Do You Have 7th House Placements In Your Birth Chart? Here's What It Means
If you've ever taken a look at your birth chart, you'll notice it's divided up into 12 sections. Each of these sections or "houses" relate to different areas of our life, and if you have prominent 7th house placements, there are some things you'll want to keep in mind. Here's what to know, according to astrologers.
7th house key ideas
Understanding the 7th house
The 7th house is the portion of your birth chart that deals with all things partnership—romantic, business, or otherwise. As astrologer and author of Rise and Shine: An Astrological Guide to How You Should Up in the World, Christopher Renstrom, tells mindbodygreen, you can consider it the "spouse house," but also the house that rules business partnerships and even open enemies.
This house is on the opposite side of your chart as your ascendent (AKA rising sign) which kicks off your first house. "The 7th house is as far away from the ascendant as it can be, so it was known as the descendant," Renstrom says.
Further, according to the AstroTwins, the 7th house is "where we team up with others and get to know ourselves through our interactions and creating mutual give-and-take." As they previously wrote for mindbodygreen, creating a balance of two forces is the goal of this house.
And is marriage not the ultimate way to combine and balance two forces? As Renstrom explains, marrying for love wasn't even a concept until more recent, modern times. In the past, marriage was a contractual agreement that united two families.
"Marriages before our times were often arranged, and astrology has been around 2500 years—so the 7th house described who you were marrying because with marriage you sign a contract," he says, adding, "You're legally bound to one another—as opposed to a fifth house, which is love affairs and romance."
Then, suppose you get a divorce, that too is a theme of the 7th house, because not only do you have divorce papers to sign, but your ex then becomes your public enemy. Where the 12th house deals with secret enemies, Renstrom notes, the 7th deals with your enemies in plain sight.
But more often that not, he adds, whenever you see planets in the seventh house, "chances are that's describing your partner and not describing you."
Planets in the 7th house
- Sun in the 7th house: If the sun is in your 7th house, also known as a "sunset chart," you may strongly identify with being in a partnership, and be prone to putting your relationships before your own needs
- Moon in the 7th house: With the moon in your 7th house, you may take your relationships seriously and personally, with a strong sense of empathy and connection to your partners
- Mercury in the 7th house: With the planet of communication and information in your 7th house, you may want a communicative or intelligent partner who is active and energetic
- Venus in the 7th house: The 7th house is ruled by Venus, so the planet of love feels right at home here, making you attractive and warm to others (and you look for the same in your partners)
- Mars in the 7th house: Mars doesn't feel very at home in the 7th house, so this can cause relationship problems such as rushing into things, hyper independence, or explosive arguments
- Jupiter in the 7th house: With the planet of luck and expansion in your 7th house, you may be attracted to equally expansive relationship. This can indicate luck or wealth in marriage, but can also lead to being overly optimistic
- Saturn in the 7th house: Saturn rules challenges, discipline, and hard work, so while having it in the 7th house may grant you long term success and status, it can also result in enemies and/or marriage problems
- Uranus in the 7th house: Uranus is innovative and unexpected, and when it's in your 7th house, you may be attracted to people who are independent and quirky—just be careful you don't deter them with your aloof attitude
- Neptune in the 7th house: With the planet of spirituality and illusions in your 7th house, you're probably quite the romantic, but this can make you idealistic or illusory when it comes to your relationships
- Pluto in the 7th house: With Pluto in the 7th house, you may struggle with codependency or place an extremely high importance on emotional safety. You could also be attracted to dark, brooding types
What if you don't have any 7th house placements?
If you look at your birth chart and don't see any planets in your 7th house, that doesn't mean you're never going to get married or sign a big contract, so have no fear.
According to Renstrom, even if the house is "empty" of planets, so to speak, the house itself will still have a particular planet ruling over it. "It doesn't matter if a house is empty, you always look to the planet that rules the cusp of the house," he explains.
For example, if you were a Gemini rising, your descendent is Sagittarius, making Jupiter the ruling planet of your 7th house (because Jupiter rules Sagittarius). As another example, a Libra rising's descendent is Aries, and since Mars rules Aries, Libra risings' 7th house ruler is Mars.
FAQs:
What is 7th house in astrology?
The 7th house in astrology is the portion of your chart that rules marriage, partnership, business partnership, contracts, and public enemies.
What is the deeper meaning of the 7th house?
The deeper meaning of the 7th house is that it can represent the culmination or completion of some relationship, whether that's a positive thing like a marriage, or a a negative thing like a restraining order.
What is my 7th house for marriage?
The 7th house deals with marriage, and can reveal the kind of qualities you're looking for in a spouse.
The takeaway
From your public enemies to who you're meant to marry, the 7th house is chockfull of juicy details into your life and relationships with others. Depending on which planet rules over this portion of your birth chart, you can use it to figure out what to look for in partnerships—and what to avoid.
Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, a registered yoga instructor, and an avid astrologer and tarot reader. She received her bachelor's in broadcasting and mass communication from State University of New York at Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.