Astrology Intro: Bringing Us Closer To God (Pt 6)

This is part 6 of an ongoing series of articles. If you haven't already, please read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5.

In parts 4 and 5 of our series we started evaluating the houses of our example native and we have made it through the fourth house. At this point of the evaluation we've also already covered the planetary placements for six of the nine planets used in Vedic astrology, so these have been some of the busiest houses in our native's chart. As we go forward there will, generally speaking, be less activity in the houses of our native. This means that rather than looking at the action going on in the house itself, the evaluation will more heavily rely on where the lord of the house is placed, and any potential aspects that the sign may be receiving. In our sixth installment of the series, we are going to review 5th, 6th and 7th houses.

The following three tables are what we've been using as a quick reference for our evaluations. The first table provides us with information about our assessment of the planets, and the second and third tables are different ways of looking at the data to help us find the planetary placements.

For placements:

As we continue our evaluation we will stick with using James Kelleher's book Path of Light Vol 1 along with the philosophy of the Zodiac and the signs or houses representing a progression of consciousness from birth to death or cycles of awakening and spiritual realization.

The Fifth House

The fifth house is really a bust-out area after the development of consciousness through the fourth house. This is where the creative spark that we may sometimes identify with originates. While the first house is the birth of awareness and the I AM consciousness, the fifth house is the where the individual creative impulse and intelligence has its premier introduction. Here is where the native realizes the desire to create or manifest in the mundane world.

This arises in children as they grow up, but also manifests as the desire to procreate and have children. So this house can be where the native can find information related to children. This not only includes the little humans in our lives but the romantic acts leading to their creation and extending from there to the courtship and dating rituals in society (as opposed to the seventh house which has more to do with partnership).

In other ways this can also be the house of connecting to one's own inner-child. Especially in today's society and culture where detachment from our inner child is prevalent, there may be opportunities here to realize spiritual development or healing related to this relationship. From here it can also be expressed as the house of play or enjoyment as well as celebration.

Information about an individual's intelligence can also be gleaned from the fifth house such as their basic disposition or creative intelligence, leading into the type of education that one would receive or be well attuned to.

Luck can also be expressed through the fifth house. But, philosophically speaking, this understanding is as it relates to karma, as one only ever receives what is due to them. So the fifth house can be a very spiritual house with opportunities for us to use that creative intelligence towards the benefit of all and to also accept our karmic dues.

In our native's chart, the fifth house is placed in Sagittarius. The lord of Sagittarius is Jupiter, and Jupiter is also placed in the fifth house:

The Ruler of the Fifth House Placed in the Twelve Houses

Fifth House

Positive: If the ruler of the fifth house is placed in the fifth house, the person will be lucky, prosperous, intelligent, and successful. He will do very well in school and could achieve some sort of academic distinction. He will have good children and a good relationship with them. The first child will be healthy, strong, intelligent, and have a powerful personality that is characterized by the qualities of the planet that is the fifth lord. This placement also produces "friends in high places" and knowledge of mantras and rituals. In addition, his mother will do well financially. His wife will be able to easily achieve her goals, and have many friends, and become prosperous.

Negative: If the ruler of the fifth house is afflicted in the fifth house, the person will experience mixed results regarding children. For example, he might have children, but find it hard to communicate with them. It is also possible that he might have a good relationship with his children, but the children could have personal problems related to the afflicting planets and the houses they rule. In cases of serious affliction, the person may have no children at all. This placement also suggests problems in the educational process related to the afflicting planet. Although the person might be intelligent, he might interrupt his education for some reason. Similar mixed results might be noticed in the investment area, suggesting the need for caution regarding the stock market. The ruler of the fifth house, placed in the fifth, will usually give some good results even when it is afflicted, unless the affliction is very potent. Afflictions here also suggest a wavering mind, lack of integrity, and negative mental qualities.

In our native's chart, Jupiter had a so-so evaluation. It is in its own house and office in Sagittarius, which is good, along with the Moon's aspect. But, receiving Saturn's third aspect can create some challenges. Being retrograde also presents its own challenges but I find that the challenges of being retrograde are more easily overcome than bad aspects or house placements. I would say that Jupiter would be pretty even between these two explanations with a little lean towards the positive side.

