What is the meaning of the 4th house in astrology? What does the 4th house rule?
The 4th house in astrology corresponds to the Zodiac Sign Cancer because Cancer is the 4th Zodiac Sign. Therefore the 4th house and the Zodiac Sign Cancer share the same domains and subjects of life.
Please note that I use the Whole Sign House Calculation System for natal chart reading, the most ancient one, and not Placidus.
Keywords and domains of the 4th house
Home, home environment, family, mother, primary caretaker, emotions, emotional stability, emotional security, country of origin, nurturing, taking care, sheltering, feeding, protection, nursing, breasts, chest, land, properties, real estate, gardens.
The 4th house is an angular house.
The 4 angles are the “spine” or the backbone of the natal chart. Ascendant- Descendant axis- 1st and 7th house, and the IC-MC axis, 4th and 10th houses.
Those are the ‘most sensitive points’ in the natal chart.
Planets that are in conjunction with those angles are more powerful and the planetary transits that hit those angles are more powerful too. The most significant changes happen in one’s life when a slow-moving planet hits one of the angles in the natal chart.
The 4th house is a Moksha and water house.
In brief, Moksha means freedom or liberation, and that is the ultimate goal of the soul according to the Vedas.
The Moksha houses in the natal chart are the water houses. The 4th house, 8th and 12th houses.
The 4th house is a private house so to speak. It is all about emotions, being at home, in a safe environment, looking within, reflecting on oneself, feeling safe, being fed, taken care of, nurtured, sheltered, and protected. And nobody knows what is happening behind closed doors, therefore the 4th house is a private house.
The home environment and the close family environment should be safe, where the person’s emotional needs are met. Our homes should be the place where we feel emotionally stable, safe, and comfortable to turn within. The home should be like a protective shell.
People with a good 4th house in their natal chart are granted such home and family environment.
A good 4th house means the person has good emotional stability and feels secure no matter what happens, more matter how many times the person fails, he/she gets up every time and tries again.
With a weaker 4th house, however, not going to sugarcoat it, navigating through life is difficult. The person just can’t find happiness, and joy and doesn’t feel secure and comfortable in their own body. That inner sense of bliss is missing. With a lot of conscious inner work, counseling, therapy, and creating a safe home environment, where one feels settled could help a lot.
It is the foundation of the natal chart and life
The 2nd house also talks about the foundation of the person, but it is the material foundation, the resources, and the self-worth. The 2nd house shows whether the person was born into generational wealth or poverty. Both the financial situation and the self-worth can change.
The 4th house also talks about the foundations of the person, but it is the early family environment, how one felt emotionally secure and stable as a child. How one was nurtured, taken care of, fed, and protected. And those experiences affect the entire adulthood too. If therapy is needed it is vital for the person to seek help because the person needs a better emotional foundation.
4th house cusp is the IC-the Imum Coeli
The 4th house cusp is the bottom of the natal chart, the lowest point.
The main domains of the 4th house
Home
It shows the early home environment as a child and the emotional stability of the person. Whether the person’s emotional needs were met, or not.
Also, it shows what would be the ideal home environment for the person- and that is the more positive side of that particular zodiac sign and planets that fall in the 4th house.
And it shows the family environment one creates.
All sorts of real estate, properties, gardens, lands, and waterbodies are ruled by the 4th house.
Family
The 2nd house shows the family lineage one was born to.
The 4th house shows the early family environment and also the family one creates later in life.
Mother
The reason the 4th house shows the mother of the person is because the 4th house is associated with the traditional mother roles. Such as breastfeeding, feeding, sheltering, protecting, taking care, and nurturing.
However, it is possible that the traditional mother and father roles are swapped, or the mother has to fulfill the role of the father- 10th house- due to a missing father.
It is possible that the mothering role is fulfilled by someone else, a professional caretaker, or by a grandmother.
Emotions, emotional stability
Again, this is the most important domain of the 4th house, and to my mind the whole natal chart. What is more important than to feel emotionally stable and secure?
Emotional stability is how one feels emotionally stable and secure. And whether the emotional needs were met as a baby and child.
The 4th house shows what makes the person emotionally stable and secure later in life.
Venus- which is associated with the outer joys and luxuries is quite weak in Cancer, which corresponds to the 4th house energy. In other words, the luxurious bags, cars, vacations, and all the bling bling glitz, and glamour do not give emotional stability.
Don’t get me wrong, those are here for us to enjoy, but it’s not their purpose to make us happy.
However, Jupiter which rules happiness, and an inner sense of bliss is exalted in Cancer. Jupiter is all about helping others, being charitable, jovial, understanding, wisdom, and knowledge.
Therefore, that inner sense of bliss that you carry with you at all times, does not depend on outer circumstances.
That is the reason helping others, taking care of others, taking care of a baby or a child, makes the person feel good or even gives so much joy and even a sense of purpose. It gives the feeling of being useful.
Body parts
Every astrological house is associated with a certain body part and organs. The 4ht house is associated with the chest, breasts- ruled breastfeeding, and the stomach.
Careers and occupations associated with the 4th house.
Anything to do with lands, farming, gardening, fishing, being a lumberjack. Or anything to do with real estate, building properties, being a real estate agent, interior designer, etc.
Or mothering, being a babysitter, mother, caretaker.
Or being a bodyguard, policeman, soldier.
Profection years
Every year -from the birthday to the next birthday- one astrological house is active. When one makes predictions it is crucial to know which house and its ruler is active in that certain year.
The 4th is activated the first time when the person turns 3 years old, and that is their 4th house. And it is active until the next birthday, the 4th birthday.
The profected years of the 4th house are:
When the person is: 3, 15, 27, 39, 51, 63, 75, 87, 99 years old.
During these years the 4th house domains are the most dominant and the transits of its ruling planet.
For example, if the 4th house ruler is Venus, Venus’s transits are the most significant. If you check the transits in your natal chart, during the 4th house profected years check first Venus’s transits. And then the rest of the planets.
Another example is if you are a Libra Ascendant when you hit 39 profected years your 4th house is the profected house, so as a Libra rising check Saturn because it is the ruler of the 4th house for Libra Ascendant people.
The 12 Zodiac Signs and their 4th houses
Aries Ascendant has Cancer in the 4th house, and the Moon is the ruling planet.
Taurus Ascendant has Leo in the 4th house, and the Sun is the ruling planet.
Gemini Ascendant has Virgo in the 4th house, and Mercury is the ruling planet.
Cancer Ascendant has Libra in the 4th house, and Venus is the ruling planet.
Leo Ascendant has Scorpio in the 4th house, and Mars is the ruling planet.
Virgo Ascendant has Sagittarius in the 4th house, and Jupiter is the ruling planet.
Libra Ascendant has Capricorn in the 4th house, and Saturn is the ruling planet.
Scorpio Ascendant has Aquarius in the 4th house, and Saturn is the ruling planet.
Sagittarius Ascendant has Pisces in the 4th house, and Jupiter is the ruling planet.
Capricorn Ascendant has Aries in the 4th house, and Mars is the ruling planet.
Aquarius Ascendant has Taurus in the 4th house, and Venus is the ruling planet.
Pisces Ascendant has Gemini in the 4th house, Mercury is the ruling planet.
Please note that I use the Whole Sign Calculation System for natal chart reading, the most ancient one, and not Placidus.
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