Esoteric Astrology and the Houses of the Natal Chart

By Alan Oken

We may define Esoteric Astrology as that side of the subject which views all stellar phenomena from the standpoint of unity; whilst Exoteric Astrology begins its study from the side of diversity and separateness. The Esoteric Astrologer looks upon the whole expression of life as proceeding from one central and primal source, and therefore seeks to understand the subject from the point of view of the One flowing forth into the many. —Alan Leo,Esoteric Astrology

In my previous articles on “Soul-Centered Astrology”, we presented a great deal of information regarding the “alphabet” of esoteric astrology: the nature and structure of the Soul and the personality, the Seven Rays, and the esoteric planetary rulers of the twelve signs of the zodiac. We continue now with a view of the Houses as seen from the perspective of the Ancient Wisdom Teachings. This will require some degree of explanation of esoteric terminology used and the perspective one needs to take. A deeper grasp of the types of activities and the levels of consciousness that are avaialble to a Soul-centered individual will then be possible. In future articles in this series, I will delineate several horoscopes esoterically, thus giving the reader some practical applications and methods of using this information more completely. As we shall soon discover, the scope of both our life expression and our creative potentials are greatly expanded when the Soul-centered perspective is added to our understanding of the horoscope. These possibilities, talents, and circumstances are not only different from those we encounter in our ordinary, daily life, but most importantly, add enormously to our sense of the Divine Center alive and well within each of us.

All of life is energy, energy in manifestation and energy in form. The planets in the horoscope indicate the “WHAT” of the chart: what type of energy is at work, and in terms of the esoteric chart, what is the nature of the Ray which is operating through that planet? The signs of the chart tell us about the “HOW” of things: how is that energy and Ray field modifying the expression of the planet? The houses of the chart tell us about the “WHERE” of things: where, in which areas of personality and/or Soul life is this planet, house, and Ray combination expressing itself?

In Soul-centered astrology, we have yet another factor, a “fourth dimentional” one. This is the LEVEL: what is the level of consciousness of the expression of this particular aspect of a person’s life force? The answer to this particular facet of esoteric astrology is perhaps the most challenging to determine as it cannot be so easily handled from an intellectual and informational point of view. The determination of the level has to be ascertained through the intuition of the astrologer and this takes a great deal of time to develop. In fact, without intuition, there can be no accurate sense and assessment of the level of consciousness at all. The development of this intuitional gift is the reward that comes to the student of the Ancient Wisdom Teachings, but it is a reward that requires patience, consistency and dedication.

The subject matter presented in these articles as well as in my books and the books of other esoterically oriented astrologers and teachers, will help structure the lower mind so that the student may have a firm foundation for the continued development of his or her intuitive nature. It is through the fields of activity indicated by the houses of the natal chart that the life force of both the lower and Higher selves meet, blend, and sometimes conflict in the present incarnation. I am assuming that the reader has already studied traditional astrology and is therefore familiar with the nature and contents of the houses from the exoteric, humanistic, and psychological perspective of astrology. This will make things much easier and far more interesting!

The meanings of the houses is a very fluid area in Soul-centered astrology. The traditional significances of each house remains the same. This is because the vast majority of us spend a great deal of time dealing with the nature of our ordinary (and often extraordinary!) lives: family, work, emotional nature, creative aspirations, health, etc. The additional Soul-centered factors are gradually integrated into one’s life as we encounter them on our spiritual Path. Those not on a Path, those not concerned with or conscious of the life of the Soul, will never have to deal with the additional factors presented on the following pages. This will be a relief for some and a loss of opportunity for others. Perhaps the easiest approach to the esoteric meanings of the twelve houses is by comparison. 

THE FIRST HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
The physical body	The Body of the Soul
The physical appearance	The aura
Activities of the personality	Emergence of the Soul purpose
Characteristics of the ego	Qualities of the Ray type
Brain and head	Head chakras
Urge for “personal space”	Expression of the manifested will
The ego in action	Activities of the Soul

The ego (personality, lower self) is very connected to its appearance and the nature of its effects on and acceptance by, the immediate environment (this is most obvious when Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius is rising). The Soul is not the body, the body is an extension of the Soul. When consciousness is aligned, the individual relates to the environment from the inside out and no longer sees him or herself as a victim (or a predator) of the environment. The qualities of the Ray type of the Soul and personality blend and this, rather than the clothes one wears or one’s physical beauty, becomes the nature of the effect the person has on the world of appearances. The head centers radiate consciousness and the environment is illuminated by that special type (Ray expression) of Love. In a future article, we will explore how Soul purpose is determined form the Ascendant.

