Significations of the First House in Astrology

If we take the name of the first house, the philosophy behind it, and the Joy of Mercury, its meaning starts to come into view. The first house in astrology is where our soul meets our physical form. This place is where we have control. As the two sides of us, our body and soul come together, our breath, our words, and our senses are where they meet. This is the first house.

“The first house denotes life, body, speech, the beginning of all actions, as well as the thoughts on one’s mind” (George, p. 644). 

If you want to understand an individual, you start in the first house. Here is where you find how a person presents themselves to the world. “The life force, physical constitution, vitality, and general state of health are all indicated by the first house (George, p.644). Modern astrological practices often relate the entire chart to describe a single individual. However, in ancient or traditional practices, the first house is the only true place where the native is represented. Regardless of what practice you follow, the first house in astrology is going to be about the native. 

Technical Points of the First House

Each of the twelve houses in astrology hold different qualities. These qualities lend towards understanding them. I will be posting a blog post to elaborate more on these technical qualities (sign up for my newsletter for updates!), so for now I’ll keep it brief. 

Two important qualities to consider are angularity and visibility to the Ascendant. Of course, the first house is already the Ascendant, so in terms of how houses “see” each other, this is a good thing. Visibility to the ascendant immediately sets that house up to be preferable. Because we, the native of our chart, are best able to understand and utilize that which we can witness in our lives. In contrast, aversion would be our blind spots— but the first house in astrology doesn’t have to worry about that.

The next big piece is angularity. The ancients called these places “pivots” and they represented the greatest points of activity. The angles are “associated with the present” (Brennan, p.331). Chris Brennan describes that, according to the ancients and Nechepso in particular, the four angles in a chart are seen as “advantageous” to the native (p.334). The first house is one of these angles.

The combination of the first house being the Ascendant and thus witnessing itself inherently, as well as angularity makes it the best house for a planet to fall in. Planets here will be readily apparent in a person’s life and will often manifest themselves through the native’s body and character. 

Ruler of the First House — The Lord of the Hour Marker

You cannot understand the first house in its entirety without considering the ruling planet of that sign. This is where the uniqueness of each chart starts to become apparent. There are twelve possible Rising signs, and further, twelve possible signs in which its ruler can fall. A Leo Rising with the Sun in Aquarius is going to be a very different individual from a Leo Rising with the Sun in Aries. The expression of this ruling planet in its condition within the chart will lend vast amounts of information to understanding the first house in astrology. 

“The domicile lord of the Ascendant is the planet most closely connected to the life force, which includes a person’s vitality, body, health, constitution, longevity, and character” (George p.975). 

The condition of this planet and how it lends to these points can be derived by its house placement, the sign, and planetary aspects to it. Then, you must consider the house in which this planet falls. This will lend towards a sense of direction that the native moves towards through their life. If the ruler of the first house isn’t the Sun or Moon, it will (traditionally) have two signs that it rules. The meanings of the house in astrology this second sign falls will also pull in meaning and relevance to the first house. 

For an in-depth breakdown of how to understand the ruler of the first house in terms of life direction, I recommend Demetra George’s book, Astrology and the Authentic Self, Traditional Astrology for the Modern Mind. I’ll link it below.

Planets in the First House

As mentioned above, planets in the first house have a lot to say about a person. They can influence appearance, personality, health, and how they interact with the world. These meanings can often be incredibly literal. 

Saturn in the first house in good condition may represent someone who is disciplined and traditional in nature. Whereas someone with Saturn in poor condition in the first may be prone to health conditions by blockages or perhaps rigid in personality. Someone with Jupiter in the first house may be optimistic and generous or driven by concepts of morality. These are just some examples. 

Then you have to consider the other signs which that planet rules. Those signs will occupy different houses in astrology. Then, that ruling planet will import the meanings of the houses it rules into the house in which it is placed. 

So, let’s break it down. If you have Aries Rising with Venus in the first house, consider the houses that Venus rules. These would be the seventh house Libra and the second house Taurus. The meanings of the seventh and the second house in astrology will be directly relevant to the native’s character, mind, speech, life direction, and vitality. In short, relationships and money will likely be important to them. This may go as far as to say relationship and financial stress directly impacts the health of the native. 

This example is incredibly simplified. As this series on the houses in astrology continues, the complexity of each house will become apparent and the nuances of this concept will be easier elaborated.