©2-7-2013 by Donna Cunningham, MSW
Today we’re going to roll up our collective sleeves to find out how the sign on the 12th house cusp applies to the ways we handle the patterns the 12th house describes. Below you’ll find the tables and techniques to DIY (Do It Yourself.)
Even if your 12th house is empty, you can find out a lot about yourself from analyzing the sign on the cusp of that house. Further insight would come from looking through your natal chart for the planet that rules that sign, since that’s the ruler of your 12th house.
For instance, if you have Cancer on the 12th, look for the Moon, which would be the 12th house ruler. If you have Sagittarius on the 12th, look for Jupiter. Consider the ruler’s sign, house and aspects to see where in your life you’re likely to act in a 12th house way.
A Template for Interpreting Your 12th House Sign
The tool you’ll work with here is one I’ve used extensively in my books and classes. It can be very productive in stimulating insight into any given combination of house and sign, planet in sign or house, or aspects between planets.
It’s a template where you create or paste lists of the issues and qualities of pairs (or trios) involved in a combination. Then you scan the keywords and do a side-by-side comparison of the plusses and minuses of the particular combination.
Below are tables with two different combinations of 12th house and sign combinations and a blank template for your own use. See what you can gather from matching up 12th house expressions with the qualities of the sign on the cusp.
For instance, given the 12th house path of service, how well do Cancer’s caretaking and nurturing qualities fit? It can be a very kind and caring combination, and yet serving and nurturing too much can create codependent relationships and even bring about illness from working too hard and too long as a caretaker. If, worst-case scenario, repressed emotions can lead to addictions, then what does Cancer’s preoccupation with food suggest?
| 12th House Matters: | Traits of 12th House Cancer: |
| Service; retreats from the world like ashrams; spiritual practices and the spiritual path; secrets we keep from ourselves and others; self-defeating behavior; chronic or psychosomatic illness; addiction. Issues to Work on: retreat from the world—the unconscious, dreams, spiritual pursuits, service. Repressed material that comes out in psychosomatic or chronic disease or self-defeating actions. (Places where you are your own worst enemy.) People Represented: Secret connections, such as extramarital affairs. Members of A.A. and other 12-step programs. Secret enemies, drinking buddies, and those who undermine us—ourselves when we’re our own worst enemy. Patients and staff of chronic care facilities like hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons. Members of ashrams and spiritual groups. Selfless servers like nuns, monks, and volunteers. | Interests: home, family, memories, past, tradition, domestic arts, food, creature comforts. Roles: nurturer, parent, domestic worker, caretaker, feminine role model.Constructive Traits: nurturing, caring, protective, emotionally aware, listens to “gut feelings”, sensitive, intuitive, receptive, attuned to the subtle, domestic, family oriented, loyal. Difficult Traits: smother love, moody, living in the past, hypersensitive, clinging, dependent, codependent, shy, feuding, insecure, worrier, changeable, conservative, habits hard to change. |
Contrast that with an Aquarian influence on the 12th. Aquarius’ hard-edged maverick qualities could combine with the 12th house secrecy in some interesting but not necessarily harmless ways.
| 12th House Matters: | Traits of 12th House Aquarius: |
| Service; retreats from the world like ashrams; spiritual practices and the spiritual path; secrets we keep from ourselves and others; self-defeating behavior; chronic or psychosomatic illness; addiction. Issues to Work on: retreat from the world, dreams, spiritual pursuits, service. The unconscious, repressed material that comes out in psychosomatic or chronic disease or self-defeating actions. (Places where you’re your own worst enemy.) People Represented: Secret connections, such as extramarital affairs. Members of A.A. and other 12-step programs. Secret enemies, drinking buddies, and those who undermine us—ourselves when we’re our own worst enemy. Patients and staff of chronic care facilities like hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons. Members of ashrams and spiritual groups. Selfless servers like nuns, monks, and volunteers. | Interests: advanced ideas, computers, technology, fads, trends, modern life, peer group. Roles: inventor, scientist, tech support, trendsetter, maverick, activist, adolescent.Constructive traits: avant-garde, futuristic, unconventional, state-of-the-art, leading edge, genius, humanitarian, thinking out-of-the-box, idealistic, innovative, brilliant, detached, free. Difficult Traits: willfulness, knee-jerk rebel, saboteur, agitator, maverick, provocateur, eccentric, cold, contrary, elitist, erratic, undependable, distractible, explosive, stubborn, unemotional. |
Here’s a template for you to use in considering how your own 12th house sign works with the various potentials of that house. Download an excerpt from The Stellium Tool Kit here: TBL-Keywords for the Twelve Zodiac Signs . The file contains keywords for all 12 signs. Then copy and paste the sign qualities into the right-hand side of the table and do a side-by-side comparison of the plusses and minuses of this combination.