As with our earlier evaluations, when a house lord is placed in its own house we normally look at how it affects that house through both the lens of it being lord and the lens of its "personality" and how that affects things.

Planets in the Fifth House

Jupiter in the Fifth House.

Positive: When Jupiter is in the fifth house the person will be blessed with good luck in life. He will be highly intelligent and will receive an excellent education. His mind will tend to be buoyant and optimistic. He will have good teachers and other types of benefactors. This position of Jupiter sometimes gives good luck in speculation, gambling and stock market investing. It is also a great position for overall success and prosperity, and sometimes gives unexpected financial gains. Finances will tend to be more abundant after the age of 28. Regarding children, however, Jupiter gives limited quantity but high quality. It is very common for this placement to produce one good child. Since Jupiter aspects the ascendant from the fifth house, it gives good health and increases longevity. This is also a good placement for teaching and for all activities related to children or students. It can allow the person to benefit from the practice of mantras as well.

Negative: If a malefic Jupiter is placed in the fifth house, the person will also have problems with money. He might gain money and then lose it. He could also have losses in any speculative venture, so he should never take risks with money. Children will also be a source of difficulty. Although the person might be intelligent, he will not use his intelligence in the best way. He could also have problems or disagreements with teachers, and his education could be delayed or interrupted. Although Jupiter in the fifth will tend to produce romantic involvements, an afflicted Jupiter can produce problems with lovers.

Same opinion here as above; Jupiter's strength is pretty even maybe leaning on the bright side, so I'd say that the description of the native here would more closely relate to the positive description.

The Sixth House

The sixth house is where many natives get their first "rude awakening" so to speak. The consciousness has developed quite nicely so far and in the fifth house it really busts out, then all of a sudden the sixth house comes along to mess with everything. This can present obstacles, hardships, disease, and other challenges, but is also an opportunity for reflection, analysis and refinement.

Along with the 8th and 12th houses, the 6th is known as a Dusthana house in Vedic astrology which are houses of difficulties, challenges and suffering. Information about one's competitors can be gleaned from the sixth house as well as information about how disease or physical maladies may manifest. Here is also where one receives and learns how to deal with criticism.

But in our dualistic world and especially as we learn astrology there are normally opportunities for benefit in the "worst" situations and also ones for suffering in the "best", and the sixth house plays into this. It can be used to find information that can help prevent disease, or prepare us for dealing with it in the ways that most benefit us. In addition to that, our enemies or competition may help us learn things about ourselves in the process, or even push us to do more than we thought we could. It is an opportunity for our mind to take the challenges presented to us and transmute them into something that benefits all, which can be a very empowering experience. In addition to our intellect being tested and us being forced to refine, our spirit may be greeted with the same challenges, or opportunities.

In our native's chart, the sixth house is placed in Capricorn, which is ruled by Saturn, and Saturn is placed in the third house:

The Ruler of the Sixth House Placed in the Twelve Houses

Third House

Positive: If the ruler of the sixth house is strong, supported, and placed in the third house, the person will be very hard working and industrious. His siblings, especially the next younger sibling, will own nice houses, land or cars, and will generally be prosperous and successful. Similarly, a maternal aunt or uncle will be very successful and highly respected. His spouse will be spiritually inclined and may travel extensively.

Negative: If the ruler of the sixth house is ill placed in the third house, the person will have a negative relationship with siblings, or his siblings might have health problems. If the third lord is afflicted here, the problems related to his siblings will be magnified. The person could be angry or critical, and will alienate other people through his communication style. He could have physical problems related to the ears or shoulders. If he has employees, then they might be unreliable, deceitful, or disagreeable.

Here the blending of significations of houses becomes more apparent as we have aspects of the sixth such as challenges and health issues combining with those of the third like siblings and communication. Although for our native, up until now, this hasn't been an obvious part of the analysis, it will continue to show more and more as we go.

Saturn is relatively strong in this native's chart, being exalted in Libra and receiving no other significant influence. Based on that I'd lean more towards the native's experience for their sixth house being like the positive description.

