Curtains Up: The Fifth House

In our journey through the houses, we have reached the 5th house. Before delving into the experiences this house offers – let’s stop and notice something.

With the 4th house we had entered the second quadrant of the 12 houses. Every quadrant (1-2-3 / 4-5-6 / 7-8-9 / 10-11-12) of the chart starts with a specific type of house, continues with a specific type of house and ends with a specific type of house.

 This means that first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses are specific types of houses that serve a specific purpose within their own quadrants, second, fifth, eighth and eleventh houses are another type and yes, you guessed it; third, sixth, ninth and twelfth houses are another.

Not that the aim of this survey is to learn terms but for the sake of future brevity; let’s try to remember that the houses in the first grouping are called ANGULAR houses, the ones in the second grouping SUCCEDENT houses and they are followed by CADENT houses.

In very simple terms, each angular house starts a new process, the succedent house sustains and develops what was started in the angular house and the cadent house prepares for something new to be started in the following angular house.

Since we have a basic understanding of the first three houses now, let’s look at how this works there. The first house (angular) was the first seed of the self, “the unique I” - how we look at the world and how we meet it. However, this was just a spark and beginning of it – a spirit only. In the second house (succedent), this is the process to be sustained and developed. This spirit now has a body and values, the idea of “I” has a physical form, possessions and values to navigate the world with. In the third house (cadent) this physical form begins to socialize, talks, thinks and learns so that when the next quadrant and therefore a new process starts at the fourth house (second angular house); feelings, past, and the sense of self can be formed (you can’t have this without having a perspective, body and a mind that works).

If this all (hopefully) makes sense, and if you have given the previous post about the fourth house a read, we can talk about the second succedent house of the chart, the fifth house.  

We now know we are sustaining and developing what was started in the fourth house and since fourth house was where we gained a sense of self with a story, past, ancestry, home and stability – how do we sustain and develop the self? By living and performing it of course!

The fifth house is traditionally known as the house where we play, perform and create. This is where the self that was formed is reveled in and expressed - because now we have a self to express! The basic logic of this is that the” I” has been formed and now in the fifth house “I AM X” or “I FEEL Y” can be said. One also expresses their feelings and acts out their emotions in this house. This is where we perform what we are and how we feel. It is – for the same reasons – known as the house of the actor and the artist.

But creativity goes further than this. As much as we create and express ourselves, our feelings, perform and produce art, we also procreate. So, the fifth house is also where we experience passion, sex and as a result of these; our own progeny.

A look at the sign on the cusp of the fifth house, position of the ruling planet of this sign by house and sign placement, other signs that are occupied by the 5th house and planets within this house can tell us how one plays, creates, expresses themselves and their feelings along with their experience with children (theirs or not) among other things.

The self is burning bright in this house. The next house (6th) is the cadent house of this quadrant, which means we will be preparing for a completely new process to start at the next angular house. We are almost above the horizon, get ready!

If you want to learn more about your natal fifth house and/or the rest of your chart, I recommend my Modus Operandi reading. I designed it as an easy to digest entry into your chart focusing on one or two areas of your life. Click here to book a session.