What The Twelfth House In Your Astrological Chart Can Tell You About Yourself

An astrological birth chart uses three main components to represent the state of the sky at the moment of a person's birth and what this might mean for their future: ten planets or celestial objects, twelve zodiac signs, and twelve astrological houses. Each house represents an aspect of the chart holder's life. For example, the Third House is the house of communication, while the Sixth House rules the daily grind of work and personal health.

The Twelfth House, known as the house of secrets and the subconscious, is often mysterious. It is the realm of unconscious fears and desires. As evolutionary astrologist Ari Moshe Wolfe told the Astrology Hub Podcast, "You can think of the Twelfth House as the ocean that the fish are swimming in." For the fish, the ocean is all that is; they are not conscious of anything beyond it. "This is why it's ... one of the more intangible houses — because we're looking at a particular ... wedge of the houses, just one of the twelve, that also happens to correspond to all that is." 

It's important to note that not having placements in every single house is normal when reading your chart. A lack of planetary activity in a particular house does not necessarily mean negative experiences are destined for the corresponding aspect of your life. It simply means that those themes are not of particular concern to you in this lifetime. Lacking placements may even be more desirable when it comes to the Twelfth House's potential darkness.

The Twelfth House is ruled by Neptune, the mysterious blue planet that represents our subconscious. Planetary placements in this house may suggest deep-seated issues with internal fears, as well as hidden spiritual gifts. They can also reveal secret or forbidden dreams and desires, such as fantasies that the person may consider inappropriate. 

The specific planets located in the Twelfth House can shed light on the direction in which a person's subconscious secrets lean. For instance, an aggressive planet like Mars in the Twelfth House can result in an individual with subconscious tendencies towards hiding their anger rather than expressing it in a healthy way. On the other hand, a planetary placement that feels more at home in the mysterious Twelfth House — like the equally mystifying moon — can indicate an individual who is highly sensitive and empathetic to others but struggles to bring awareness of their own emotions to the surface.

The placements in a person's Twelfth House may reveal not only their subconscious mind's secrets but also the nature of their real-life secrets. For example, Saturn in the Twelfth House might drive a person to keep their past mistakes secret because of intense shame around any mistakes they've made. Meanwhile, those with Venus, the ruler of love and sex, in their Twelfth House may find themselves drawn to secret love affairs with partners who aren't necessarily emotionally available.

If you have placements in your Twelfth House, there's no need to worry. The house of secrets isn't all doom and gloom. For instance, though Twelfth House Neptune natives may struggle with boundaries, they also have the tendency to possess a significant spiritual nature that can manifest as psychic gifts. Every placement in every house has both a potential light and dark side. It's up to you and your free will to determine how they'll play out in your life.