My rising sign is Aries, so the Sun is currently in my 1st House. I thought it would be fun to talk about houses as I’m going through them, and off I go.

In a (western/tropical/circular) chart, your rising sign is the one that cusps the leftmost spoke where it usually says AC. That stands for Ascendant, and it’s portion of the zodiac that was coming over the eastern horizon at the time of your birth (also why the left is called the east portion of your chart, the opposite of looking at a map because you’re looking up-something I read somewhere). And that’s why it’s important to know the exact time of your birth when looking up your chart, because your rising sign and 1st House set up your whole journey through life.

The signs of the zodiac have a natural affinity with the houses. The 1st House and Aries energy are connected, as well as Taurus energy and the 2nd House, and so on through Pisces energy and the 12th House. The signs are how the energy is expressed and the Houses show where in your life you express that energy. Everyone has some expression of all the signs in the zodiac. The amount of planets you have in a certain sign or certain kind of sign will energize and activate those areas of your life in relation to the energy of the planets. The planets are the “Players.” Their placement at the time of our birth endow us with certain superpowers, as I like to think of it, and show us our strengths and weaknesses. The movement of the planets through our houses then energize other areas of our lives. For instance, Saturn returns to the place where we were born around the age of 30 and the midlife crisis around the early 40’s are usually in time with the Uranus being in the opposite place from when we were born.

So!  The Ascendant and the whole 1st House is like Aries’ motto, the great ‘I AM.’ Everything that you think of as being ‘you’ comes from the 1st House. Your personality, physical traits and habits, how you engage conflict or not, your whole concept of yourself. This is usually why people say they aren’t like their Horoscope. The energy you give off one-on-one is coming from your 1st House and is expressed by your Rising Sign. So for example, if you have Venus in your 1st, you are probably very charming and give good first impressions, there might be something very alluring or attractive about your personality, etc. If Saturn is in the 1st, you might feel like your ego is restrained in some way, like you shouldn’t get too big for your britches or something, or it could also mean you are very grounded and structured in your sense of self through trials and learning.

The 1st house is important because it’s how you start off your journey through life and the 12 Houses of the Zodiac. It’s like being a baby and realizing you have toes. I have a body! This is me! Boom! It also tells you which planet is the ruler of your chart, based on your Ascendant. Mine is Aries, so the ruler of my chart is the planet Mars. Mars becomes a touchstone in reading my chart, because it is connected to my 1st House, my body, myself. The aspects, some astrologers like to say ‘conversations,’ that other planets make to my ruling planet Mars show where energy flows freely or is bound and distressed in my chart. Your ruling planet shows major drives and possibilities for you to explore in your life.

So let’s say you have a bunch of planets in your first house. A grouping of three or more planets in a house or sign is called a stellium. There are points on the chart like the Ascendant, that can also be grouped into stelliums. When a stellium occurs, the planets involved all become fused and the energies of the planets become indistinguishable. If your Sun and Moon are in the 1st, creating a stellium with your Ascendant, you are very consciously and emotionally aware of yourself. Your outer and internal worlds are intertwined with your very identity. A stellium in the 1st could mean you have a powerful charisma and vitality to your presence, it could also show a likeliness to get so caught up in yourself that you have a hard time seeing other people’s viewpoints. The 1st House is all about you.

Since the Sun has been in my 1st House (since March 22), I’ve noticed a couple of things. I’m not as soupy as I was in the 12th house, and less apt to second-guess myself. The Sun loves to be in the 1st House because it shines its vitality into your personal being. Our awareness and energy get a boost of life-force. I’ve felt more grounded and in tune with my Aries Rising energy, ready for anything and itching to start. On the flip side, I have realized the force behind my personality comes out in a warlike, Aries/Mars way since the Sun has been up in there. I was having a conversation with some friends recently, and me not thinking, shouted out everything my loud mouth could think of. Next thing I know, everyone was withdrawing from me and one friend even left. My outburst had extra oomph behind it, and without realizing how much fire/Aries/Mars I was putting out, I kinda burned everyone. So that has been making me think about ways to use that energy in constructive ways, rather than just lashing out.

What is the I AM? It’s all in the 1st House.

Cheers,

Will

 

P.s. if I think of more stuff, I’ll add on.

P.p.s. I’m also going to be recommending resources for you to look at if you want more astro info.

A book I really connected with at the beginning of my journey was Sextrology by Starsky & Cox. Fun and relatable with a bit of scandalousness on the side, it breaks down all 12 signs by gender. Really a breakthrough for me in terms of thinking about how different zodiac energies express themselves.

If you want to look up your chart, check out astro.com! Lots of free info, articles, etc.

Thanks again!