What is a figure or map?

Figures or maps are circular diagrams showing the astronomical conditions at a particular time and place on earth. They offer a combined, integrated representation of the positions of astronomical factors affecting the earth as a whole at that time, measured along the plane of the celestial ecliptic by signs and degrees longitude of the zodiac (in western astrology, usually the tropical zodiac), and the projected position within the ecliptic of the space around a particular location on the Earth's surface. The simplest type of figure is a nativity, geniture or birth chart, which represents the astronomical conditions at the precise time and place of the birth of an individual. Great Circles and Points 'Great Circles' are imaginary circular planes running through the centre of the Earth along naturally significant lines. The intersections of the ecliptic with the other Great Circles are called points, and are accorded influences by astrologers. The Celestial Equator is an extension of the Earth's equator into space. The Celestial Ecliptic is the plane through which the Sun and planets apparently revolve around the Earth, and consists of a circle of 360 longitude at a slight incline to the equator, subdivided into the twelve signs of the zodiac of 30 each. Where the ecliptic intersects the Celestial Equator in the east (northwards) is called the Vernal Point or Aries Point. The Horizon is a circle running through the centre of the Earth on a plane parallel to that of the visible horizon at any specified point on its surface. Where the ecliptic meets the Horizon in the east is called the Ascendant (ASC or AC) or rising degree; and in the west the Descendant (DESC or DC) or setting degree. The Meridian is the circle running through the northern and southern horizons and the points directly overhead (the Zenith) and underneath (the Nadir) at the location concerned. Where it intersects the ecliptic above the horizon (in the south, in the Northern hemisphere) is the Midheaven or Medium Coeli ('MC'); and below the horizon (in the north, in the Northern hemisphere), exactly opposite the MC, the Lower Midheaven or Imum Coeli ('IC'). The ecliptic reaches its highest elevation above the horizon at the MC and its lowest descent below it at the IC. At higher latitudes, the separation along the ecliptic of the Ascendant from the MC increases for longitudes of the MC from 0 Capricorn to 0 Cancer, but declines for longitudes of the MC from 0 Cancer to 0 Capricorn. The Prime Vertical is the circle completed through the eastern and western horizons and the Zenith and Nadir. Where it intersects the ecliptic to the east is called the Anti-Vertex, and to the west is called the Vertex. The Unnamed Great Circle runs through the eastern and western horizons and the North and South poles of the Earth. Where it intersects the ecliptic to the east is called the East Point or Equatorial Ascendant, and to the west is called the West Point. What is a horoscope? The horoscope (this term deriving from the Greek horoskopos meaning 'marker of the hour', originally referring strictly to the Ascendant) is a representation of the space around the locality of a birth or other event at its exact time, after projection onto the celestial ecliptic. This space is divided into four quadrants connecting the four cardinal points or angles (the AC, IC, DC and MC) at the location and time concerned. Each quadrant is divided into three houses, the first of which (corresponding to the cardinal constitution) is called an 'angular house'; the second (fixed) a 'succedent house'; and the third (mutable) a 'cadent house'. The angles and houses so derived variably coincide with the signs and degrees of the tropical zodiac at different times of the same day in the same place, since they pass through all 360 of the zodiac in the 24 hours of the Earth's rotation. A figure thus shows the positions of the celestial bodies in relation to both the tropical zodiac and the horoscope angles. Movement from the ascendant sign and degree through each house in ascending order traces a forward path through the signs and degrees of the tropical zodiac. Yet this path is represented in anticlockwise motion by the figure, which also by tradition depicts the eastern horizon on its far left and the western horizon on its far right. The first quadrant (houses 1, 2 and 3) extends from the AC in the east (left) to the IC (below); the second (houses 4, 5

and 6) from the IC to the DC in the west (right); the third (houses 7, 8 and 9) from the DC to the MC (top); and the fourth (houses 10, 11 and 12 from the MC to the AC, completing the circle. Rising, culmination, and setting During the course of a day, since the figure is always drawn with the horizon fixed across its lateral diameter yet the horizon and every house passes forward through the signs of the zodiac at an average rate of one sign per two hours, it appears that the zodiac revolves clockwise through the figure at the same rate, and that each sign in turn rises at the ascendant, culminates at the the Midheaven, and sets at the descendant before passing below the horizon again. The same applies to the celestial bodies, although since they are themselves moving relative to the zodiac they will revolve clockwise slightly slower than the zodiac signs within the figure unless they are in retrograde motion. The time taken for any sign of the zodiac to rise through the ascendant is called its ascension time. As a result of the inclination of the polar axis of the Earth in relation to the ecliptic, some signs rise faster than others; and this difference varies with latitude and the time of year, being most extreme at latitudes close to the north pole. The signs of long ascension (slower to rise) are Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius. The signs of short ascension (faster rising) are Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus and Gemini. Yet every sign passes through the midheaven at a relatively even rate. Classifications of the houses The table below shows the four quadrants of the horoscope in relation to the angles where they begin, the houses of each modality they contain, and whether they are above or below the horizon and in the Eastern or Western hemisphere (from the perspective of the point on the earth's surface being studied). Angle of entry.|.Horizon..|.Hemisphere.|.Houses.|.Angular.|.Succedent.|.Cadent.| Ascendant......|.Below....|.Eastern....|.1-3....|.1st.....|.2nd.......|.3rd....| Immum Coeli....|.Below....|.Western....|.4-6....|.4th.....|.5th.......|.6th....| Descendant.....|.Above....|.Western....|.7-9....|.7th.....|.8th.......|.9th....| Medium Coeli...|.Above....|.Eastern....|.10-12..|.10th....|.11th......|.12th...