Jyotish Fundamentals – Houses in a Horoscope
Concerning the body, the significations of each house generally correspond to the significations of the equivalent sign of the zodiac in seriatim i.e. whenever we want to examine the condition of any part of the body, the concerned house and the same number of sign should both be examined. Afflictions to houses likewise cause diseases of the connected parts. Below is a concise description related to Rasi or Natal Chart, as for divisional charts these definitions are modified. Will mention some at the end of this post.
1st House
Represents the person, his innate nature and state of health, vitality, longevity, happiness, personality, appearance, prosperity, general disposition in life, reputation and status, desires and their fulfilment and the body parts – complexion, head (cranium and forehead) and brain, hair, pituitary glands, etc. For example, weakness of the first house and/or afflictions to the first house or its lord result in a sickly constitution, causing vulnerability to headache, mental tension, paralysis, giddiness, wounds, scars, erratic activity of endocrine glands, derangement, brain fever, stupidity, nose bleeding, etc. A strong Sun and Mars, as significators for vitality and energy respectively, help as a protective cover.
2nd House
Represents wealth, family, livelihood, nourishment, higher education, professional position, spouse, second marriage, continuance of married life, possession of precious stones and metals, money in cash, earning capacity, financial status, fortune, prosperity, movable properties, speech, vision and the body parts – face and its organs (nose, throat, mouth, tongue, teeth and eyes, especially the right one), facial bones, upper neck and its bones, gullet, larynx, cerebellum, trachea, cervical region and cervical bones, tonsils, etc. For example, weakness of the second house and/or afflictions to the second house or its lord cause vulnerability to poor digestion, disorders of speech, throat, cervical, gums, eyes, teeth, etc., and diseases mainly arising out of a weak venous system. A strong Mercury, as a significator of speech, helps as a protective cover.
3rd House
Represents younger brothers or sisters, neighbors, courage, physical strength, sports, initiative, entrepreneurial nature, the power of understanding (learning), communications, short journeys, initiation into spiritual techniques, writing and communicative capability and the body parts – lower neck, shoulders, arms and ears (especially the right ones), hands, shoulders and collar bones, thyroid gland, respiratory and nervous systems, etc. For example, weakness of the third house and/or afflictions to the third house or its lord cause vulnerability to problems of respiratory canal, disorders of thyroid, imbalances in the nervous system, depression resulting in partial paralysis, stammering, shoulder pains, fracture in the collarbone region, partial deafness, respiratory diseases, asthma, tuberculosis, etc. A strong Mercury, as a significator of communicative capability, helps as a protective cover.
4th House
Represents mother, happiness, upbringing, relatives, friends, supporters, basic education, vehicles and conveyances, domestic peace, mind, mental peace, spiritual life (ATMA), confidence, righteous conduct, close of life, comforts, luxuries, country of birth, immovable properties, real estate, land, wells and tanks, house, home, assets and the body parts – the rib cage, heart, chest, lungs and breasts. For example, weakness of the fourth house and/or afflictions to the fourth house or its lord cause vulnerability to coronary problems, physical ailments of breast, chest, heart and epigastric region, lungs’ disorders, mental disorders, lunacy and the problems connected to the circulatory systems. A strong Moon as a significator of mother, Venus as significator of comforts and Mars as significator of immovable properties help as a protective cover.
5th House
Represents intelligence, emotions, discernment and discrimination, intellectual and mental talents, memory, creative intelligence, emotional happiness, love, romance, lover, speculative gains from investments, organizational ability, success, progeny, children, knowledge, wisdom, higher learning/education, training, fall from position, social life, inclinations, spiritual pursuits, disciples and students, devotion, ISHTA Devata, mantras, yantras, amulets, resources and merits we bring into life, future, digestion, etc., and the body parts – upper belly, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, colon, diaphragm, spine and spinal cord, pregnancy, etc. For example, weakness of the fifth house and/or afflictions to the fifth house or its lord cause vulnerability to diabetes, peptic ulcers, anemia, colic pains, stones in gall bladder, acidity, spinal cord disorders, dyspepsia, diarrhea, pleurisy, heart problems, etc. A strong Sun, as significator of digestion – nourishing agent of the body, helps as a protective cover.
