Interpreting Empty Houses in the Natal Chart

Interpreting Empty Houses in the Natal Chart 

What is an Empty House?

When a person has their Natal, or Birth, Chart, drawn up they often get excited to see what signs the planets occupy. However, the more they learn about Astrology they sometimes become concerned about the empty houses in their chart. A house is said to be empty when it is not occupied by any planets (including Chiron, and the Nodes of the Moon).  With 10 planets and 12 signs every person will have at least two empty houses in their Birth Chart. 

What Does it Mean to Have an Empty House?

Some people fear that an empty house means that there will be a lack of development in the area of life governed by that house. For instance, if their 7th house is empty they may fear that they will never be married of have a significant relationship; or if their 5th house is empty, they may fear that they will never have children. Simply stated, this is not the case. 

Those Astrologers who believe in reincarnation believe that the issues and areas of life governed by the empty house were dealt with in a past life and so there is very little, if any, karma that needs to be balanced in the present one. Even if you don't believe in reincarnation, empty houses are often thought to be areas of ease in one's life where you will face few challenges and have little difficulty in succeeding. For example, an empty second house may mean that you are not burdened with a fear of poverty and that you make money with ease. 

How to Interpret Empty Houses 

There are two approaches when it comes to interpreting empty houses. First you look to the sign on the cusp of the house.  That sign will color your approach to the activities of that house. For example if you have Pisces in the 5th House and your 5th house is empty you might say that your approach to love is both imaginative and emotional and that you likely have a rich fantasy life when it comes to love. In reality, however, you may have a tendency to epitomize your lover or anyone you are interested in, seeing them as you wish them to be rather than as who they actually are. In addition, Pisces in the 5th house also gives you the ability to channel your imagination through your creativity through some form of art such as drawing, painting, or music. 

The second thing you would look at is the planet that rules the sign in the empty house. This is called the ruler of the house. Each planet rules at least one sign and some planets rule two. 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

The activities represented by the house that the ruler occupies can become intertwined with the activities of the empty house. For example, as in the above example of Pisces in the 5th House. Pisces is ruled by both Jupiter (ancient ruler) and Neptune (modern ruler). For the purpose of this example, I will focus on Neptune. Now let us suppose that Neptune is in the second house.  

To begin our interpretation let us list what these houses represent. 

• Second House- money, material things, possessions, values, security, resources, self-worth, how you make money. 
• Fifth House- self-expression, creativity, pleasure, what you love, hobbies, talents, and need for attention. 

When the activities of these two houses blend you might say that "you find creative ways to make money. Your hobbies are a mean to make money. Fun and relaxation come through financial stability. You take risks with your money, such as gambling or making risky purchases. Being creative and being recognized for your creations makes you feel good about yourself."

These are just a few interpretations of this placement. Next, you can put your earlier description from above together with this one and then refine your interpretation. For example. 

Pisces in the 5th House / Neptune in the Second 

"An empty 5th house indicates an ease at expressing yourself in creative ways and connecting romantically with others. Your approach to love is both imaginative and emotional and you likely have a rich fantasy life when it comes to love. However, you may have a tendency to epitomize your lover or anyone you are interested in, seeing them as you wish them to be rather than as who they actually are. You have the ability to channel your imagination in creative ways such as art, drawing, painting, dancing, or music, etc... Being creative and being recognized for your creations makes you feel good about yourself. Though they may be only hobbies to you, they are a creative way to make more money for yourself. You like to use your money for your hobbies and other past times they you consider fun. You take risks with your money, such as gambling or making risky purchases."

What houses are empty in your Birth Chart and what does this say about you. 

The Sun in Pisces 2020

Sun in Pisces 

2/18/20 8:56 PM PDT 

Natural Chart / Whole Houses 

The Sun in Pisces (General) 

Pisces is the 12th and last sign of the zodiac, so when the Sun enters Pisces it signals the end of one cycle and the coming beginning of a new cycle ---when the Sun enters Aries. I feel that the ingress of the Sun in Pisces heralds an emotional spring cleaning that precedes the physical one that traditionally occurs in our environment after the Sun enters Aries in late March. 