| The houses can also be classified by element like the zodiac signs, but these groupings of houses have traditionally been given a separate set of names, as shown in the table below: the Fire houses are Individual or Life houses, the Earth houses are Temporal or Possessive houses, the Air houses are Relative or Association houses, and the Water houses are Terminal or Psychic houses. Houses.|.Individual.|.Temporal.|.Relative.|.Terminal.| 1-4....|.1st........|.2nd......|.3rd......|.4th......| 5-8....|.5th........|.6th......|.7th......|.8th......| 9-12...|.9th........|.10th.....|.11th.....|.12th.....| A final astronomical classification of the houses, not to be confused with Western and Eastern as shown in the first table above, is into the Occidental houses, which are those in the two quadrants that extend anticlockwise from the horizon to the meridian, and Oriental ones, which are those in the two quadrants that extend anticlockwise from the meridian to the horizon. Quadrant.|.Entry point...|.Exit point....|.Classification.|.Houses...| ....1....|.Horizon.(AC)..|.Meridian (IC).|.Occidental.....|.1,2,3....| ....2....|.Meridian.(IC).|.Horizon (DC)..|.Oriental.......|.4,5,6....| ....3....|.Horizon (DC)..|.Meridian (MC).|.Occidental.....|.7,8,9....| ....4....|.Meridian (MC).|.Horizon (AC)..|.Oriental.......|.10,11,12.| House cusps The divide connecting any house with the next is known as a 'house cusp', and its belonging is attributed to the next house. In other words, the cusp of a house is where that house begins. The cusps connecting the cadent and angular houses always correspond to the relevant physical cardinal point or angle at the locality and moment concerned, as described earlier (unless a house division method not referenced in all the angles, such as the Equal House system, is used, in which case, for example, the Midheaven (MC) may be located within the eighth or ninth house rather than on the cusp of the tenth). However, the intermediary cusps: those connecting the angular and succedent houses, and the succedent and cadent

houses: vary in their positions by sign and degree depending on the mathematical method or 'house system' used to divide up each quadrant before or after projecting the space around the location concerned onto the ecliptic (see below for more details). The sign that falls on the cusp of each house is an important factor to interpret. The simplified diagram above shows the natural zodiac, whereby each house exactly coincides with the sign of the same number! In practice it is very rare for this to happen, but the natural zodiac helpfully illustrates the natural affinity between signs and corresponding houses. Celestial bodies in the houses The positions of the various planets, the Sun and Moon, and the Moon's Nodes in the zodiac at each moment in time are calculated with great precision by astronomical laboratories and listed in an ephemeris by sign and degree and minute for the start or middle of each day every year Greenwich Mean Time. It is simple to interpolate from there, allowing for time zone correction, their exact positions at any time and in any location on earth. Their positions in the houses will then be apparent from the relation of their sign and degree position to that of the cusps of each house. Thus, in addition to the interface of signs with houses and that of planets with signs, each chart has the interface of planets with houses as a set of factors worthy of astrological interpretation. If a planet falls late in a house, within 2-3 of the cusp of the following house, it is interpreted as strongly in the following house. Robert Pelletier has argued that the houses are their beginning cusps, and the proximity of a planet to one or another of these points determines its house placement; but that is not the prevailing view. House Division Methods The different methods of dividing up the Horoscope into houses are called house systems, and have been categorised by John Filbey into three types: (1) the Ecliptic Systems, which trisect the four quadrants of the horoscope based on a measurement of space after they have been projected onto the ecliptic; (2) the Space Systems, which trisect the quadrants of the horoscope based on a measurement of space before they are projected onto the ecliptic; and (3) the Time Systems, which trisect the quadrants of the horoscope based on the measurement of the amount of time taken for each degree of the celestial ecliptic to pass between two angles around the horoscope. The Ecliptic Systems include the Equal House System, which projects only the horizon onto the ecliptic, ignoring the meridian, then divides the ecliptic starting from the Ascendant into twelve equal thirty-degree houses; the Whole Sign System, derived as the Equal House system but with the houses rounded up to fill an entire sign each; and the Porphyry system, which projects the horizon and meridian onto the ecliptic, delimiting the quadrants with reference to all four angles, but then trisects each quadrant on the ecliptic. The Space Systems include the Campanus System, which trisects each quadrant of the Prime Vertical then projects every cusp so derived onto the ecliptic; the Regiomontanus System, which like the Equal House system ignores the Zenith and Nadir, but instead projects the Ascendant onto the Celestial Equator, divides the equator into twelve equal segments starting from the Ascendant, then re-projects the resultant house cusps onto the ecliptic; and the Morinus system which is identical to Regiomontanus except for using the Equatorial Ascendant instead of the projected birthplace Ascendant. The Time Systems include the Placidus System, which is based on the projection of the angles onto the ecliptic followed by the trisection of two diurnal semiarcs (i.e. amounts of time required for any degree of the ecliptic to pass from one angle to the next) - one from the ASC to the MC (giving the 11th and 12th house cusps), and one from the IC to the ASC (giving the 2nd and 3rd cusps); and the Koch system, which is based on the trisection of a diurnal semiarc starting from the MC. In all quadrant-based house systems it is only necessary to calculate four intermediate house cusps, as the other four are always opposite. The twelve houses can be considered as six polarities or opposing pairs of houses having a complementary action. The six houses below the horizon (1-6), or personal houses, show how the individual is inclined to demand or act, and thus to affect his or her life and environment. The six houses above the horizon (7-12), or social houses, represent the external means, permitting and moderating people and circumstances, on which the manifestation of personal will depends. This second part of the article considers each house polarity in turn, then for each house separately discusses its traditionally attributed significations in one paragraph, and some additional (occasionally conflicting) modern attributions in the next.

