The Sun in the Houses
The Sun | The Sun in the Signs
The position of the Sun by house (that is, the house that the Sun occupies in the birth chart) reveals an area of life where we need to feel special. It is where we feel the need to distinguish ourselves from others.
By house, the Sun’s position shows where our personalities shine. The areas of life associated with that house reveal the types of experiences that contribute to our sense of individuality and that shape our sense of pride. These areas are ones in which we seek to express and focus our Sun sign qualities.
The Sun is an active, rather than reactive, force. As such, we can effect changes in the affairs ruled by the house of our Sun. In fact, in order to find happiness and direction in our lives, it’s important to recognize that we identify with the areas of life ruled by this house. We need to shine in some way in these areas of life! We cannot ignore these house matters–we need to take purposeful action here.
So, if the Sun is in the 6th house, we must recognize that being of service to others, such as through daily work, is vitally important to our identity. Taking action to find our niche in terms of the work or service we do will contribute much to our sense of self-worth and esteem.
We must also be careful to avoid over-identifying with the affairs of the house our Sun occupies. Our ego may be over-developed in these areas, and our pride easily bruised. In our example of Sun in the 6th house, negative expression of this position may be a tendency to over-identify with our work; to feel useless when we are not working; to define ourselves in terms of the service we provide to others; to over-react to criticism of the job we do; or to become engrossed in service at the cost of finding our true calling in life.
In sum, while our Sun’s sign shows us our core personality traits and how we shine, the house in which we find our Sun reveals where we shine.
The chart wheel images in the following interpretations serve as a visual guide to where you will see the Sun as it is found in each house of the horoscope.
Sun in the 1st House
You identify strongly with the image you present to others. You make an impression on others — you have “presence” — and you know it! You are self-conscious, although you may prefer to project a strong image.
You will feel at your best when you make a mark on the world but should avoid obsessing over what others think of you. This will come more naturally over time. Accept that you need to be a leader or an innovator, and go for it, but be careful not to be overbearing with others.
Alternate interpretation: With the Sun’s energy in the First House, your personality drive will find expression mainly through personal issues related to self-image, physical appearance, and personal interests. You are required to acquire knowledge of self in order to sustain a true sense of identity, purpose, and destiny.
Strong willpower and self-assurance add strength to your personality. Very brave, positive and competitive, you develop natural leadership qualities. Your enterprising nature, with a capability for seizing opportunities, is another factor for success – obstacles are overcome by sheer physical courage. You are to become self-determined and self-sufficient, carving your own path in life. Your enthusiasm for life may manifest as robust health and vitality. There may be some tendency to pride and insolence at times. — From the Character Profile.
Sun in the 2nd House:
You take pride in what you own, and you have a strong drive for security. You have staying power, and you hate to let others down once you’ve made a promise. Avoid over-identifying with what you have. Concentrate on proving your worth through your strong value system and your incredible ability to stick with things and with people. Take pride in the solid and secure foundations that you build, as well as the lasting relationships you aim to maintain while being careful to avoid possessiveness.
Alternate Interpretation: With the Sun’s energy in the Second House, your personality drive will mainly be directed into the creation of personal wealth, with an emphasis on financial security. A strong desire for material possessions is a dominant motivating factor in your life. You are very sensible with money and, unless very careless, should always be comfortably off. — From the Character Profile.
Sun in the 3rd House:
You need activity and a change of scenery often, or you feel restless. You take pride in your mental agility and your friendships. You are able to adapt quite easily to whatever environment you’re in. There is a strong need to communicate your knowledge to others and to learn. Your curiosity is endless. Take pride in your intellectual or communicative abilities without feeling the need to lord it over others or to always be “in the know.”
Alternate Interpretation: You get off to a fast start in life. You expect to be good at what you do. You see competency as primarily a matter of experience, and you set out to gather a broad understanding of people, your environment, and life in your early years. The natural lines of growth in life show that you concentrate on communication and learning as your self-picture develops. — From the In-Depth Profile report.
Sun in the 4th House:
You invest much of your pride and energy into your personal and private life, your home, and your family. Privacy is important to you. You are naturally protective of your family, including your heritage, and of your personal life. Avoid being defensive as you work to build a secure foundation for yourself and the people you love.
