Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Energetic terrain

Illustration: Tahnee Kelland

We have delved into the depths of the planets and their sacred messages, journeyed through the cycle of the archetypes, and now it is fi nally the time to give it all somewhere to land through the houses. Lands hold with them their own vibration and history, which can be felt through our own access to presence and embodiment. They give us somewhere for feet to land and fl owers to bloom. We come from and go back to the Earth. This is how the houses work energetically within Evolutionary Astrology. The lessons and themes of what we are moving through within our natural evolutionary process lands within a part of our life.

What, How and Where

The vibration of the planets are the ‘what’ – pointing to the quality of vibration. The sign gives this a unique expression, the ‘how’ and even the ‘why’. The house asks the question ‘where?’ Or in what area of life? Where does this most play out for me? Like the signs, the houses run in a natural cycle from birth to death, and correspond to the energies of the cycle of the signs. For example Aries, the fi rst sign in the cycle, is the ignition spark of birth and is all Self-action. The fi rst house is the same energetically, but rather than being the expression of energy itself it acts as a place for the energy to land in and release from.

The lower part of the chart–made up of houses 1–6 form the foundation and development of Self. Developing this part of the Natal Chart is essential in navigating our own truth, gifts and contribution within relationships, work and the world. Knowing the edges of what energetic qualities are our own — both the light and dark — helps us to understand what is not coming from us within our relational life, and inherently where the middle way is between us and the world. Of course, we are constantly in a process of evolution. And so showing up for daily practices that reconnect us to our own Soul essence — truly getting to know ourselves and what it is we truly want — can create the fertile ground for true contentment. We can remember what qualities we chose to come in with, and what we in turn need to learn and seek from others and the world around us in order to live in fl ow with all things.

A Journey through the Houses

The fi rst house begins on the very left-hand side of the Natal Chart, and we look at our own snapshot of the Cosmos in an anticlockwise direction. The planets and signs within the houses can help us to remember the natural energy we incarnated with in that particular energetic terrain (area of life), and in effect what our biggest challenges, lessons and breakthroughs we may dance with most in this lifetime n order to open up to our most authentic selves.

There are 12 houses within Astrology and like the signs, they move through the very same cycle of consciousness, beginning with the 1st house; the ignition spark of Self, and ending with the 12th house; letting go and transcendence. If we remember the in-depth journey we took through the signs within chapter one, we can apply the exact same journey and qualities to the houses. Except where we spoke of the expression or manifestation of consciousness — the ‘how — with the Signs, we now speak of where these qualities are manifested with the houses. This gives all of our energy somewhere to truly land, through form.

As we take the journey through the houses below, I have also written the sign that the house energy corresponds to. They do not stay together within the chart as the planets cycle at varying speeds within varying signs, but this is simply a tool for the grasping of this potent knowledge. So when you are trying to remember what the 10th house energy is all about, you can also remember the 10th sign in the cycle, Capricorn. You will also fi nd the planetary rulerships for your learning and connection.

Illustration: Getty Images

1 2

FIRST HOUSE SELF-ACTION – ARIES – MARS Energetic Terrain of identity in action The way we move through the world, assert and direct the Self The Ascendant house How we explore the identity and face the world Defi nes us as an independent functioning human being Everything to do with our incarnated form, personality and style — the manifest The 1st house dictates how we move through the world, with our own sense of identity and energy. Looking at the archetype on the very left side of the chart (our Ascendant) and any within the 1st house can show how we naturally move through the world. It can also show us what we have incarnated to learn to embody in the physical form.

SECOND HOUSE SELF-VALUE – TAURUS – VENUS Energetic Terrain of values, worth and resources External resources, particularly money, and the way we resource ourselves Any worth or tangible security such as income, personal earning, possessions Survival instincts and the need for physical safety and security Self worth, self esteem and our inner resources–what we have to offer and what makes us valuable The development of skills, talents and attributes The 2nd house dictates the way in which we work with resources, both physical and energetic. It is our inherent sense of Self-worth and the way that we can draw upon our natural gifts in order to create material safety and security. This is a deeply foundational part of the chart, where its development acts as the trunks of the tree of the chart. Any issues related to our own relationship to money and our worth on any level are worked through here. When the 2nd house energy can be transmuted and embodied, the potential is truly limitless. When we have our Self-worth fi rmly planted, and know what we can offer and the value of that, we can truly do anything.