6th House
Represents disputes, diseases and injuries, debts, enemies, opponents, competitors, thieves, fears, doubts, worries, vices, weaknesses, sound financial position, maternal uncles, service, employees, good health and protection against losses through theft, fire and cheating, misunderstandings, confrontation, litigation and the body parts – waist, navel, lower abdomen, kidneys, small intestine, upper part of large intestine, intestinal function, appendix, etc. For example, weakness of the sixth house and/or afflictions to the sixth house or its lord cause vulnerability to problems of appendicitis, poisoning, colics, constipation, hernia, blood urea, psychiatric problems, exhaustion and nervous breakdown. In other words, health, financial position and the position with reference to the opponents is identified through this house. A strong Mercury and Mars, as significators for health, help as a protective cover.
7th House
Represents long term relationships, legal ties, spouse, partners in life and partners in business, vitality, potency, fertility, passion, outgoing nature, adultery, moral conduct, pleasures, comforts and life in foreign lands, success in love affairs, conjugal life, home abroad, travel, trade or business, expansion and the body parts – pelvic girdle, lumbar region, bladder, lower part of large intestine, inner sexual organs such as ovaries, uterus, cervix, testicles and prostate gland, etc. For example, weakness of the seventh house and/or afflictions to the seventh house or its lord cause vulnerability to generative organs, venereal diseases, arthritis, gout pains, urination problems, impotency, sterilization, renal problems, etc. A strong Venus, as significator for marital relationship, helps as a protective cover.
8th House
Represents longevity, research, interest in mystical sciences, occult, MOKSHA, inner and outer transformations, past and future events, inheritance, death, will and testament, insurances, easy gains, marital-tie, vulnerability, fear, accidents, obstructions, litigation, bankruptcy, theft, losses, misfortunes, disgrace, disappointments and the body parts – scrotum and anus, outer sexual organs, excretory organs, pelvic bones, etc. For example, weakness of the eighth house and/or afflictions to the eighth house or its lord cause vulnerability to hidrocele, fissure, impotency, piles, urinary infections, boils, chronic diseases, etc. A strong Saturn, as significator for longevity, helps as a protective cover.
9th House
Represents father, preceptor, spiritual learning, spiritual inclinations, intuition, charity, virtue, duty, destiny on the basis of past lives and resultant happiness, meditation, foreign travel, long journeys of short duration and life in foreign lands, education abroad, grace, luck, general fortune, sudden and unexpected gains, religion, pilgrimages, philosophy, law, medicine, remedies, past, etc., and the body parts – thighs, left leg, thigh bones, bone marrow, hips, hip joints and the arterial system. For example, weakness of the ninth house and/or afflictions to the ninth house or its lord cause vulnerability to anemia, low productivity of blood, thalassemia, leukemia, high fevers, diabetes, rheumatism and troubles in hips and thighs, etc. A strong Jupiter, as significator for general fortune, and a strong Sun, as significator for father, help as a protective cover.
10th House
Represents profession, career, vocation, promotion, livelihood, power, fame, public esteem, status, position, honor, karma in life, character, authority, government, employer, living abroad, ambition, next birth, happiness from male progeny, debts and the body parts – knee and kneecaps, joints and bones. For example, weakness of the tenth house and/or afflictions to the tenth house or its lord cause vulnerability to arthritis, broken knees, inflammation of joints, general weakness, skin diseases and allergies, emaciated body, etc, besides giving setbacks in professional matters. A strong Sun, as significator for organizational capability, helps as a protective cover.
