Astrology Glossary

Houses & House Systems

51 terms with definitions, classical sources and practice notes.

51 Terms
All Categories
Greek: Horoskopos / Latin: Ascendens / Arabic: et-Tâli'

The rising sign and degree on the eastern horizon; the most important chart point representing the person's body, appearance, vitality and identity.

Greek: Mesoouranema / Latin: Medium Coeli (MC) / Arabic: Vetedü'l-A'lâ

The highest angular house associated with career, public sphere, social status, authority and success.

Greek: Agathos Daimon / Latin: Bonus Daemon / Arabic: Beytü'r-Recâ

The succedent house associated with hopes, friendships, communities, gains and good fortune; Jupiter's house of joy.

Greek: Kakos Daimon / Latin: Malus Daemon / Arabic: Beytü'l-A'dâ (House of Enemies)

The cadent house associated with hidden enemies, imprisonment, isolation, exile, the unconscious and self-destruction; Saturn's house of joy.

Greek: (no specific name) / Latin: Porta Inferna / Arabic: Bâbü'r-Rızk

The succedent house representing material resources, money, property, personal values and means of livelihood.

Greek: Thea (Goddess) / Latin: Dea / Arabic: Beytü'l-İhve (House of Siblings)

The cadent house representing siblings, neighbors, short journeys, daily communication and routines; the Moon's house of joy.

Greek: Hypogeion / Latin: Imum Coeli (IC) / Arabic: Vetedü'l-Esfel

The angular house associated with home, family, roots, father (or mother — debated), inheritance and end of life.

Greek: Agathe Tyche / Latin: Bona Fortuna / Arabic: Beytü'l-Evlâd

The succedent house associated with children, creativity, pleasure, romance, entertainment and good fortune; Venus's house of joy.

Greek: Kake Tyche / Latin: Mala Fortuna / Arabic: Beytü'l-Emrâz

The cadent house associated with illness, hardship, service, enemies and daily working conditions; Mars's house of joy.

Greek: Dysis / Latin: Occasus, Descendens / Arabic: Beytü'z-Zevc (House of Spouse)

The angular house associated with marriage, partnership, the other person, opthe most enemies and lawsuits.

Greek: Argon (Idle, Inactive) / Latin: Mors / Arabic: Beytü'l-Mevt

The succedent house associated with death, inheritance, others' resources, fears and deep transformation.

Greek: Theos / Latin: Deus / Arabic: Beytü's-Sefer (House of Journeys)

The cadent house associated with religion, philosophy, higher education, long journeys and spiritual quest; the Sun's house of joy.

Greek: Apostrophe / Latin: Aversio / Arabic: İnhirâf

The condition where two signs or houses cannot form a Ptolemaic aspect relationship; 2-1, 6-1, 8-1 and 12-1 relationships.

Arabic: el-Kâbisî / English: Alcabitius House System

A quadrant house system of Islamic origin created by dividing the diurnal and nocturnal semi-arcs into three; widely used in the Middle Ages.

Greek: Epanaphora / Latin: Succedentes / Arabic: Mâ Yelî'l-Evtâd

The medium-strength houses that follow the angular houses: the 2nd, 5th, 8th and 11th houses.

Latin: Descendens / Greek: Dysis / Arabic: el-Ğarb

The zodiac degree setting on the western horizon at the time of birth; the beginning of the 7th house, indicator of marriage, partnership and 'the other'.

Empty House Interpretation

The method of interpreting houses containing no planets: the position of the house ruler and transit effects.

English: Empty Houses

Houses containing no planets; at least fiand houses in every chart are empty, and this does not mean that area is unimportant.

English: Campanus House System

A quadrant house system based on the equal division of the prime vertical; defined by the 13th century Italian mathematician Campanus.

Cusp

See Cusp. The degree where a house or sign begins; the intersection point of two adjacent houses or signs.

English: Derivative Houses / Turned Houses

The technique of treating one house as another house's 1st house and recounting the other houses accordingly; widely used in horary astrology.

English: Natural Rulership / Alphabet System

Matching each house sequentially with a sign (1st house=Aries etc.); common in modern astrology but debated in classical tradition.

Greek: Apoklima / Latin: Cadentes / Arabic: Munkalib (veya Zâil)

The houses forming the weakest positions of the chart: the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th houses.

