Chart Synthesis  ✦  Dawn Bodrogi  ✦  The Inner Wheel

People get excited about the seventh house because they think it has everything to do with marriage and permanent partnerships. It’s understandable — the seventh does represent those things, but that’s not all. It stands for much, much more.

The seventh house, you see, rules Other. In other words, anyone who isn’t me.

Houses as Relationships

What’s so fascinating is the way the houses can represent exact relationships. My niece is represented by my seventh house — because the seventh house is the fifth house from the third house, which represents my brother. If you start counting from the third (as one), the fourth house is the second, the fifth house is the third, the sixth house is the fourth, and the seventh house is the fifth — my brother’s child.

My brother’s wife would be represented by my ninth house — opposite the third. Her mother by my twelfth — fourth to the ninth. Her sister by my 11th — third to the ninth.

One of the reasons that grandparents identify so much more easily with their grandchildren is that our grandparents are represented by our 1st and 7th axis — the fourth and tenth houses to the natal fourth and tenth houses. I had one grandparent representing each end — a pleasant, fair, easygoing grandpa who embodied my first house Libra Mercury, and an aggressive, difficult grandmother who was the epitome of Mars on the Descendant.

Polarity Points and Planetary Development

When we use the polarity point of a planet — the point opposite the natal position — we are treating that opposing point as if it were in a seventh house relationship to the planet. It represents the energy the planet does not have in and of itself. It is Other to the planet, and represents what must be incorporated in order for the planet to evolve. It also represents the shadow side of the planet, much the way the Descendant represents our own darker tendencies which may be unconscious.

But you might want to resolve this planetary development by looking at the points square to the planet, both applying and separating. The applying square will represent the fourth house to the planet — the problems inherent in its grounding and stability. The separating square represents the tenth house to the planet — the qualities it must ultimately assume in order to function in the world.

The 12th House Sequence

It can be interesting to look at the houses in 12th position to one another. The twelfth house is 12th in relation to the first — but this continues in sequence. The first house is 12th to the second, the second is 12th to the third, the third is 12th to the fourth, and so on. What this means is that the house prior to the house in question holds the secret to its rebirth and regeneration.

You can play these games ad infinitum — and you can make yourself crazy with them. I’m offering this just for fun. So next time a big transit lands in your chart and it doesn’t directly affect you, take a look at the others in your life who may be affected. The results may surprise you.

Go deeper

The Foundations Book by Dawn Bodrogi

For a deeper understanding of how the houses, their sequences, and the full architecture of chart synthesis work together — Dawn’s Foundations Book is the essential companion.

→ The Foundations Book — all ebook retailers

The seventh house rules Other — in other words, anyone who isn’t you.