Houses in Soul Astrology
Esoteric Astrology is describing the formation of the light body, in developmental stages through the signs of the Zodiac. It is talking about a non-physical aspect of our being. It is the story of our inner journey.
Houses, on the other hand, are a way of looking at areas of life experience, for the most part in the external world. Even the first house, which relates to our experience of Self, we are usually talking about our physical being and personality, the aspect of self that is constructed to interact with the world we live in. This is why in conventional astrology the Ascendant, the sign on the cusp of the first house, is often described as a "mask" because it is the interface between our inner and outer worlds.
I prefer to think of the first house as an interface. It's similar to your computer or phone screen. Your computer presents information to you in a way that makes sense to you, and that you can use. It's not that your home screen is a mask, but rather a very specifically designed interface that allows you to communicate with the inner world of the computer, and vice-versa.
So it is with your Ascendant and first house experience. Your Soul needs a persona, in other words your personality, in order for your physical body to engage with and learn from the world you are born into and experiencing.
So houses in the horoscope are more relevant in exoteric (outer) astrology, because they deal with your connection to the outside world. Soul astrology is the astrology of your inner world. That said, we can look at how your experiences in the outer world are creating situations for your Soul's growth and development.
All of the houses of the horoscope are describing areas of life that your personality experiences. It's not that your Soul is unaware of these experiences, but that your personality is the part of you that is directly engages, involved and immersed in the experience.
There is nothing at all about houses in Esoteric Astrology, they don't even get a mention. So this tells us that, in studying the Soul's journey through the Zodiac, we are looking at a bigger picture.
The houses are only pointing to our worldly experiences in THIS lifetime, whereas the Soul's journey is not only beyond this world but also has a much longer trajectory!
That said, we can consider how those worldly experiences might be contributing to our Soul's growth and development, hence in chapter 8 of "The Complete Foundations of Soul Astrology" I have offered some brief pointers to the mundane and Soul-centered meanings of the houses, for you to contemplate and relate to your own experience.
When it comes to Soul Astrology, you get your deepest insights through your own contemplation and your meditation. It is personal to you. Your Soul will tell you what it means to you, specifically.
Empty Houses
Someone asked about empty houses from a Soul Astrology perspective. Again there is nothing in Esoteric Astrology on this topic, because houses themselves aren't mentioned. Where topics aren't mentioned in Esoteric Astrology, I believe it is because they aren't the most relevant to our Soul's journey, and may even become a distraction if they keep us at the level of intellect. (See my earlier newsletter on the evolution of consciousness).
With regard to empty houses: planets are embodied consciousness, the houses are indicating where that embodied consciousness is being expressed in this lifetime, while the signs indicate how or in what way.
The whole chart, from a mundane point of view, is showing where you have karma (positive and negative) that is being worked out. The planets are showing what karma you are currently working on. If you have empty houses, it means you aren't directly working out any karma in that area of life, in this lifetime.
However, the sign on the cusp of an empty house can indicate how that area of life is currently being experienced:
For example if you have Leo on the cusp of the 7th house - but no planets in the 7th house - that house would be 'colored' by the Sun. If your Sun was in Cancer, you might have a more Cancerian response in your partnerships and relationships (7th house).
Allowed Orbs
Someone asked about the allowed orbs for transits. While this is a bit off topic I'll just say this: astrologers vary greatly in their opinions on orbs for transits ranging from 1 - 5 degrees or more. As we start awakening, and become more sensitive to energy, we may allow wider orbs than perhaps we normally would, as we are more responsive and perceptive to subtler levels of energy. If you don't know what orbs are I wouldn't spend too much time on it unless you are studying conventional astrology (orbs are another topic that is not included in Esoteric Astrology). This article gives a good introduction for beginners.
Soul Astrology
The whole journey of Soul Astrology is about deeper contemplation of your Soul Sign (ascendant) and developing your ability to perceive your inner energies directly. Which is why so many features of exoteric astrology are not even mentioned in esoteric astrology, because they are speaking to mundane rather than Soul matters.
The purpose of this newsletter is to invite you into deeper contemplation on the Soul-centered meanings of the signs and planets, so that you can become ever more familiar with your Soul Sign, and it's expression through your personality (mainly Sun and Moon) signs, from the inside out.
