Houses of the Zodiac: Their Significance -

There are twelve parts of the zodiac, called signs or Rashis. Each sign of the zodiac is 30° in extent. The zodiacal signs are tabulated below:

Grouping of Signs:

The signs can be categorized into groups from Aries onwards. They are termed movable or cardinal, fixed, and common or mutable. Movable signs show an energetic and dynamic nature; fixed signs, three tenacious and stubborn natures; and common signs changeable nature.

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Each sign starting from Aries onwards is also sequentially termed as odd (or male) and even (or female). All odd s are cruel and masculine and all even signs are mild and signs feminine.

The signs can also be divided into four representing the basic elements groups, fire, earth, air, and water. Thus the signs starting from Aries onwards are termed sequentially as fiery, earthy, airy, and watery.

Houses

The twelve divisions of the zodiac are also called houses or Bhavas. The position of the zodiac signs at the time of birth varies from one individual to another. For example, if a person is born with Leo as the rising sign, it becomes the first house (as different from the signs of the zodiac-when it is the fifth sign when Aries is taken as the first sign).

Any one of the twelve signs rising on the Eastern horizon at the time of the birth of an individual is called the rising sign of ascendant (Lagna). The sign next to the rising sign or Lagna is the 2nd house, the 3rd sign from the rising sign is the 3rd house, and so on.

Thus, in every horoscope, there are 12 houses and each house is 30° in extent. Each of the 12 houses has a different value and significance for each individual, according to his date and time of birth. In the Western system, yet, all houses are not of 30°. They vary according to the latitude¹ of the place and time of the longitude of a house is the starting point of that house, ie the first house starts from the longitude of the ascendant and extends to the longitude of the 2nd house, from which point again, the 2nd house begins, and so on. Thus, the longitudes of the different houses are the junction points of the houses and, as such, they are called the cusps or Sandhis of the houses.

According to the Indian system, the longitudes or longitudes of the houses are the midpoints of the respective houses. A house begins from about 15° behind the longitude of that house and extends up to about 15° ahead of it. The longitudes of the houses are thus the middle points or Sandhis of those houses and are the most sensitive points in the horoscope. A house extends from the preceding Sandhi up to the following Sandhi of the concerned house.

Significance of Houses:

The twelve houses in a horoscope represent various aspects of a person’s life as follows:

Grouping of Houses: The houses are variously grouped as follows:

Quadrants or angles or Kendras: 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th houses.

The 1st house, besides being a Kendra, is also a Trikona.

Trines or Trikonas: 1st, 5th, and 9th houses.

Succeedent or Panapharas: 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th houses.

The 5th house is both a Trikona and a Panaphara.

Cadent or Apoklimas: 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th houses. The 9th house is both a Trikona and an Apoklima.

Omit a person’s life, the Kendras denote childhood, the Panaphara denote middle age, and the Apoklima denote old age. The 1st to 8th house is related to one’s married life, the 9th to 11th house is related to religious or moral beliefs and the 12th house is related to another world, that is, Moksha. Favorable houses or Upachayas: 3rd, 6th, 10th, and 11th. Death-inflicting houses or 2nd and 7th. Evil houses or Trikas: 6th, 8th, and 12th.

Strength of a House:

To determine the strength of a house, one must consider

(1) the strength of the lord of that house; and

(2) the strength of the disposition, that is, the strength of the lord of the house in which the lord of the above is situated. The meaning of the word disposition best be explained with an example.

Suppose in a Leo nativity, can Mercury, as lord of the 2nd house, is in the 5th house and Jupiter is in the 6th house. Jupiter, as lord of the 5th house, would thus act as the disposition of Mercury. So in this case, the temperament is weak because Jupiter is occupying its weak sign.

If the lord of the house and its disposition are both powerful, the results of that particular house will be good. If one of them is powerful, the results of that particular house will be of mixed nature. If both of them happen to be weak and powerless, the results of that particular house will be bad.

The lords of trines are considered as first-rate benefics. The lords of the quadrants are considered second degree benefics.

Lords of the 2nd, 3rd, and 11th houses are considered as 3rd-degree benefits or 3rd-degree malefic. In other words, if the lords of the above-mentioned houses are associated with good planets, they are considered benefics; if associated with evil planets, they are considered malefics.

Owners of 6th, 8th, and 12th houses are not considered good.

A house can be considered powerful if:

The lord of that house is in a quadrant from that house, or from the ascendant, or from the lord of the ascendant.

The lord of that house is in a trine from that house, or from the ascendant, or from the lord of the ascendant. The lord of that house is in the 3rd, 6th, 10th, or 11th house counted from the ascendant (Lagana).

The lord of that house is conjoined with benefic planets or surrounded on both sides. The lord of that house is ruled by benefic planets.

The lord of the sign occupied by the lord of that house is in its own, exaltation, or Moolatrikona sign.

A house may be considered powerless if:

Its lord occupies the 6th, 8th, or 12th house from the ascendant, from the lord of the ascendant, or from the house itself.

Its lord is associated with or is between malefic planets. Its lord may be aspected by a malefic planet. Its lord is in the opposite sign.

Its lord is in its debilitated sign or else its lord is under combustion by Sun.

The lord of the sign occupied by the lord of the house under consideration is in a debilitation position.