The Importance of House & Sign Placement

Which takes precedence when delineating a planet in a chart, the sign or the house placement?

Delineation is a delicate balance of all three. The houses govern a specific are of our lives, and the house where the planet is placed in our chart is where the energy of the planet is expressed. The sign of the planet, which may not be the sign on the cusp of the house, is how that energy is expressed. The sign that is on the cusp of the house gives an indication of the matters of that house, as they pertain to the area of life that the house governs.

For example, let’s say you have Pluto in the second house in Libra, with Virgo on the cusp: bIn this case, the second house is ruled by Mercury, which let’s say we find in the 5th house. The 2nd house might be where we earn our living as a writer, perhaps as a teacher.

Now we look at Pluto in Libra in the 2nd house, with the assumption that Libra is also on the cusp of the 3rd house, the house of our early education, and our childhood environment. With Pluto ruling the 3rd house, we may have struggles with understanding our childhood experiences and delve into our feelings around those early years. The influence of Libra on Pluto in this case is apparent in the objectivity we can apply to examining those experiences. We may choose to write, or speak out about those early years to help or guide others.

Then and only then can we begin to look at the aspects Pluto makes to other planets in the chart, keeping in mind what we have surmised thus far. We must do the same deep dive into the other planet as well before we can clearly understand how the aspect itself manifests in the chart.

This is not something you learn overnight, it takes time to build the muscle memory, and experience to deliver the information with compassion and respect for the journey.