| 12th House Matters: | Traits of the 12th House Sign: |
| Service; retreats from the world like ashrams; spiritual practices and the spiritual path; secrets we keep from ourselves and others; self-defeating behavior; chronic or psychosomatic illness; addiction. Issues to Work on: retreat from the world—the unconscious, dreams, spiritual pursuits, service. Repressed material that comes out in psychosomatic or chronic disease or self-defeating actions. (Places where you are your own worst enemy.) People Represented: Secret connections, such as extramarital affairs. Members of A.A. and other 12-step programs. Secret enemies, drinking buddies, and those who undermine us—ourselves when we’re our own worst enemy. Patients and staff of chronic care facilities like hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons. Members of ashrams and spiritual groups. Selfless servers like nuns, monks, and volunteers. |
Like this technique? You’ll find all the tools you need for analyzing signs, houses, and planets in my new reference work, The Stellium Handbook: An Owner’s Manual for People with Stelliums or Triple Conjunctions. Read about here: Finally, The Stellium Handbook is Here!
Time for you to put on your thinking cap, Folks. I’m not going to do this for you, because you’ll learn a great deal about yourself and about your 12th house patterns by doing it yourself. Do some side-by-side comparisons of your own 12th house signs, and let the subconscious work on it overnight.
But do share your conclusions in the comment section below this post. There’s a one in 12 chance that someone who reads this will share your sign/house combination, and you can all learn by teaching each other.
UPDATE: Check out the comment section–we’re having quite a productive discussion about intercepted signs and planets in the 12th.
Don’t want to miss it? Here’s how to subscribe to Skywriter: To sign up for a subscription, go to the top right hand corner of the blog and click on “Subscribe.” You’ll automatically receive new posts by email.
To Readers with Nothing in the 12th: I often grab a topic by the tail and shake it until it stops moving. If this series isn’t anything you’d care to read, please don’t unsubscribe, just delete the emails, and the next topic that comes along might very well be one that you’ll relate to. Meantime, here’s a link to an index of the topics covered here in the past, over 570 articles in all. Download it here: 1-Articles Index Skywriter 1-2013.
The Complete Skywriter Series on the 12th House:
- 12th House People as Introverts: the Power of Solitude
- A Sensitive Guide to Planets in the 12th House—Guest Blog
- Readers Ask: Q & A about the 12th House
- New Insights into the 12th House from our Q&A Session
- Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the 12th House—but Were Afraid to Ask
- The 12th House—Comparing Ancient and Modern Views
- 7 Secrets You May not Know about the 12th House
- Daybreak and the 12th House Sun
- 12 Famous People with 12th House Suns
- 80 Qualities of Venus in the 12th or other Venus-Neptune Combinations
- Jupiter in the 12th—When Does Good Luck Turn Bad?
- Transits from the 12th House to the 1st–Like Night and Day
Sky Writer 
Lets see…..Virgo rules my 12 th House and the ruler mercury is retrograde at birth and went direct when I was 11. So I have always given my intuition the last and final word on any action or decision. If my heart felt good then it was the right way , if it felt bad then that road was the wrong way. I realized this at 6 years old.
But when Mercury went direct then my analytical mind examined the wherefores and whyfores. Ever since birth night time was wonderment and observation time plus planning the stategies of any forth comming action.My times of seclusion are also used thus.