1st House ; 7th House The First House produces effects caused by the ego of the individual, whereas the Seventh produces effects caused by that of the partner. The First House has signification over the individual's physical characteristics, including stature, colour, complexion, form and gait; vitality and length of life; character, spirit and soul; the station into which one is born; the native land; formative years and education; the fortunes of children; profession and enterprises; white and pale colours; and the head and face. The First also signifies action by the individual, and its results in the world; self-expression; projected persona; selfguided destiny; one's interests and habits; the moral viewpoint; opinion of self and others; attitude towards one's possessions and anything else that impacts on the ego; outlook on the world; the quality and direction of one's motivation, desires, cravings and will to manifest; awareness of the self and the future; mental and emotional qualities and attitudes; personal power over self and others; health as a consequence of personal habits; and grandparents of the opposite sex. The Seventh House has signification over marriage; anyone enquired after; women, wives, concubines and sweethearts; partnerships; all love questions; the consummation of affairs; the last years of life; death; quarrels, contentions, lawsuits and duels; public enemies; victory and defeat; the defendent in a legal case; the opposition in war; worship of gods; thieves and thefts; physicians; fugitives, outlaws and runaways; social events; leisure; banquets, and marriage feasts; and the navel, womb and bottom. The Seventh also signifies one's relation to the public in general; court trials; the outcome of pleas and disputes; the interchange of ideas; formalities; contracts, and co-operative arrangements; personal agents and representatives; business partnerships; peace and war; marriages and divorces; cohabitation; and the same sex grandparents. 2nd House; 8th House The Second House impacts on the individual's earning capacity as a result of his or her own activities, whereas the Eighth impacts on it via the disposition of others towards him or her. The Second is more concerned with assets, the Eighth with liabilities. The Second House has signification over material possessions, including property, estate, and movable goods; physical substance; nutrition; livelihood; business; wealth, fortune, and inheritance, or the expectation thereof; poverty; profit and gain; loss and damage; personal hopes; assistants; allies in lawsuits and duels; interaction with women; the profession of one's children; the colour green; and the throat and neck and area above the shoulders. The Second also signifies one's strongest desires for the quality of life; social background; secret thoughts and wishes; money; income derived from possessions and property; earned income; capacity for earning and spending; personal debts; and the fulfilment of obligations. The Eighth House has signification over death; murder; poisoning; gall-stones; haemorrhoids; piles; mental fear and anguish; weakness; being on trial; the wills, legacies, testaments, and estate of those deceased, and the inheritance therefrom; heirs; dowries; losses and penalties; expenditure; poverty; allies of opponents in duels; the property of the partner; the colours green and black; and the reproductive organs. The Eighth also signifies birth and rebirth; evolution through suffering and involuntary experiences; elimination; fateful losses which force changes; regeneration through the broadening of one's mental and spiritual perspective and the subjugation of the ego; release from personal limitations through interaction with others; psychoanalysis; transmutation of emotional stress into spiritual strength; other people's possessions; insurance; trust funds; business corporations; taxes; the stock market; liabilities involved in one's monetary relationship to and responsibilities in the world; research; restoration; and sex. 3rd House; 9th House The Third House involves changes caused by the individual's chosen actions, whereas the Ninth produces changes caused by outside forces. The Third House has signification over siblings, cousins, and other relatives and relatives-in-law; neighbours; friends; travellers; messengers; slaves; writers; letters, messages, and rumours; short or inland journeys; frequent changes of place; royalty; goddesses; mitigation; jewels; the colours red and yellow; and the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. The Third House also signifies the faculties of mental synthesis and reason; education; intellectual interests; the local

environment; perception, and the formation of sense impressions within one's environment; memory; speech; daily movement; changes; dexterity, restlessness, and accidents; cleverness; news, and all communications; magazines and books; and personal publicity. The Ninth House has signification over voyages and long journeys overseas; foreign countries; religious people, and especially clergy; church livings; religion; God or gods; divine decree; destiny and fate; books and learning; philosophy; dreams and their interpretation; visions, and revelations; divination, astrology, and soothsaying; the family of one's marital partner; social class; friendship with and benefit from kings; and the bottom, hips and thighs. The Ninth also signifies the abstract mind, intuition, and inspiration; a sense of purpose; deeper mental interests; higher education; the search for new horizons; one's sense of responsibility towards relatives, and towards collective needs; imports and exports; residence abroad; grandchildren of oneself and siblings; far-reaching advertising and publicity; worldwide contacts; racial ideas and ideals; publication of one's own writings; and organised sport. 4th House; 10th House The Fourth House represents the environment and foundation for reputation and career development brought by the individual's own choices, whereas the Tenth involves forces outside his or her control (others' attitude towards him or her) affecting his or her career. The Fourth House has signification over parents and grandparents, but especially fathers, and foremost the father of the individual whose nativity is being studied; children and descendants; old age, and what follows death; family property; lands; grounds; fields; pasture; agriculture; orchards; vineyards; gardens; the water supply; hidden treasures, and hidden or unrecovered wealth, and the mining of metal; gain from hidden sources; houses; castles, and all ancient dwellings; temples; towns and cities; possessions, and household goods; repute; wealth; the colour red; and the breast and lungs. The Lord of the Fourth House indicates the governor of the town where the individual lives. The Fourth also signifies the birthplace; the nature of the early life, upbringing, subconscious conditioning, and home environment; one's psychological roots; family and racial traditions; the plave of residence; the home and