How does our descendant figure into our personality?!
Question: I realize how significant the 1st house (rising sign) and the sign and planets in that house are in a chart but what about the 7th house and sign? How does that figure into our personality, particularly if one's Sun and Moon and/or Jupiter and Mars are there? Since the 1st house sign is called the rising sign, should I assume that the 7th house sign is my *falling sign*?
Please bear with me if my question sounds confusing or immature, I'm new to this astrology thing and I'm trying to learn.
Answers: I realize how significant the 1st house (rising sign) and the sign and planets in that house are in a chart but what about the 7th house and sign? How does that figure into our personality, particularly if one's Sun and Moon and/or Jupiter and Mars are there? Since the 1st house sign is called the rising sign, should I assume that the 7th house sign is my *falling sign*?
Please bear with me if my question sounds confusing or immature, I'm new to this astrology thing and I'm trying to learn.
>Since the 1st house sign is called the rising sign, should I assume that the 7th house sign is my *falling sign*? <
I like this. Actually you have a point. Before I get to your question, I'll give the definition: the "rising sign" is the sign that is rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth. The sign isn't actually rising. The earth is revolving, but we'll stick with the word rising. The opposite sign, or descendant is falling below the horizon at the same time. If someone has 15 Taurus on the horizon rising at the birth moment, then 15 Scorpio is on the western horizon setting.
One more thing: the word "horoscope" comes from a Hellenistic Greek word that translates into English as "watcher of the hour." Originally the "horoscope" was the rising sign or ascendant. It later came to mean the entire chart, which used to be called a "figure," which was short for "figure of the heavens," or sometimes a "map."
The problem you bring up, as I see it anyway, is that since the beginning of the 20th century and a little bit before, the entire chart has gradually evolved into a delineation of the native's personality. In other words, the whole chart is about the native. It wasn't always that way, and perhaps shouldn't be. What we're saying here can be applied to all houses, not just the 7th.
The first house or ascendant and its ruler tells us about the native. The 7th house, it's opposite tells us about particular others in the native's life, in this case his spouse, partners, and even enemies. These are the native's opposites as it were.
Some astrologers look at the houses as both telling us about ourselves and telling us about others in our life. Like attracts like. We attract certain people into our lives because of the way we are. In that way the 7th can show us something about ourselves. Let's say a person has Mars on the descendant. That means he will have contentious people in his life as partners, or spouses (Mars is the traditional ruler of divorce), or enemies. Why? Probably because the native is a bit contentious with those people himself and they fight back. So we have a case of a person who is difficult to get along with and seems to find difficult people with which to fight. If you find yourself always falling for the same kind of significant other this is why, and if you find that you don't care for that type, you need to do something about it. "Why is it that every guy I date ends up spending all my money?" Well, maybe you have a weak Mars in the 7th ruling your second house. Mars is an indication of squandering (an aggressive action), the second house is your money. You are attracted to the kinds of people who squander your money. That is an oversimplification, but the idea ought to be clear.
The same is true for the other houses where appropriate. The 11th is the house of friends, so if Venus is in the 11th, particularly if Venus is close to the cusp of the 11th, the native will have Venus-like friends: sensual, pleasure loving, relationship oriented. If Saturn, the native may have grumpy friends. The sign on the cusp will give us more information. This also shows what you like in friends. The 10th is the house of action, "what you do." It will show not only the type of work you may do but the kind of work you will like, etc. All these things also tell us about the native. If the native likes to work outdoors, doesn't that tell us something about his personality?
It is easier to stick with the ASC and it's ruler as indications of the native's overall or general personality, but by showing the kinds of people and things that we are drawn to in our lives, it also shows what kinds of people we are in more depth.
If there are no planets in the house, use the ruler of the sign on the cusp. If more than one planet is in the house try this: The planet closest to the cusp will have the most influence. A planet close to the closest planet will influence the first. A planet in a house but not in the same sign as the cusp will exert little influence in that house. Exception. If a planet is closest to the cusp, but the ruler of the sign on the cusp is in the house, but not as close, the ruler of the sign on the cusp will have the most influence. I would also give consideration to exaltation rulers.
The chart does not only show things about you. Think of it as more than that. It shows you about your life as well.
Well, from what I know, the rising and descendant are just as polar as the rest of the chart's opposites; like IC = home & family and MC = career & work.
The ascendant tells you how people see you; their first impression as well as your face and head physically (2nd house is the rest of the body).
In polarity, the descendant on it's turn should tell you how *you* see other people! It also tells you how you percieve the world around you.
The question isn't at all immature! In all fairness, it's a more challenging question than the ones you will find in this section most! Keep them questions coming!
The first house is about "you"; how you go on about life as an individual, on your own, it is the primary energy of discovering the world and experiencing it. The first house, 4th, 7th and 10th are the cardinal houses ,so a lot more active than the others.
The 7th house or descendant is about collaboration withothers. It deals with "me and you" but unlike the 6th house which is of "service" to others it has more equality. But then again nothing is guaranteed.
For example a 7th house sun will tend to need "others" in order to feel fulfilled and shine but it is also a 2 way system also : it brings out a lot out of others also. The pitfall of a 7th house sun is that the ego might feel dissatisfied if others disapprove of it whereas a first house Sun would not care at all. A seventh house sun might sometimes need a "mirror" to make him feel worth it. That is the danger of the 7th house.
If you have Saturn in the 1st, you might be afraid to go through life with ardour but if Saturn is in the 7th : then you might feel suspicious of others on a very personal, intimate level or either you might be too judgemental and critical of other people's opinions and views. It is the house of "significant others", the rapport you have with people very closely/intimately. It is more on a mental level unlike the 5th house where you want to "shine".
If you have the Moon there, you will instinctively "feel" others and suss them out. You could also be bound to want to give a lot and share a lot of your feelings with other people or you might feel hurt a lot more easily and desperately want your emotional needs to be fulfilled by others instead of taking care of them on your own. If you have Jupiter in the 7th house : you might have great hopes and expectations of others or energise others, be a role model, a tutor...etc. Mars : well..you could actively pursue something and be a leader or be at war with others. I have seen that the energies' expression were different whether you are a male or female too.
It really depends on the rest of your chart to determine whether you express the energies sometimes positively or negatively or both. After all lessons are always learnt throughout life so no one is a "prisoner" of his/her chart but can always try to improve oneself.
I know that some people say the 10th house is how people view you but it is more than that.....it is how a crowd views you if you like. It is the status house so if a person for example qualifies themselves as "I am a doctor", " engineer" or whatever and define themselves upon those terms ( some people are like that..haven't you noticed ? Their occupation means everything...or if you have the moon in the 10th: some women define themselves " I am a mum") which of course is kind of limiting and limited.
The "doctor", "mum" etc....will be known much better on a one to one basis in the 7th house : their hopes, fears, their real selves basically.
Will take more time to know somebody who has lots of planets in the Western hemisphere (right side of the chart for you).
A first house person will tend to say : here it is : that is me : take it or leave it, I don't care but a 7th house person just will not work like that. They will tend to be more influenced by others.
OK................could write volumes ....
edit : There are rules....but please do not consider them as "set". The planets, elements, combinations with others and rapport with the houses (environment) is a complex one. It should ideally be a give and take situation but it does not always work like that. The houses are what you put out and what you receive "out there". They represent what concerns you most in life. If a 10th house is empty for ex...a person might not care very much about progressing in the world status like, might not care about what the Joneses think, the latest car to buy to impress others etc..as an example.