Alternate Interpretation: You plan for the “long-run” as part of your basic strategy in life. Your life improves with age because your real personality emerges more and more as you get older. You are interested in having your basic attachments and emotional interests taken care of before focusing your attention on anything else. Once this foundation is established you put your energy into satisfying your need for worldly fulfillment. Because you expect life to improve it generally does. — From the In-Depth Profile report.
Sun in the 5th House:
You want to be noticed for your unique and special qualities and your creativity. You are happiest when you are expressing yourself in a special way and attention comes your way as a result. You have a flair for drama and/or sports. You are proud of your fun-loving attitude towards life. As you demonstrate your ability to shine, avoid grabbing center stage all of the time. Your happy disposition is enough to get noticed, but do find creative ways to express yourself, as this is the path to true happiness for you.
Alternate Interpretation: With the Sun’s energy in the Fifth House, your personality drive may express itself through adventurous and perhaps speculative ventures. An inner restlessness craves an outlet through social, romantic, and daring action. Pleasure and amusement play an important role in your search for freedom of self-expression. The love motive may also be strong. The overriding need is for the creative expression of your personal powers and abilities. This could be through leadership, art, sport, entertainment, New Age ventures or the use of modern technology. In this search, you will cover a lot of ground and a wide range of interests. Children may play an important role in some way. — From the Character Profile.
Sun in the 6th House:
The work that you do, and the services that you offer, are very important to your sense of identity. In order to feel good about yourself, you need to be busy with daily activities and to produce work you can be proud of.
Focus on finding a suitable and rewarding avenue for expressing this part of you, being extra careful to choose an occupation in which you can express yourself. You are sensitive to criticism about the work you do, and you work best when you can create your own schedule. Positive feedback for the services you render is important to you, but be careful not to over-identify with the appreciation you receive from others, as your work and your health suffer when you feel under-appreciated. Motivation to do a good job should come from within.
Alternate Interpretation: With the Sun’s energy in the Sixth House, your vital forces may be drawn into some form of service that will bring deep personal satisfaction. Hard work and challenging situations are certainly indicated – probably within the work environment itself. You seek perfection and distinction in your work and this quality could bring you well-paid, responsible positions. Crisis situations will develop, but you meet these with steady determination. The Sun in this house also indicates a need to overcome a weakness. Often this relates to health matters. — From the Character Profile.
Sun in the 7th House:
You take pride in your ability to negotiate and to establish harmony in your relationships. It is important for you to have a partner, as you feel incomplete without one. You are motivated to become well-liked, and you are especially sensitive to rejection.
One of the lessons in your life may be to avoid putting harmony and others’ opinions of you above your own needs. Use your social skills and seek out peaceful relations with others, but try not to over-identify with your partnerships and the way you are received by others.
Alternate Interpretation: You are interested in relationships and you do better in life when you undertake tasks with others rather than pursue them alone. You love to share and you give yourself in great measure to your partner. You must learn not to put your objectives aside just because of your compliant nature. You will be successful with the associations that you form and also with people in general thanks to your good manners and charm.
This astrological position suggests eventual success in marriage. You should not hurry nor let impatience get the better of you; the union will reach the promised success when you both have matured. You will choose an authoritative, strong and capable partner of whom you feel proud.
You are likely to win every judgment or legal litigation in which you find yourself involved. — From the Adult Report.
Sun in the 8th House:
You have a great urge to go farther or deeper into life every step of the way. You want to experience more, and your desires are both powerful and intense. It is hard for you to find satisfaction in common experiences, and you have magnetic power if you choose to use it wisely. You are fascinated with what lies under the surface, and at some point in your life, self-improvement is a big interest. You are attracted to unexplored or taboo areas of life, and you avoid all things superficial.
Alternate Interpretation: Your feelings run deep so there is a need for attunement with your inner self. You may sometimes feel that you are destiny’s plaything and will try to discover hidden parts of yourself through investigating “the mysteries” or take an interest in occult or metaphysical studies. As you increase your knowledge, you will recognize a compelling demand for constant change to promote your spiritual growth. This is often presented by material lessons to which you must adjust. In conforming, be prepared to relinquish some part of your life so that you may experience a rebirth on a higher level. — Interpretation from the Spirit Success report.
Sun in the 9th House:
You have a deep need to understand the world around you. You have high ideals and you have your eye on what’s on the horizon. You are looking ahead, and at times can seem quite restless. You are proud of your knowledge and your morals. Be sure to avoid self-righteousness in your enthusiasm to share your knowledge. When used correctly, you are a tolerant, adventurous, and curious person, and you want to see the best in people and in life.
