The Chart Ruler Through the Houses

The chart ruler is the planetary ruler of your ascendant - it’s the planet that rules your rising sign. The planet that is your chart ruler can act like a secondary ascendant in your birth chart and is more influential on your life than the other planets. To learn more generally about the chart ruler, check out this post!

The house that your chart ruler is placed in holds more importance in your natal chart. Throughout your life, your chart ruler’s house’s topics are more of a focus and are emphasized. Each of the houses represents different areas of life, for example, your career or your family. When the chart ruler is placed in a house, its topics are more prioritized by you, especially as you grow older and “grow into” your natal chart.

1st House: you, your body, your personality.

2nd House: values, finances, self-worth, assets.

3rd House: short trips, siblings, communication, extended family, neighbors.

4th House: family, home, private life, lineage, ancestry.

5th House: romance, creativity, children, sex.

6th House: daily routines, work, health/illness.

7th House: one-on-one relationships, partnerships, open enemies, clients.

8th House: debt, taxes, shared resources, depth, inheritances.

9th House: foreign travel, higher learning, religion/spirituality.

10th House: career, reputation, outer image, what you're known for, authority figures.

11th House: friends, community, groups, hopes/dreams.

12th House: subconscious, hidden or foreign places, mental health, hidden enemies.

When your chart ruler is in the 1st house, you are the main focus in this lifetime. Finding yourself and expressing your unique abilities are of utmost importance in your life. When you go through major experiences, you likely change as a person, and the way you approach life shifts. You are deeply impacted by the experiences you go through and the people you meet. Throughout your life, you work towards your sense of identity and what it means to be you. In this life, you are focused on you, and you are meant to be. Your body can also be in focus at times, whether that manifests in you being focused on your health and wellness, or you going through major periods of fluctuation regarding your body. There could be something unique or noticeable about your appearance.

When your chart ruler is in your 2nd house, finances, assets, values, and sense of self-worth are major priorities in your lifetime. The 2nd house can be identified as the house of priorities, so having your chart ruler here indicates that you are firm in your values and what you want in this life. You’re fiercely loyal and expect the same out of the people you surround yourself with. This placement can stereotypically manifest in someone who is money-motivated and finances shape how they live life. On the other hand, this placement can manifest in someone having a strong motivation for financial stability and comfortability. Throughout your life, you go through major experiences regarding finances, assets, or values that change you as a person. You strongly identify with the things you have and own, and they shape your identity in some way. For example, you could be a collector of something and these pieces become a part of who you’re known to be. Some of you will spend money on your appearance - this could indicate that you spend money on clothes or other things that “enhance” your appearance in some way, or that you spend money on cosmetic enhancements such as botox or plastic surgery. Your values hold even more importance to who you are as an individual.

When your chart ruler is placed in your 3rd house, your siblings, extended family, close friends, neighbors, short-distance travel, communication, and education hold more importance in your life. The 3rd house covers a lot of areas - it’s the house that represents some of the people closest to you, as well as the way you process information and communicate. With your chart ruler here, you’re motivated in this life to learn and gain new experiences. Knowledge holds more importance in your life, and some of you would consider yourselves lifetime learners or students. You have an easier time showcasing your authentic self to others, even during first impressions. You’ll likely find yourself creating a community where there is none. You are meant to surround yourself with mutually supportive individuals who join you during life’s experiences.

When your chart ruler is placed in your 4th house, one of your main priorities in your life is being safe and comfortable. The 4th house represents your family, specifically your parents, as well as your ancestry and lineage. The 4th house is your home and your private life. With your chart ruler here, there’s more of a focus on your family. Some of you will feel more of an attachment to your family. Others will find that a lot of their major experiences, negative or positive, are related to their family throughout their life. Many of you will meet friends who become family, and their safety is almost just as important as yours in your eyes. Some of you will be motivated to learn about your family’s ancestry or lineage and learning about your family's past holds more importance to you. You’re extremely loyal and expect the same out of your family or closest friends. There’s a likelihood for change to be more frightening when you have your chart ruler in the 4th house, as being comfortable and safe are major priorities of yours. You may be known as the generational curse breaker in your family.

When your chart ruler is placed in your 5th house of romance, creativity, self-expression, and children, there is more of a focus on these topics throughout your life. With this placement, you’re motivated to have enjoyable experiences with people who accept you at all of your stages. Having fun is a priority for you, as well as figuring out who you truly are. You will find yourself trying new things and expressing yourself in different ways throughout your life. You likely don’t like being tied back by things or people. This placement is indicative of someone who has luck or someone more optimistic. It also indicates that you have talents; sometimes they are hidden, and predictive astrology will activate your 5th house allowing you to discover them. Children may hold more importance in your life. You could want children yourself, or simply be a major part of children’s lives. For example, you could be a children’s teacher or author. 

