astrology Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

, a cadent house is the last house of each quadrant of the zodiac. A quadrant begins with an

Angular house {{anchor, article_startIn astrology, an angular house, or cardinal house, is one of four cardinal houses of the horoscope, which are the houses in which the angles of the chart (the Ascendant, the Midheaven, the Imum Coeli and the Descendant) a ...

, (the house in which a chart

angle In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays, called the '' sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the '' vertex'' of the angle. Angles formed by two rays lie in the plane that contains the rays. Angles a ...

lies) proceeds to a succedent house and ends with a cadent house. There are four quadrants in an astrological chart, providing four angular, four succedent, and four cadent houses. The

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...

called the cadent houses ''apoklima'', which literally means "falling" or "decline," because the houses were seen to be falling away from the strength of the angular houses, which were considered to be most influential because of their

perpendicular In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It ca ...

and oppositive relationships to the

Ascendant The ascendant (Asc, Asc or As) is the astrological sign on the eastern horizon when the person was born. According to certain astrological theories, celestial phenomena reflect or influence human activity on the principle of " as above, so bel ...

. The word ''apoklima'' also carries a denotation of degeneration and decline. Our English word "cadent" comes from the Latin translation of ''apoklima'' and is the source of our word "cadet," which originally meant a lesser branch of the family, or the younger son. Cadent houses are therefore usually considered by astrologers as less fertile and productive places by their nature than either angular or succedent houses, and the planets located in them are seen as generally less powerful and comfortable. This view of cadency is universally found in ancient sources. For example, Paulus Alexandrinus says of cadent houses: "stars d: i.e., planetsfound in these ''zoidia'' d: i.e., houses(3, 6, 9 and 12) become inharmonious. And sometimes they bring about hostile conditions, sometimes separations and banishments...." (However, there are conditions when a planet in a cadent house can be brought up to its full strength, for example, by a reasonably close trine to a

benefic Babylonian astrology was the first known organized system of astrology, arising in the second millennium BC. In Babylon as well as in Assyria as a direct offshoot of Babylonian culture, astrology takes its place as one of the two chief means a ...

planet, such as

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth t ...

). The notion of cadent houses as weak and ineffective also persists with

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

astrologers, such as

Guido Bonatti Guido Bonatti (died between 1296 and 1300) was an Italian mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, who was the most celebrated astrologer of the 13th century. Bonatti was advisor of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Ezzelino da Romano III, Gu ...

and

William Lilly William Lilly (9 June 1681) was a seventeenth century English astrologer. He is described as having been a genius at something "that modern mainstream opinion has since decided cannot be done at all" having developed his stature as the most imp ...

, who labeled cadent houses "poor and of little efficacy."

The four cadent houses

The four cadent houses are as follows: * The third house of the horoscope governs our siblings, letters and messengers, our neighbourhood, and short trips. Modern astrologers have also connected it our ability to communicate and to intellectualise. * The sixth house of the horoscope refers to illness, and also to our duties and responsibilities, and the most routine aspects of work. The sixth is the house of servants, and so may also refer to our service to others, but also to

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, or that which we are obliged to do but do not necessarily want to do. It has been connected by Lilly to smaller domestic animals as well, "and the profit and loss got thereby." * The ninth house of the horoscope governs our higher cognition, religious beliefs, and level of awareness. It is also the house of

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after comple ...

and philosophy and is connected with long journeys far from home. Some modern astrologers also give it an association with the law. * The twelfth house of the horoscope governs troubles, self-undoing, secret enemies, and imprisonment (for example in asylums or penitentiaries), as well as larger domestic animals, such as

draught animal A working animal is an animal, usually domesticated, that is kept by humans and trained to perform tasks instead of being slaughtered to harvest animal products. Some are used for their physical strength (e.g. oxen and draft horses) or for t ...

Theosophists Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

like Annie Besant influenced astrologers like Isabel Hickey to connect this house to karma from past lives.

Natural houses

In the twentieth century, a concept called "natural houses" was popular, in which it was argued that each of the twelve houses of the astrological chart corresponds to a sign of the zodiac: the first house corresponds to Aries, the second to

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * '' Bos tauru ...

, and so forth, continuing through the chart until the twelfth house, which is linked to Pisces. Employing "natural houses," the third house would correspond to

Gemini Gemini may refer to: Space * Gemini (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac ** Gemini in Chinese astronomy * Project Gemini, the second U.S. crewed spaceflight program * Gemini Observatory, consisting of telescopes in the Norther ...