THE SECOND HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Finances, personal resources and values	Spiritual resources and values; prana
Personal uses of material reources	Uses of material forms for Soul purposes
Attitudes about money	The shaping of matter as an expression of Soul purpose
Losses resulting from incorrect values	Gains resulting from the right use of resources
Gains resulting from the right use of resources	Increase in the ability to manifest form

Money and our financial resources are the vehicles of exchange in the expression of our sense of self-worth (and they way we are often assessed) in most western, and especially in American, culture. Prana is the vitality of the life force contained within the Sun. It is the source of all form and thus of all wealth. The personality tends to identify with form; the Soul with prana. The more our sense of self-worth is dependant upon form, the more we fear its loss and the more we stand to lose. Centering in the Soul increases the ability to create any amount of money, or any form of material substance for that matter, as we are then identifying ourself much more with the limitless energy of the Sun. It is then that the form loses control over consciousness and our consciousness gains control over the form. The result is freedom and much greater possibilities of abundance on all levels. 

THE THIRD HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Rational mind and mental processes	Mind substance energy, manas
Communication; spoken and written word	Mental telepathy
Search for knowledge	The Path to Wisdom
Short journeys	Developing the Rainbow Bridge
Gains resulting from the right use of resources	Steps along the Path
Brothers and sisters	Soul brothers and sisters; companions along the Way

The personality is often the server of the lower mind. It obeys its thoughts and has no idea that it creates those thoughts. These thoughts and ideas are more often than not, mental programs inherited from one’s family and society. They are not indiviudalized at all, merely repeated by us in our own particular way, depending on our psychological state and level of intelligence, From the perspective of the Soul, the Third House is the field of mental matter from which we may create the thoughts we use in order to communicate our creative intent and our Soul’s purpose. Our journeys through life are interpreted by the personality as experiences which fulfill or inhibit the fulfillment of personal desires. From the level of the Soul, each experience is a lesson in the right use of energy. As the Soul increases its control over the mind, our short journeys become more meaningful as we see a logical Path to Light unfolding before us. Along the Way, we meet our Soul brothers and sisters who hear and help us as we do the same for them.

THE FOURTH HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Biological inheritance	Biological karma
Mother and immediate family	The World Mother, the Group Soul (source of our Soul brothers and sisters)
Psychological foundations	Foundation for the building of self-consciousness
Endings	Karmic conclusions to life circumstances
Home	Ashram of the Master, spiritual home of the Disciple

The personality is totally shaped by the influences of the first seven years of life. These factors (especially the relationship with one’s mother), condition the behavioral factors of one’s life to a very large degree. Added to this are inherited, biological dynamics found in our genes and chromosomes. As long as we consciously and unconsciously identify with these factors as the sum total of our being, we are never, ever free to individualize our natures as conscious co-creators. In terms of the Soul, the Fourth House connects the individual to the Mother Principle of life. We are then linked by an “umbilical chord of consciousness” to the Family of (Wo) Man. We see no separation between the races, hold no tribal prejudices, fear no lack of personal nourishment, have no sense of rejection. We approach The Mother as Anima Mundi (“The Soul of the World”). She is the home of the Master. Once we are safe and secure, anchored in our foundation of Mother’s Love, we may then proceed towards our Path of self-actualization and individualization.

THE FIFTH HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Personal creative will	Expression of the Spiritual Will
Creative activities	Actualization of the Higher Self
Romance, love affairs	Willl expressing as Love
Children	The Soul as Parent
Hobbies, favorite activities	The Will to serve

The will of the personality is most often concerned with the protection and expression of that which is closest to us: our children (whom we often see as extensions of ourself), our emotions (in terms of our romantic need for fulfillment), and our talents. We interpret love in terms of these attachments. The Soul sees creativity as an expression of the will to serve. It experiences love as a parent to all the world’s children. It engages in those activities which work to refine the will aspect of our being as an extension of Soul purpose.

THE SIXTH HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Servants	Servers
Health	Synthesis of the lower vehicles; wholeness
Employees	Those who are served
Pets	Service to the Animal kingdom
Work	Service to Humanity
Techniques and skills	The knowledge to build the Antahkarana

From the esoteric standpoint, the Sixth House brings us to those experiences which help to create a greater sense of wholeness both in ourself and in the world around us. It is the Soul which creates those organizations that serve and protect the environment, its minerals, plants, and animals. It is the Soul who seeks to acquire those techniques, processes, and skills that further the unification of the lower and Higher selves. The work that we do ceases to become “our job” and instead becomes our part in the One Work that has service to humanity as its objective, thus reducing the sense of separation (and the violence that ensues) from self-serving activities. We are then in a position to serve the Self.

THE SEVENTH HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Open enemies	The Dweller on the Threshold
Partners	Soul mate and/or special co-workers
Marriage	The Path of Union

The Dweller on the Threshold consists of all the illusions, glamors, and maya which create the war within ourself. In psychological terms, it is “the shadow self”, “the not-self”, and the “other” (which is often the reflection of ourself we see in our partners). The idealized urge of Libra and the Seventh House of the ordinary horoscope is to find one’s Soul Mate. This is, more often than not, the Personality Mate as our objective to to fulfill ourself through relationship. From the Soul’s perspective, it is the union of the Higher and lower self that creates the true marriage. What we perceive as our “enemy” is merely an aspect of our own nature that has not been redeemed by Love and allowed to become an integrate part of ourself. In spiritual work, the Soul Mate is a reality, but is most often found in connection with our Group of co-workers and is of a much more impersonal than personal expression of Love. The sign on the cusp of the Seventh House tells us much about our shadow as well as our Soul Mate(s).