When your chart ruler is placed in the 6th house, your routines and schedules help you more than they do others. The 6th house represents your daily routines, day-to-day work, health, and pets. Some of you will heavily prioritize your health and wellness, both physical and mental. Others will find that they are often busy and working towards something. This placement is more likely to experience burnout after working too much, and this could manifest in physical or mental health problems. Keep this in mind and make sure to prioritize your health, especially when you’re working a lot. When your chart ruler is in the 6th house, pets can hold major importance in your life. Everyone loves their pets, but especially so if you have this placement, lol. You’re a great support person and likely expect the same out of those that you support. This placement can indicate that you are especially skilled in something, and that skill could become a major part of who you are. You could be known for this skill of yours.

When your chart ruler is in the 7th house, there is more of a focus in your lifetime on one-on-one relationships and partnerships. Stereotypically, this placement can indicate someone who is romantically motivated and wants to be in a relationship. This isn’t always the case, though. The 7th house represents romantic relationships, but also your close friendships. Your close friends can become family, and you hold their relationships to the same or more importance than your romantic relationships. Some of you will be known for your client work and be a therapist, doctor, or other professional who works with people one-on-one. You likely don’t have a large friend group and prioritize having a couple of friends who are friends for life. You feel more comfortable when hanging out with fewer people. Some of you will long for a long-term romantic relationship and feel more complete when you’re in a mutually supportive relationship than single. This placement is more likely to fall into codependency.

When your chart ruler is in the 8th house, life doesn’t ever seem to be surface-level. It seems like everything has a deep meaning that can be taken out of it. The 8th house represents shared finances and assets, taxes, debt, inheritances, depth, and taboo things. Some of you will find that you inherit major characteristics from your family, whether they are personality or appearance traits. This placement can make you the generational curse breaker in your family. This means that you go through major changes throughout your life; more than other people go through. You go through meaningful experiences throughout life that completely change you as a person. Some of these experiences can be hard to go through, but you always find a way to learn something even in difficult times. You go through life more intensely than others. Some of you will be entrenched in learning about taboo topics throughout your life and you may be known as the spiritual friend.

When your chart ruler is in the 9th house, you are a lover of experiences. You likely have dreams of traveling farther distances or connecting with people who are different than you culturally. This placement can indicate that you’re a lifelong student and that knowledge holds more importance in your life. Some of you will gain college degrees, while others will spend their time gaining certificates and getting certified in different fields. People likely look up to you and some of you will become teachers or mentors. Religion is a topic that may be major in your life; some of you will be majorly religious and it will shape how you live life and come off as a person. This placement is also indicative of someone who goes through major philosophy or worldview shifts and may have to deconstruct their beliefs at some point in their lives.

When your chart ruler is in the 10th house, your career and reputation hold more importance in your life. They are more of a priority to you than they are to others. Stereotypically, this placement can indicate that you are career-motivated. In general, though, this placement indicates that you are goal-motivated and some of those goals will be related to your career. Your career can become a part of you with the chart ruler in the 10th house. In the best-case scenario, you won’t feel like you’re at work when you find your dream career. Your career could be in something that you’ve enjoyed for as long as you remember, and you become known for whatever that is. This placement heightens the likelihood for you to be an authority figure or someone that people look up to. You may take on more of a serious or disciplined nature because of where your chart ruler is. Like having the chart ruler in the 6th house, this placement can make it more likely that you experience major burnout from working too much. Stay aware of your work/life balance!

When your chart ruler is in the 11th house, your friendships and the groups you are a part of hold major importance to you. Many of you will have friends who are a major priority of yours. Some of you will enter into groups throughout your life that you become personally involved in. This placement is indicative of having a following or having people who look up to you, especially for advice. Some of you will take on major volunteering roles and be concerned about the state of society. This placement can indicate someone interested in politics or human rights issues. Stereotypically, having your chart ruler in the 11th house can make you outgoing, but this depends on the sign, the planet your chart ruler is, and any other planets in the house. This placement does put you more in the spotlight and more likely to meet a wide range of people throughout your life. You’re more likely to feel comfortable with people than spending time alone. 

When your chart ruler is placed in the 12th house, life never seems surface level, and it can feel similar to having the chart ruler in the 8th house. You are someone who prioritizes their alone time and has/will go through longer periods of healing, mental or physical. Many of you will explore spirituality and it may become a major part of who you are. You have a heightened intuition and a need for introspection and reflection. Some of you will want to travel to foreign countries; most of you will want to visit somewhere that was once unknown to you, even if it isn’t out of the country. You may want to experience things that can help you disassociate from life itself for some time. This placement is more likely to find themselves participating in self-undoing behaviors or activities, so this is something to be aware of. In this lifetime, your focus lies in spiritual experiences, your intuition, and inner reflection. 

When you are in the later years of your life and look back, there will be more of a focus on your chart ruler’s house’s topics. Your chart ruler is one of the most important parts of your chart, and where it’s placed can indicate where much of your focus lies. I would love to hear where your chart ruler is and if you resonate with those house’s topics more than the others! Thank you as always for reading 🙂

-Jasmine