crimsoncurrent

INFLUENCE OF HOUSES

The four Angular houses I, IV, VII, X, come first in importance in
a horoscope ; indeed they are so much the essential part of the map that
the other houses, as previously remarked, look like little more than subdivisions of these four. The influence of the angles is similar to that of
the cardinal signs; they are concerned with making manifest and concrete,
with bringing out into the open, unveiling and manifesting whatever may
be latent in the personality and everything that is denoted by the signs
and planets connected with the angles.
The four houses that are classed as angles are not all on an equality
in this respect, however. We have already seen that the day half of the
map, including the ascendant, has to do with bringing out of latency into
manifestation; and that the houses below the earth tend to veil, preserve,
protect, bide, and retain in latency. But the secrecy and reservation
surrounding the lower houses is only relative, not absolute, because they
are all concerned with various activities of life ; their quiescence is not
that of total unconsciousness. Generally speaking each house in the
night half of the map reflects its opposite in the day half, so that the
two become complementary; the first and the seventh, the second and
the eighth, the third and the ninth, and so on.
Of the angles, the ascendant and mid-heaven are the most potent and
active, and it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that everything signified
by planets in those houses must inevitably be expressed in some way and
THE HOUSES AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
cannot be avoided. Hence planets in these two angles denote what may
be called a typical life from the astrological point of view, that is a life
that neither greatly exceeds the average through unusual will-power or
rapidly maturing genius, nor falls short of it in any remarkable degree
through weakness or inexperience. There are some cases in which an
unusual fate is to be experienced rapidly and the life is filled with incident
to an abnormal extent, but these we pass by for the time, and the above
generalisation refers to ordinary persons.
The seventh house is nearly as open, prominent, and inevitable as
the first and tenth, although to a less extent; and whereas Self, in some
sense, dominates both the latter houses, the experiences of the seventh
come through Others. It may be said to be between latency and
activity, and the same is true m a much greater degree of the fourth
house, relating as it does to such matters as home, domesticity, parentage,
old age, seclusion; nevertheless they both usually bring forth into
activity that which they denote.
The first house is quite personal in its influence and depends upon
the strength of the Individuality behind it to give expression to its powers.
Self, in either the restricted or the enlarged sense, is dominant here. The
same is true of the tenth house, but here a wider field is provided for the
utilisation of the talents of the Self. The seventh is connected more with
experiences related to the Not-self, taken in the sense of Others; friends,
partners, associates, all whose interests are blended with those of the
native, whether m love or hate, help or rivalry ; and experiences gained
through this angle come quite as much through actions started by Others
as through those begun by Self. The fourth house may be said in a
sense to be neither personal nor individual, for here separation tends to be
lost or obscured; m the young or weak soul because of the lack of
strength to break through the bonds, and in stronger souls through
voluntary submission to the needs of others.
These four angles are directly connected with the physical and
external world, and represent outgoing activities? originating in the Self
but affecting the Not-self very directly. They generally show the nature
of things that must be openly expressed, and therefore denote the fame,
reputation, public position, and general activities more clearly and
definitely than any of the other houses.
The Succedent houses, II» V, VIII, XI, are connected with desire»
52 ESOTERIC ASTROLOGY
feeling, emotion, and with the guna tamas. They are not so open,
expressive, and full of action as the angles ; they are less on the surface
and also very much less changeful. Experiences and characteristics
based upon planets in these houses tend to continue unchanged or with
the minimum of alteration for long periods, sometimes all through the life.
Faults of character that arise out of planets here are far harder to overcome than in the case of the angles, and the good qualities are never lost.
Evil aspects to the hyleg from these houses have more serious effects
upon health, and cause diseases that are long lasting and intractable; but
good aspects give great power to resist disease.
The second and fifth houses are rather more conservative and their
effects are somewhat less open than are the eighth and eleventh, these
two latter showing desire more externalised in action.
The Cadent houses, III, VI, IX, XII, are mental and show how
thought guides and directs both action and desire. Events that are
denoted by these houses taken alone are based upon and originate in
cognition rather than feeling or action. The state of the native's mind is
concerned here, the workings of his thought, and his power of mental
response. These houses are somewhat lacking in initiative and are at their
best when working under a superior or when obeying the will of another,
although the natives do not always realise this and are sometime