Astrology is a spiritual and creative language weaving the story of the solar system into a dynamic and organic narrative that helps us better understand ourselves, the people in our lives, the cycles of our planet, and the divine, as well as, practical nature of human consciousness.
The chart wheel presents our astrology in a circular graphic divided into 12 pie pieces, known as Houses. Each House rules an area of life. This article will look at the 2nd, 6th, and 10th Houses, which have to do with money and work.
There are actually numerous House systems used to calculate an astrology chart; the most common one is known as the Placidus House system. Others include the Koch, equal, whole sign and several more (for a complete list, visit the Wikipedia page). Different systems do not change the meaning of the actual houses, numbered 1 to 12.
Each house rules a different aspect of our lives, beginning with the 1st House of Identity and ending with the 12th House of Spirituality. Each house has a natural sign ruler, Aries for the 1st, Taurus, the 2nd, and so. And each house has a point that rules in that house: Mars in the 1st, Venus in the 2nd, and so on. Some points rule more than one house, such as Mercury ruling the 3rd and 6th Houses. After the discovery of the outer points: Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, some points lost their dual rulership.
In the astrology chart three houses rule money, finance, possessions, work, and career; they are the 2nd House, 6th House, and 10th House. Generally, the 2nd House rules personal finances, the 6th House rules your skills used for work and “jobs” you do on your way to a career, and the 10th House rules your career and what it takes to prosper.
The 2nd House is ruled by Taurus and by Venus. Fundamentally, this house is about what it takes for us to feel secure and safe. One common way to understand the houses is to think of them through the cycle of life. The 1st House is birth and the house of “I am”. The 2nd House is how your needs get met, the shelter you come into and the food and care available to you.
Frequently, the sign ruling the 2nd House is not Taurus because the time of your birth determines which sign the Sun was in when it crossed (born after dawn) or would cross (born before dawn) the horizon in the morning on the day you were born. My 2nd House is ruled by Sagittarius, for example.
With Sagittarius ruling my 2nd House my needs could be met through various channels of Sagittarius energy. For example, I could get my needs met by attaining a high level of expertise (I did earn a PhD in English). I could get them met through travel. I would certainly develop a particular philosophy about my money.
Since I have no points in Sagittarius and my 2nd House, I am likely to get my needs met by being receptive to help or guidance from people around me. Venus is in Aries in my chart and in my 6th House, so needs issues will be worked out independently in some form of service work.
The 6th House is ruled by Virgo and by Mercury. Fundamentally, this house is about what skills we need to develop to find work and how we can best serve the needs of others to get paid. In the life cycle in modern western culture, this house represents the late teen years up to the mid-twenties, sometimes as far out as 30. We leave the family to go out into the world for work.
My 6th House is ruled by Aries, for example. With Aries ruling my 6th House the development of my skills will favor independent work and a willingness to learn on my own. I will tend to work best individually rather than as part of a team and I will prefer to work directly, one-on-one with clients or people.
My Sun, Mercury, Chiron, Venus, and Saturn are all in this house, so my life path focus, my communication style, my wound to heal, how I relate, and the rules I want to live by all operate in my 6th House. As a result, I feel the need to bring service to people at the individual level in a maverick way that allows me the most freedom that I can find in my daily work life.
The 10th House is ruled by Capricorn and by Saturn. Fundamentally, this house is about what we need to achieve in order to prosper, not only providing for ourselves not, but also in the future, and for a family if we decide to have one. In the life cycle in modern western culture, this house represents the late 30s to 60. We try to find and execute our purpose, using it to provide us with status and excess so we can grow and expand.
My 10th House is ruled by Leo, for example. With Leo ruling my 10th House way to proper will be through performance and creative action. I will need to develop a high level of performance that will attract people to engage and be entertained by me. The more successfully I hone a craft and perform it, the more prosperity it will bring me.
I have Jupiter in my 10th House, which is a fantastic placement; however, it was retrograde when I was born, so my outward role in life is likely to occur either “behind the scenes” (like a costume designer or photographer for a movie) or in some more limited way, like a one-man show off-Broadway, but still with the potential for expanding success.
With every article I write, I want to encourage you, as a reader, to get your chart fully cast so you can see how life will interact with your spiritual design. The signs and points that rule your chart’s 2nd, 6th, and 10th Houses will give you tremendous insight into your relationship with money, how you prefer to work, and what ways are best for you to prosper.
