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Emptiness does not always mean something bad.
By Kate Rose — Written on Sep 23, 2022
There are 12 houses in astrology, each ruling over a different aspect of your identity and life.
Each individual birth chart often has planets or zodiac signs located within these houses depending on your date, time, and place of birth. These placements reveal what your focus or work in this life will be and the traits influence that area of your life.
Sometimes, however, you may find empty houses in astrology.
This can be concerning, and lead the native to wonder what that means for that area of their life.
Effects of empty houses in the birth chart
When you first run your calculate your natal chart and discover that some of the houses in your birth chart are empty, it can feel like something is wrong. However, it only means that it is not an area that you will have to focus on as much.
An empty house in astrology is merely saying that it is not an area of your life you will have to worry about.
Empty 1st house
The first house is the house of the self. When this house is empty, it means you will not face many significant challenges in developing your sense of identity. With this house empty, it means that you will largely feel satisfied with who you are.
Empty 2nd house
The second house, the house of value, represents what and who you value, especially when it comes to finances and material things. An empty second house does not mean that you will not acquire wealth, but that you will not be focusing on this. It means in many ways that you will always be set with exactly what you need.
Empty 3rd house
If your third house, the house of communication, is empty, you will have strong communication skills. You will not have to struggle with how to express yourself or advocate for your needs. Connections will come easier to you.
Empty 4th house
The fourth house is the house of family and home and represents your roots, family, and home atmosphere. When this house is empty it means that you likely came from a stable and secure childhood home and that you are effortlessly able to create one now. It is not an area you will struggle in.
Empty 5th house
You do not have to worry about expressing your truth if this house is empty. While the 5th house, the house of pleasure, governs your sense of expression, authenticity, and creativity, the lack of planets here does not indicate an absence of pleasure in life. Instead, it means you are not going to have to work on these qualities within your life.
Empty 6th house
The 6th house is the house of health. This is considered one of the more negative houses within astrology, so having no planets here is actually an extremely positive thing as it means you will likely have no significant health problems. You will be able to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle and make decisions and choices that support the balanced life you want to create.
Empty 7th house
In the case of the seventh house, the house of partnerships, being empty, it can often make you scared that will never get married or have a successful relationship. But it actually means the opposite. You will likely always be in an engaging relationship and not feel that it is hard to do so. You likely will also prefer long-term, stable relationships as opposed to shorter flings.
Empty 8th house
The eighth house in astrology represents death, birth, sex, inheritance, and transformation. An empty house in the birth chart does not mean that your life will be short or that you will not be having sex, but just the opposite.
This is another of the more negative houses in astrology so an absence of planets here is a positive thing. Otherwise, it could present as serious issues for you in life.
Empty 9th house
When you have an empty ninth house, the house of philosophy, it means that the themes around spirituality, travel, and higher education are not a main focus in your life. It does not mean that you will not be spiritual or enjoy vacations but only that all of these things will just happen for you instead of you feeling like you have to fight for them.
Empty 10th house
The tenth house is the house of social status. While it governs career, it also represents how you are seen by others. This is your social reputation and career trajectory and where your Midheaven sign is located.
When you have an absence of planets in this house it only means that you will not have to work extra hard to be professionally successful or seen in a positive light by your peers. It is something that will just come naturally to you.
Empty 11th house
An absence of planets in your eleventh house, the house of friendships, it means that friends and connections with others come easily to you. You likely have no problem meeting new people and tend to always be surrounded by others whether relaxing or enjoying a night out. These connections come easily to you which helps you always feel connected and supported.
Empty 12th house
The 12th house is the house of the subconscious. This is probably the most dangerous house to have planets in because it can represent issues like addiction and mental health disorders.
If this house is empty for you, it only means that you are likely healthy consciously and unconsciously. You can find joy in life and not let the challenging times overwhelm you.
With the twelfth house being empty, it actually means that you likely will live a better life.
How to find meaning in empty houses in astrology
Ironically, in many ways, having an empty house in astrology actually means that what the house represents will come more easily to you.
It shows an area of your life that will not have to be a main focus or present many challenges, likely because it was in your past life.
Even though your birth chart may have empty houses, it does not mean that there is nothing going on in that house.
Each planet rules a particular house, so even if your house is empty, you can look to see where the ruling planet of that house is to see perhaps how that area of your life might play out.
House rulers
- 1st house: Mars, Aries
- 2nd and 7th houses: Venus, Taurus, Libra
- 3rd and 6th houses: Mercury, Gemini, Virgo
- 4th house: Moon, Cancer
- 5th house: Sun, Leo
- 8th house: Scorpio, Pluto
- 9th house: Jupiter, Sagittarius
- 10th house: Saturn, Capricorn
- 11th house: Uranus, Aquarius
- 12th house: Neptune, Pisces
This means that if a house is empty in your birth chart, that house's ruling planet and sign will still affect that area of your life. Having an empty house means only that it is not a huge area of work or focus in your life.
Although the planets in your birth chart never change, the skies and stars are always moving and always in rotation. Because of this, there are also transiting planets that will at times fall into your empty house, bringing a sense of direction or abundance to that area of your life.
This means that when there are planetary transits (such as when Venus moves into the 3rd house), even if your third house is empty, during Venus’s transit of that house it will actually influence that area of your life.
So many things in astrology are fluid, which means although having an empty house is not negative, it also does not mean that you will not ever be affected by the planets.
Astrology shows us there is always a way to become better.
Kate Rose is an artist, writer, passionate yogi, spiritual astrologist, relationship and life coach, and motivational speaker. As a spiritual intuitive, she practices the religion of astrology and love. For more of her work, visit her website.