Even if you have only a little background in astrology, you know the 12 houses of the natal chart each have meanings related to specific people and events in our lives. For example, we know that the 7th house represents our partners, the 4th house is our family, the 5th house is our children, the 6th house is our co-workers, and the 10th house is our boss. For more on the meanings of the houses, click HERE.

To be funny, my teacher sometimes asks me how many houses there are, and I always give three answers: 12, 4 and 144.

12 is the number of houses we work with in a chart
4 because the angles sum up the main goals of life: You (1st house) and a partner (7th house) coming together to create a shared home (4th house) and future (10th house)
144 because each of the 12 houses can be the 1st house of something or someone else

The last answer has to do with derivation, which is the technique of taking a specific house as representative of the Ascendant of a person or thing that’s important to you. What you get is the ability to “see” them in one chart. I should note that this technique really only works when you have accurate birth information because the signs on the house cusps obviously matter. Derivation can be helpful if you don’t have the birth information for an important person in their lives, or if you want to get a different perspective on their influence.

So how does it work? Let’s go through a few examples. In most instances you’re counting houses in a counterclockwise direction, the same way they’re ordered in the natal chart.

Example 1: A child’s marriage partner

What if you wanted to better understand the type of partner your child will end up with? Children in your natal chart are represented by the 5th house so you would use your 5th as the Ascendant of your child. The partner of your child is then 7 signs away, your 11th house cusp. Is the partner a serious, security-loving Capricorn-type or a charismatic, fun-loving Leo-type? Is a good Jupiter in their 2nd house (your 12th) denoting wealth, or do you have a difficult Mars in the 3rd suggesting verbal aggression?

In the example below, we see Gemini on the child’s partner’s ASC with Mercury and the Sun in Gemini on the cusp. This person is going to be fun and exciting for your Sagittarian child, and the strong Mars in Leo in the second will add ambition and perhaps make them a bit of a risk taker, especially with money.

Example 2: A partner’s career

Suppose your partner is thinking about changing careers and wondering if a new opportunity will be a good fit. Your partner in your chart is represented by your 7th house so start there as their ASC. Their career is 10 houses away, again counting counterclockwise, ending up at your 4th house. Makes sense, right? The stability and success of their career has a direct impact on your home and family life.

In my example chart, Scorpio is on the house cusp so this person needs to be emotionally involved in whatever they’re doing. Research or investigation would appeal to them and they’re probably very good at ferreting out everyone’s secrets and motivations. With the rulers, Mars and Pluto, in the partner’s 6/12 axis, psychology, human resources, or detective work might be possibilities.

Suppose Sagittarius is on the cusp, however. They would need a lot of variety and freedom in their job, and the more opportunity to travel, the better. Something that requires repetitive tasks and working long hours at the office is not likely to appeal to them unless there is a strong Saturn or a lot of earth energy in the chart.

Example 3: Your mother, father & grandparents

Parents and the general family background are represented by the 4th house in our natal charts, but what if you specifically want to know about your mother? The rule I’ve learned is that the same-gender parent is typically your 4th house, while your opposite gender parent is typically your 10th house.

Assume you’re a woman looking to find your parents in your birth chart. Your mother would be your 4th house and your father would be your 10th house. And what if you want to know more about your mother’s mother (your grandmother)? That would be the 4th house from your 4th house, which is your 7th house. Similarly, your father’s family is the 4th house of your 10th house, or your ASC.

There are situations where parental influence flips, like with the death of a parent, divorce, etc., and you’d take the same gender parent as the 10th and the opposite gender parent as the 4th. In those cases, you’re making the most influential parent the 10th house. You’ll need to use your judgement or consult an astrologer to determine when you need to switch.

**Example 3: Seeing a woman’s mother, father and grandmother in the natal chart**

Example 4: Multiple marriages

Suppose you’ve divorced and re-married. Where do you see the your current and former spouses in your own chart? You’d start at the 7th and count every other house in a counterclockwise direction. So in this case, the 7th house is your first spouse, your 9th house represents your second spouse, your 11th house represents your third spouse, and so it goes around counterclockwise if you’re Elizabeth Taylor. I’m not sure why it skips houses, probably because of polarity (masculine/feminine), but this rule has worked so far, so I’m sticking to it. You can see an example of it in action with my Case Study of Jane Fonda’s chart.

In this example below, however, we see Aquarius on the 7th, Aries on the 9th and Gemini on the 11th. Perhaps the 1st spouse didn’t pay enough attention to our subject and was always off doing their own thing (Aquarius), and the second spouse was exciting but the power struggles became too much (Aries). The third spouse is witty and keeps them entertained, if they could just get them to sit still long enough (Gemini).

Example 5: The health of an older sibling’s pet

Here’s a more complex example that requires a couple of steps to determine which house to use. Let’s say your older sister is worried about the health of her dog and you only have your own natal chart to work from.

First, you’ll need to determine which house in your chart represents your sister. In your own chart you’re the ASC, or the cusp of the 1st house so start there. Siblings in general are the 3rd house, so you could use that, but if there are multiple brothers and sisters you work clockwise (older) or counterclockwise (younger) depending on the birth to every other house, like we did for the marriage example. Imagine you have an older sister and a younger brother. Starting with you as your 1st house/ASC, your older sister is 2 houses from your ASC going in a clockwise direction, your 11th house. Your younger brother is 2 houses away from your ASC in a counterclockwise direction, so your 3rd house.

**Example 5A: Finding your siblings in your chart**

We then use your 11th house as representative of your older sister’s ASC. Where would you find her pet? Typically, small animals are considered under the 6th house, but imagine your sister dotes on this dog like (or better than) a member of the family. She takes him everywhere, dresses him up, he has his own Instagram account, etc. That kind of relationship falls into the 5th house, something that brings her pleasure and more of a love relationship (5th house) than an animal that serves us in some way (6th house).

**Example 5B: Your older sister’s dog in your chart**

To find the dog’s ASC, it’s the 5th house from your sister’s ASC moving in a counterclockwise direction, so the 5th house (beloved pet) from your 11th (older sister). In your chart, that would be your 3rd house. (Maybe it’s a coincidence that it’s the same sign representing your younger brother!) The dog’s health would be six houses away from your 3rd house, or your 8th house. The health of the dog is then judged by analyzing the dog’s ASC and 6th house, like you would with any other chart.

**Example 5C: Determining the dog’s health**

It’s fun to see who and what you can find in your own chart once you get the hang of it. Check out some of my other Case Studies to see more examples, or shoot me a question and I’ll do my best to help you answer it.

A Brief Tutorial on Derivated Houses

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