, the sixth house to

Virgo Virgo may refer to: *Virgo (astrology), the sixth astrological sign of the zodiac * Virgo (constellation), a constellation *Virgo Cluster, a cluster of galaxies in the constellation Virgo *Virgo Stellar Stream, remains of a dwarf galaxy * Virgo Su ...

, the ninth house to Sagittarius, and the twelfth house to Pisces, and adherents of the notion borrow archetypal concepts from the signs and apply them to the corresponding houses. The idea of numerological correspondences goes back at least as far as

Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. His politi ...

and was surely instrumental in the interpretation by ancient astrologers of the angular relationships each house has with the others, and especially with the

. This may account for similarities between the idea of

and the idea of the third house. But the "natural houses" doctrine stretches these similarities to a point which seriously distorts the original concepts. Hardly any of these zodiacal correspondences result in the same characteristics or dignities observed by earlier astrologers. Furthermore, using "natural houses," cadent signs are seen to be very flexible and adaptive and correspond with the

mutable sign In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. ...

s of the zodiac. But this obscures the essentially weak and unfavorable nature of these houses. Planets positioned in them lack influence and may even become malefic—that is, they may have an unfortunate effect.

Third house

Ancient astrologers had a very different view of the third house than a correspondence to Gemini would imply. The house's primary significance was for siblings—a meaning it retains today. But Gemini has no such meaning. For another thing, the third house was the "House of the Moon Goddess" rather than having any correspondence with Mercury, the ruler of Gemini. The Moon "rejoiced" in the third house—that is, it was very dignified if positioned there. The house was also the place of religious cults, particularly unconventional ones (possibly what we would now call the "occult") and had nothing to do with writing or speaking. It is true, however, that the Moon was much more involved in the ancient concept of the mind—particularly with memory. The third house also had some connotation for travel but Crane postulates that this derived more from the fact that it opposed the ninth house, the house of the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

, which had the major connotation for travel.

Sixth house

Ancient astrologers had a very dim view of the sixth house, which is called "the house of bad fortune."

Valens Valens ( grc-gre, Ουάλης, Ouálēs; 328 – 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. Following a largely unremarkable military career, he was named co-emperor by his elder brother Valentinian I, who gave him the eastern half of ...

makes a clear connection between this house and thieves, beggars, foot soldiers, and slaves. The house has always had a connection with sickness, and hence with suffering. One reason for this is because it is in a very weak angle to the house of the

, which is considered the house of life, vitality, and health. The relationship of the sixth house to the Ascendant is one of ''aversion,'' that is, it cannot "see" the Ascendant from a point 150 degrees away. Because of this weakness, the sixth house has also been connected with servitude and slavery, and it is for this reason, perhaps, that it has become associated with the most routine and arduous of work, and the sense of the workplace as an obligation to which people must report every day to do the work of others. This is not by any means the house of vocation, or even of the professions. Animals, too, are considered to be the servants of man, and possibly the animals connected here are smaller because the sixth is the lesser of the two houses of misfortune. The planet

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

rejoices in the sixth house. He is dignified when located in this house. Mars is considered a malefic planet, whose influence is often unfortunate and aggressive. Mars's joy in the sixth may have to do with his long connection with fevers and acute illness, but it is also true that Mars is the "lesser infortune" (Saturn is the "greater") and hence joys in the lesser house of misfortune. It seems (according to this page) it is not sure in which category the philosophy of Mars in the sixth house belongs: is it the Christian, modern, etc. astrology? The same counts for the exaltationsexaltations in the houses below.

Ninth house

The ninth house, which ancient astrologers called "the house of the Sun God," has been associated with orthodox religion and with journeys (often undertaken for educational purposes in ancient times). The

rejoices here, and the Sun in late

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

religions was regarded as the eye of God.

calls this house the "pre-Midheaven" and gives it considerable influence. Both benefic and malefic planets are strengthened here. Medieval astrologers connect it with the Church and clerics, long sea voyages, books, learning, philosophy and dreams. This connection with dreams is quite ancient, and references to the ninth house in this capacity can be found in Firmicus and in

Paulus Alexandrinus Paulus Alexandrinus was an astrological author from the late Roman Empire. His extant work, ''Eisagogika'', or ''Introductory Matters'' (or ''Introduction''), which was written in 378 AD, is a treatment of major topics in astrology as practiced in ...

