. Since this point is associated with ambition, career, and public image, the argument is that the Midheaven, therefore, must be the cusp of the similar tenth house. It has also been linked by extension with Capricorn (the tenth sign of the zodiac). The equal house system always takes the MC to be first and foremost THE most important indicator of career; whereas the 10th house cusp, while taken into account, is interpreted simply as a weaker 2nd MC cusp. The Midheaven is not associated with house locations defined by the Whole Sign and Equal House system, rather, the Midheaven placement relies on the specific location of the Ascendant, so the Midheaven can be found anywhere between the 8th and 11th houses.Mayo (1979), p76.Rulership
In Hellenistic,Notes
References
*Arroyo, Stephen (1989). ''Chart Interpretation Handbook''. California: CCRS Publications. *Carter, Charles (1947; 2nd ed. 1978). ''Essays on the Foundations of Astrology'' - Chapter 8 "Problems of the Houses". London: Theosophical Publishing House. *Collins, Gene. F. (2009). "Cosmopsychology - The psychology of humans as spiritual beings". Xlibris Corporation. *DeVore, Nicholas (1948). ''Encyclopedia of Astrology''. Philosophical Library, sub. tit. "Houses" *Dobyns, Zipporah P. (1973). ''Finding the person in the horoscope''. Third Edition. California: T.I.A. Publications (CCRS Publications) *Foreman, Patricia (1992). "Computers and astrology: a universal user's guide and reference". Virginia: Good Earth Publications. *Hand, Rob (2000). ''Whole Sign Houses: The Oldest House System''. ARHAT Publications. *Holden, James (1982). ''Ancient House Division'', Journal of Research of the American Federation of Astrologers 1. *Hone, Margaret (1978). ''The Modern Text-Book of Astrology''. Revised edition (1995). England: L. N. Fowler & Co. Ltd. *Houlding, Deborah (1996; Reprinted 2006). ''The Houses: Temples of the sky''. Bournemouth: The Wessex Astrologer, Ltd. *Kenton, Warren (1974). ''Astrology. The Celestial Mirror''. Reprinted (1994). London: Thames and Hudson. *Mayo, Jeff (1979). ''Teach Yourself Astrology''. London: Hodder and Stoughton. *North, John D. (1986). ''Horoscopes and History''. London: The Warburg Institute, University of London. *Parker, Derek and Julia (1990). ''The New Complete Astrologer''. New York: Crescent Books. *Rochberg, Francesca (1998). ''Babylonian Horoscopes''. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. *Tester, Jim (1987). "A History of Western Astrology". Reprinted (1990). Suffolk: St Edmundsbury Press. {{Authority control + Astrology Technical factors of Hindu astrology Technical factors of Western astrology