The first house in astrology is ruled by Aries and the planet mars, making it a fire house element. It is considered the house of self/life/identity. The cusp of your first house is your ascendant sign. Your ascendant sign (or rising sign) is where the sun would be rising on the eastern horizon at the time of your birth.
The first house is also considered to be an angular house. Angular houses are said to have the most impact on you in your natal chart. Since your first house is your “house of self” this shows you how important you are to yourself, mind + body + soul. The first house is also associated with your root chakra, which is the first chakra.
Since you’re probably an adult reading this, to understand your first house and how it affects you, you really need to take it back to being a child. How did you show yourself to the world? How did you want others to see you? What masks did you have on? What were your coping strategies? All of these things were formed during this time. This house is based solely on you and not only the way you react but the way that you deal with things. Self-Care is extremely important and your lack thereof may be coming to the surface. When you were a child, there were many factors that were shaping your choices. The clothes you wear, the food you eat, the thoughts you think, what was acceptable to show to others, how your feelings were regulated, etc. These habits in childhood, for some, can repeat for someone’s entire life if they don’t notice.
It is important to decipher the mask you wear and your own personality. It can be easy to get the two jumbled up, or be unsure of where one ends and one begins, but it is important to realize that the mask we are wearing is due to thinking our own authentic self is not good enough or will not be accepted.
A good way to think of the first house is to think that is was your absolute starting point in the life, from the moment you entered this earth. This can be how you approach all situations or how you start and generate things. If you do not like the way you handle scenarios it is important to go back to this point and try to understand and deep dig with what went wrong. The first house also deals with your karmic debt, since you were born with it, and how this will transpire into your life. What survival tactics have you picked up along the way that can set you back? How does our karmic debt play into our destiny?
Appearance is also an extremely important factor in the first house. This is everything from the way you dress and accessorize, to your diet and workout regime. These things were also started in childhood, if you were from a family who worked out regularly or were very active, these habits will stick into adulthood. Many people don’t realize that the way they dress and the message they try to send out could be from lack of things from childhood, lack of love or attention, could still be trying to come out in adulthood.
Having personal planets in your first house will put an emphasis on how you are seen by others. For example, a person’s chart with Mercury in their first house will be an excellent sales person since they have the gift of communication. This comes from the part of their natal chart that deals with their outward expressions towards other. Check in your chart if you have any planets in the first house. (Not everyone will)