THE EIGHTH HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Transformation and regeneration	The Path of Discipleship
Sexuality	Vehicle of rebirth into the consciousness of the Soul
Transmutation of values	Transmutation of personal desires into the needs of the Soul
Other people’s resources	Resources needed by the group
Death	Transformation of form

The Path of Discipleship IS the path of transformation and regeneration. It requires the reorientation of personal desires into the fulfillment of the “desires” of the Soul. The Soul desires consciousness and requires an ever increasing quality of inclusivity in love. Thus emotion, passion, and sexuality on a personal level have to be transmuted into intuition, compassion, and union. Not such an easy task! It is always through Scorpio and the eighth house that the most important and complex tests and trials of the personality take place. One of the rewards for all of this intense effort is the awareness that there is no such thing as death. Life is immortal and immortality is perceived by the Soul-centered individual as unconditional love. Another great gift achieved through walking the Path is freedom from personal desires and one’s attachment to form. Thus life is lead without the pressures of emotional needs (fulfilled or unfulfilled!), and the insecurities which come from the fear of loss. The eighth house in the Soul-centered chart reveals the manner in which the individual confronts these transformational tests.

THE NINTH HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Long journeys	The Path
Religion and philosophy	The repository of Universal Truth
Differing orthodoxies	The synthesis of all beliefs
Higher Education	Higher Mind
Legal activities	Cosmic Law

The personality tends to believe that its religion and life philosophy is the only one containing any truth. Religious wars are always fought on the personality level, often led by fanatic leaders crying out and killing others in the name of (their) god. The Soul has no such philosophical or spiritual divisions. The Soul-centered person sees a world united by Cosmic Law. Disciples with strong ninth house horoscopes are usually involved in establishing methods of education which encourage the synthesis of all belief systems. In terms of travel, the Path is the longest journey we can make as It leads us everywhere and never ends. 

THE TENTH HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
The father	Spiritual Will expressed as Purpose
Authority figures	The Masters, Hierarchy, your Teacher
Honor and status in the world	Opportunities for spiritual advancement
Social responsibility	Enforcing the Will of the Masters
Career and profession	Externalized field of service
MC: point of material culmination	MC: point of initiation

The personality seeks to establish itself in the world through its professional contributions. In this way it achieves status and position, purpose and life direction. Our (extra)ordinary life requires that we take on a certain degree of social responsibility: pay our taxes, educate our children, obey the common laws of our land. We are rewarded if we do by social approval and social security and we are punished if we do not by social ostracism and loss of esteem. The Soul-centered person seeks to establish a “field of service” as his or her career objective. In this way, he or she may fulfill the needs of Higher Authority while at the same time serving others. Status is measured by the level of consciousness (love) achieved and culminates through spiritual initiation.

THE ELEVENTH HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Friends	Members of your group of co-workers
Hopes and wishes	Spiritual visions and aspirations
Organizations and clubs	The New Group of World Servers
Political activities	Service to Humanity

The hopes and wishes of the personality is usually geared for the fulfillment of personal desires. They are conditioned through a sense of identification with one’s particular society and its collective values and ideals. One usually is attracted to friends who share these goals and with whom one has common social roots. The Soul-centered individual is one who is naturally attracted to the energies expressed by other people’s Souls. Physical appearances, social affiliations and economic class mean very little or nothing at all. The urge to for a common orientation of service. The need for friendship is conditions by the need to express one’s individual part in the Plan of the Path. Aspirations and visions lead to greater inclusivity and increased methods to share those doctrines of universal life values which apply to all societies, everywhere. The eleventh house in the Soul-centered chart thus speaks about the nature of one’s companions along the Way.

THE TWELFTH HOUSE

Traditional meaning	Soul-Centered meaning
Hidden enemies	Unredeemed past karma
Self-undoing	Inversion of the Soul force
Prisons and institutions	Bondage to the personality
Secret activities	Selfless service to Humanity
Hidden resources	Awareness of past lives
Crucifixion of the personality	Service to the World Savior

The twelfth house is a fascinating part of the natal horoscope. It contains a very special duality and more power over our lives than most students of astrology realize. It is through the conditions of the twelfth house that the personality remains in bondage to the past.. It is the house of unredeemed karma, energetic situations which create patterns of activities which do not further the advancement of life. It is these patterns and blocks which manifest as our “hidden enemies”. Yet both for the personality and the Soul, the twelfth house is rich in resources, if we only know how to unlock them. The “key” to this part of the horoscope, like everything else in life, is consciousness (love). Once the door to the twlefth house is opened by the Soul, the individual is aware of the karma of past lives as well as the path of service required to be both self-forgiving as well as self-actualizing.

Source: http://www.alanoken.com/index.php?page=esoteric-astrology-and-the-houses-of-the-natal-chart