By: Barehand on February 7, 2013
at 12:13 pm
Night time has always been those things for me as well. I also have Virgo ruling the 12th, with Mercury RX (in Pisces). 🙂
By: caroline on February 7, 2013
at 4:59 pm
Also, do you have Libra rising? I’m assuming so but could be wrong. Anyway, I was wondering if Libra rising made it difficult at times to know what you heart wants to go toward or away from, aka to make a decision! Or is it a matter of transcending the intellectual plane?
By: caroline on February 7, 2013
at 5:48 pm
Yes as a child my intuition via the Heart center was law….no questions asked. Later on when I began to understand situations it was just additional info. Sometimes one cannot understand the whyfores but they always pan out further down the road and then you understand why the heart guided you in the way it did. Sometimes you must be a spiritual warrior to stand your ground no matter what. This makes your spirit body stronger. So yes transcend the intellectual plane. I always viewed the mind as the hand maiden of the Life Force or Creator Will.and strived to be in harmony with the natural movement of this great mystery energy.The intelligence in all living things is the most refined of our sensory apparatus, the physical body but its difference is that it follows us from lifetime to lifetime so we can evolve and bring in our spirit to earth substance, spiritualizing matter. Its a mutual eveolution between spirit and the elements of substance.
By: Barehand on February 22, 2013
at 5:19 am
Forgot to say….yes Libra rising conjunct Neptune from the 12th..Mercury retro in Leo combust the Sun. 4 degrees from the Sun. That situation caused a strange thing to happen. I could be talking and suddenly my awareness would be drawn in and like the fog blanket of Neptune It would permeate all space and I would listen feel for additional info or a larger awareness. Sometimes this would alter my course with the additional awareness. Sometimes it impacted what I had been talking about at the time and at other times it was unrelated to the current action. It doesnt happen anymore now that I am past retirement age.
By: Barehand on February 22, 2013
at 5:28 am
and yes Libra rising causes…..possibly ….me to to ponder this and that. If I intuite there is a piece missing I cannot act until its all there for informed action.. If I am NOT 100 percent into something I cannot act on it but once I am then nothing will stop me until I get what I want to bring the goal to fruition.
In youth I crashed any door and was more impusive but in later years I am more mellow and cut more slack for others and their perspective and ways of doing things. I think more for the long term now and leaving something good for future generations.
With Netune, Chiron and Jupiter I am concerned with healing Culture and the Cultural values of North American Indian….Indians are on the move now with the women doing water ceremony , walking from the oceans in the 4 directions and bringing it to Northern Minnesota…the greatest fresh watershed on the North Am. Continent and in the world. Women are guardian of this. Our values respecting nature are sorely needed at this time.
By: Barehand on February 23, 2013
at 5:49 am
Thanks for your wonderful article. I have Libra in the cusp of my 12th house, and Moon conjunction Neptune in the 12th house intercepted in Scorpio. The ruler, Venus is in the 6th house opposite moon, and Moon Neptune conjunction is conjunction my Sagittarius rising and Mars rising. So much going on…
I’m definitely more comfortable in the spirit world, and sometimes I want nothing to do with the world, society or people. Moon/Neptune in 12th house, but with Libra in the cusp, and the ruler opposing my moon, I know I have to relate with world and come out for air (or to download) or else I crash. Moon/Neptune in Scorpio also has no time for bs, and want deep real connections, hard to find with such high ideals, hahaha!
By: Rosa on February 7, 2013
at 12:19 pm
Well I have Sun in the 12th, have spent time in an ashram, and the spiritual path takes priority for me. With Libra on the 12th, my true desire is for peace and harmony. Relationships are very important to me, and questing to find the right spiritual relationship, someone to walk the path with. Venus is in Virgo so I guess I can be quite picky – this also denotes my relationship with the precision of yoga and meditation, and the field of health and healing. Venus is in the 10th, and all my career choices are based around being of service – Libra is the sign of one to one relationships and I give one to one readings and healings. I also want to get involved in spiritually uplifting music and art. Venus is squaring Saturn, and my path has never been without its hardships – also opposite the Moon, which is in Pisces so the Neptunian aspect is very strong! Interesting to be a Neptunian Fish in this crazy world….