Twelfth house

Western astrologers regarded the twelfth house as a very unfortunate place.

astrologers called it "the house of Evil Spirit" and its reputation did not improve with the Arabs or with medieval astrologers. However, Saturn the "greater malefic," does rejoice here—which means he has considerable dignity—and

says that Saturn in this place will bring considerable influence for honorable behavior. Paulus claims that an otherwise strong Saturn located here will bring success over enemies and joy in work. Firmicus connects this house with slaves, enemies and defects, and

connects it with destitution and beggary. The connection with very bad luck and material privation is almost universally found with the twelfth, as are enemies. It is from medieval astrologers that the connection of the twelfth house with imprisonment derives; the idea is probably Arab in origin. Modern astrologers have brought a spiritual aspect to the twelfth house that was wholly absent in the earlier tradition. This may have its origins in the

Theosophical Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...

revival of present-day astrology, which had some Hindu influence. In

Jyotish Jyotisha or Jyotishya (from Sanskrit ', from ' “light, heavenly body" and ''ish'' - from Ishvara, Isvara or God) is the traditional Hindu system of astrology, also known as Hindu astrology, Indian astrology and more recently Vedic astrology. ...

(Hindu astrology), the twelfth house is very unfortunate but is also connected with sexual activity and with spirituality. Hindu astrology is closely connected to the

Hindu religion Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

, in which material attachments of all kinds—which are certainly the enemy of all twelfth-house significations—are considered to be a bar to spiritual progress. Much has been made of this suggested affinity by some modern astrologers, especially those influenced by the 19th-century

Theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion ...

movement, such as Annie Besant and

Alice Bailey Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949) was a writer of more than twenty-four books on theosophical subjects, and was one of the first writers to use the term New Age. Bailey was born as Alice La Trobe-Bateman, in Mancheste ...

Notes

# Joseph Crane. ''A Practical Guide to Traditional Astrology.'' (ARHAT rchive for the Retrieval of Historical Astrological Texts Orleans Massachusetts, 1997), p. 20. # Webster's Unabridged Dictionary online, downloaded January 27, 200

# Paulus Alexandrinus, ''Introductory Matters,'' in ''Late Classical Astrology: Paulus Alexandrinus and Olympiodorus, with the Scholia from Later Commentators,'' (translated by Dorian Gieseler Greenbaum) Archive for the Retrieval of Historical Astrological Texts (ARHAT), Reston, VA, 2001, p. 19. # ''Ibid.'' # William Lilly. ''Christian Astrology'' (London, 1647), p. 48. # ''Ibid.'', p. 53. # Isabel M. Hickey, ''Astrology, a Cosmic Science.'' (CRCS Publications, Sebastopol, CA, 1992) . ew edition of work originally written in 1970.# such as the work of Zip Dobyns, sometimes called the "Zip code," in which the first house is equal to the first planet (Aries), the second house to the second planet (Taurus) and so forth. See for example, Zip Dobyns (Pottenger), ''Finding the Person in the Horoscope'' (TIA Publications, Los Angeles, 1973) and Maritha Pottenger, ''Easy Astrology Guide'' (ACS Publications, San Diego, 1996.) . # or "place of the Goddess of the Moon," Vettius Valens. ''Anthologiae''. ranslated by Robert Schmidt for Project Hindsight(The Golden Hind Press, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, 1994.) Book II, Part I, pp. 16.17. # Crane, ''op. cit.'', p. 27. # Vettius Valens. ''Anthologiae''. ranslated by Robert Schmidt for Project Hindsight(The Golden Hind Press, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, 1994.) Book II, Part I, p. 14. # or "place of the God of the Sun," ''Ibid.,'' Book II, Part I, pp. 10–11. # ''Ibid.,'' Book II, Part I, p. 11. # Lilly, ''op. cit.'', p. 55. # Valens, ''op. cit.'', Book II, Part I, p. 10. # Valens, ''Ibid.'' # Paulus Alexandrinus. ''Introductory Matters.'' ranslated by Robert Schmidt for Project Hindsight(The Golden Hind Press, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, 1993), Chapter 24 (as referenced by Crane, ''op. cit.'', p. 31.) # Crane, ''op. cit.'' p. 31. # ''Ibid.'' # ''Ibid.'' # American Jyotisha James Braha defines this as "the pleasures of the bed (sexual pleasure)" (in James T. Braha, ''Ancient Hindu Astrology for the Modern Western Astrologer'' ermetician Press, Hollywood, FL, 1986 p. 40.) Jyotish Astrologer Hart deFouw and Ayurvedic practitioner Robert Svoboda may be more helpful by listing the first region of life governed by this house as "comforts of the bed (like sleep or sex), convalescence, confinement..." (in Hart deFouw and Robert Svoboda, ''Light on Life: An Introduction to the Astrology of India,'' enguin Books, 1996 p. 147.) # Ronnie Gale Dreyer, ''Vedic Astrology,'' (Samuel Weiser, York Beach, ME, 1997), pp. 91–92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cadent House Astrological house systems