Fourth House: Setting and Significations
Just like the Zodiac signs, there are twelve houses in an astrological chart. In this series of posts about the different parts of astrology, I will gather my research on the significations of each of the twelve houses.
In this post, I will focus on the fourth house.
[I will add to this post when I broaden and deepen my knowledge of this house, and make new observations concerning it.]
If you want early access to my posts, as well as additional content, join my Patreon.
Fourth House
Fast Facts
Keywords: Home, family, parents (especially the mother), history, roots, ancestry and genealogy
Group: Angular
Traditional Name: Subterranean
Rulerships: Cancer and the Moon
Setting and Significations
The fourth house is at the very bottom of the chart and symbolizes the private and more hidden parts of our lives. This is usually where the IC is located (though, depending on the chosen house system, it can be in other houses at the bottom of the chart as well), which symbolizes the point at which the Sun travels at midnight. The traditional name for this house (Subterranean) is therefore very suitable.
The fourth house basically symbolizes our foundations. “Here we find an inner center of gravity, in terms of developing a place of safety within ourselves.” (Taylor, 2018, p. 96).
As opposed to the previous angular house (the first house), which was about our identity and personality, the fourth house is about the ancestry, lineage, and history that brought us into this world. Therefore, “our sense of the past as both personal ancestry and the concept of history are features of the 4th house, as too is the notion of cultural inheritance and connections to homeland, and the ancient idea of guardianship of the land.” (Taylor, 2018, p. 96). So, we can basically say that, “if the first house tells us about the persona you created to handle the world, the fourth house tells us the motivation behind that persona.” (Kent, 2023, p. 116).
If you want early access to my posts, as well as additional content, join my Patreon.
Sources
Brennan, Chris. The Astrology Podcast, episode 231: “Significations of the Twelve Houses - Part 1: Houses 1–6” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bddnuFMkmpQ), 2019-11-27.
Gillett, Roy. The Secret Language of Astrology: The Illustrated Key to Unlocking the Secrets of the Stars. London: Watkins Media Limited, 2012.
Kent, April Elliott. The Essential Guide to Practical Astrology: Everything from zodiac signs to prediction, made easy and entertaining. San Diego, California: Two Moon Publishing, 2023.
Parker, Julia & Derek Parker. Parkers’ Astrology: The definitive guide to using astrology in every aspect of your life. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2020.
Taylor, Carole. Astrology: Using the wisdom of the stars in your everyday life. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2018.
