Learn · The birth chart
The twelve houses.
A birth chart is divided into twelve houses. Each house is an area of your life. The planets in a house show what happens in that area and how you deal with it.
- How many Twelve, counted anticlockwise from the Ascendant
- What they need An accurate birth time
- How to read them House = where. Sign = how. Planet = what.
One by one
What each house covers
The first six houses sit below the horizon and describe your private life. The last six sit above it and describe your life with other people and in public.
- 1 Angular · Aries
The 1st house
Your body and appearance · First impressions · How you start things · Your general attitude
The 1st house is about you as a person: your body, your appearance and the way you meet new people and new situations.
- 2 Succedent · Taurus
The 2nd house
Money you earn · Possessions · Skills you can sell · Self-worth
The 2nd house is about money and possessions, the skills that earn you a living and how much you value yourself.
- 3 Cadent · Gemini
The 3rd house
Talking and writing · Short trips · Brothers and sisters · Neighbours and daily learning
The 3rd house is about communication, short journeys, siblings and neighbours, and the way you learn every day.
- 4 Angular · Cancer
The 4th house
Home · Family · Parents and family background · Private life
The 4th house is about home and family, your family background and the private life you keep away from public view.
- 5 Succedent · Leo
The 5th house
Romance and dating · Creativity · Children · Fun, hobbies and games
The 5th house is about pleasure: dating and romance, creative work, children, hobbies and anything you do for fun.
- 6 Cadent · Virgo
The 6th house
Daily work · Routines · Health habits · Colleagues and pets
The 6th house is about daily life: work tasks, routines, health habits, colleagues and the people or animals you look after.
- 7 Angular · Libra
The 7th house
Partners and marriage · Business partners · Contracts · Open conflicts
The 7th house is about partnership: marriage, long relationships, business partners, contracts and the people you face directly.
- 8 Succedent · Scorpio
The 8th house
Shared money · Debts, taxes and inheritance · Intimacy · Deep change
The 8th house is about what you share with others: joint money, debts and inheritance, intimacy, trust and deep personal change.
- 9 Cadent · Sagittarius
The 9th house
Long journeys · Higher education · Beliefs and philosophy · Publishing and law
The 9th house is about the wider world: long journeys, university, beliefs and philosophy, publishing and the law.
- 10 Angular · Capricorn
The 10th house
Career · Public reputation · Ambition · Authority figures
The 10th house is about your career and public life: your ambitions, your reputation and your relationship with authority.
- 11 Succedent · Aquarius
The 11th house
Friends · Groups and networks · Hopes for the future · Social causes
The 11th house is about friends and groups, the networks you belong to and your hopes and plans for the future.
- 12 Cadent · Pisces
The 12th house
Rest and privacy · The hidden and the unconscious · Retreat and recovery · Spiritual life
The 12th house is about what is private or hidden: rest, retreat, the unconscious, spiritual life and the things you do alone.
120 placements
Every planet in every house
Choose a planet and a house to read what that placement means in a birth chart.
| Planet | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Moon | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Mercury | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Venus | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Mars | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Jupiter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Saturn | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Uranus | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Neptune | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Pluto | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Houses, quickly
What are the houses in astrology?
The houses divide a birth chart into twelve parts. Each part is an area of life, such as money, home, partners or career. A planet in a house shows where that planet's themes appear in your life.
How do I find which house my planets are in?
You need your birth date, birth place and an accurate birth time. The houses depend on the time, because they turn once every 24 hours. Our free birth chart calculator shows your houses and planets.
What is the difference between signs and houses?
A sign describes how a planet behaves. A house describes where in your life it acts. For example, Venus in Leo loves warmly and openly. Venus in the 10th house brings that warmth into your career.
What does an empty house mean?
Nothing is missing. Every chart has empty houses, because there are ten planets and twelve houses. Read the sign on the cusp of the empty house and look at where the ruler of that sign is.
Which house system does Prism use?
The Prism app uses Placidus houses, the most common system in modern Western astrology. The daily horoscopes on this website use whole-sign houses, counted from your Sun sign. They are written for a sign, not for a birth time.