domestic affairs, conditions and concerns throughout life; the first child (if a woman's geniture); the manner in which every concern ends; the concretisation of the ego as the seat of the emotions, desires and passions; the mergeance and draining away of everything requiring elimination; the final illness and demise; private matters and personal secrets; the imagination; emotional receptivity; treasured memories; whatever surrounds, protects and nourishes one; anything accumulated or in storage; whichever parent has more of a nurturing role; and rentals, leases, and purchase or sale of real estate. The Tenth House has signification over people in high public office and position, including royalty (kings, princes, dukes and earls), top military officers and town officers, and judges and magistry; lawyers; government by nobles; preferment; popular favour; alliances with foreign states; reputation; honour, distinction, glory, dignity; fame in relation to one's station; power, and authority; accomplishment; the consummation of success; success in business; one's career, profession or trade; commerce; the state of being married; kingdoms, empires, dukedoms and counties; law and justice; mother(s); liberality; mental infirmities; the colours red and white; medicinal remedies and cures; and the knees and upper legs. The Tenth also signifies relations with those in authority generally; whichever parent is more authoritarian; large-scale organisations; consciousness of one's own nation; and relationship to society as expressed through occupational activities. 5th House; 11th House The Fifth House allows the individual to profit from chance through investments and emotional leanings, whereas the Eleventh determines through the influence of or intervention by others whether or not his or her desires will be met. The Fifth House has signification over pregnancy; children, and their health; friendship; joy and pleasure; clothing; ambassadors, messengers or agents for the state; accomplishments; banquets; ale-houses and taverns; the wealth of the father; the ammunition of a besieged town; the colours black, white and honey-colour; and the heart, stomach, liver, sides, shoulders and back. The Fifth also signifies the externalisation of ego through creative and procreative desires, activities and products, including artistic and literary output; talents; holidays; hobbies, recreational impulses, games, and amusements; emotional and romantic inclinations and desires; strong impulses projected into the world in a dramatic manner that contribute to fame or notoriety; displays; and financial speculation and gambling. The Eleventh House has signification over friends and friendship; the fidelity or falseness of friends; friendship with

women; children; freed prisoners; praise or dispraise from others; love; hope, trust and confidence; good fortune; happiness; longevity; ambition; triumph; the attainment of desires; gifts; ornaments; commerce; the councillors, allies, associates, servants, favourites, money, treasure, and war-time ammunition and soldiers of kings; the colours yellow and saffron; and the lower legs (down to the ankles). The Eleventh also signifies general social interaction; aquaintances; detached or impersonal relationships; groups, clubs, and associates; business connections; scheming flatterers; ideals concerning relationships; those who share one's ideals; the imagination; hopes, wishes and ambitions; altruism; reforming visions and efforts; humanitarian and philanthropic enterprises; projects; the rewards brought by ambitions; and sons, and daughters-in-law. 6th House; 12th House The Sixth House affects the individual's health, service to others and work through choices under his or her own control; whereas the twelfth inhibits and represses as a result of others' reactions to him or her. The Sixth House has signification over employees, servants and slaves; tenants; agricultural labourers, farmers, shepherds and hogherds; farmed animals such as sheep, goats, hogs and cattle (except oxen), and the profit or loss that they bring; rabbits and hares; health, and especially illness, disease, and physical infirmity and defects; uncles and aunts (especially on one's father's side); overwork and toil; ill-fortune; loss of property; misery and bane; enmity; the colour black; and the lower part of the abdomen, including the intestines and kidneys. The Sixth also signifies clothing; food and diet; hygiene and sanitation; domestic pets; other small animals; comforts; the capacity to serve personally, in routine and unobtrusive ways; the nature of those in one's own service; duties, practical responsibilities, mundane chores and tasks; daily work; employment in general; and mental conflicts resulting from the externalisation of the ego, leading often to mental illness or physical disease. The Twelfth House has signification over large cattle such as oxen; horses, elephants, and other exceptionally large animals; (private) enemies; witches; tribulation, affliction and misfortune; prison, and imprisonment; bail; servants and slaves; fines, and debt; fear and anxieties; self-undoing; toil; sorrow, misery, bane and adversity; danger; illnesses, disease, infirmities and defects; death; foreign countries; exile; those who maliciously undermine or secretly inform on their neighbours; harbours; the colour green; and the feet. The Twelfth also signifies secret feelings and aspirations; sins, and negligence, that haunt one's conscience; karmic liabilities; atonement for errors through compassionate self-sacrifice and charity; character defects seeming to necessitate a spiritual rebirth; repressions; deceptions and treachery; neuroses, and psychogenic illnesses; hidden and underhanded opposition, and behind-the-scenes manoeuverings; hospitals and hospitalisation; asylums; institutions; work in seclusion or behind the scenes; the inclination to think at variance with or change society and national consciousness; the attainment of ultimate understanding; occultism; meditation; inner self-development; uncles and aunts on one's mother's side; and position in the afterlife. Associations of the house groupings The Individual houses form the Trinity of Life, representing the body (1); soul (5); and mind (9). The Temporal houses, which refer to the individual's temporal (i.e. material) status, form the Trinity of Wealth, representing possessions and property (2); comforts (6); and honour and position (10). The Relative houses, which refer to human relationships, form the Trinity of Association, representing ties of consanguinity (3); ties of conjugality and legality (7); and ties of friendship (11). The Terminal houses, which refer to endings of conditions in the individual's life, form the Trinity of Psychism, representing the individual's environment in each epoch of life (4); the influence of others upon this environment (especially through death or inheritance) (8); and confinement and other impedances (12). The Angular houses, (1), (4), (7) and (10), known anciently as the cardinal or pivotal houses, are considered the strongest placements for any planet. The Descendant was known as the Setting Place, and the Immum Coeli as the Subterraneous Pivot Point (as reportedly translated by Robert Schmidt from the ancient Greek). The Succedent houses, (2), (5), (8) and (11), known anciently as the post-ascending houses, are considered almost as strong but attracting less public notice, therefore more neutral overall in quality. The Cadent houses, (3), (6), (9) and (12), known anciently as declines, are considered environments characterised by a quality of 'falling away', so that it is impossible for planets tenanted therein to thrive, so they are the weakest positions. Characteristics of the hemispheres