3 4

THIRD HOUSE – SELF-COMMUNICATION – GEMINI – MERCURY Energetic Terrain of communication and perception in the immediate environment Learning environments and communication style Information transmission and our mental perception of life Learning style and the way we share through the mind Schooling, writing, teaching, journalism and media are some examples Transport, commerce, retail as well as siblings and extended family The quality of our mind

FOURTH HOUSE – THE FOUNDATION OF THE SELF – CANCER – MOON Energetic Terrain of roots in the past, family, ancestral lineages and early emotional environment Foundational selves, earliest home life experiences Parent energy and its emotional infl uence on us It is the deepest, most vulnerable place of our personal selves How we nurture from our emotional foundation How and where we seek love and emotional fulfi lment The past through ancestral lines Carries many unhealed issues to work through Our feeling landscape and emotional nature

Getty Images Illustrations:

5 6

FIFTH HOUSE – THE EXPRESSION OF SELF – LEO – SUN Energetic Terrain of creativity and the love of life Creation and giving life through Self-expression Anything that we give life to is a 5th house manifestation — be it a creative project, a smile to a stranger or a baby. Thrives on feelings of joy and reciprocity with others, having someone to delight in what it creates The current personality is refl ected through its creations Complete presence and love — anything that comes from this place Wherever the pleasure of life resides, this is the 5th house. Connection to pleasure, playfulness, joy, lovemaking, hobbies Creative exploration and gifts

SIXTH HOUSE – THE WORK OF THE SELF – VIRGO – MERCURY Energetic Terrain of giving from a place of service The giving of Self through what we do Our skill, talent or trade that has been learned and honed, and now we can serve The need to feel of help and assistance This is work on a routine level and can encompass daily rituals, routine and schedule Voluntary or service work for a personal cause The workings of the physical body, health consciousness Healing, diet, nutrition and embodiment

7 8

Getty Images Illustrations: SEVENTH HOUSE – BLENDING THROUGH RELATIONSHIP – LIBRA – VENUS Energetic Terrain of equilibrium and balance within partnership Compromise, harmony and cooperation The descendant house, dealing with intimate relationships The deepest manifestation of this is marriage or deep romantic union This house is the mirror of relationships, showing us parts of ourselves that we fi nd tough to integrate These are the qualities that we normally also project out onto our partners; and so we learn the lesson through them The lesson in the 7th house is that whatever we feel our partners are doing to us, we are also doing to them. All one-on-one interaction including close friends, business partners, clients and even those who most challenge us What we look for in a partner and our needs within relationships Any form of compromise and middle ground is a manifestation of the 7th house.

EIGHTH HOUSE – TRANSFORMATION THROUGH PURGING – SCORPIO – PLUTO Energetic Terrain of transformation through merging Profound emotional, psychological and material change and merging with a partner On an emotional and sexual level, it is the deep bonding of intimate partnerships On the psychological level, it’s by integrating the concepts of anything taboo, such as sex and death On a material level it’s the joining of fi nances and possessions For the above, we have a need for deep trust within ourselves to allow ourselves to be so fully seen by others in all of our layers, as well as the ability to release control This house is also the way we can allow the world or others to intimidate us, and the way we can go about overcoming that in order to truly come into trust in the process This house is where we fuse at such a deep level with another that the fear with personal ego must face a metaphorical death Any fi nancial manifestation as well as the shadow parts of ourselves and the occult are apart of the 8th house manifestation

9 10

NINTH HOUSE – MIND EXPANSION THROUGH QUESTING – SAGITTARIUS – JUPITER Energetic Terrain of mind expansion through outward exploration Broadening the mind’s horizons through interacting with life Quest for knowledge, faith, laws and ultimate truth through a belief system Finding where we fi t within the bigger picture of existence Concepts, theories and thoughtforms The seeking of knowledge through higher education and travel The adventurous search for meaning and truth It is the thirst for knowledge through different cultures, religions and philosophies Experiencing rather than just being told about something Teachers, gurus of movements and new age masters The judgemental side of life through the court and legal proceedings and the way we share information through publishing and broadcasting

