The Twelve Houses
An astrological chart is usually made up of 12 houses. These are shown in the chart as triangles resembling "slices of pie". The dividing lines between the houses are called "cusps". In the diagram above, the red numbers show the numbering of the houses. Note that each number is partly on a line, and partly on a black triangle. The arrows are pointing into the corresponding houses. So, for the 1st house, the "1" is on the first house cusp, and the first house. The arrow next to the "1" is in the first house.
Each house is associated with an area of life. Here is the information for each house:
| House | Keywords | Ruling planet | Ruling sign |
| 1st | self, self-image, how you are perceived by others. The first house cusp is called the Ascendant. | Mars | Aries |
| 2nd | values, possessions, resources | Venus | Taurus |
| 3rd | communication, local environment, childhood, early education | Mercury | Gemini |
| 4th | home, foundation, family | Moon | Cancer |
| 5th | creativity, love affairs, children | Sun | Leo |
| 6th | daily activities, work, health, pets | Mercury | Virgo |
| 7th | relationships, partnerships, marriage | Venus | Libra |
| 8th | other people's money or resources, hidden things, gifts, sex, physical intimacy | Pluto | Scorpio |
| 9th | foreign travel or people, higher mind, higher education, philosophy | Jupiter | Sagittarius |
| 10th | work in the world, prestige, reputation | Saturn | Capricorn |
| 11th | groups, aspirations, goals, technology, astrology, the future | Uranus | Aquarius |
| 12th | secrets, religion, sacrifice, confinement, dreams, subconscious | Neptune | Pisces |
There are actually many different house systems. The information above is based on the most commonly used house systems in western (tropical) astrology, like Koch and Placidus.