Alternate Interpretation: Your thirst for learning extends beyond the classroom. You acquire much of your knowledge from people of different cultures or in foreign lands. You probably have a flair for languages, making you valuable as a translator. It is possible you will earn more than one academic degree, and function as a teacher. One of your most admirable qualities is that, by touching the lives of others, you will come to understand that all men are brothers, separated only by self-imposed restrictions. Share your wisdom to overcome prejudice and the bigotry which impedes the spiritual growth of all.– Interpretation from the Spirit Success report.
Sun in the 10th House:
The urge to work toward a goal, for success and accomplishment, and/or for power is part of your makeup. You are uncomfortable in any position in which you must “take orders” from someone else. Recognize your ambitions and your need for authority without going overboard. Seek out a career that allows you to manage, rather than be managed, if possible. It is crucial that you accept the part of you that is ambitious, but take pains not to over-identify with an image that is not really you!
Alternate Interpretation: You have a great capacity to lead others and to excel as a professional. You will put a lot of energy into your work and you will have a brilliant career. You will always be in the public eye and will enjoy great renown. If your work is in politics or any leadership position, you will be successful.
You will show a lot of pride, arrogance, and ambition in the material sense. You can not conceive of a fulfilling life that shows no improvement in your lot; your father figure influences you to elevate yourself. You will be able to transcend your initial social position to achieve status and recognition and you will feel very satisfied. In general, you are competitive and authoritative.
In the future, you will find an extraordinary partner with a good social position with whom to share your life. It will not be easy to please you and you will never resign yourself to settle for someone you do not consider worthy. — From the Adult Report.
Sun in the 11th House:
You are a humanitarian who aims to treat everyone as equals. You seek to be unique and original, and you do your best to avoid bias and prejudice. Social status is less important to you than belonging to a group of diverse personalities. Your identity, in fact, is somehow linked to a larger unit than yourself.
You have high hopes and goals and tend to look at life in terms of opportunities. You have magnetic appeal, as people sense your broad tolerance and openness. The friendships you establish are crucial to your development. If you identify too much with your friendships and your friendliness, you may become too impersonal and alienate those who would like to get close to you.
Alternate Interpretation: You are everybody’s friend, but not always a friend to everybody. You often value friendship above love and may choose to keep your friends for a lifetime. Quick to bond, you may be equally quick to separate from a relationship when it appears you have nothing in common. You will doubtless find a place in a variety of social and service clubs, and hold more than one office. You adapt easily and fit into almost any group because you know how to get the most out of a situation, refuse to compromise your ideals, and maintain harmony by finding values to which all can relate. — Interpretation from the Spirit Success report.
Sun in the 12th House:
You have a tendency to be introspective and need some space and seclusion in order to pull up your strength. You may avoid the spotlight, and if you do find yourself in a public role, you tend to hide your true self behind that role!
Because your will is directed inwards, you need to find a path for yourself that allows you to “get away from it all” at least some of the time. Honor your need to be alone with yourself, but avoid over-identifying with your inner world to the point that you truly feel alone in a crowd. You shine when you serve others in some way. Your compassion sets you apart from others, but try to work with it rather than let your compassion work against you by reinforcing your own sense of loneliness.
Alternate Interpretation: Some view this placement as the result of misuse of power in past lives because you are unduly hard on yourself. Your over-active mind is impressionable. You may become a square peg in a round hole if you wear the mask of others as your own. You require periods of seclusion for rest and self-examination because you question why “no-one” understands you. If you seek counseling, you may become a counselor to help others avoid the pain of your experiences. You, too, are deserving. Acknowledge that if you are your own worst enemy, you can be your own best friend. — Interpretation from the Spirit Success report.
Note that the Sun is more “comfortable” in some houses than it is in others. For example, the Sun’s energy seeks to distinguish oneself as a separate identity. It feels very much “at home” in the fifth house which is its natural domain. In the twelfth, however, it is not as comfy-cozy! The twelfth house energy attempts to dissolve ego boundaries. The Sun is very personal, while the twelfth house is universal. The Sun represents the individual ego, and the twelfth house represents the collective. As such, the Sun in the twelfth house position is more complicated, both to live with and to interpret, than the Sun in the fifth house.
Interpretations written by Annie Heese, unless otherwise noted.
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