Astrology House Systems

The astrology chart displays the planets and other calculated points from a geocentric vantage point. This means that the chart displays the planets from our perspective on Earth. When astrology was first developed, the thought was that the celestial bodies rotated around the Earth. The first publication that discussed the Heliocentric concept was in 1543 by Nicolaus Copernicus. Heliocentric is the way we understand our solar system today, the Sun is in the center, with the celestial bodies rotating around it.

Traditional Astrology uses the house system called “Whole House,” which places the whole sign in equal houses of 30° around the chart, using the sign that encapsulates the Ascendent at the 1st house.

Most popular house system used in Modern Astrology is the “Placidus” house system. This house system divided equal halves between the upper and lower sections of the chart. Then, these are further split based the Midheaven at the time and location of birth. You can find more information on Placidus on Astro.com.

I found a great site that will calculate the planets’ houses for a birth time and location, so you can choose the house system that you prefer. For me, the Whole House system seems to work fine, especially for learning purposes.

The Cafe Astrology site offers a great visual to compare the house systems. Enter your birth data, and you will see the results of twelve different house systems.

I provide this information not to confuse you, but to show you that your chart may look different depending who generates it, and how it was generated. You should know that the celestial bodies sign, and degrees should be the same regardless the house system.

For more information, Patrick Watson has a great article. What To Do When the Midheaven Is Not in the 10th Whole Sign House – Patrick Watson