By: Cosmic8 on February 7, 2013
at 2:33 pm
What if the 12th house is on the cusp? I have mine on the last degree of Libra plus a few minutes. Would Scorpio also have an influence?
By: Jerry Ketel on February 7, 2013
at 4:05 pm
Hi, Jerry, it would have more of an effect if there were 12th house Scorpio planets as well. But since the cusps moved 1 degree for every four minutes of birth time, it wouldn’t take much of an error in the given birth time to put Scorpio rather than Libra on the cusp.
Why not try both the 12th house signs with the template and see which sign makes the most sense in terms of how you deal with 12th house matters? Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on February 7, 2013
at 4:25 pm
Thanks Donna, I’ll give it a shot. I’m a Pisces sun with a Scorpio rising. Neptune is in the 12th. I think I already know the answer. 😉
By: Jerry Ketel on February 7, 2013
at 4:32 pm
I have heard that the last degrees of a sign are very powerful….but I am no expert. My Asc. 28+degrees Aries while Taurus is intercept in my first house. Both signs have a lot to say even though neither has any planets. My NN is in Taurus….
By: Carolyn on February 7, 2013
at 4:46 pm
I love this! Thanks so much, Donna. 🙂
Drinking buddies in the 12th? That makes so much sense. People rely on them for comfort and understanding (empathy), but they really enable self-destruction. I recently read a study that said “incompatible” drinking habits leads to divorce, especially if the high drinker is the woman.
Then I thought about Whitney Houston who has Pisces Rising and Aquarius in the 12th…with Saturn. Bobby Brown is a Sun Aquarius. Even though she had already started doing drugs before they met (her brother recently confessed that he turned her on to them), she said that she was addicted to Bobby. She allowed him to be publicly and privately scapegoated for her drug addictions yet had to answer why she kept going back to him. He represented her hidden knee-jerk rebellion to authority…and self-destructive group-think (doing drugs because everyone around her in the fashion, music and film industries said it’s normal).
By: Jara on February 7, 2013
at 4:08 pm
Right on–I should really add “enablers” to the list of 12th house people! Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on February 7, 2013
at 6:27 pm
What about an interception in the 12th house (nothing else) cusp taurus, interception gemini, do i look at both venus and mercury as rulers ? and traits of both signs ?
By: Louise on February 7, 2013
at 5:28 pm
Just the sign on the cusp determines the house ruler.
There are two ways an intercepted sign gains in importance. One is if there are planets in that sign, and second is during a transit to that sign by one of the slower-moving planets (Saturn on out), because the intercepted sign makes that a very big house (as much as about 45 degrees), so then the transit to that house lasts a long time. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on February 7, 2013
at 6:25 pm
what about if you have 3 different signs in the 12th house?
Pisces on the cusp, the entire 30 degrees of Aries with Jupiter there, and then 2 degrees of Taurus. Pisces rules Jupiter, and Jupiter is there too. I know that Jupiter rules large animals and in my 20’s i had wonderful horses.
considering Jupiter is very strong in my chart, i can’t figure out why more of the c keywords don’t click with me. my recently deceased husband profited hugely by his association with a 12 step program, which greatly improved our life. maybe that’s it?
By: mimitabby on February 7, 2013
at 7:33 pm
As mentioned above, you’re describing an interception, and in different house systems you might have a different set of interceptions. The two important factors for you are Neptune as the ruler of the 12th and Jupiter as the strongest influence, more important than the signs. T
The most important thing about an interception would be any natal planet in that sign. And the fact that the house is more than 30 degrees wide–as many as 45. And so any time there’s a transit of the slower-moving planets through that sign, the transit lasts a long time and represents important and life-changing developments in the areas of life connected with that house. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on February 7, 2013
at 8:04 pm
Another thing about interceptions: I’ve never quite bought into the teaching that being intercepted makes a planet less accessible or somehow less important. Try going through a long transit from Pluto or Neptune to an intercepted planet, and see how important that is!