The Western houses, (4), (5), (6), (7), (8) and (9), are associated with awareness and recognition of others and their needs, consideration of will with respect to its effects on others, sharing, relating, being moulded by one's social environment, having one's life direction shaped by others, and in some cases using others to one's own advantage. In these houses, malefic planets (i.e. primarily Mars and Saturn) are said to be strengthened, and benefic planets (i.e. primarily Venus and Jupiter) weakened, especially in their impact upon the individual's health. The Eastern houses, (10), (11), (12), (1), (2) and (3), are associated with self-expression and the exercising of personal will, whether in relation to the self and immediate environment (in the cases of (1), (2) and (3)), or to more impersonal, even universal, matters (in the cases of (10), (11) and (12)). The three above the horizon, (10), (11) and (12), are deemed to strengthen planets there posited. Houses below the horizon, (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6), occasionally referred to as Northern Houses, are the personal houses: areas of inward reflection and subjectivity, without social involvement, and describe self-absorption; the seeking of security from within and in the local environment; relating to the outside world with reference primarily to its personal impact on the self; the introspective search for what is personally meaningful; the development of personal inclinations that require experience before they can be openly expressed with success or applied to more impersonal concerns; and frequently a state of relative retreat from the outside world. Houses above the horizon, (7), (8), (9), (10), (11) and (12), occasionally referred to as Southern Houses, are the impersonal or social houses. They are associated with active involvement in the outer world, community issues and society, and the ability to relate to them objectively on their terms rather than with reference to personal subjectivity; the establishment of a public identity; frequently discomfort at introspection and self-nurturance; and the connection of selfimage with achievement in public, social and professional life. Other House Strength Considerations Houses are also considered stronger or weaker in relation to their house distance from the Ascendant / Descendant axis (the horizon), in accordance with the natural aspect formed between their cusps and this axis. Thus, houses whose cusps are in natural trine (5), (9) or sextile (3), (11) relation to the Ascendant are more favorable positions, while those whose cusps are in natural square (4), (10) relation to both the Ascendant and Descendant. Houses whose Lords (cusp sign rulers) are situated in a house whose cusp is in natural trine / sextile relation to the horizon gain strength in the individual figure. Intercepted Houses and Signs A house containing two or more sign cusps is said to contain an intercepted sign. Conversely, a sign containing two or more house cusps is said to be contain an intercepted house. In many figures cast using quadrant house systems, particularly in the more northern latitudes of the northern hemisphere, one opposite pair of intercepted houses, and one opposite pair of intercepted signs, will be found. Where a sign is intercepted inside a house, the qualities of the sign on the house cusp come under stress from the competing demands for expression of the intercepted sign, whose qualities are contained inwardly by the individual rather than being overtly expressed. This inward expression intensifies the sign qualities and presents a learning and development challenge of their nature to the individual. Where a house is intercepted within a sign, the areas of life signified by the intercepted house and the next house (on whose cusp the sign also occurs) will be tied together as avenues for expression of the general character of the sign, whose influence in the life will be increased. Derivative Houses The Derivative House technique involves perceiving a house (x) from the standpoint of its numerical distance in houses (z) from any other particular house (y) before it, and drawing inferences about the means or necessary consequence (z) of bringing the purposes of the motivating house (y) to fruition. On a more concrete level, each house may naturally combine two other house concerns: as with the 9th house representing grandchildren (5th from the 5th). Reading a House

When synthesising an interpretation of a house in any particular natal figure, the following procedure of considerations is recommended: (1) The general significations of the house, which are universal principles applying to all natal figures. (2) The modifying influence of the sign on its cusp, as a filter to its character. (3) The position by sign and house of the dispositor or Lord (i.e. cusp sign ruler - see Rulership and Dignities article) of the house, as a further description of how (sign) and in what domains (house) the affairs governed by the house will manifest in the individual's life. (4) Any mutual reception between the house under consideration and the house tenanted by its dispositor, as this will more closely link the principles of the two houses involved. (5) Any aspect the house dispositor forms to the Ascendant, as a strengthening or weakening influence on the house. (6) The signification of any planets posited in the house itself, as operating in the areas of life represented by the house, taking into account the character of these planets as modified by the signs in which they are placed (which may not be the same as the sign on the cusp of the house that governs the affairs of the house overall), aspects they receive from elsewhere in the figure, and the condition of their dispositors in the figure. (7) Relation of all that has thus been signified about the affairs of the house to the context of the overall life, as revealed by the remainder of the figure. Houses in Ancient Astrology The ancient Greek word for an astrological house, topos, literally translates as 'topography' or 'place', whereas the idea of a 'home', oikos, was applied to the domicile of a planet - i.e. the sign over which it is the domicile ruler. In ancient Greece, the Whole Sign system of house division and demarcation was in common currency. Each house thus formed was considered