Houses 1–4: Self and Roots

House one looks at how you show up and the first impression you give: the air people sense when they first meet you, what you do first when you walk into an unfamiliar room. A planet in house one is often read as the side of you people see the moment you arrive.

House two can be read in two layers. The concrete layer is money, belongings, what you lend and get back; the inner layer is self-worth: what you think you are worth and what keeps you steady. The two often run together — some people feel not good enough the moment money runs short.

Ask yourself: does the first impression people have of you match the you inside? What do you spend on most gladly? Which thing, if taken away, would unsettle you most?

What the old texts say: Lilly's “Of the Twelve Houses” gives house one the life, stature, colour, complexion, form and shape of the person; house two the estate or fortune, wealth or poverty, all movable goods, money lent, and profit or loss.

House three looks at the circle you talk with every day: brothers and sisters, neighbours, classmates, the people you message most, and the short trips of school, work and errands. A planet here is often read as how you chat and how you pick up news.

House four looks at your roots: where you grew up, the habits of your home, the people and things that make you feel you are back home. It is also often used for how something finally turns out — when a relationship or a job comes to its end, where you return and how you close it.

Ask yourself: who are the five people you contact most? What sentence did you hear most at home as a child? When you are tired, where do you most want to go back to?

What the old texts say: Lilly gives house three brothers, sisters, cousins or kin, neighbours, short or inland journeys, frequent moves, letters, rumours and messengers; house four fathers, lands and houses, inheritances, hidden treasure, and the end of a matter.

The easiest way in: see whether your Sun or Moon is in one of these four houses, and if so, read what that house covers. An empty house simply has no body in it; what the house covers can still be read.

Houses are worked out from the birth time. If you have one, the “your turn” part lists the sign and the bodies in each of these four houses; if not, that part tells you they appear once a birth time is added. Until then, hold what each house covers up against these four parts of your own life.

What the old texts say: Lilly lists what each house covers, one by one; real judgment also reads the bodies in the house and the house's ruler — a whole set of rules read together.