Anyway, given that the 12th house planet is already somewhat secret and hidden, how in the world would you know what an interception adds? How would you measure the strength of that vs. a 12th house planet that wasn’t intercepted? Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on February 8, 2013
at 5:36 am
oh sorry i did not see that question/answer when i posted
By: mimitabby on February 8, 2013
at 6:01 am
yes you are right. when my intercepted Jupiter was transited by Uranus, my world completely changed. Uranus might give gifts, but they are fairy tale style. you can have the gold crown, but your daughter must marry an ogre. but you really didn’t have that choice because it is truly like getting ground together by those two heavy planets. you can get the gold but you will lose the person you love the most. that bit about transits of intercepted planets is a huge step in understanding for me.
By: mimitabby on February 8, 2013
at 6:11 am
I like that interpretation a lot Mimi! Alas, when Uranus transited my 12th house Jupiter (intercepted/not intercepted, depending on the house system), I was only about 7 and things were pretty rocky at home, so I don’t know what happened. Maybe it was the first time I fell into adoration with one of my teachers, who were so uplifting and thought the world of me. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on February 8, 2013
at 7:35 am
sometimes you have to rap me on the knuckles to make me remember. 😛
By: mimitabby on February 8, 2013
at 7:37 am
Aw, shucks, Mimi, not to worry, we’re good. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on February 8, 2013
at 8:06 am
Thanks for the info. My youngest son has a full 12th house. Pisces on the house cusp. Aries intercepted with Venus Mars and Mercury in Aries. Chiron at 10 Taurus in the 12th and Sun in Taurus right on the ascendant at 17 Taurus. Transit Uranus is moving through Aries and I will watch it. He was born with his Sun opposition Uranus on the descendant Quincunx Pluto in Libra and Neptune in Sag…….should be a super important time for him.
By: Barehand on February 23, 2013
at 6:02 am
Just a question… what if Scorpio is on the cusp of 12th and 1st, and Jupiter is in the 12th, but completely unaspected? In this case Neptune is in the last degree of Scorpio, but in the first house conjunction venus.
By: Rosa on February 7, 2013
at 8:40 pm
Sorry, Rosa, but that’s too much detail about several pieces of your chart, and I don’t do individual chart interpretations any more. I need to have made that clear in the post.
My purpose here was to teach readers to interpret the sign and house combinations for the 12th for themselves. Donna
By: Donna Cunningham on February 7, 2013
at 8:44 pm
Thanks Donna, I understand. But that’s not my chart… I posted earlier about my chart. I just thought how complicated this can get, ha!
By: Rosa on February 7, 2013
at 9:16 pm
Pluto is the Ruler of my “empty” Scorpio H12 cusp (opposite Chiron, trine Chart Ruler Jupiter/Part of Fortune and Mars, sextile Sun/Venus & Neptune, square Asc/Desc) and located in Virgo H9. The Ruler of Pluto in H9 is Mercury in H8, Pluto & Mercury are both intercepted.
I travelled quiet extensively with my work, not something I anticipated, it just happened that way, I enjoyed the opportunity to travel extensively. I have also had plenty of relationships with men who have an “unavailable” mysterious & secretive air about them, or who claim to be single/separated but end up being married, or are single but end up marrying someone else – seemingly out of the blue.
I have always been social, lots of friends from all walks of life, and with Mercury H8/(Ruling Pluto H12 Ruler) connection also seem to attract a lot of people who have experienced horrific deaths of those close to them. I also spent a couple of enjoyable years working in a day centre for people with learning difficulties and physical disabilities teaching healing/arts & crafts and cookery.
When my children had grown up, I sold my house to train as a Shaman and travelled to Peru several times, visiting their sacred sites and working with local shaman at their village in the high mountains, although have often felt dis-illusionment from parts of the teachings/teachers, I can also see how this was also an invaluable lesson. Over the last 18 months though I’ve been really reclusive, very H12 and wondered what was going on.
