Transcription
[Music] [Music] [Applause] you.
The houses represent areas of life experience and life conditions. There, the setting for things to happen. And the first house is where we find the ascendant. The ascendant is the first layer of personality. It's our first impression that we make and the first impression that we receive. So it's how we initially project ourselves into the world.
The ascendant is also the point where reality enters our mind. We interpret reality through the lens of the ascendant. So out of a spectrum of 12 colors, the ascendant is the main color of our reality and of our personality. The ascendant is where the idea of you is initially being thought.
The first house is where we find life experiences related to our survival. Experiences of aggression and of assertiveness are also found in the first house. So this illustrates an essential primary characteristic of humans, that human beings are primarily motivated to physically survive. To be. The first house is the projection of our being and the receiver. We interpret being through the interpreted is the interpreter. Life energy is found with the ascendant and in the first house. The first physical breath of life. The first house contains experiences that confer a sense of supremacy or ascendancy, that confirm our being. The ascendant also shows the id, selfishness, and toddler types of motivations. Within the fifth house is where we find the identity experiences of the ego. And in the ninth house is where we find the super-ego. So the fire houses, the fire planets, and the fire signs show the places and activities and primary motivations of different facets of the ego and personal expression.
The first house and its active agent Mars show where and with Mars, how we get our immediate need to exist met. The ruler of the ascendant points to the ways we're going to go about ensuring our physical place in the world, our survival. So we demand to be acknowledged at the ascendant. We demand to be aspects to the ascendant or the ascendant rulers show how easy or frustrating of frustrating it is to affirm our existence, how easy or difficult it is to achieve autonomy and be acknowledged as an autonomous person. So we are seeing at the ascendant and in the first house, both by ourselves and by others. The seer is the scene. How we see ourselves is how we project ourselves to others, creating a feedback loop.
The planet that rules the ascendant is the active agent of our physical survival and is essentially primitive in how it expresses us. The ascendant ruler has the job of Mars, and this can be easier or harder depending on sign and house placement in aspects. So the first house environment is a war zone or battlefield where we prove ourselves worthy to survive and may win or lose the fight depending on what's going on with the ascendant ruler and what's contained in the first house. So hard aspects and placements give us the opportunity to overcome obstacles and thereby gain real self-respect and a sense of supremacy through push through barriers or destroying them, destroying self images as well that are limiting or false.
Our earliest experiences are found in the first house. Our first exposure adults who hold us as babies reflect our expressions back to us, and we reflect theirs. Adults copy baby's expressions, the type of tender entertainment. So this is early exposure to social behavior and mirroring. The expressions we have are reinforced by others around us through mirroring, and then tell us how we are regarded. And we begin to build a sense of self image based on that reflection that is that we're receiving. So the first house shows an area of life where we experience a pulse and the impulse to keep a pulse. It's where we show up for the fight of life. And again, we see ourselves in the first house as a projection of our imagination. We think ourselves up, and we receive that projection in ways that others see us, that that self images bounce back. So what we see ourselves as can be life-affirming or destructive to life. And the first house ruler is very important to analyze because it provides clues to one's most basic attitude toward existence.
Our deepest and most primal inner image is the main frame of life. And others we see the id as the mask when we project it, but it's actually one's face with a no makeup. The first house represents the face and the head, the hot head, the unadorned face. And we project this natural untamed face through the sign on the ascendant, and then receive that projection back through the sign lens on the ascendant. So the projection we received back is filtered through the ideas about ourselves described by the sign and aspects.
If a planet that rules the first house is aspected in a difficult way, or if we have a planet in a hard aspect to the ascendant, then the way that one projects themselves and how they're perceived, that they are perceived, the projection they received back, these are not in tune. So there's a fight for life. If the ascendant and the ruler of the ascendant are well aspected, then it's easy to project one itself and receive an image back that seems in tune with what we want to see about ourselves, with the image that we have. So our right to exist is not challenged. The id is less likely to assert itself in negative ways, and we see a less demanding, less immature personality. So one is not at war with their own image of themselves.
With easy aspects, we are a threat to ourselves when we see ourselves as the enemy. With hard aspects, difficult house placement, the sign placement of the ascendant, the image we receive from others is the antithesis of what we want to get from others. So we can feel less than the superior. We feel like a loser, not a winner. Those who see others as losers and talk about others as such are actually reacting to their own self-image because world views are self views.