to have a very specific function. This system is still the standard in Vedic astrology to this day, and results in very different boundaries to each house in relation to the angles and intermediary house cusps, because the houses are considered to start at the beginning of the sign in which their cusps are placed, in contrast to the Equal House System, in which similarly the houses are all of equal arc on the ecliptic but start from their cusps and extend for thirty degrees in a uniquely forward (anticlockwise) direction around the zodiac to the equivalent degree of the next sign. Using whole sign houses, thus, on average 50% of planets will appear posited in the house before the one in which they would appear when using the Equal House system. However, the Equal House system itself had already achieved recognition by Ptolemy's time, but Ptolemy himself counted back five degrees from the cusp of each house to mark its beginning, whereas moderns tend to start the houses exactly at the cusps, allowing at most two or three degrees' retrospective leeway for inclusion of planets that are posited towards the end of the previous house. The Porphyry House System (as summarised in the first page of this article) is the earliest known example of a house system based on the division of the horscope into quadrants centred in the angles at the horizon and meridian around the birthplace or equivalent place on the Earth's surface under study. Vettius Valens noted the Porphyry system in the 2nd century A.D., strongly associating the placement of planets in angular houses with increased strength and those in the cadent houses with debilitation. Valens had dedicated much of his life to gathering ancient astrological traditions from his travels to to Egypt, so it is reasonable to presume that this example of a quadrant system was in use centuries earlier. A quadrant system was also employed by Antiochus of Athens, who, like Ptolemy, considered houses to become effective starting five degrees before their cusps. The angular houses were anciently considered indicators of times of life, based on a circuit around the horoscope in the reverse of the usual forward direction, following in effect the apparent diurnal motion of the Sun in a figure, the 1st house being considered a marker of the start of life, the 10th one of the prime of life, the 7th one of old age, and the 4th one of death and what follows it. The following table provides a summary of selected translated and original ancient names and concepts for the houses. Also the 3rd house has been called the good decline while the 10th house has been called that of praxis, meaning one's life activity. Deborah Houlding translates Epicataphora as 'casting down', yet according to Joseph Crane the 8th house was known also as idle.

1st....|.Rising Place..|.Anatole......| 2nd....|.Gate of Hades.|.Anaphora.....| 3rd....|.Moon Goddess..|.Dea..........| 4th....|.Subterraneous.|.Ypogion......| 5th....|.Good Fortune..|.Bona Fortuna.| 6th....|.Bad Fortune...|.Mala Fortuna.| 7th....|.Setting Place.|.Dysis........| 8th....|.Idle..........|.Epicataphora.| 9th....|.Sun God.......|.Deus.........| 10th...|.Midheaven.....|.Medium Coeli.| 11th...|.Good Spirit...|.Bonus Daemon.| 12th...|.Bad Spirit....|.Malus Daemon.| Solar Houses Another ancient system of house division completely ignores the birthplace or event place, and instead treats the position of the Sun as the start of the first house, then marks out twelve equal houses of 30 from there around the zodiac in the usual direction, so in effect it works same as the Equal House System but with the Sun substituted for the Ascendant. A figure based on solar houses is sometimes called a heliarc figure. Solar houses were anciently delimited as whole-sign houses, just as the houses of the horoscope often were. This technique has been brought back into use in the 20th century with the advent of Sun sign forecasting, whereby the current transit of each luminary and planet to each whole-sign solar house for each natal Sun sign is taken into consideration in assessing current influences upon all individuals born under that Sun sign. In a modern solar figure based on the placement of the first house cusp on the exact degree of the Sun, the position of the Moon is equivalent to that of the Part of Fortune in a horoscope figure; that of Mercury is as that of the Part of Commerce or Understanding; that of Venus is as that of the Part of Love; that of Mars is as that of the Part of Passion; that of Jupiter is as that of the Part of Increase; and that of Saturn is as that of the Part of Fatality. (A separate article on the Arabian Parts will be prepared in March 2004.) The solar figure visually highlights aspects to the Sun; and the delineation of planets tenanting its houses should be referenced to the general principles of the Sun as a significator, as distinct from the Ascendant. Lot Houses In antiquity, figures were cast with the Part of Fortune (as ordinarily calculated) placed defining the cusp of the First House, and twelve equal houses marked out from there in the usual direction, the placements of the planets etc. therein being used as significators of fortune with reference to their essential functions as planets when expressed through the areas of experience and life denoted by the houses in which they were placed. These were mostly used for horary astrological purposes or for event charts, rather than for nativities. Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven, Immum Coeli The Ascendant signifies affairs pertaining to the First House. Similarly, the Descendant signifies affairs pertaining to the Seventh House; the Midheaven or Medium Coeli corresponds to the Tenth House; and the Immum Coeli or Lower Midheaven relates to the Fourth House. In the judgement of the matters governed by each of these four angular houses, the angle that is on its cusp should be considered by its sign and aspects received (conjunctions being of foremost importance), together with the sign and house placement of, and aspects received by, its Lord. While any planet in the angular houses is of increased strength, this is particularly so of one posited in the Tenth House or the First House; and additionally if conjunct (as measured by degrees) the Midheaven or Ascendant such a planet will be greatly strengthened in its importance within a figure. More specific concepts of three of these angles are compiled below. The Ascendant describes the body and its material wants, physical appearance (both purely structural qualities of appearance, and the facial expression and outward mannerisms), constitution (health), and vital resilience. According to Alan Leo it also has significant bearing upon the mind, intellect and 'disposition', but above all the brain as the 'controlling centre of the body', and the 'expression of the Ego in the physical world'. He links it to inherited and parentally derived character traits, stating that only with maturity can the inner being represented by the Moon and Sun express itself more freely.