Serendipity, your excellent post arrives a few days after I discovered the timing of my seeming “Nun like” existence coincided with a Juno return – that chart also has Ascendant conjunct Node 26 Scorpio and Sun 18 Scorpio (square natal Uranus), Mercury is 3 Sagittarius (Ruler of mighty Jupiter) all landing in my natal H12, it’s only small house I’m amazed they all fit in there LOL Co-incidentally Sun/Mercury & Pluto are once again hidden away in intercepted houses. The Juno return chart also has Uranus exactly square my natal Sun, exactly to the minute that is, with (Juno)/Mercury in Sagittarius and Jupiter in mutual reception in Gemini.
During the last year I feel like I’ve started going through some mental filing of my life’s “events”, unleashing a tsunami like wave of good/happy/sad/joyful emotions, which just seem to be running through me at high speed on a daily basis – emotions that I now realise had been locked away, experiences I had seen/heard and made a mental note of, but never ever fully felt. Some mine, although others seem like foreign distant remnants either from past lives or how I experience/understand/comprehend other people’s experiences; through my own internal pathways.
Also noteworthy is my Juno return chart also has Mercury Retrograde in H12, as the first post mentions this seems to have helped bring my emotions on board. My Juno rtn, is significant in as much as I have natal Sagittarius Ascendant, with H1 Jupiter.
In fact it wasn’t until your post arrived that I looked at the Juno return again today. So even my seemingly empty H12 is currently very busy:-)
By: Carolyn Bielby on February 8, 2013
at 12:31 pm
I have Capricorn on the 12th (empty) with Saturn (retrograde) in Cancer in the 6th. I have always struggled with the mundane but essential tasks associated with the 6th house (no earth planets!). Organisation whether at work or at home has been a challenge and something that I have really had to work hard at and figuring out that I had to get on top of this stuff was a breakthrough in itself. The recent passage of my progressed moon through Virgo has helped a lot with this!
Likewise, the 12th house has always been neglected until recently. Stuck in the past nursing old wounds I have struggled to find faith in anything let alone myself and many times became mired in pessimism refusing to believe in anything I could not see. I lost my corporate job 18 months ago and I have gone from being a very busy workaholic career woman to caring for my child full time and healing old wounds. I discovered meditation which works best for me when I set aside the same time daily for my practise. I have become responsible for my own thoughts and state of mind finally as well as becoming competent in 6th house activities. Reading this back I am struck by how important, responsibility, maturity and organisation have been in getting to grips with this area of my life – very Saturnian!
This is all particularly pertinent for me now as my sun, MC, Mercury and Venus have all progressed into the 12th house. Also Neptune which is very prominent in my chart is currently squaring my sun and MC in Sag. No surprise that I am totally bemused as to where my future path lies but I know that I will only find it by harnessing the constructive Saturnian energy that I now know is there.
Thank you so much Donna for initiating this analysis – it has been an eye opener…..
By: Joanna on February 8, 2013
at 3:28 pm
I, just like Jerry, have my 12th house cusp close to the end of libra, probably about 28 degrees. And the sun at 29 libra in the 12th. And lovely mercury, pluto, saturn in that order, scorpio in the 12th. With all that scorpio energy its pretty hard to say what keywords i lean towards, and as an aside I’ve always been a blurry line person and would be more apt to say its a librascorpio cusp than either/or. That said, I actually lean a bit more towards the libra influence in terms of 12th house expression, perhaps because my sun is fairly close to the cusp, and I’ve Venus in the 1st. Libra ruling art, one on one relationships, fairness and harmony, the quest for balance…all these things have taken a monumental spiritual tone in my life, and with my 12th cusp ruler Venus in Sagittarius there is high idealism, long shooting traveller spirit as well. And on a more basic level, I spent all my life loving dogs (unicorns, too, but the wolves and dogs won out) and drawing them obsessively as a form of escape from my imfprtunate home life. Plus my long journeys into the woods as a young girl…i see this as a very good interpretation of venus (pleasure, art) in sagittarius (journeys, horses, dogs) as the ruler of my 12th (spiritual escapism, the imagination and art as therapy). My solitude and escapism was always for art. Now, perhaps its a progression thing but it seems most of my solitude 12th house moments are spent studying astrology and psycho analyzing, seeking, etc. Perhaps scorpio has progressed as the ruler of the cusp in time..but i liked the old days of drawing more.
