Choose the division before assigning topics
Swiss Ephemeris implements multiple house systems and returns their cusps. The calculation method is an input, not a label to apply after interpretation. Its documentation also distinguishes house position from ecliptic longitude.
House meanings have a source and a setting
Lilly’s 1647 text assigns different subjects to different houses: the first concerns the person, the second resources, and the third siblings and journeys. His examples include questions and nativities. Read these as his documented teaching, with the context and assumptions of the passage intact.
William Lilly, Christian Astrology (1647), pp. 50–59 · house meanings ↗
Worked example · signs and houses
Take an invented whole-sign chart with Gemini rising. Gemini is house one, Cancer house two and Leo house three. A planet at 2° Leo is therefore in house three under this rule. This tells you its house placement; it does not change its sign from Leo.
The Midheaven is a separate angle to inspect. Do not infer its exact position just from the tenth whole-sign house. When comparing a different house system, retain the same birth inputs and record which placements actually change.
Use house comparisons productively
Choose one convention for the reading and keep it visible. If you compare alternatives, write down the original placement and the alternative before consulting meanings. This prevents a sentence about one house from surviving unnoticed after its underlying placement changes.
For each interpretation, identify the topic being assigned, the source that assigns it, and the chart factors the method asks you to consider. Avoid substituting the same generic paragraph for every planet in a house.
Handle unavailable or uncertain results
If a tool reports that a selected house calculation is unavailable, preserve that result. Choosing a different system can be a deliberate comparison, but the replacement must be named. A silent fallback makes the interpretation difficult to reproduce.
Unknown or approximate birth times need special care because a precise house reading may depend on information you do not have. Compare the supported range when possible and keep uncertain placements out of definitive statements.
Word origin · etymology
Inherited English word used metaphorically.
House originally names a dwelling. Astrology applies the dwelling or place metaphor to chart divisions assigned topics.
How we know · epistemology
Traditional division convention
House systems partition a chart by different geometric rules and assign topics to those divisions. A precise cusp calculation validates that chosen construction, not the universal truth of its life-topic assignments.
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Connected concepts
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Terms used in this explanation
Mentioned in 4 other entries
These links connect subjects and terminology. They do not establish a shared historical origin.
Sources & provenance
Use the citations beside each section to distinguish a calculation convention, a historical teaching and an editorial example.