TENTH HOUSE – POSITION IN THE CONCRETE WORLD – CAPRICORN – SATURN Energetic Terrain of the position in the concrete world Contributing to the world at large and constructing our position, the path we walk The MC house, representing life achievements and career as well as our highest life path This is also our sense of responsibility for our roles in the world How the public sees us through our roles and positions in the world Our reputation and titles Ambition, status and accomplishments How we take charge in our lives as well as our approach to career Where contribution to the world becomes more important than personal needs

11 12

Getty Images Illustrations: ELEVENTH HOUSE – GROUP CONSCIOUSNESS AND FUTURE DIRECTION – AQUARIUS – URANUS Energetic Terrain of collective consciousness and the future Plans, projects, invention and future vision Mental energy to bring goals to life Intellectual house of unique ideas and innovation The power of joining like-minded people together for a common higher purpose Communities that gather together such as friends and organisations The sense of belonging within community and with our contribution The visionary, humanitarian and the revolutionary Concerned with progress, change and invention, moving the world toward a better future

12TH HOUSE – TRANSCENDENCE – PISCES – NEPTUNE Energetic Terrain of transcendence and letting go Dissolving ego and merging with universal consciousness The spirit realm, without form or reality It is the awareness of the oneness of all things The process of letting go, surrender and release Connection to the Universe and vibration Discovering the quality of our own spirit Completely outside ego, with the potential to cause escapism and confusion if the ego tries to control Any spiritual healing work that can connect us to the timeless nature of the Universe is that of the 12th house What needs to be most transcended and healed within this lifetime can be found within the 12th house All things beyond form such as dreams, imagination, meditation, prayer and psychic phenomena We can understand life on a bigger scale than through our ego through connecting in with the 12th house Learning the delicate dance between form and formlessness, and resolving karma through resonating with our Soul’s highest intention

House Cusps

The dividing line between two houses can cut through a sign in the middle of a Zodiacal degree. If you do not have a planet within a particular house, it does not mean that the house, or area of life, is unimportant or dormant. Every house has a sign on the cusp, which gives a particular energetic fl avour to the house.

For example if Libra is on the 10th house cusp (MC) then Libra energy of needing to balance, harmonise and draw value from relationships will play out in the 10th house Energetic Terrain — what this person brings through their life path and higher direction within the world. With Libra on the 10th house cusp, the shadow of Libra could play out as struggling to choose a direction or to assert oneself. The higher vibration of this energy is one of being a great mediator and facilitator, even a leader, as there is the Libra gift of bringing two sides together and understanding both equally. Even if there are other strong placements within the 10th house this will still fl avour — and sometimes even soften — the energy within the house.

HOUSE CUSP RULERS The house ruler is the planet that rules the sign on the cusp, which you can fi nd listed above. The placement of the ruler of the sign on the cusp now becomes an extension of this energy. For example the ruler of Libra is Venus. Venus within this person’s chart is also in the 10th house but in Scorpio. This fl avours this area of life even more, in that they may be more willing to go to the depths and the undercurrents of things rather than only staying on the social surface keeping the peace. Venus in Scorpio may call out the shadows and not be as afraid to choose a side or rock the boat for the most valued outcome. This can fl avour this person’s energy through their life path with greater power and intensity — with the potential to manifest in either the light or the dark.

The Ascendant Ruler

The planet that rules the sign on the Ascendant — the cusp between the 12th and 1st house — is the whole Natal Chart ruler. This is the energy that we can deepen into and learn to transmute through our incarnation as a key to working with our human incarnation in a deep state of fl ow and acceptance. The ruler of the Ascendant sign also extends this energy out further into the ruling planet within the Natal Chart. This can help us to remember and embody the qualities we chose to come in with for our greatest evolution.

For example if a person has a Sagittarius Ascendant, and its ruler Jupiter is in the 12th house also in Sagittarius, this reinforces the explorative and expansive energy of Jupiter and brings it into a spiritual and metaphysical context with the 12th house. This will greatly fl avour the personality of this person within this incarnation to maintain an adventurous mind, and through it gaining spiritual depth and transmutation.

Integration Exercise

FOR OWNING YOUR OWN ESSENCE WITHIN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS

I know there has been so much information to take in, so now comes the perfect time to pause and come back into the breath and fi nd your own integration once more. Below is a fi ve-minute meditation practice, followed by a simple integration exercise as a way to fi nd your own authenticity within relationships.