Sasha Fenton states that the Ascendant sign shows 'one's earliest experiences of life' (which include, according to Jeanne Avery, the 'circumstances of birth'), 'early programming', and 'environmental factors' (in contrast to genetic ones) that, as Avery notes, influence the personality and mould the survival instincts. Fenton suggests that the characteristics of the ascendant sign are adopted to fit in with how authority figures early in life are perceived by the individual as expecting him or her to be. Peter Damian regards the Ascendant as showing not only the physical form and early environment, but also the individual's 'aspirations and will'. Howard Sasportas regards the ascendant as showing our concept of life and existence; our perception of the world outside; and also our expectations when faced with changes and new beginnings, and our way of undertaking them. According to Dane Rudhyar, the Ascendant signifies the 'intuitive awareness of self, or of individuality', and is connected to 'dharma', highlighting the 'central potentiality which the person should seek consciously to actualise as a vessel or lens through which the Divine may act'. The Ascendant has been taken to indicate the way in which one approaches and confronts one's environment (especially outside the home); the elements of one's personality that one projects outwardly to others ('outer manner' or image), particularly in impersonal, public situations; and, therefore, the first impressions others obtain of oneself. Martin Schulman regards it as the personal point of consciousness, likening it to a 'doorway' between the inner being and the outer environment, governing 'the way in which the inner being makes contact with the external environment... [and] receives and gives illumination (from and to the outer environment)'. He also sees it as a 'filter' of the individual's many inner potentials and of the world's many external realities, serving usefully and productively to selectively focus the individual's energies (as shown by the overall birth-chart) upon a 'meaningful field of expression' in the outer world, since it is 'important for us to selectively identify with those [external] conditions that directly affect the evolution of our own [inner] karma'. And through its function as a selective integrator of the inner self with the external world, he sees the Ascendant as determining the individual sense of identity, or ego, and showing the 'way in which we find personal expression through the ego'. Robert Hand calls the Ascendant a point where 'energies of the self pass from the inner realm to the outer and are made manifest to the not-self'. Moore and Douglas agree with Alice Bailey's view that the Ascendant shows the 'intended life or immediate soul purpose for this incarnation' and the 'force which, rightly used, will lead the man to success'. They add themselves that it describes 'what a person may become if he can actualise his spiritual potential'. The Ascendant is sometimes portrayed as a put-on, acted 'persona' or 'mask' of 'psychological devices' that is automatically put up to protect the individual from being truly known by others when he or she 'feels less than safe,... scared [or] uncertain' (Avery): a 'faade' that he or she 'hides behind' for reasons of survival and safety; or (as Fenton puts it) a 'shield' that 'hides and protects the real personality, thereby allowing us to assess any situation before relaxing and revealing our true feelings'. As such it is considered under the individual's conscious control, adaptable to different situations, selectively allowing others to see the personality in a particular light. Yet it will always take the form of the particular sign of the zodiac on it, modified by aspects to it and by the situation of its dispositor. Most astrologers therefore regard it as an intrinsic part of the true personality, although perhaps the most easily outwardly expressed part. Hand notes that it shows the impression that others obtain of oneself and the effect that one has upon others through a combination of personality and actions. The Descendant describes one's consciousness of and interactions with other people in the environment, and indicates qualities of the type of individual to whom one feels attracted with a view to partnership situations, as well as the nature of the partnerships that one experiences. It also shows some of the qualities we tend least to identify with ourselves. Rudhyar describes the Descendant as showing the manner in which one approaches interpersonal relationships that involve 'mutuality' and equality, whether through co-operation and sharing, or through conflict and enmity, with others who differ from oneself. The Midheaven or Medium Coeli traditionally signifies career, marks of status, public reputation (including fame, honour and dishonour, and social standing), worldly situation and position, social contributions, external life direction, and ambition for personal achivement. On a psychological level, it shows, according to Sasportas, 'the image we wish to present to the world', which is manifest in choices of clothing and self-description, as well as in public behaviour; and 'those qualities for which we want to be admired, lauded, looked up to and respected'. Hand calls it 'the point of greatest self-externalisation in the social world', and comments that it tells 'what one needs to do with one's life in order to grow'. Fenton further connects the midheaven to the 'type of person whom you find attractive'. Stephanie Clement departs wildly from tradition in asserting that the Midheaven shows the 'ability to mediate between the world of Self and the world of Other', and links it to ego-consciousness, resistance to change in one's personal ideas and feelings, and the development of spiritual awareness and awareness of one's 'personal creative potential'.

