The Second-Eighth House as a Learned Value System
by Alice MillerSPECIAL NOTE: You may have difficulty with this work, if you are not yet able to see your parents as human, as people, no more, and no less, perfect that you are.
Psychologically, the second-eighth house axis represents, our learned value system. In essence, the second house is good and the eighth is not-good. (Notice that the eighth house naturally contains things we deny children or protect them from, etc.....sex, death, taxes, the occult, family secrets, etc.)
(During Childhood) The second house represents what we do have or can have, and the eighth what we don’t have or cannot have.......and the importance of these things. Think of any planets in either house as in pairs. Try this on your own chart.
EXAMPLE 1: Moon is placed in the second, Saturn is implied in the eighth, even if it is not there.......and the message is that dependency wins approval, while maturity and independence are not acceptable.
EXAMPLE 2: If Mercury is in the eighth, questions (even talking or thinking) has been deemed not-good. [Don’t tell!] It also implies Jupiter in the second–whether or not it is actually there–suggesting that you (should) know the answers and that is why you may not ask....Continuing on the same line this suggests that you are not smart (8th Mercury) because you cannot figure it out for yourself (Jupiter implied in the 2nd ).......none of which is true, but reflects the self-worth problems of the parents.
The second house represents what we are taught that we should value if we wish to survive and/or get our needs met, and the eighth house represents that which we are taught to devalue for the same reason. The axis also represents the conditions placed on winning approval from our parents. If we do not work on our self-worth, mandates from the second house my limit our income for years. It is very important, as a personal growth project.
Usually, the second house initially represents our value to our mother, and the eighth house that which must be given up in order to keep that value. Since our lives or the quality of our care depends on how valuable we are to her, it becomes very important for us to agree with her about what is or is not valuable. The eighth house then represents what she does not value, and what we must not own if we want her approval. The implied threats of the eighth house have a secretive quality. Subtly or openly, the eighth house represents a message which says something like, "If you love me--or if you want me to love you, you should not, or you won't........"
Such messages may never be verbalized, but, instead, are implied by attitudes and actions. If, as a child or an adult, you confront your parents with your eighth house, it will most likely be denied. You may even deny it yourself.
Another factor here, is that most of the value system is established during the first seven years, often in the first two or three years–before language skills are fully developed. When certain memories, as abuse, are blocked, either by fear of by lack of language, events may recur periodically, until we realize their origin and begin to heal that wounded inner child.
The eight house is designed to become the container for adult values. Although we possess these qualities, abilities, and talents from birth, they do not become valuable to us until we are adults. Only adults are permitted to engage in sex, pay taxes, have control over an inheritance, etc. It is important to realize that adult values must not be separated from childhood values, but must grow out of them. The second house is literally the foundation on which the eighth rests. Rejection of childhood values will disconnect us from adult power. When this happens, the eighth house will represent the power which our childhood holds over our life, and it will make us subject to emotional blackmail.
The eighth house traditionally represents the value of our seventh house relationships, especially those that include sexual roles. What it really represents is the value of sharing. This includes the idea that sharing living space creates extra money, sharing labor creates free time, and sharing DNA creates life. It is where we invest our lives into the life of another or others, or simply into society......with the expectation of earning interest!.
The primary value of such relationships is that they reflect our early childhood, including any memories that have been suppressed. Sometimes these issues almost explode into our lives when we commit to sharing our life with another. This is the real generic value of the eighth house. If we are ever to be whole, it is imperative to remember the secrets and denials in our childhood. The establishment of anything like our childhood home and family will trigger emotional reactions based on those unclaimed memories. Until we face those memories, their emotional charge will draw us into effort-filled and sometimes destructive relationships.
To love is to value. Consequently, the second house is the house of love. It will tell us what we most love and value about ourselves. It is our greatest potential source, not only of self-worth, but also of net worth. Of all the factors in our chart, our second house assets are the most responsive to how we value them. When we love/appreciate/praise them, they empower us to have what we need when we need it, allowing us to do what we want, when we want. When the second house is producing money we can invest it in eighth house projects and it will accrue interest. If it is producing debt, we will become more indebted in ways described by the eighth house.
Often the second-eighth house axis is ignored, with the first-seventh or the fourth-tenth knowledge being considered more valuable. If we are made of love (and we are), love becomes our truest identity. This axis defines the forms which love takes to become who and what we are. Perhaps it behooves us to give it first place, for love is the power in life.