The Twelve Houses of the Zodiac represent all the aspects of existence at the terrestrial as well as the individual level. The entire Natal Chart or Horoscope is divided in to 12 parts, known as Houses. Each House consists of 30º. Each House has its own Significance & characteristics. In order to analyze a Chart, it is essential to understand what the different Houses of the Horoscope signify. An attempt has been made here to provide adequate information about all that the Houses signify. However, this information is not exclusive.

The dividing line between one house and another is called the house cusp, so, for example, when the Sun moves from the 10th house to the 9th house around 12 noon, it is crossing the 10th house cusp.

There are some alternative ideas about the positions of houses: for example, some astrologers believe that the house cusps are the center of the house and not the beginning of the house. An even more radically different (and unusual) idea is that there are actually only 8 houses and not 12.
The most important house cusps are the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th. Almost all astrologers agree that a planet near one of these house cusps is very powerful. These 4 house cusps are sometimes referred to as the angles or the angular house cusps. The other cusps (the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th, and 12th) are sometimes referred to as the intermediate cusps. Astrologers generally agree about the positions of the angles, but there is a great deal of disagreement about precisely where the intermediate cusps are. Many different mathematical formulae have been proposed to calculate where the intermediate cusps are. The various house systems such as Campanus, Porphyry, Koch, Placidus, etc. differ in their determination of where the intermediate cusps are located.



Significations of the Twelve Houses:

The Houses 1, 4, 7 and 10 are known as the Kendras or Quadrants. These are regarded as highly significant Houses.
The Houses 2, 5, 8 and 11 are known as the Panapharas or Successant Houses.
The houses 3, 6, 9 and 12 are known as the Apoklimas or Cadent Houses.
The Houses 3, 6, 10 and 11 are known as Upachayas and indicate Struggle, Competition and material achievement.
The Houses 6, 8 and 12 are considered bad Houses (Trikas). They indicate Debt, Disease and Loss.
The Houses 8 and 3 (8th from the 8th) are known as the Ayu-Sthanas or houses of Longevity. They indicate the length of life and also the death.
The Houses 2 and 7 are known as the Marakas or the killer Houses.
The Houses, from the Lagna to the Seventh, represent the right half of the body of the native (and the left half of the body of Spouse). Those from the Seventh to the Lagna, represent the left half (and the right half of Spouse).

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