posted July 04, 2005 10:45 AM            

From “Empty Houses” by Howard Sasportas from “The Twelve Houses – Understanding the Importance of the Houses in Your Astrological Birth Chart”

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Over and over again when teaching astrology to beginners I hear the question “What does it mean if a house is empty?” Some students are very troubled by empty or untenanted houses – that is, a house in which no planets are found. “My 5th house is empty – does that mean I won’t have any children?”; “My 3rd house is empty – does this mean I don’t have a mind?”

Because there are only ten planets to go around the twelve houses, invariably certain houses will be untenanted. This does not mean that nothing is happening in that area of life. Nor does it necessarily imply that the area of life in question is unimportant.

Strictly speaking it is incorrect to say that a house is empty. Even though there may be no planets in that house, there is still a sign (or signs) placed there which will influence that sphere of experience. Thus, the first step in interpreting what is happening in an untenanted house is to relate the qualities of the sign or signs found there to the area of life associated with the house in quesiton. The second step is to refer to the planet which rules the sign on the cusp of the ‘empty’ house. What house is the ruling planet in? What sign is the ruling planet in? How is the ruling planet aspected? In this way, we glean a great deal of information about the house in question. The third step is to examine the planet which rules any other signs found in that house (not just the sign on the cusp). Where is that planet by house, sign and aspect?

Obivously a house with many planets in it is very important, but we should not overlook the significance of so-called empty houses. Should the planet ruling the sign on the cusp of an empty hosue be the focal point for a particular chart shaping, such as the handle to a bucket type chart or the leading planet of a locomotive shaping, then the affairs of the house in question could fiture prominently in the native’s life. The empty house might also contain the missing element of a T-square and this would increase the relevance of the area of life in contributing to the overall balance of the person’s psyche.

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Even if there are many houses in the horoscope without planets within them, these empty houses have much to say through the planets ruling the signs on the cusps and the positions of these planets elsewhere.

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posted July 04, 2005 07:59 PM              

Elizabeth Taylor had an empty seventh house, but I believe she married eight times.

Bill Gates had an empty second house (material possessions etc.), but hes the richest man in the world.