The Astrological 12th House where all Planets Rise has a pretty tough rap in many circles. Why? Feel into what was going down during your 12th House time. You were! You were literally descending from the dark Waters of the Womb into this world of Light. Surprise!... contractions... it's time for extraction... and what was Mom's reaction? Could you feel her pain through the cord or were you too consumed by yours? Was she drugged? Did you arrive through Section C? Did you precede or follow a twin or three? Were you born by candlelight and caught by dad or was it some strange cat in a mask waiting to spank you in a spotlight just to see if you could cry? Hellenistic Astrology calls the 12th the "Place of Hidden Enemies." Heavy, right? Well, beck in the day, a great many women died during childbirth; literally 'killed' by a being who remained out of sight.
From a diurnal point of view, surely we describe the 12th House as "Hidden Things" because our sight of the Eastern Horizon, more often than not, is obscured by hills, clouds, or trees. In fact, If you live close to eastern mountains, you may not even see Sun, Moon, or the rest of the cosmic crew until They reach the 11th House or even the 10th. And where do those Planets come from anyway? What lives in the underworld below? What Mystery! When you wipe the sleep from your eyes at Sunrise, do you keep every scene of your dreams? Just what do we leave in the places Unseen? Self is the 1st so, as the world turns, the 12th is the last to make it back around to you. What are the Wishes and the Wounds of the last Heavenly House I simply know as the Waters of the Womb? What Wisdom is born from the distance divorce of forgetting where we came from on one side and, on the other, the odd urge for return to Source?
Now, why is the horizon on the other side of our World not seen as obscured? Hills and trees hide the West as often as they do the East so why is the 7th House not also known as “Hidden Things?” First, let us scope this Heavenly Horizon through the lenses of Primary and Secondary Directions. Zodiacally speaking, the 7th is the Place where we emerge into Othership Above after developing Self in the six Houses Below (Inside) and, from a Diurnal perspective, the Horizon on the West is where Planets go to Rest. The 7th is the House of Relationship because, in every moment, the Heavens descend into the Western Horizon to Marry the Earth.
At the Equator, on this day of Equal Light and Night, Sun will climb vertically from Due East rise, cast no midday shadows while culminating directly overhead, then Fall on a line to set Due West. Does the Libra Glyph not express this magical merger of Sun with the land of our World? The Sacred Marriage we call Sunset is celebrated by the Heavens and Earth every day in every place. Will you choose to attend the extra auspicious Equinox wedding? Go throw rice and you might just spy a green flash before the newlyweds are stashed inside a car of history that drives Below into Great Mystery. Or maybe, even through you can see, you might choose to give the Not-Two some privacy. I seem to hold some strange unconscious code that turns my head from or closes my eyes to the magic of a Planet’s disappearance. Knowing this, I often force myself to witness the trick, but do I ever really see that which I believe I seek? Perhaps there is something in the Marriage of Heaven and Earth that is simply too sacred for human eyes to witness just as no true love between two beings can truly be seen by those who attempt to observe from the outside.
Does this speak to the Wishes, the Wounds, and the Wisdom of the 7th Heavenly House? And what about those of the Others? What does Nature teach about the Houses that cannot be transmitted trough a written list of associations? Seek and ye shall find! Next week, I look forward to sharing some of what I have learned in my Astrological study with Nature. I invite you join me for a live journey through the Twelve Places on Thursday, September 28th at 6pm Pacific time. The only contribution requested is your presence and contemplative consideration. You will find this journey and so many other missions into Starry Wisdom at the Evolutionary Astrology Zoom Meetings group. Sign up for free on facebook right here.
Bright Blessings to you on this Sacred Day of Balance.