Balancing Power and Principle (3rd, 9th Houses)
The third house (personal power) and ninth house (principle) are opposite to each other in the zodiac and represent different qualities. Houses that are opposites are actually very connected and represent aspects of life that are partnered and connected to each other. The first house (self) and seventh house (partner) are also opposite from each other and even the idea of the partner cannot exist without the self. The fourth and tenth houses are another pair of opposite houses and a strong fourth house (home) can give happiness and contentment in one’s and tenth house (career). Finally, the third house (personal power) without the ninth house (principle) often results in selfishness and egoism; while principle without power can be impotent. These opposing houses are actually partnered and bring each other to life.
The third house and ninth house can manifest themselves in many ways—some positive and others negative. The third house, as a house of power, could be the ability to impose one’s will on another through physical force or it could be used to influence other people through writing books. It is easy to see the countless examples of strong third-house people, full of ambition and power, who ruin their own lives by selfishly misusing their own physical or intellectual power.
We can see examples of these people covered in the news almost every day: politicians who have corrupted themselves for more money, bankers who have deceived and manipulated to enrich themselves, union bosses who threated others in order to keep a monopoly on a labor market. There are also everyday examples of contractors who have taken money from clients without fulfilling their contractual obligations and unscrupulous lawyers and writers whose arguments manipulate and deceive others. The list of unethical, greedy, and powerful people could be very long. And this list includes precisely the type of person with a strong third house and a weak ninth house.
And, of course, we would have a better world if these people adhered to higher principles. But is the opposite any better? Is it any better to have solid ethical believes without the power to assert oneself? (I.E. to have a strong ninth house and a weak third house.)
The world also contains countless examples of those who are principled but weak.
There are good people who don’t exercise their goodness and people with great ideas who don’t have the power, confidence, or resolve to manifest them into existence. There are many people with brilliant world-transforming ideas that don’t have the courage or will to manifest or defend them. There are writers with unwritten books that could inspire thousands of people. Good politicians could fight and expose more corruption than they do. Upright people need more than honest dreams and good intentions to start a company or to stand up those who are hurting and stealing from others—they also need power. Sitting in a car with a map doesn’t get anyone where they want to go if the car’s engine doesn’t work. Likewise those who want to do good need the power to back up their principles.
Just like how people want to balance home life (fourth house) with their career (tenth house) and to balance personal well-being (first house) with a healthy relationship (seventh house), there is also a balance to be found between personal power (third house) and power of principle (ninth house).
A lot of time goes into discussions about how bad the world is and, basically, why bad people are so bad. Less time is given to considering why good people can be so weak. I consider this to be half of the problem. Maybe to see improvement in people’s lives and in the world at large it’s not just the bad people who need to be guided by more principles, but also the good people who need to be driven by more power.
