House Rulers in Astrology

What is a House Ruler?

There are 12 houses in Astrology which correspond to various areas of life or specific activities. These often line up with the 12 signs. In addition to the 12 houses, and the 12 signs, there are also 10 planets which move through them at various speeds With 12 houses, 12 signs, and 10 planets there are many combinations and they can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. Generally speaking the planets, signs and houses are interpreted in a specific way.

• Planets represent what is happening.
• Signs represent how it is happening.
• Houses represent where it is happening. 

For example, let's break down Venus in Scorpio and the 6th House. 

Venus + Scorpio + 6th House

                                         I love + passion and intensity + health and work

A person who has Venus in Scorpio and the 6th house could have a passionate desire to be healthy. They may want to be healthy, not only for the sake of health but also to be attractive and desirable. Venus is in detriment in Scorpio (meaning that is it weakened and has to work harder to fulfill it's urge) and Venus can sometimes be lazy so this person may also not always follow through with what they need to be healthy, attractive, and desirable. This can be a point of frustration for them.

To determine what planet rules a certain house, you look to the sign aligned with that house in the particular chart you are delineating. The planet that rules that sign, is also the planet that rules that house. The signs and the planets that rule them are as follows:

• Aries- Mars
• Taurus- Venus
• Gemini- Mercury
• Cancer- The Moon
• Leo- The Sun
• Virgo- Mercury
• Libra- Venus
• Scorpio- Mars / Pluto 
• Sagittarius- Jupiter 
• Capricorn- Saturn 
• Aquarius- Saturn / Uranus 
• Pisces- Jupiter / Neptune

Interpreting House Rulers

The planets are constantly moving and their relationship to the specific sign(s) they rule remains the same. For example, the Sun will always rule Leo, Mars will always rule Aries, etc. However, since the houses the planets occupy often change based on the ascendant, the houses which the planets rule often change as well. For instance, if Mercury is in the 5th house in a chart and Virgo is in 7th house, it is said that the ruler of the 7th house is in the 5th house.

What this means is that the activities of the 7th house will serve the urge of the 5th house. That is you may need a partner or some kind of partnership in order to fulfill your own sense of creativity. For example, let’s say that you want to work in comedy you might find greater success as part of team (like Abbot and Costello) rather than a solo act.

This may seem a little complicated. A good way to use rulers of X house in Y house is to look for empty houses in a chart. For example, if you have no planets in Pisces and the 5th house, then find where Neptune is transiting in the chart. If Neptune is in the 2nd house then you would interpret Neptune (I dream) in the second house (money and material matters) as having idealistic ideas about money, you may be very freehearted with your money or make money through creative ways. Next, apply that interpretation back to the 5th house meaning that you may experience some kind of idealism in the expression of your own creativity such as through art, music, hobbies, or whatever you do for fun.

Ruler of the Chart

The Chart Ruler or Ruler of the Chart is the planet which rules the Sign on the Ascendant in any given chart and it's interpretation is given a little more weight that other planets. For example, if you have Taurus on the Ascendant, this means that Venus is the Ruler of your Chart. The Chart Ruler is interpreted the same way as described above.

For instance, as in the example above with Taurus on the Ascendant let us say that Venus (your Chart Ruler) is in the 11th house. In this case the Ruler of the 1st house is said to be in the 11th house. What this means is that the activities of the 1st house (outer behavior, persona, ego) serve the agenda of the 11th house (friends, groups, ideals, humanitarianism)

Again, let's break this down for ease of interpretation

Ruler of the 1st House in the 11th House

I create my persona, appearance, and outer behavior through friends and groups.

You might say that your outer persona is created through your involvement with social or humanitarian causes or people who hold the same or similar interests as you. Your relationship with others determines how you act, behave, or present yourself to others. You feel more like yourself when you are share a common goal with others. For this reason you may find that in life you are oriented towards more working in groups. These are just a few interpretation of the ruler of the 1st house in the 11 house.

Here's a handy chart to help you interpret your chart rulers

	RULER OF THE X HOUSE		IN THE Y HOUSE
1	persona, image, and appearance	1	self, outlook, persona, outward behavior, individuality
2	financial stability, personal values, possessions	2	money, material things, values, possessions, & sense of self-worth
3	thought processes, communication, & self-awareness	3	conscious mind, short journeys, communication, and how you learn
4	family ties, culture, and tradition	4	home, roots, traditions, subconscious, property, early life conditions
5	creativity, pleasure, hobbies, and children	5	self-expression, creativity, pleasure, what you love, hobbies, talents, need for attention.
6	daily habits, routines, and health	6	employment, work, co-workers, health, hygiene, service to others
7	relationships, cooperation, & agreements	7	marriage, agreements, partnerships, relationships, close associates, open enemies, contracts
8	passion, intensity, sex, & shared resources	8	sex, death, birth, transformation, shared resources, spirituality
9	higher education, travel, & meeting different people	9	higher education, ethics, travel, foreign people and places
10	reputation, achievements, & desire for recognition	10	career, ambition, profession, public reputation, status, responsibilities, authority figures
11	friends, associations, and connections	11	hopes, dreams, wishes, ideals, goals, associates, groups, friends
12	solitude, escapism, and meditation	12	subconscious, unseen or hidden matters, secrets, fears, hidden enemies, spirituality, withdrawal

If you desire, you can go through your whole chart and interpret the house rulers for all 12 houses in your chart. This will add a new dimensions to your chart interpretation. What is your Chart Ruler and what does this say about your personality?


Carolina Dean