11th House
Represents income, prosperity, gains, profit, friends, elder brother or sister, hopes and aspirations and their fulfillment, etc., and the body parts – shanks, ankles, shin bone, right leg, left ear and left arm. For example, weakness of the eleventh house and/or afflictions to the eleventh house or its lord cause vulnerability to circulatory problems, fracture of the lower portion of legs, pain in legs, problems of low productivity of blood, cancer of leg, etc. A strong Saturn, as significator for easy sources of income, helps as a protective cover.
12fth House
Represents expenses, losses, expenditures for charity, end of life, exile, life in foreign lands, obstructions in life, separation from family, going astray, withdrawal into retreat, transcendence, enlightenment, seclusion, imprisonment, hospitalization, pleasures of bed, sound sleep and work behind the scenes, as work in a hospital, asylum, prison, military quarters, or monastery, etc., and the body parts – left eye, lymphatic system and feet. For example, weakness of the twelfth house and/or afflictions to the twelfth house or its lord result in problems to the body parts governed by this house, sleep disturbances and weaken the immunization power. A strong Moon, as significator for immunization power and mental peace, and a strong Venus, as significator for happy marital relationship and comforts, help as a protective cover. Planets in the twelfth house give inclinations for going to foreign lands or distant places.
Additional definitions:
Extend the logic used in above definitions. For example the 5th house relates to children, and they represent the future of our existence. So, using the same logic for 10th house of profession – if a person is employed, having done his job for a month, the future of this house is the 2nd house represented by Salary as sustenance.
Fourth house is the seat of happiness represented as Mother in initial stages of life. Extending the logic 4th house from the 4th will be the Seventh house from Ascendant. So, when a person marries, mother hands over charge to daughter-in-law or son-in-law and expects happiness or gets happiness. However if the 7th house has a malefic planet, mother of the native does not get any happiness.
If the food or sustenance of a person is observed from the second house, Mother’s sustenance is the 5th house – 2nd from the 4th!
Likewise if Dharma of an individual is checked from the 9th house, then Dharma of Marriage is checked from the 3rd house from Ascendant – 9th from 7th house. If the third house in a chart is compromised, the native will have difficulty in maintaining the Dharma of marriage.
The 6th house from Ascendant is studied for illnesses, subjugation, pressures, enemies, siblings of mother [3rd from the 4th]. 6th from the 6th will be the 11th house from Ascendant. Eleventh house is normally studied for friends, gains etc, but, here additional meaning gets attached. Eleventh house being the 6th from the 6th house gets a specific name – known as Hara by Sage Jaimini. Hara means total destruction! Apply this logic to the 10th house of profession. Eleventh house from the 10th will be the 8th house from Ascendant. So, a planet occupying the 8th house will also be responsible for total transformation of profession or abrupt end of profession. However there is a exception applied to 11th house from Ascendant. If a planet occupies 11th house from Ascendant, it protects a native from destruction, instead grants gains during its planetary period!
If the Eight house rules transformations and serious illness, then, 8th from the 8th – the third house from Ascendant will show end of disease! Likewise the 5th house will show end of one profession – 8th from the 10th house of profession.
There are certain weak points in this logic when applied to relationships around a native – for example if the 4th house is that of Mother, then the 10th house should be the Father – Spouse of Mother. Normally the 9th house is considered for father.
I for one take the 9th house as the teacher – in early stages of life mother is the first teacher, she teaches a child how to sit, walk and eat. Then comes the role of Father and later on teachers in Schools, Colleges and society at large become a native’s Guru!
Divisional Charts:
Here house get specific meaning. For example the Siddhamsa Divisional chart, the D24 or 24th Divisional chart is studied for Academics of a native. Here the 12th house will indicate if a native will be studying in a school or college where it is compulsory to stay in a hostel or on campus!
Similarly the 4th house in Dasamsa D10 Chart, the 10th divisional chart studied for profession, will indicate the office or working area of a native. If a malefic occupies 4th house, the native will have irregular working hours. Similarly if the 6th lord in Dasamsa occupies the 4th house, the native may experience being bullied at his workplace!
virendra 