Libra is the natural opposite to the first house, and it shows the social consequences of how we project ourselves into the physical world and onto others. The first house is answered by the seventh house. This is the opposite to it, the answer to the first house. How we see others as a result of how we see ourselves, and then how we see ourselves as a result of how we're seen by others. If we want to be seen differently by others, then we must be different. We must choose to be different. If we're satisfied with how we're seeing by others, if we're satisfied with the feedback, then we are less likely to be unhappy with what and who we are. We have a positive self-image. We can turn a negative self-image into a positive one by projecting ourselves in a way that brings the feedback we desire, by changing that self-image, that projection.
The first house is the project of self-development. The seventh house is the result and the gauge by which we can ascertain how well we are doing at winning the game of self-actualization. Because action is in the first house, the action of thinking ourselves up and putting ourselves down in accordance with our desire, which is found in the opposing seventh house, to merge with others. So as long as we see others as the enemy, then we'll fight the mirror. As a bird attacks a mirror, we are like an aggressive bird in breeding season, which is a time of year ruled by Mars. An aggressive bird that keeps attacking an image of itself that it perceives as a competitor for passing on its life force. Unless this bird stops attacking the image and realizes it's a useless waste of energy, this bird will waste its precious life force in a battle against itself. So the bird does not look toward a suitable mate as long as it's obsessed with a threatening image in the mirror. The bird who accepts that the image is itself can then turn its attention to successfully passing on its genes and perpetuating its way of being. So successful mating leads to a type of immortality. A piece of ourselves lives on.
The impulse to breed is the impulse to survive. Those who multiply mindfully pass on a legacy of self-acceptance, and the resulting offspring are naturally healthier, both in mind and body. The sublimation of the most aggressive and mindless part of the ego, the id, is not denied or subdued. It's understood and accepted to be a part of us. So personal acceptance of who we personally are is required for healthy partnerships and societies. We are the conjurer and the conjured in the 1st and 7th houses, and we perceive others as a complement to us when the 1st and 7th house are in good relationship. When the first house and the seventh house are in difficult relationship, then we can perceive others as working against us or frustrating our desires. And really, when we look into the first house and its relationship to the seventh house, we see that our desires are actually met through self-control. Trying to control the perceptions of others is useless because we are the source of those projections. When we accept who we are and how we are, then we can take responsibility for how we see others and the world at large, and we realize that our life force is assured by our own attention to how we project ourselves and think ourselves up.
So humans are all ruled by the primitive component of personality, the id, the instinct to survive. And this is the primary shared human behavior bestowed by our genetic endowment. Astrology describes what it is to be human and what motivations color how we perceive reality according to the shared human brain. If looking at a rainbow, the first house is the first color in the primary rainbow that the physical human eye can consciously see. Our idea of ourselves as a thought droplet in our minds, the projection of our self-image, is like white light that causes refraction on a droplet and produces colors that we can physically see. With thought, we project our self image onto a droplet, and red is the first color that we see reflected back. So red is the color of our life force, the color of war, the color of desire. Red is the most intense color that we can see. Red is the archetypal color of war and love, and the conditions of the first house. So red describes the contents of the first house and the ascendant ruler, and is also the mirror to the first house, the seventh house.
When the first house ruler is in the first house, we have someone who embodies that planet that's on the ascendant. We can see the archetype of the first house ruler in the physical look of the person. So Saturn will give a heavier, slower countenance and deep-set eyes. Mercury confirms a wiry, flexible, nervous countenance. The person with the first house ruler in the first, and especially on the ascendant, will strongly employ that planet in how they are. So there is an archetypal purity in this pocket of the personality. Aspects to the first house ruler are going to strongly affect the self-image and how the first house ruler expresses. Hard aspects from other planets are going to show conflict between self-image and other image. Easy aspects show a positive self-image that is acted out through the ascendant and is mirrored back in colors that are self-affirming. So accept the red within ourselves because it's accepted by others. We have a positive feedback loop.
