The Houses in Mundane Astrology

​Mundane astrology studies the impact of the planets on the world at large. It’s a wider view of astrology and how it impacts all of us as societies, countries, and Earthlings.

When you're interpreting a chart in mundane astrology, whether it's for a country, corporation, or event, the houses in the chart can be similar to how they're interpreted in the natal. You just have to adjust for the fact that you're not interpreting for an individual. 

The Houses in Mundane Astrology

1st house: Just as the 1st house of a natal chart is part of the identity of the person, so too is the 1st house part of the identity of the country/city/corporation in mundane astrology. In the chart for an event, the 1st house can show certain people involved (in the chart for an attack, for example, the 1st house rules the attackers while the 7th house rules the victims).

The general outlook of a country/city/corporation and way that country/city/corporation and society of that country comes across can be seen with the 1st house. Planets in the 1st house can seep into the “personality” of the country, just like in natal astrology. Planets moving through the 1st house and aspects to the 1st house cusp, ruler, and planets in the 1st house can impact the country/city/corporation as a whole, and in charts for events, can show a main focus or influence.

2nd house: The 2nd house rules finances, so in mundane astrology, the 2nd house rules the finances, wealth, and possessions/property of the people as a whole. The 2nd house also rules our values and value system, so the sign on the cusp and planets in the house can show the values of a country/city/corporation.

Planets moving through the 2nd house and aspects to the 2nd house cusp, ruler, and planets in the 2nd house can impact the finances or values of a country/city/corporation, as well as the general confidence that the people have in the country/city/corporation. In event charts, the 2nd house can often show possessions or things of value that are impacted by the event.

3rd house: The 3rd house is one of the communication houses as well as one of the houses ruling travel, but it’s short travel, so travel by bus, car, bicycle, etc. In charts for countries/cities, it can show the way people move around, how they interact with one another, how communities come together, and things like traffic, mass transit, local newspapers.

The 3rd house also rules young people and primary education, though some of the old books say the 5th house rules actual school since it’s where groups of children come together. I tend toward the 3rd house, but you can play with both. The 3rd house can show the general attitude of a country/corporation and the way it gets its message across or is heard.

4th house: The 4th house rules the home and country, family, and is one of the houses of foundation, governing the internal foundation for individuals, so it’s the “core” foundation of a country/city/corporation, the base.

Transits and aspects involving the 4th house tend to impact the core of the country/city/foundation, shaking it or improving it. The land as well as the weather is ruled by the 4th house (and Moon), so this house can often be in play for weather events in event charts.

5th house: The 5th house rules what we find fun, our hobbies and love, so in mundane astrology, it can show recreational events, gatherings, or locations, often prominent in sporting events and celebratory gatherings. It can show what we as a society enjoy most and gravitate toward doing for fun.

The 5th house rules the entertainment industry, so this house can also show the “celebrities” of a country/city. The 5th house rules children, so the children of a country/city come under the rulership of this house.

6th house: The 6th house is the house of work, daily life, health, and pets, so the health of a nation can fall under its domain.

Transits and aspects involving the 6th house can impact health news, job news, the economy or some part of the job market, and often in charts for events, the 6th house can show the health of the people involved or that the event occurs at a workplace or involving people who work together. This house can show the general attitude toward work by a country/city/corporation.

7th house: The 7th house rules the other people in our lives, so this house can show the other countries/cities/corporations and foreign entities a country/city/corporation comes across and deals with. This house is one of the houses ruling our enemies, so it can show both the others we like and we don’t.

In charts for events, the 7th house can rule the other people involved (like the victims). Transits and aspects with the 7th house can influence our ability to get along or to make peace.

8th house: The 8th house rules the money that isn’t ours, so the debts a country/city/corporation owe, the loans they take out or give, interest, and taxes. The 8th house is also associated with death (along with the 4th and 12th houses, and Saturn), and in charts for events, is often strong with events involving murder, terror attacks, shootings, etc. (and Scorpio and Pluto or Mars, the natural rulers of the 8th house).

The 8th house also likes to pop up regarding situations of inequality or where people have felt oppressed.

9th house: The 9th house is one of the communication houses as well as one of the travel houses, but governs far travel by plane or boat, connections between faraway places (like big highways spanning a country), and higher education (colleges and universities). It can also be prominent in charts for events that occur in places or gatherings of recreation, especially where people from many places can come together or an international event.

The 9th house also rules the law, so transits and aspects involving the 9th house can show legal issues a country/city/corporation is dealing with, or issues with the judicial system of a country/city.

10th house: The 10th house is one of the houses of foundation, ruling the external foundation of a country/city/corporation, as well as the public image that a country/city/corporation tries to present or has (what they’re known for).

The 10th house rules our government itself, our leaders, the people in charge like a president, king, or CEO. Transits and aspects involving the 10th house tend to impact the leaders, the people at the top, or can make the country/city/corporation feel like they’re hitting a high point/reaching something important (since the 10th house is the highest part of the chart) or being kicked down (in charts for events, a retrograde planet conjunct the 10th house cusp often shows someone/something being brought down - sometimes literally).

11th house: The 11th house rules the masses, society as a whole, and groups. In charts for events, the 11th house is often prominent with events that occur with a large group of people.

Transits and aspects involving the 11th house can impact society as a whole, as well as prompt change or rebellion since the 11th house is naturally ruled by Uranus and Aquarius, and bring out idealism or hope.

12th house: The 12th house rules places of confinement, so the prisons and hospitals of a country/city are ruled by the 12th house, and the people who work/live in them. The 12th house is the house of the hidden, so transits and aspects involving the 12th house often bring out something that’s been hidden in the dark and out into the public consciousness, exposing dark underbellies and unseemly characteristics of society/cities/countries/corporations.

The 12th house also rules endings, so in the charts for events, the 12th house can represent how the event ends (especially in charts for sporting events, the 12th house is often tied to however the game ends).

Suggested Reading: Intro to Astrology Houses