The Seventh House

As alluded to in our discussion about the fifth house, the seventh house is about partnership. The consciousness thus far has developed from the I AM, to a stable foundation, to the external creative impulse followed by its challenges and starting of refinement. Here in the seventh house a new focus for more established, integrated and committed partnerships comes into play.

More generally speaking the seventh house could be related to desire. The seventh house, being directly across from the first in charts, indicates what the native may be reaching or longing for. Historically in our culture the object of desire is often a partner of the opposite sex, so in the most obvious sense, this could be a romantic partner such as a potential husband or wife. But, it can also be other meaningful relationships such as good friends, colleagues, or clients.

The seventh house can also be related to balance and harmony. In the same sense as above where the seventh house is directly across from the first, it is the "other side of the scale" or see-saw opposed to where we are. Libra, being the seventh house in the natural Zodiac, has similar significations. And as goes with Libra, the seventh house being one of balance and harmony may also occasionally manifest as the exact opposite. For some natives it may be a house where they are able to achieve balance and harmony through its lessons, while having it otherwise be somewhat challenging. We certainly know that for many people relationships can be a battlefield, as well as when dealing with clients.

Spiritually speaking, there are major opportunities for lessons and development in the seventh house. Partners in any kind of relationship can be a natural mirror to help expose things within ourselves that need work. Or, in another sense, we may achieve what we think are our desires only later to find that we still feel alone or unfulfilled. Through the seventh house, we can start to balance and harmonize these things and start to integrate them as we move towards a broader understanding of self, spirituality, and progression towards spiritual liberation.

In our native's chart, the seventh house is placed in Aquarius, which is ruled by also Saturn! And as we just reviewed, Saturn is placed in the third house:

The Ruler of the Seventh House Placed in the Twelve Houses

Third House

Positive: If the ruler of the seventh house is strong, supported and placed in the third house, the person will be passionate, loving and will have internal fortitude. He could have a sibling who is intelligent, well-educated or prosperous. He could also have a sibling who lives in a foreign country and becomes successful. This placement also produces good communication between husband and wife, and supports marital happiness as a result. The spouse will be a well-educated person who has a strong sense of purpose.

Negative: If the ruler of the seventh house is afflicted in the third house, the person will have marital problems stemming from a lack of good communications. If Jupiter is also afflicted, then a child could be lost by miscarriage or abortion. If Venus is afflicted, there could be affairs or divorce. This placement also create difficulties for the siblings, or the person's relationship with them.

This chart actually provided us with a nice way to observe how this blending between houses occurs. Since Saturn rules over two consecutive signs in the Zodiac we got to see how its placement in the third blended with the significations the two houses it rules, which in this chart were the sixth and seventh. This one was a little bit more obvious because of how we see things about relationships and communication blending in these examples.

Because our assessment of Saturn has a relatively strong placement, I'd say that in this example the native's experience related to things in the seventh house would lean towards the positive. I also like this example because it's common for people to be averse to Saturn in their charts, but here we see how even malefic Saturn can find a way to create beneficial circumstances in people's relationships.

Before we move on, though, I do want to add one more tidbit here, which is that the seventh house is across from the first house, which means in our native's chart that means that the Sun, Mercury, and Venus are all casting their aspects into this house. While the main thing to look at while evaluating this house would certainly be the lord Saturn's placement in the third, these aspects are worth something. And, it's actually a lot of energy from these planets being focused into this house. With the Sun as a malefic, Venus as a benefic, and Mercury as changeable, this may be a balance between beneficial and harmful influences, and it may also shift from time to time based on Mercury's changing nature.

Understanding The Evaluation

This installment in our series reviewed the 5th, 6th and 7th houses in our example native's chart. This was relatively less dense than the others due to the fewer number of planetary placements in the houses. And, as part of that, I think it helped bring to the forefront the way that significations of houses blend with the other in which their lords are placed. With this, we can start to see how astrology and these stellar influences can legitimately correspond to anything under the sun that we can when it comes to our personal constitution as well as behaviors.

Hopefully this has started to make it more clear how we can use astrology to better know ourselves, and as an extension of that, nature and God. We've come a long way, and we've done just over half of our native's chart. We'll probably wrap this up in two more installments, before we move onto looking at how we can evaluate transits based on our natal charts, and opening up more layers of knowledge and understanding of self.