MEDITATION PRACTICE Find yourself in a comfortable place laying on your back, with a clear view of the daytime sky or the starfi lled night. Gaze at the all-pervading spaciousness and with your awareness enter the vastness of the outer space. Reach out to the sky with your awareness, letting the physical body go completely. Feel the quality of your own vibration, your own essence, whilst allowing yourself to completely absorb into the sky. Enter the vastness of the Cosmos and know it as your home. This is physical reality — your molecules come from space, from the exhalation of the Sun. Stay in this experience as long as you feel called to, feeling into yourself as the Cosmos, a part of it all. Notice your own quality and the quality of the Universe. And if you feel called to do so after coming out, journal on your experience with the sky, focusing on what you felt like within it.

Integration Exercise

I now invite you to pull out your natal chart once more to delve deeper into the self-discovery process. Below I will guide you through a process of fi nding your very own quality within the Energetic Terrain of relationships.

I invite you to the space between the 7th and 8th houses, this is your 7th house cusp. What is the sign on the cusp? This is the house of your most intimate relationships, meaning the relationships that feel the most profound and momentous throughout your life — in both the light and the shadow. This archetype highly fi lters through and fl avours the way that you show up within this area of your life. These are the relationships where we learn the most about ourselves, the other being the refl ection point. Relationships are the mirrors into our own Soul.

Everyone and everything is simply a refl ection of the quality of the love vibration that we hold within. We can fi xate on the other as being our access point to this love, however it is something that comes from within us always. When we can learn to honour and cherish our own capacity for love and connection within ourselves, we can then show up as a whole person — not placing pressure on others to highlight what is already within us.

This does not take away from the gift of being fully and truly seen for all of our parts, and for truly being in presence and deep listening with others. But in learning our own relational qualities, we can become clear around what it feels to be whole within ourselves. How we show up within our own heart and embodiment, is what we also magnetise in. Our emotional coping mechanisms and our judgements about ourselves — explored through our Moon sign — can also come through our relationships. When we come into a more wholesome view of ourselves, we experience more wholesome relationships.

Getty Images Illustrations: READING I invite you to move back into chapter one to refamiliarise yourself with this sign and feel its qualities for yourself. This is the quality of relationships that you look for and also bring in.

NOTES Write some notes on the sign on the 7th house cusp as it relates to what your needs may be within intimate relationships, and what your natural qualities are. What is the ruler of the sign? You can refer to the rulers listed in the journey through the houses above. Where is the ruler by sign and house within your chart? This will act as an extension to this energy. For example: Gemini on the 7th house cusp (the line between 7th and 8th house) may mean the need to understand and relate on the level of the mind, to keep variety and change fresh within the relationship. A strong need for spontaneity and the freedom to instantly change and evolve without judgement from a partner. With its ruler, Mercury in Virgo in the 8th House, it deepens the energy. With the 8th house this consists of merging, depth, intensity and transformation. This person may deeply crave intimate partnerships that not only stimulate the mind, but deeply turn on the body (through Virgo and the Earth plane). This person seeks structure, ritual and routine to share with a partner to strengthen the connection. Internal stability and acceptance from their partner, no matter how much they feel they need to change moment to moment, will be transformative. A partner that can take them to the depths.

JOURNAL PROMPTS FOR ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS If you are calling in a partner: What energetic qualities do I crave in another?

How do I want to feel within myself around them?

How do I want them to feel around me?

Journal on some ways you can feel into your own authentic wholeness and love as the experience you have called in above.

If already in a relationship: What do I most crave in my relationship?

What sets my soul alight about my partner?

What challenges me most about the relationship? What shadow parts of me are called forward to be transmuted? How do I feel within my relationship? Do I allow myself to be fully seen? What holds me back from showing up in my wholeness?

What is my intention for being in this relationship?

I encourage you to sit with this for a little while, allowing the prompt to resonate within the breath and into the body.

Do I feel fully seen by my partner? Do I allow myself to be fully present?

Feel into the energies of your 7th house and their extension. List some qualities that come to you through this and journal on the ways that you can maintain your own true essence within your relationship. You may choose to hold these close as a tool to communicate your own essence and needs.