By: orianaaa on February 12, 2013
at 5:17 pm
I have Leo on my empty 12th house cusp and all I know is that when I thought about this, it explained why I’m such a wallflower. I *hate* being seen! I don’t wear make-up or jewelry or anything showy that might draw attention to myself. I’m a basic jeans and tshirt kinda girl even though my Libra moon is constantly drawn to pretty things (I’m not so bad at this anymore, but I used to buy a lot of clothing that I *never* wore! It looked so pretty in the store but I just couldn’t ….)
By: Tara (Moss) on February 14, 2013
at 9:38 am
I love this analysis and the comments. I have 28 Aries on my 12th house cusp, Taurus intercepted, to 14 Gemini rising. Aries Sun, Mercury retro, Chiron and Vesta in 11th. Venus (unaspected) and Mars in Taurus in the 12th. Mars conjunct Saturn in Gemini in the 12th. Many astrologers have told me to expect the worst! Intense karma (saturn conjunct mars in 12th), difficulties.
While I have had some intensity in my life, especially in the form of disconnected relationships and moving around the world without fully establishing roots, they have not been the typical 12th house issues. No hospitals, some ashram visits, but more as the occasional visit rather than retreat and a deep distrust of the guru phenomenon. I hate secrets and hidden things, I always make it a point to bring everything in the open thoughts, relationship, etc. I don’t take drugs, don’t drink, ( I am particularly sensitive to substances with Sagittarius Neptune in the 6th)
only occasional overindulge in food, which tends to cause me immediate physical distress).
I am pretty self disciplined (saturn conj mars in any house) but not extreme and do prefer eastern physical disciplines like yoga, but I also love running. I am a “healer” in a licensed alternative medicine field, but it’s a grounded, fun sort of environment.
The only thing I strongly identify with is that I absolutely thrive on being alone, and my imagination, activity level and productivity tends to increase when I work by myself. I do enjoy beings with groups of people or close friends, but nothing is better than my alone time. Most people would consider me an introvert, but I can be very gregarious in small groups.
Could it be that I have an exact sextile from Aries sun to the Mars/Saturn conjunction in 12 that is smoothing out things, and the general “superficial” nature of Gemini rising that is taking the angst out of my 12th house issues?
I consider my life to have been much smoother and easier than a lot of my friends or my acquaintances who don’t have 12th house involvments. (I do check their charts)
By: sol22 on February 16, 2013
at 10:39 am
Thank you very much for the helpful tools. ❤
I have Mercury and Venus in the 12th house in Leo (with Sun and Saturn in Leo as well but in 11th house) and can't wait to analyze them 🙂
By: Aylin on February 22, 2013
at 8:04 am
This blog was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally
I’ve found something which helped me. Thanks a lot!
By: Eduardo on April 9, 2013
at 6:02 pm
My 12th House is in Sagittarius. I look at Jupiter.
Jupiter is in the Twelfth House, in Sagittarius, at 27°43′. So in domicile and accidentally dignified.
At that degree it conjuncts the Galactic Centre too! (i wonder if anyody knows the answers.. 😀 Q1: Does this have any beneficial/malefic effect?)
In addition, it conjuncts Sun at 4 degrees (sun in 2 degrees capricorn)
Q2: some say that Combustion is not a good thing, but generally, the description of Sun conj Jupiter sounds so good on all the western sites; what should i believe?
Other aspects: Jupiter semi-sextile Uranus; Jupiter semi-square MH.
By: Natasha on October 5, 2013
at 9:12 am
Phillip Sedgwick was the astrologer who publicized the Galactic Center’s importance in the natal chart, even writing a book on the subject. Check out what he has to say here: http://www.philipsedgwick.com/Galactic/ZS.htm. As for Sun conjunct Jupiter in the 12th, I have that myself and I consider myself very fortunate. Donna Cunningham
By: Donna Cunningham on October 5, 2013
at 10:51 am
What about leo on the 12th house cusp?
