All About You – The First House in Astrology
The first house in astrology is usually described as the House of Self or the Individual. To put it simply – it’s who you are. The cusp of the first house which is the point located at nine o’clock on a zodiac chart, is what is known as the Ascendant or rising sign – the sign that was quite literally ‘rising’ above the Eastern horizon at the time we were born and which changes approximately every two hours (this is why astrologers place so much emphasis on the time of birth as it is needed to calculate the rising sign). The Ascendant is your point on entry into the world – the moment of your birth. The 12th House which is the house next to the first, is the house of things that are hidden and confinement – also known as the house of ‘womb and tomb’. So, it makes sense that you emerge from the ‘womb’ (12th) house and into the world – the first.
The first house is all about you and how you see the world and how others (the world) see you. It’s your identity, your physical appearance, attitude, temperament and personality. It’s the house of first impressions. If you have a planet, especially a personal planet (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus or Mars), in your first house, or one that is within eight degrees either side of the Ascendant, this will have a huge influence on your personality and even your appearance – or how you perceive you appear as the first house also rules our self-image. Think of the first house as a beacon and you as the light it shines out into the world. The first house also rules our head and face.
The first house is also about new beginnings and rules our early childhood but as we get older ‘fresh starts’ in life are often marked by planets transitting our first house. If you were to have a radical make-over for example, this would be a first house transit – usually by a personal planet such as the Sun or Venus.
The time you are born determines your ascendant and therefore the ruling sign of the first house. You could have your Sun in Libra but your Ascendant could be say, Cancer. Your place of birth also has a huge effect on your first house and who you are. Your time of birth places your planets into signs. Your place of birth arranges them into houses. Anthropologists, psychologists and sociologists tell us we are shaped by our environment. How different would your outlook be on life if you were born in the sprawling slums of Delhi, the Amazon rainforest, an Eskimo community?
Many astrologers feel that the Ascendant paints a more comprehensive picture of who you are than your Sun sign. After all, your Sun sign characteristics are true for everyone born within the same 30-day period. Your Ascendant and also your Moon sign is what differentiates you from the rest.
The first house holds the key to who we are and what we can become. To find out more about your first house, why not book a session with one of our intuitive astrologers who can expand on the gifts your first house bestows and what makes you uniquely you.