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Anti-Vertex / Vertex; East Point / West Point axes The Anti-Vertex and the East Point (or Equatorial Ascendant) have both been proposed as sensitive points acting as 'auxiliary Ascendants' (Maritha Pottenger). Their influence is believed to manifest in personal identity, needs, selfexpression, and actions. They function as parts of two-point axes in connection with their opposing points; and both ends should be considered by sign and house placement and close aspects, with particular consideration for conjunctions. The sign and house placement(s) of the Anti-Vertex and the East-Point, for instance, will add a slight emphasis of the nature of the signs and house(s) concerned to the expression of the self. Any conjunction will emphasise the end of the axis concerned in connection with the conjoined planet or principle, and often to the detrminent of the opposing point on the axis. Pottenger similarly regards both the Vertex and the West Point (or Equatorial Descendant) as being akin to auxiliary descendants, showing the emotions and experiences sought through close personal relationships, and the qualities that one is inclined to project onto others, unconsciously seeking their expression in them. In the case of the Vertex especially, she perceives this projection mechanism as externalising responsibility for a part of one's own self, and tending to attract the characteristics of this ceded part in others in exaggerated form. Donna Henson, citing Delphine Jay as a source, additionally characterises the Vertex as showing how one is perceived by others on the basis of one's past actions and one's personality, as indicated by the Midheaven and Ascendant; and what others expect one to do, with positive self-development rewards to be reaped if one succeeds in doing this, and negative consequences for personal integration if one fails. Vertex and West Point in Synastry In synastry, Pottenger has often found one of these points in close conjunction with a personal planet or one end of an angular axis belonging to the other person, where significant binding ties are involved. This may be the Ascendant / Descendant axis, the MC / IC axis, the lunar nodal axis, or even the other person's Vertex / Anti-Vertex or East Point / West Point axis. Henson corroborates this finding with regard to the Vertex in particular, stating that its conjunctions to an angle or planet in another person's nativity 'may help explain strong associations between people... that otherwise do not seem to be indicated, or they may reinforce those that do have other indications'. She adds that the malign influence of a malefic conjunct the Vertex in synastry can be offset by a conscious decision by the Vertex person to express towards the planet person the sign quality of his or her Anti-Vertex. Vertex as 'Fated' Point The Vertex, first named and researched by L. Edward Johndro, is believed to have a connection with fateful encounters with both circumstances and people. Henson states that it shows 'fated or destined' role to be played by the individual, or a quality required to complete the personality, with which he or she is at first uncomfortable, but which takes personal form through the mediation of uncontrollable events involving other people. Vertex in Predictive Astrology Hand finds the Vertex to be active in dramatic situations that are 'not characteristic of one's ordinary life'. John Townley found transits of outer planets to the Vertex to bring turning points in life whose significance may not be registered by the individual affected at the time, but will be in retrospect. Henson comments that the aspect type will describe the influence of the transiting planet on the individual, with conjunctions being most powerful. She also notes that transiting eclipses that activate (by conjunction or opposition to within a three-degree orb) the natal Vertex will stimulate the individual to activity of the nature of the natal Vertex by its sign and house placement. Henson comments that whenever the Vertex is 'activated' by aspects (this may apply to those involved in transits or progressions), or by its own progression into a new sign, the individual is obliged to display and grow in its particular qualities (as shown by natal or progressed sign placement), and will tend to take actions of their nature, in response to whatever situation has occurred. Where aspects are involved, this situation ('how we are apt to be compelled' to express the Vertex qualities, as Henson puts it) will be described by the nature and placement of the aspecting planet (or point), considered together with the houses over which this aspecting planet is the Lord, and any other aspects received by this aspecting planet. The overall significance of the situation, the difficulty level (harmony or disharmony) involved in resolving the situation through the expression of the Vertex qualities, and the conequences of the situation to the individual, correlate primarily with the

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type of aspect thrown to the Vertex by the activating point or planet, with conjunctions and parallels being strong influences in the nature of the aspecting planet or point, while oppositions, squares and quincunxes are generally negative but present great opportunities for growth. The manner in which the natal (or progressive) sign qualities of the Vertex are put to use in response to the situation will be shown by the nature of all relevant aspects (natal and transiting or progressive) to the Vertex itself. The house placement of the Vertex natally and by progression can show the areas of life over which any situations involving the Vertex being activated have the greatest effect. In solar return figures, Henson has found that aspects, but most especially conjunctions, of the Vertex to both solar return and natal planets will frequently bring, in the year to follow, significant 'life-altering' events of the nature of the planets involved, often as expressed through their solar return houses. Vertex in Mundane Astrology Henson reports that the Vertex is often involved in a major aspect configuration in the figures for significant mundane events having a 'fated' quality, whether the aspects involved are found solely between transiting planets, between transiting planets and the previous solar eclipse, in transits to the natal or progressive figure for the country, institution or other entity involved, within the progressive figure for this entity, or between its progressive and natal figures.

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