So we see that we must have a healthy internal relationship with the archetype of Mars if we're not at war with our reflection. Mars ruling the first and being in the first house, so this is Aries ascendant, shows a hot head and strength. So we have someone who's making heat in the area of life where we host heat. So the temperament is very impulsive and assertive, and they have an impulse to prove themselves. It's very strong, and the physical self is the means by which they will prove themselves through taking action. And there's often a non-reflective urge that's expressed, and then the consequences of such quick action are going to be seen. So an especially frustrated Mars can lead to seeing aggression in others or spinelessness, depending on the aspects, and receiving feedback that one is a loser, depending again on what those aspects are. So Mars and easy aspect to Neptune, you can show a gentleness and a compassion, while hard aspects from Mars to Neptune, you can show boundary problems or shame complexes. So a well aspected Mars in the first house confers an essentially confident self-image of a winner and competent physical abilities.
Venus ruling the first and placed in the first house shows someone who embodies beauty. So musical and design talents are very common. One achieves supremacy through how they look and what they create. Hard aspects from other planets, especially Mars, whose the natural ruler of the first house, can show social and romantic issues. Impatience and selfishness can be reflected back in one's partner's. A self-esteem can be challenged by lack of cooperation from others or lack of reciprocal attraction. So self-image is strongly tied to how others desire them. If they're wanted, then they feel like a winner. If they're rejected, then they can feel like a loser.
The Sun ruling the first and being in the first is a strongly self-oriented placement. So easy aspect from other planets will enhance one's assumption that they're very cool and very important. So this is a placement that shows more self-centered activity, builds a sense of supremacy. So one achieves their immediate goals by shining brighter than those around them. So the salt does the Sun is very strong in the first house. The hard aspects from other planets can frustrate one's aim to outshine others. So being ignored or misinterpreted or unacknowledged can very much diminish one's self image.
Mercury ruling the first and being in the first house brings a sharpness to the fore of the personality, a cleverness. If Gemini rules the first, then we see more nervousness and distractibility, although that can be present with Virgo's ascendant as well. So this is the information gathering and curious expression of Mercury. Mercury and Gemini, the speech and life pace is rapid, unless we have an aspect from Saturn or Pluto to Mercury to slow things down, or the ascendant itself. So if Virgo rules the first house, then Mercury in the first brings the power of synthesis, analysis of complex and compound information. This is a very nerdy placement. The small mind rules the chart, the management mind, and this can bring a penchant for gossip and more small-minded ideas. Both sign expressions of Mercury can make one feel that they're being watched by a constant but unseen audience. So self-esteem is enhanced when others acknowledge one's mental abilities. An embarrassment can be the worst occurrence for someone with Mercury ruling the first and placed on the first, being interpreted as stupid. It was what is most avoided with either a Gemini or Virgo ascendant. The power of the mind and one's personal opinions are very strong. So the physical look is also considered to the smallest detail with Mercury in Gemini or Virgo and in the first house, and self-consciousness is very thick, thinking of and editing when self image is very frequently going to occupy one's mind.
If the Moon rules the first house and is placed in the first house, we see a very tender heart. So personal feelings are the first archetype that's used to negotiate one's way through the world. The feelings are what most life experiences are going to be filtered through. So the heart is worn on one sleeve, and you can see the feelings on the facial expressions. It's very hard to hide what is going on internally because the internal is exposed. The feelings lead most decisions and are very impulsive. So there's no control over the feelings due to the childlike nature of the emotional expression. There's just this impulse to emote, to share one's feelings, and the natural flow of emotion cannot be stemmed. Moon and aspect to Saturn or Pluto can cause a bottleneck with feelings. The feelings can be squeezed, but then spontaneously pop out. The Moon is a sheltering archetype, but it acts as a warrior in the first house. There's an I see an emotional bravery when it comes to showing and expressing feelings. So supremacy is attained through this type of bold vulnerability. This is a very interesting placement because we have someone who uses their soft, their soft underbelly to fight and to win. So we have a type of emotional warrior when we have Moon in the first house and ruling the first house.
Jupiter ruling the first and placed in the first shows that education and travel, travel, publishing, philosophy, the expansion of the mind are all going to lead the personality. So there's a curiousness regarding the big questions in life, and people with this placement are often on a quest for answers to unanswerable questions. It's a life of searching for more information, new vistas. It's a love of education, a love of finding out. Humor is also used as a first tool of choice for dealing with life at large. So the appetite for travel and learning, and also the appetite for finding comforting answers, can be very, very large. With Jupiter in Sagittarius and in the first house, we have the super-ego coming into the house of the id. So with hard aspects, we can see a recklessness and overconfidence and an image of oneself that is overdone. And with the easy aspects, we see just an easier relationship between the parts of the personality that really create confidence. And in this case, with good aspects, it can be an appropriate sense or image of confidence.
