Home Life and Career (Houses 4 & 10)
The previous article on the angular houses examined the meanings for the first and seventh houses—the houses of self and of partner. It sought to show how our search for balance in the world (often through partnership) allows us to develop more completely as individuals. There are, however, two more angular houses to examine—the tenth house and the fourth house. These are the houses of career and home. Together, the four angular houses constitute the corner stones of human life on earth. For all experiences can, in some way, be traced back to their psychological, physical, and spiritual roots in the first house (body), forth house (emotions and mind), seventh house (relationship), or tenth house (career and worldly influence).
The Tenth House – Career
At the moment of our birth, the sign highest in the sky corresponds to the tenth house—the house that influences the world. Anything that is in the sky’s zenith—at day or at night—has the greatest influence on the world. We can actually judge this from experience: at 2:00 p.m. the Sun is the strongest and gives the most light and heat. At any other time of the day the Sun is felt less strongly than when it is at its peak.
When the Moon is highest in the sky, especially when it is full, we feel its emotional energy the most. Even pragmatic people can attest to the heightened emotional energy experienced around midnight during the full moon.
Every planet’s influence is heightened when it is in the 10th house or “mid-heaven” although we tend to feel the Sun and Moon the most obviously.
The tenth house, then, is a house of worldly influence and recognition. Just as we recognize the Sun and Moon when they are high in the sky, so too, we recognize people who have strong tenth houses. And these “tenth-house people” tend to be publicly visible in their lives and careers just as the Sun or Moon are visible when they are in the tenth house.
The Fourth House – Home
The opposite of the tenth house is the fourth house which is, at all times, hidden from view or observation. During nighttime, the Sun travels through the fourth house and is hidden from view. The fourth house is hidden from view by the earth itself. It is on the other side of the world.
The fourth house represents the home because the world cannot see into either the forth house or the home. Specifically, people outside of one’s family know nothing about your home-life. In the home we discover and express our innermost feelings. Traditionally, and archetypally, the home is run by the mother. Consequently, the fourth house also represents the mother and emotions.
In general, the fourth house represents those things that are not seen by the world. They are our mental and emotional states, and our relationship to our family including the love or discord we experience with those closest to us.
As with the first and seventh house pair, the fourth and tenth house pair complement each other. They seek to balance each other. A strong home life can give more calmness and confidence in a career; while a strong career can allow someone to have a more beautiful home. Oftentimes, however, one house grows to the detriment of the other: many career-driven people sacrifice their home lives for the sake of spending more time at the office; while many home-bodies, being too comfortable at home, fail to muster the drive and ambition to succeed in the world. The home and the career are, however, meant to complement each other and happiness and success can both co-exist and reinforce each other.
