Sign & House Polarities

Opposite Signs & Houses

Here we explore some of the themes associated with the sign and house polarities.

There are six sign polarities in astrology–these are natural oppositions. Aries-Libra, Taurus-Scorpio, Gemini-Sagittarius, Cancer-Capricorn, Leo-Aquarius, and Virgo-Pisces. House polarities are 1st-7th, 2nd-8th, 3rd-9th, 4th-10th, 5th-11th, and 6th-12th. Although there are differences between houses and signs, in this article we are lumping them together because of their similar basic themes.

Aries-Libra and 1st-7th House Polarity

This is a relationship axis, where Aries and the 1st house represent “self” and Libra and the seventh house represent “other”. Where Aries-1st house is about self-assertion, Libra-7th is about compromise. People born with planets in both Aries and Libra or both the 1st and 7th need to learn the balance between these two needs.

Taurus-Scorpio and 2nd-8th House Polarity

This polarity deals with form (Taurus and the 2nd house) versus transformation (Scorpio and the eighth house). While Taurus-2nd house deals with matter, personal values, material goods, possessions, and security, Scorpio-8th house rules the destruction of form, shared possessions, and change/transformation.

Gemini-Sagittarius and 3rd-9th House Polarity

This is a mental axis, where Gemini and the 3rd house represent the “lower mind” and Sagittarius and the 9th house represent the “higher mind”. Gemini and the third house rule curiosity and logical thinking. Sagittarius and the ninth house rule a broader way of thinking–the quest for meaning, ideas that expand upon the here and now.

Cancer-Capricorn and 4th-10th House Polarity

The private life, domesticity, the need for a home base, and nurturance (Cancer and the 4th house) versus the public life, career, reputation, and accountability (Capricorn and the tenth house). Attachments and love are ruled by Cancer and the 4th, while achievements and rewards/punishments are ruled by Capricorn. In some ways, this polarity deals with the balance between unconditional love and conditional love.

Leo-Aquarius and 5th-11th House Polarity

This polarity deals with the balance between the personal (Leo and fifth house) and the impersonal (Aquarius and eleventh house). Leo and the fifth house rule creative self-expression and the boost to the individual ego that we receive through pleasure and romance, while Aquarius and the eleventh house rule the group, more impersonal friendships, and objectivity.

Virgo-Pisces and 6th-12th House Polarity

This polarity is the service axis, and it deals with the balance between day-to-day functions and routines, physical health, and the need for order (Virgo and the sixth house) and vision, spiritual health, disorder, and the infinite (Pisces and twelfth house). Virgo and the sixth house rule our tools and techniques that we use to deal with day-to-day life, while Pisces and the twelfth house rule the tools that we use to deal with our spirituality.

The following tables show the polarities or opposites for each sign and house.