The SBAS talk today with Greg Howard was on natal house conflicts with the house ruler. It’s a theory that Greg has developed, and it will be interesting to see over time how his research pans out.

He started the talk by showing us how his house definitions differ slightly from the typical keywords and definitions proposed by Stephen Forrest and the authors of The Only Way to Learn Astrology. You can see his revised house definitions on his website: www.relativeastrology.com/houses.html

First, look to the sun, moon, and onward through the planets. Check the which house natal planet is in, then find what house that planet rules. This will reveal to you how one house challenges another. In other words, Greg feels the houses define our challenges in life. For me his 8th house definition was interesting as this is where my Sun is:

EIGHTH HOUSE people or issues challenge your ability to find unconditional love and acceptance
through your relationships with loved ones, your sexual partner and even your creator.

So that is my natal challenge, and the Sun rules Leo, and in my case that means my 8th house is challenged by my 10th house:

TENTH HOUSE people or issues challenge your role (cook, homemaker, banker, coach) or status
(married, parent, child, liberal, convicted felon) within society.

I have been challenged by both people and issues in many roles I’ve had throughout my life, and I often found myself on the defensive with people who claimed unconditional love, specifically through marriage, people of authority, parental figures, etc. It has given me an edge over the years, and I can be quite protective in the roles I decide to take on for myself.

My moon sits in the third house. The moon naturally rules Cancer, putting my third house in challenge with my 9th house. So, I look to Greg’s definitions again. I have had my perceptions challenged, often in emotionally charged ways (moon), but I generally tend to receive other’s views as possible new information. The challenge with the 9th house suggests that this has helped, or made things difficult for me, to expand my horizons and breakfree from routine, to seek new challenges. I see this 3rd/9th house challenge as a positive aspect of my chart because while at times difficult, it has encouraged personal growth and mental expansion for me. But, I suspect, this is why traditional schools were especially difficult for me in spite fo my love of learning.
I hope Greg will correct me if I’m incorrect in the technique I’m quoting to look at these house challenges. Greg used the charts of some famous people to show how he uses this technique, and how he feels the challenges play out in their lives. I found the talk insightful and interesting, and will look into the house challenges of the other planets in my chart, and in charts of people I know.

~Dana Nourie

www.cosmicpathway.com