English: Equal House System

A simple house system dividing each house into equal 30-degree sections starting from the Ascendant degree.

Greek: Topos (Yer) / Latin: Domus, Locus / Arabic: Beyt (çoğul: Buyût)

An astrological structural unit formed by dividing the celestial sphere into 12 sections, representing different areas of life.

House Almuten Detail

Determining the almutthe most planet of a house, the calculation method and differences from the house ruler.

Almuten Domus / Lord of the House

The planet with the most essential dignity at a house's cusp degree, considered the primary ruler of that house's topics.

Greek: Chara / Latin: Gaudia Domorum

The assignment system where sevthe most planets 'rejoice' in specific houses; a fundamental principle explaining the origin of house meanings and sect structure.

House Joys Detail

The reflection of planetary joys on the house system and the derivation of house meanings from joy assignments.

Latin: Cuspis / English: House Cusp

The zodiac degree where a house begins; the boundary line calculated according to the house system and considered the most sensitiand point of that house.

Derived Houses Techniques

The technique of deriving houses from other houses to extract information about third parties and indirect topics.

English: Gauquelin Sectors / Gauquelin Plus Zones

The powerful planetary zones immediately following angular houses, identified by Michel Gauquelin's statistical research.

Gaudia Planetarum in Domibus

An examination of the joy system where each planet shows special affinity in a specific house and how this system shapes house meanings.

Latin: Imum Coeli (IC) / Greek: Hypogeion / Arabic: Veted-i Esfel

The lowest point where the ecliptic intersects the local meridian; the beginning of the 4th house, indicator of family, roots, home and end of life.

Intercepted Sign Detail

The astrological interpretation and psychological effects of a sign completely contained within a house without touching a house boundary.

Greek: Chrematistikos / Achrematistos / English: Profitable / Unprofitable Houses

The classification of houses as positive (1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11) and negative (2, 3, 6, 8, 12) in the classical tradition.

English: Koch House System / Birthplace House System

A quadrant house system developed by Walter Koch, based on the MC's birth time arc; widespread in the German astrological tradition.

Greek: Kentra (Merkezler) / Latin: Anguli, Cardines / Arabic: Evtâd (tekil: Veted)

The most powerful houses located at the four angular points of the chart: 1st (Ascendant), 4th (IC), 7th (Descendant) and 10th (MC).

Kentron-Epanaphora-Apoklima

The fundamental house classification system dividing the twelve houses into three groups according to their degree of power and influence.

Cusp

The degree where a house or sign begins; the boundary line regarded as the intersection point of two adjacent houses or signs.

Latin: Medium Coeli (MC) / Greek: Mesoouranema / Arabic: Veted-i A'lâ

The highest point where the ecliptic meets the local meridian; beginning of the 10th house, indicator of career, reputation and public visibility.

English: Morinus House System

A house system created by equally dividing the celestial equator starting from the RAMC; bears the name of Jean-Baptiste Morin.

English: Placidus House System

A quadrant house system based on the temporal division between MC–IC and Ascendant–Descendant; the most widely used house system since the 17th century.

English: Porphyry House System

A simple quadrant system determining intermediate houses by dividing the ecliptic distance between MC-Ascendant and IC-Descendant into thirds.

English: Regiomontanus House System

A quadrant house system based on the equal division of the celestial equator; the system preferred by William Lilly and widely used in horary astrology.

English: Whole Sign Houses (WSH)

The oldest house system, which takes the entire sign of the Ascendant as the 1st house and each subsequent sign as the next house.

English: Duplicated Sign

In quadrant house systems, when a sign is enclosed within a house without touching either cusp; a necessary consequence of interception.

English: Topocentric House System

A quadrant house system developed by Wendel Polich and Anthony Nelson Page, centered on the observer's position.

English: Turned Charts / Rotated Houses

A technique of physically turning the chart using derived house logic to read it from another person's perspective.

English: Intercepted Sign / Latin: Signum Interceptum

In quadrant house systems, a sign that is entirely swallowed within a house without touching any cusp; does not occur in Whole Sign houses.

Greek: Horoskopos / Latin: Ascendens / Arabic: et-Tâli'

The zodiac degree rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth; the chart's most important point, the beginning of the 1st house, and an indicator of body and personality.