Saturn ruling the ascendant and being placed in the first house, so this is Capricorn ascendant, shows that one appearing masterful is a really big part of the personality and appearance of having it together. So a hard aspect from Jupiter, especially in conjunction, can thwart one's maturity and intended morality. Easy aspects from other planets confer an assumption of authority. It's easy to assume a leadership role when Saturn is in Capricorn in the first house. Well aspected, we tend to think well of ourselves. The confidence is solid because one receives feedback from the world is reinforcing again that owned their own image of being deserving and capable. So remember that being is found in the first house, one's ability to be, to exist. With Saturn in the first and ruling the first, we see a personality that feels that they have earned the right to exist simply by existing. So supremacy is found through one, through how one takes charge and feels in charge, and one feels legitimate with Saturn and Capricorn in the first, and this image will be reinforced by easy aspects.
Uranus ruling the first and placed in the first shows a personality that is very self-directed, and one can very much think up an image of themselves as an outsider. So supremacy can come from poking holes in what seems solid with this placement. This person likes to break new ground. So stirring the pot is self-affirming rather than a source of insecurity, like it is for most of the other signs. When Uranus rules the first and is placed in the first, the self-image and sense of well-being is very much gonna be out of step with the norm. And because one is gonna see oneself as a trendsetter, and we can also see a skeptic, and this is a personality that requires proof and is less likely to be religious. So hard aspects to Uranus can show high-minded or judgmental thinking, as well as a lack of respect for others in general. There can be a holier-than-thou kind of attitude that is intolerant of those that they perceive as less evolved. So one can be a highly evolved human being with easy aspects, but with hard aspects, one can struggle with an image that is high and mighty and involved and evolved, but be believing oneself to be better than most. So one achieves supremacy and wins a correct moral leadership through example, or when struggles with an unacknowledged hypocrisy, really depending on the aspects.
Neptune ruling the first house and placed in the first house shows a transparency in one's self image. So there's a boundlessness to the personality. With easy aspects to Neptune or none at all, we can see someone who achieves supremacy and the right to be through a type of devotion. So one proves their being by going through it. So self-understanding, really getting why and how one thinks themself up, is the key to winning. The negation of being rules the physical being. With Neptune in Pisces and placed in the first house, so one can approach life as deeply spiritual and steeped in understanding with easy aspects to Neptune. But with the hard aspects to Neptune, we can see a personality that really struggles to show up at all and may feel invisible. Loneliness can permeate the life, but a lack of self-understanding. Easy aspects can free one from the lie of self-image and lead to transcendence of the id and the ego. Hard aspects can isolate one and their delusions about their self-image and really result in a being that is chronically afflicted by its own images and fully given over to the id. So painful disillusion is the path toward clarity, and a dissolving of the self images is how one proves their existence. Self-deception or transcendence of it is a factor with Neptune or Pluto in the first house.
Pluto ruling the first and placed in the first shows that hard turns and changes are part of how one will achieve supremacy, the right to be. So toughness is part of the self image. Cruelty to oneself and to others can occur with the hard aspects. Easy aspects bring a willingness to confront one's own demons. The physical look changes and can often be different shades of Pluto as one matures. Scars and piercings are part of the thinking up of oneself. So penetration is a very prominent theme in one's life. When we have Pluto ruling the first and being in the first, one has a penetrating gaze and often feels penetrated by the world, while the world can feel penetrated by them. With hard aspects, there is a self-image that includes violation or being violated. The first house is our first way of being. So we can see tattoos and piercings, a toughened look with hard or easy aspects. Needles, pens, objects that penetrate are often worn as adornments. So one expresses the intimidating parts of themselves to achieve supremacy. What expresses the hard parts of themselves to achieve a sense of supremacy. There's a covert way of being. Easy aspects lead to one ferreting out their motivations for needing the cover of self-image and shrugging it off or killing it off, and thereby revealing a being that is open and unprotected and free. Hard aspects can be very challenging to one's ability to let go of their attachment to images of power or violation or pain that are really the outcropping of self-deception. So one is love to be deceived by oneself with easy aspects and often steeped in it with hard aspects, while loathing it at the same time.
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