The Twelve Houses: Exploring the Houses of the Horoscope

by Howard Sasportas, Liz Greene (Contributor)

Your astrological birthchart is a map which can guide you to true self-knowledge. Everyone born on a given day will have the same planets in the same signs, but planetary placements in the houses depend on a more individual factor - the exact place and time of your birth.

Genres: Astrology, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Reference, Philosophy, Occult, Psychology

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Aline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!!!
I started learning Astrology this year and have only read a hand full of books so far. This was my first one specifically on the houses. It’s so in depth! Great for beginners, but I think advanced students can still take away a lot too.

After this you don’t really need to read another book on the houses. I‘ll go back to it a lot to refresh my memory on things because there’s just so much!

I really liked the writing style too.

[Gabriel Ivan Vega Bellido]

I enjoy being called out by the intricate dance of the large spheres in our relatively immediate vicinity.

[Tiffany Gellner · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books on the house placements. Always keep this handy for referencing.

[Douilleny · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars, best and favorite astrological book that I have read. Just great

[Amina Elidrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked this book so much to the point i couldn't put it down, so informative and simple, o learned a lot , i was able in fact to read and even to see secrets in some charts and to see some psychological issues too. it scared me and finally i just left the whole idea of interpretation :) five stars for that

[Ivonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uno de los libros de cabecera de todo astrólogo o curioso de la astrología. La carta astral gana mucho más sentido luego de leerlo, no solo por las descripciones que hace de cada una de las casas, sino su relación con los planetas y signos en ellas, y también la historia que se cuenta en toda la carta y como cada una es reflejo o consecuencia de sus predecesoras.

[Kitija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastiski bija ieraudzīt citātus no tādiem teoloģijas dižgariem kā Tillihs un Kirkegors ļoti labā astroloģijas grāmatā.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are three basic ingredients which combine to make up an astrological chart – planets, signs and houses. Planets represent particular psychological drives, urges and motives. For example, Mars asserts, Venus harmonizes, Jupiter expands, Saturn restricts. The signs represent twelve qualities of being or attitude towards life. The drive of a planet is expressed through the sing in which the planet is placed. Houses show the specific areas of everyday life or fields of experience in which all this is occurring.

Put very simply, the planets show what is happening, the signs how it is happening and the houses where it is happening.

[Ca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nice and informative read. Written with a hollistic approach, even a beginner with no foundational knowlege of Western astrology would get everything he mentions in this book! Or after finishing it, with practice of course. Includes many - I said many! - examples, like the full chart of Howard Sasportas himself, and many other notable historical figures in snippets, for example: Hitler and Macchiavelli.
Aside from interpreting the meaning of houses in full: he explains the keywords of, say, house 10: aspirations, hopes, the hope of being something larger than self, friends, groups, social reforms, Howard Sasportas wonderfully pieces them together. You won't have to wonder why it's like that anymore; and it's gonna be easier to remember because you know why now! Aside from that, Sasportas'd included many things associated with the houses: planets in house, house cusps,.. etc.
A gleeful 5/5 for me. Will defo read again, so many things to learn from this!

[Addy Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

i learned SO MUCH!

[Solo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant and insightful must-read for anyone studying astrology. It gets into the mythology and psychological symbolism of houses (and planets). It gave me a lot of clarity on things I had been confused about. Personally, I found the idea of flipping the 4th/10th house parental associations very, very useful. It helped me make more sense of my own life. Yeah, I have a lot to say, but maybe the most meaningful thing I can say is I cannot recommend this enough. Get it. Read it. Understand it. Life and people will make more sense.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The consistent repetition in the text of the different houses, planets, and signs helped me to memorize some of the main archetypal qualities of each element. It took me a while to finish the book but I believe that this slower pace was a positive factor in absorbing the new concepts. As an author Sasportas shows a very balanced perspective providing the reader with views from different Astrological “schools of though” without promoting any specific group, while also being very honest about his personal experience and what worked for him in his practice. He also has a good sense of humor and I especially liked the illustration he used to describe the planets in the 5th house as children playing in the sandbox: “(...) nobody plays quite like Jupiter. It's hardly likely that the sandbox is large enough (Malibu beach would do better), but their castles must be bigger and more imaginative than the next fellow's”.

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for Astrology as well as Tarot as the individual houses are brought to life in this book and can be applied in a practical manor that aids in utility when applying Houses of the Zodiac spreads. When Astrology and Tarot are combined in a manner that does not crimp each other toes, it expands the layers of connectivity.
A handy reference that is always useful for the understanding of the complex house systems and planet combinations.

[John Marani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and I can't say enough good things about it!

I have learned more about the 12 astrological houses from "The Twelve Houses" than many, many other astrology books. I have been studying astrology for over 20 years now and just discovered this book a few years ago. I wish I had known about it long before now.

[Stargazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best book on the houses.

[ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

i had like 7 different epiphanies while reading this book. im actually really sad its over bc i was having so much fun learning so much new stuff 😢 but onto the next astrology book i guess lol

[Mads ʅʕ•ᴥ•ʔʃ マディ Heggen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A generally good, if dated, little introduction to understanding the houses and their essential rulerships/associations with the different signs and planets of the Western zodiac. Loved the full chart reading at the end and the introduction of the concept that the 4th house could also refer to one's relationship to their own race/ethnicity, although I wonder if I haven't heard of this before because of the problematic implications this could have when explored to its ends. The overview of different house systems felt a bit rushed and incomplete...I want some more preparatory context before I watch Chris Brennan's deep dive/roast of Whole Sign Houses. Not the most satisfying introductory book for an astrologer in 2024, but a good way to get the basics down via free audiobook (w/ Spotify premium subscription) for a booked and busy baby astrologer who hasn't had the time or patience to sit down and read the physical astro books that are growing dusty on my shelf right now. Teehee. Looking forward to more updated and thorough writing on the houses, though. This left me hungry for more!!!

[Jessica Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic in astrology and Howard Sasportas MA (who left us in 1992) founded The Centre For Psychological Astrology with Liz Greene. The Gods of Change is his other great legacy. The twelve houses of the chart are still widely misunderstood (think of the Twelfth House, for example, or the Fifth House) but Howard found a way through. He had both the Sun and Mercury in Aries so must have been intrigued by his own chart. In the Natural House System, that puts both of them in the First House of branding and self-promotion, publicity and recognition. Sure enough, it's now decades later and I find myself putting Howard front-and-centre with other astrologers and astrology fans.

[Kaili · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice comprehensive guide to learning the basics of the astrological houses and planetary influences. Flow was perfect! I did feel like for how long this bad boy was, it could have gone into more specifics within the micro analysis of planetary influence in each house. It got a bit dusty at points. I did really appreciate the last chapter being a case study to help put everything into perspective. It was structured so that you can orient your own application and proved methodically. Can’t wait to learn more and i feel that this book was a bigger step into my studies. (:

Free on audible btw!

[Katrianna Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to always come back to for references. The simple layout of chapters for each individual house and placement is ideal for quickly grabbing the book and looking up particular astrological placements. I enjoy Howard Sasportas style of writing, it's rather kwirky to say the least. I would say this book is more directed towards people just starting out in astrology. If you are slightly more advanced in this practice, this may be a little too straight forward, but overall brilliant book to read and would recommend to anyone starting out.

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una obra muy reveladora y filosófica en la que el autor profundiza en el conocimiento de las casas astrológicas y los posibles efectos de los astros y signos a través de las mismas. Como siempre, todo libro sobre astrología debe ser tratado con cierto escepticismo, pero yo he encontrado numerosas coincidencias a partir del análisis de las casas de mi carta astral.

A modo de crítica, la obra peca de ser demasiado abstracta en algunos puntos, tanto que la interpretación a veces resulta complicada.

[Laianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough examination of all of the houses, planets, signs and nodes. I loved the callbacks to Greek and Roman mythology and the frequent allusions to celebrity chart placements. I didn’t like the author’s insinuation that all illness is psychosomatic. Once you get the gist of each house, the content gets repetitive, but if you’re not reading cover to cover, you can easily refer back. The only concept the author doesn’t explore is aspects. Would recommend to anyone interested in historical interpretations of the natal chart.

[Jelena Svilkic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Za naprednije početnike ili neki niži nivo srednjeg znanja astrologije, cenim što je dosta pažnje posvećeno temi odn. kući koja me je uvek lično mnogo interesovala, a to je 12. kuća. Oslanja se dosta na jungovsko tumačenje i Liz Greene, što je okej ako se prati ta linija interpretacije. Ima i deo gde se lepo i sažeto objašnjavaju različiti house sistemi poput Porfiri, Placidus, Equal Houses, Regiomantus, itd.
p.s. Nekad mi fali izrazito tehničko, fatalističko, kvazi-precizno astrološko pisanje tradicionalnih astrologa, malo me je umorila moderna astrologija, hahaha.

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most beautifully insightful, illuminating, poetic yet direct book on psychological astrology I’ve read so far. Eureka moments are overflowing on every page. So grateful for Howard Sasportas’ contributions to this field.

[Judith R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aid in Synthesizing the chart

Sasportas does a masterful job of focusing on detail and at the same time highlighting the interconnection of related elements.
This book teaches about much more than just the houses. It’s a valuable read.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

excelente explicación de las 12 casas de astrología. easy read, con ejemplos muy buenos para entender mejor. al final hay un resumen y un case study increíble que ayudan a que el reader pueda repasar todo 🤍

[Ruud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best astrology book I read so far. It explains the fundamentals well, also by refering back to mythological stories that are connected to the planets. I will definitely use this in the future for reference when reading horoscopes.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers great insight into each house with great detail and many examples. Its super helpful for beginner astrologers! It is a tough read to binge all at once, but slowly I was able to finish and felt like I learned quite a lot.

[Lucía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho. Interesante para aprender sobre las casas en la carta natal, enfocado desde psicología astrologica, muy completo, une muchos puntos que no había pensado. Como consulta para un futuro.

[Catarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's such a perfect book, it gave me a lot of insights and a lot of new information that will improve the interpretations I make. It's very detailed and the author applies the positions discussed on maps of known people. Love it!!! ❤️