People often refer to House 12 as the domain of the unconscious, the hidden, or secrets. But these descriptions are too abstract to offer practical help when interpreting a horary chart, let alone to help a querent facing challenges in life. No wonder most astrologers see no reason to look into house 12. With such fuzzy concepts in their minds there is little reason to.
In psychological and medical astrology, the value in associating House 12 with the unconscious is in recognizing that actions against ourselves usually happen without awareness.
House 12 is, at its core, the house of mistakes. A mistake occurs when we act without realizing that our actions go against our own best interests—true ignorance, where there is no light to guide us, and the benefits of wisdom, experience, or insight are absent. In essence, House 12 signifies the actions we take that sabotage ourselves—self-undoing or self-harm by any name.
House 12 does not operate alone. The devil needs a playground. It undermines each of the other eleven houses, eroding any goodness they may offer in our lives.
To move from abstractions and theory to practical observation, education and action, here are concrete examples illustrating how House 12 manifests in actual life:
House 1
- Absence of spiritual Self-Knowledge
- A sense of self that is vulnerable and fearful
- Excessive self-importance, self-adulation or self-centeredness
- Arrogance. Hubris
- Self-abasement. Self-deprecation
- Fear of being judged
- Fear of being inadequate
- Unworthiness
- Psychopathy
- Karma-creating actions
House 2
- Overindulgence in substances via the mouth or the nose
- Gluttony
- Wrong or inadequate diet
- Financial waste
- Mismanagement of resources
- Inadequate self-esteem
- Disregard for reputation
- Lack of or distorted self-expression
- Cruelty
- Fear of lack
- Greed
- Over-accumulation of resources
- Anorexia
- Bulimia
House 3
- A sedentary lifestyle
- An over-active, hectic, lifestyle
- Hurry
- Impatience
- Fear of missing out
- Laziness
- Acedia
- Apathy
- Procrastination
- Lack of inner peace
House 4
- Unsuitable dwellings
- Negligence regarding space and stability
- Fear of change
- Stubbornness
House 5
- Excessive pursuit of pleasure
- Having more children than one can support
- A strict and austere outlook
- Depriving oneself of joy or pleasure
House 6
- General neglect
- Self-destructive habits and tendencies
- Fear of not having control or of losing control
- Excessive risk-taking
- Habits leading to extreme humoral/elemental imbalances
House 7
- Choosing lovers, partners or associates who are incompatible or harmful
- Toxic relationships
- Misplaced trust
- Weak boundaries or lack of boundaries
- Ingratiation
- Over-concern with other people’s feelings or opinions
House 8
- The surest and quickest escape from suffering, or so house 12 believes
- Excessive neediness of other people’s attention
House 9
- Ignorance
- Lack of understanding about basic operations of the body and the mind
- Lack of understanding about basic operations of the environment and the world
- Lack of knowledge and understanding of metaphysical laws leading to karma
- Blind faith
- The false belief that salvation is in house 9 while house 12 runs unexamined and unchecked
- Trusting in Allah but failing to tie our camels
- Susceptibility and acquiescence to the influence of propaganda and fear-mongering
- Lack of reasoning, lack of common sense
- Inability to discriminate
- Susceptibility to misinformation and brain-washing
- The overriding of the intellect by emotion
- Dogmatism
- Rigid, formatory, thinking
- Excessive looseness in thinking
- Denigrating cynicism
House 10
- Taking herbs, teas, supplements without a proper diagnostic method
- Self-prescribing medications
- We take medications to suppress one symptom, only to suffer from multiple side effects requiring more medication, trapping us in a loop of medical poisoning
- Unnecessary surgery
- Hypochondria-driven treatments and medications
- Submission to and support of corrupt authority
- Cowardice
- Feelings of victimhood
- Martyrdom
- Fear of oppression
House 11
- The sabotaging of friendships and community bonds
- Ungratefulness
- Biting the hand that feeds us
- Entitlement
- Insolence
House 12
As one may or may not realize, house 12 does not sabotage itself, it sustains it. They say the devil is clever, don’t they?
House 12 does not obstruct house 12. House 12 protects and defends itself from light which it perceives as an attack on its sovereignty over the individual we call “I”.
House 12 does not want to be seen, it hides itself and pretends it is what it is not. It is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothes. House 12 strengthens itself through deception.
House 12 is the house of psychological frailty or vulnerability. Therefore, if an external entity wishes to exploit us, it will avail itself of our house 12. Thus it is the house of magic and bewitchment and the house of manipulation through fear. It is the house through which lies are absorbed and believed in. It is the house of self-deception.
Furthermore, House 12 interacts with the House 12 of others—individuals, families, groups, communities, nations, and all of human society. Each of those entities and institutions possess their own houses 12, which influence and reinforce our own house 12 while we contribute to theirs in a mutual self-perpetuating loop.
