In every personal interpretation, the first house defines an individual, their physical body, strengths and weaknesses, as well as their primal character. It is also named The House of Self, speaking of our main task in life, our outlook into the world, ego, and everything we are here to start. It is our primal energy, connects us to the sign of Aries and our first chakra, and speaks of the potential we possess to endure through any personal battles, or ways in which we can avoid them. Its Latin motto is Vita, making it "the house of Life itself".
AREAS OF LIFE
If we already defined it as the house of Life, than we have to ask ourselves which areas of our lives does it affect? The truth is this house affects them all. Its primary function is to speak of us in the physical world, with its ruler being our main representative in the zodiac. In the practical sense, this means that the planet ruling the sign in which your Ascendant lies, represents you, with all your energy, potential, and relationships seen through the position and aspects it makes.
In general, it will speak of our appearance and instinctive nature, our physical strength, health, shape, body, and energy, giving each and every one of us a special stamp that should always be taken into consideration while we observe the traits of our Sun sign. We will often stumble upon individuals who diminish Astrology on the basis of inability to divide all humans into only 12 categories. If we only add the Ascendant to this equation, the number rises to 144 combinations and categories of division. And this is just the beginning, for the position of its ruler in a sign, in aspects and with its disposition, lifts the personalization and the purpose of Astrology to an entirely different level.
OUR GIFT AND OUR CURSE
The first house is the basic connection we have to our body and the incarnation we are in at the moment. This is exactly why it is the most important window into our world of karmic debt and represents the level of ease or hardship we have to go through in order to evolve in this lifetime. If one has a challenge seen through planets set in the first house or its ruler, it becomes obvious that they have a task to resolve and a debt to repay while in this body. Each positive aspect, or a planet in its strong dignity, will speak of gifts we have gathered in previous lifetimes or through our family tree, whatever your chosen perspective.
The important thing to understand here is that there are no bad aspects or positions. Even though certain things can steal a lot of our energy, make us exhausted, depressed or weak, every challenge carries an enormous amount of energy released inside us once it is resolved. Fear of negative aspects simply means we have a lot left to learn, and we are not yet aware of the fact that we have already been living our challenges throughout our entire life.
THE FIRST HOUSE IN ARIES
If your Ascendant is set in the sign of Aries, no matter if it falls on its first or last degree, it makes you an Arian. This position speaks of the importance of knowing one's limits, your basic instinctive energy, and animalistic nature that needs to be guided, used, and sometimes contained. The main challenge of this position lies in the inability to see other people as equals, have tact, care for others or accept being cared for. It will challenge one's commitment to relationships, marriage or their ability to find compassion for their own emotional needs, let alone needs of other people. On an individual level, these people are represented by planet Mars.
THE FIRST HOUSE IN TAURUS
If a personal chart begins in Taurus, we see a person of earthly pleasures, in search for love, hedonism and satisfaction. Depending on the level of challenges this sign, house or Venus have, it can be a very fine position that allows us to enjoy life in full color and using all of our senses. This speaks of an individual well-built, strong and static, and also a bit passive. With an Ascendant in Taurus you might be prone to gain weight or chase too many pleasures through self-destructive behavior. The greatest challenge for a Taurus is to accept the necessity and the beauty of change. Once recognized, it can liberate these individuals to show initiative, vigor, and when needed – fight for their satisfaction. This is someone represented by Venus.