Our interest turns to things of the spirit and our attention turns inward. We become focused on subconscious issues and immerse ourselves in dealing with our emotional baggage. The Sun in Pisces shines the light on the desire to seek out the truth and to be satisfied with what is found in the darkest corners of our psyches. You may find yourself listening more to your intuition as well as paying more attention to your dreams for signs and omens. Your sensitivity to these subtle energies results in heightened empathy and you exercise more compassion not only in dealing with yourself but also those around you. 

How the Sun in Pisces Affects You

A planet, such as the Sun, describes a specific type of energy. In the case of the Sun it is the energy of self or ego. The sign that it occupies indicates how that energy manifests. The Sun, the energy of self, in Pisces will manifest as vague, romantic, and intuitive. Finally the house that the planet transits will determine where this energy will manifest in your life. 

In order to determine the house that the Sun in Pisces is transiting you look at your birth chart and determine what house aligns with Pisces. For example. 

• If your rising sign is Aries, Pisces is your 12th House  
• If your rising sign is Taurus, Pisces is your 11th House 
• If your rising sign is Gemini, Pisces is your 10th House
• If your rising sign is Cancer, Pisces is your 9th House 
• If your rising sign is Leo, Pisces is your 8th House
• If your rising sign is Virgo, Pisces is your 7th House
• If your rising sign is Libra, Pisces is your 6th House 
• If your rising sign is Scorpio, Pisces is your 5th House 
• If your rising sign is Sagittarius, Pisces is your 4th House
• If your rising sign is Capricorn, Pisces is your 3rd House 
• If your rising sign is Aquarius, Pisces is your 2nd House 
• If your rising sign is Pisces, Pisces is your 1st House

Example

Transit Sun in Pisces and the Natal 5th House 

The Sun in Pisces and the 5th House of love, children, and creativity can manifest as vague, romantic feelings about love and romance. The Sun is happiest in the 5th house because this house is ruled by Leo which is also ruled by the Sun. You want to believe that love is possible. You want to believe that you are loved and loving but you have some emotional baggage and / or subconscious blocks that you must confront before you can really enjoy yourself. 

On the flip side, you might try to socialize more and surround yourself with people in order to attract more attention to yourself in order to avoid confronting and healing your subconscious issues.  Alternately, you may also take up a new hobby as a distraction from your issues. If you have a history with addiction, such as gambling, you might want to be careful not to fall off the wagon. 

Aspects 

Aspects, or the relationship between planets is another dimension of Astrological interpretation that should be considered. For example. The Sun at 0° Pisces is applying a trine my natal Venus at 2° Scorpio. A Trine is a type of aspect in which the energy of one planet is supports the urge of another planets. 

The Sun Trine Venus 

I am + supports +  I love 

Transit Sun trine your Natal Venus you can be more affectionate and romantic now. You feel more attractive, charming, and social now and want to get out, do things, and meet people. Your relationships with others, especially women, will be more harmonious and enjoyable. This is a good time to make first impressions and expressing yourself more creatively. 

Ruler of the House 

What house does the Sun rule in your chart? It's ingress into Pisces also have an effect on the house that is also ruled by Pisces. For example, in my own chart Sun ruled Leo is in the 10th house and Pisces is in my 5th. So,  the ruler of my 10th house is now transiting my 5th house. What this means is that the activities associated with the 10th house will now serve the urges and interests of the 5th house. 

This can be interpreted as "reputation, achievements, and your desire for recognition serves creativity, pleasure, hobbies and children." You can then extrapolate on this statement to form your interpretation. For example you might say: You build a reputation for being flirty. You bring structure to your creative enedeavors.You want to be known for your creative work and expressions. You can make a career out of a hobby now.

Where is Pisces in your Natal Chart and how will the Sun in Pisces manifest for you?  

Carolina Dean