First house in astrology
- Theme
- The self
- Kind of house
- Angular
- Corresponds with
- Aries
- Depends on
- Birth time, birth place and house system
The first house begins at the Ascendant, the point of the zodiac that is rising over the eastern horizon at the moment of the chart. Houses are the twelve divisions of the sky around the birthplace, numbered anticlockwise from there, so a chart needs both the time and the place to have them.
In tradition the first house is the house of the self: the body and appearance, the temperament, and the way a person begins things and meets the world. The sign on its cusp is called the rising sign. Planets in the first house are read as strongly coloured by their position at the front of the chart. The house is angular, one of the four houses that begin at the main axes of a chart, and it corresponds by analogy with Aries.
If the birth time is not known, the chart calculator cannot place the Ascendant or any house, and it says so instead of guessing. The Ascendant moves through the whole zodiac in a day, about one degree every four minutes on average.
Planets in the first house
- Sun in the first house
- The Sun in the first house is read as identity worn on the outside: a strong presence, a face that shows the whole person, and a life led in the first person.
- Moon in the first house
- The Moon in the first house is read as feelings on the face: moods visible to everyone, a responsive manner, and a need to be met emotionally.
- Mercury in the first house
- Mercury in the first house is read as a talker and a thinker up front: identity through ideas, a quick manner, and a mind that is always visibly working.
- Venus in the first house
- Venus in the first house is read as charm at the door: an agreeable manner, care for appearance, and a gift for making people comfortable.
- Mars in the first house
- Mars in the first house is read as energy in the body: a forceful presence, quick reactions, and a readiness to lead or to argue.
- Jupiter in the first house
- Jupiter in the first house is read as confidence in person: a big presence, optimism worn openly, and generosity as a first impression.
- Saturn in the first house
- Saturn in the first house is read as a serious manner: reserve, responsibility carried early, and a self-image that matures slowly.
- Uranus in the first house
- Uranus in the first house is read as an original presence: independence worn openly, sudden changes of manner, and a dislike of being predictable.
- Neptune in the first house
- Neptune in the first house is read as a soft, elusive presence: a changeable image, sensitivity to the room, and a self that is hard to pin down.
- Pluto in the first house
- Pluto in the first house is read as intensity in person: a powerful presence, a will to transform oneself, and a guardedness others feel.
Astrology is a tradition of interpretation. What is written here is traditional, offered for reflection and entertainment, not advice and not a prediction.