The First House in astrology presents us with a conundrum. True enough, never judge a book by their cover. However, your self-presentation truly leaves indelible impressions on the world.
Launching with the Ascendant, the First House in astrology is the horoscope’s starting point. Signs of the First House are dependent on what’s happening in the Eastern skyline at the moment of your birth. Naturally, this also means that your birth chart’s structure depends on your birth location.
Planets astrologically fall into houses based on where you’re born, so location is important. Prime real estate is truly when the planets align for the moment of your birth because of where you are. Horoscopes are easily affected by the location of birth, so keep that in mind.
Book covers may not be everything, but don’t discount them! Good starts are often the difference between someone who does well or someone who does poorly in life. Read on to find out what your First House in astrology might mean and what it says about you!
Meaning of the First House in Astrology
First off, we need to know how to determine First House in astrology. Simply put, you need to know which Zodiac constellation was rising on the east horizon when you were born. The exact time and date of your birth are absolutely necessary to determine your First House in astrology.
What is the First House in astrology? The First House in astrology connotes identity. Often, any house or planet affects the bodies and psyches of those within them. Everything to do with appearances falls under this house’s dominion.
Parts of the house closer to the Ascendant are in charge of your physical self. Visible things like appearance and behaviors are closer to the Second House. Personal style is also among the things that are closer to the Second House.
Environment also plays a large role in the meaning of the First House in astrology. Ascendant signs are a good start to determining how we were psychologically expected to fit into our early environment. Certain traits appear more often for some signs and loved ones to encourage these in your early life.
Gemini rising? You encouraged dialogue and asked questions in the family with an inquisitive nature. Cancer rising? You took on the role of caretaker earlier than most in the family. Libra rising? You mediated and learned how to make peace even from an early age.
What does First House represent in astrology? It depicts the full expression of you and how you’re seen from your environment. Your essence as a person and your presence with regard to your environment and other people are in here too.
Traits from this house become instinctive parts of our personality projection. This is because we quickly learn these are necessary for survival. Whether we encourage or punish certain acts makes all the difference.
More than Personality
Of course, while this house says a lot about your nature, nurturing has a big role to play as well. Developing personality traits has much to do with what was acceptable in your early life. However, you can only suppress nature for so long by specific kinds of nurturing or punishment.
Geminis have inquisitive natures from birth. Suppressing their questions or refusing to answer them won’t stop their nature. It just means that they’ll figure out another way to get their answers or deny themselves. Naturally, that won’t work; that frustration at not getting answered will manifest in some uglier way later. They may even turn to unhealthy methods to satisfy their curiosities.
“Astrological mask” is the common reference to your Ascendant, but this doesn’t mean that your Ascendant is fake. If anything, it is the truest part of your astrological chart. Core identities are the primary consideration of this house, so we can dispense any notion of pretension.
Try not to think of the Ascendant as a convenient cover-up for who you really are inside. Qualities from this house are like the paths we take in life to actualize our Solar qualities. The Sun represents our lifetime’s destination and the Ascendant is just the path we take to get there.
On top of your physical self, the Ascendant and First House also rule your personality projection. Appearance and personality projection are all reflective of what’s happening in your First House or with the Ascendant. This means you shouldn’t just disregard these as mere covers on your book.
In any case, covers are always part of a book. Covers are a real part of the book anyone is holding in their hands. It is part of the experience. So what’s behind the cover of your book?
Planetary Influences
Aspected planets are a great thing to have in your First House! All of them can be positive influences, even more intimidating ones like Saturn or Mars. They work based on how they’re associated with other planets in your birth chart.
However, the best planets for your First House will always be the Sun or Jupiter. Great energy and contentment are in high supply with those planetary influences. Mercury isn’t a bad planet to get either; they have fantastic personalities.
Don’t forget to direct your planetary influences in a positive way! Those born under the planet Mars likely learned early that pushing their way was how to get ahead. However, that may come off as forceful and nobody likes a person who always has to have their way
Instead, direct your energy more positively. Become more pioneering and independent than forceful and people will not only like you more, they’ll even follow your lead! Aries’ competitive nature under the planet Mars means that you’ll prevail over most other leaders and pioneer new innovations.
With regards to your Self, there are always positive and negative traits with each planetary influence. Those born under the Moon, for example, are likely to be maternally caring but also overprotective and paranoid. Pluto-born children will have a very serious identity but many will misunderstand them.
Planetary transits can also affect you on an individual level. Don’t worry if your mood suddenly shifts. When natal planets move through your First House, travel that conjuncts them will affect you significantly more. Events like this can alter your concept of identity or your ego.
Flaws in the First House
Watch out for the flaws that are inherent to your identity based on your natal planet! What seems like a strength or a competent survival strategy may be your weakness too. Read on to see how some of the signs’ strengths can also be their greatest weakness.
Taurus as guided by Venus, for example, may be prone to earthly pleasures. As an earth sign, Taurus is more grounded than most signs in reality. However, that can also mean that Taurus will indulge in self-destructive pleasures.
Leos associate closely with the Sun, a most favorable planet for the First House. However, they have a fiery ego battle to quell. Setting themselves free of the image they’ve built of their own vanity is a challenge for all Leos.
Sagittarii are natural leaders that work under the planet Jupiter. Their convictions are strong but their idealism leads to trouble in staying realistic with their ambition. Jupiter-born leaders often face the challenge of typically irrational approaches in leadership.
Aquarii under Saturn or Uranus are rebellious by nature and dislike social norms. Balancing their own needs and personalities with everyone around them is a great challenge for any Aquarius. They have a real problem with authority; however, authority means order and they need it too.
Capricorns under Saturn are famously practical and goal-oriented. Some would say they are like this to the point of nearly being manic workaholics. Patience is lacking in them for people who don’t have drive or show weakness. Their flaw’s challenge is finding compassion for the weak and overly sensitive.
Regardless of your planet and sign, take great care that your sign’s personality doesn’t become your weakness too! If it does, work past it. You should overcome flaws to the best of your ability to become your best Self.