By: Alex on December 7, 2013
at 10:18 pm
Alex, this is a do it yourself article. There is a table to download that has qualities associated with the 12 signs. When you click on the link, the table comes up. Then you copy and paste those qualities into the 12th house side of the template given.
Here are the qualities associated with Leo that you’d put into the template for analyzing your 12th house:
Leo: 7/23 – 8/22, ruled by the Sun, associated with the 5th house, Fixed Fire Sign.
Interests: family, people, stylishness, lively social occasions, and themselves.
Roles: shining star, King or Queen, golden girl or boy, diva, center of action, leader.
Constructive traits: confident, high visibility, charismatic, dramatic, personable, sociable, loyal, generous, vibrant, sunny, regal, focused on self-expression and self-development. Difficult Traits: egotistical, conceited, diva, hungry for praise and attention, high maintenance, false pride, pretentious, self-centered, entitlement issues, grandiose, melodramatic
By: Donna Cunningham on December 8, 2013
at 4:45 am
My 12th house has got both my Gemini Sun and Venus, I do strongly identify myself with service theme and walking the spiritual path (I also have a stellium in Virgo!), I am very secretive and reluctantly share the slightest details of even my every day life not to mention my inner world even with close people. Only recently after my progressed Sun went from Cancer into Leo and my progressed Moon into Saggitarius could I open up a little ( so you can find me posting which is a feat and an achievement in itself). Reflecting back now I think I have had a few hidden ill wishers who are Geminis and I am my worst enemy at all times. Till very recently I had a chronic illness too, which I managed to soothe just by taking up some artistic classes. I also had to overcome my shyness and decided to take up… an astrology course! That was an amazing experience! I still have one issue (an addiction) I need to solve. So far all falls into place with this 12th house placement, I guess.
By: Anna on August 26, 2014
at 12:15 am
I would like to add that astrology has given me great tools of introspection and general analysis. Without them , as I understand it now, the very quality of my “hidden” Gemini Sun and Venus (plus Mercury in Cancer!) just made it impossible to be self-aware of such aspects as my true identity and my likes and dislikes.
By: Anna on August 26, 2014
at 12:22 am
My 12th house is ruled by Jupiter (Sag) which is in Virgo at 27-30 in the 8th. It squares my Merc at 28-23 Sag and Moon at 0-54 Cap. Mars is at 5-2 Cap which in my mind forms a triple conjunction. Neptune squares Mars from 6-26 Libra in 9th. Mars and Moon are opposed by Saturn at 6-9 Cancer. Merc, Jupiter, Moon and Saturn are all in detriment but in Mutual Recption. Keywords that I identify with: mentor, teacher, troubleshooter, lifetime student, at one time a know-it-all but have worked to reduce that, insecure, anxious. I tend to need a lot of time alone and “disappear” in groups larger than 4 or 5. I can attest to the life changing events symbolized by transits from the “outer” planets, having Neptune, Uranus, Saturn conjuncts and opposition from Jupiter in the late 80s and early 90s in my 12th house. Pluto is almost out of my 12th and will be by end of 2015. Then I have respite for a while and have only to have non-conjunct aspects for the rest of my life, lol. I have always wondered why Jupiter the “Great Benefic” was involved in so many of the tragic/very uncomfortable events in my life. Perhaps being ruler of the 12th and ruler of all those planets and aspects is the reason.
By: Bob Miller on September 15, 2014
at 11:54 am
I Wonder how to interpret my 12th house as well.
I have saggitarius on the cusp of both 11th and 12th house.
My jupiter is in virgo , in 8th house (this virgo is intercepted) [2nd pisces-8th virgo interception]
Jupiter only makes a square to the sun, a trine to NN and to ASC. -and some other minor aspects-
I am seriously questioning if my friends are secret enemies.
I’ve received many backstabsk from” friends” throughout the years. But I am gullable. I intuite when a person means ill to me, but I just hope that my intuition is bad. Or that a person can change,,,,,
By: narina on October 5, 2014
at 3:34 am