The 9th House in astrology

The Ninth House in astrology is all about expansion – of your horizons and most importantly of your mind. It’s the house of luck, long distance travel (journeys over 500 miles), foreigners, higher education, philosophy, religion, the law, adventure and wide open spaces. It is ruled by the planet Jupiter and is associated with the sign of free thinking and free-wheeling Sagittarius.

If you’ve been born with a planet if your 9^th house then this planet will determine the specific area where a 9^th house theme appears in your life. If you were born with Venus in your 9^th then you may well be attracted to partners who come from different countries and radically different cultures than you. Neptune in the 9^th could well convey the feeling that not only is anything possible but intense spiritual experiences via travel and foreigners. Jupiter in your 9^th could make you an explorer or a risk taker but also give you a ‘lucky streak’ in speculative ventures. But be careful! 9^th house experiences and people tend to be larger than life. You may bet the farm and then end up losing your shirt. There are no half measures with the 9^th house.

Speaking of the farm, the 9^th house also rules large animals – those larger than a dog (smaller animals and birds are ruled by Mercury and the 3^rd house). Cows, sheep, horses and all large wild animals – lions, tigers, elephants and whales are ruled by the 9^th. As the symbol for Sagittarius is the centaur – half man, half horse, it is easy to see why many 9^th house individuals have an affinity with animals.

The 9^th house rules higher education (beyond high school), religion and the law. Because it rules long distance travel and foreigners it is also the house of global awareness. People with a strong 9^th house will be naturally curious about what is going on in the world as it is the house of the explorer. The 9^th house also rules publishing and broadcasting and we can say ‘mass’ media as the 9^th house relates to size. Really the 9^th house message is all about thinking big.

9^th house individuals are often born with a deep need to understand the world in which they live in. This can lead them to become philosophers or even scientists engaged in exploring the ‘outer limits’ of our understanding. Theoretical physics is a 9^th house subject as it is engaged in exploring and broadening our understanding of the universe. It would probably not come as any great surprise to learn that Albert Einstein had his Sun, Mercury and Saturn in the 9^th house.

If you have a constant yearning to discover what lies below the horizon you are hearing the call of your 9^th house. Even if you don’t have any planets in your 9^th house, the position of the ruler of your 9^th in your natal chart will tell an astrologer how the themes of the 9^th house may play out in your life. A planet transiting your 9^th house can also bring in these themes – I have known people who have never travelled only to be bitten by the bug later in life when a planet began a major 9^th house transit.

Above all, the 9^th house is designed to give us a sense of freedom, a larger perspective on life with a stroke of good fortune thrown in for good measure. It rules our big dreams and our big projects. The things we were sent here to achieve. Its message is there are no limits to the aspects of human experience we can decide to embrace. So think big and expand your horizons. The future is wide open.