Cadent Houses







Houses numbered 3, 6, 9, and 12 are called the Cadent Houses. They come after the succedent houses and before the angular houses. We can look at cadent houses as being the thought (or lack of it) that we do before we take action (angular houses). They also show the analysis and criticism we do on the resources we already have (the succedent houses). 

Without cadent houses, we would never grow or develop. We would stay stuck with what we already have (succedent houses) and never be able to think before acting. Cadent Houses are the backup of Angular House action.

To see what happens when there are a majority of planets in cadent houses, go to Do You Have a Majority of Planets in One House Type. If you have no planets in cadent houses, go to What it Means if You Have an Empty House Type.

The Third House: Shows how you perceive and communicate. Beyond that, it indicates how you think about utilizing those resources accumulated in the second house. Here is where you find out about a person’s communication skills and their style of communicating. It also shows how well you get along with those in your immediate environment. This is the house of brothers and sisters (parents are ruled by houses 4 and 10) as well as neighbors.

Short trips are also governed here, any trip that takes less than a day. Don’t count on any deep understanding here. The Third House is only for facts. The Ninth House is where they get put together.

The Sixth House: Fun, games, and creativity are nice, but eventually we have to get to work. The Sixth House shows how we perform work. This is no career. It is simply how we do any task, whether on the job or in our personal life. This is the house of service, both given and received. It shows the kind of service you provide, and the quality of service you get back from others. If the dry cleaner messes up your clothes or a sales clerk is rude to you, check this house. Actually, you should check it first before any trouble comes up. All the cadent houses have to do with communication of some sort. House number six shows how we deal with and communicate details, how we analyze things in detail. Conditions of health are also shown here. For instance, if Neptune swings by, don’t be surprised if that “spiritual health diet” that claims you can live on only one grain of rice a week, suddenly looks good to you.

The Ninth House: The Ninth House is opposite the Third House. The 3rd shows your ability to learn specific skills, like reading and writing. The Ninth House indicates how you deal with generalities, the general principles behind things. The 3rd is short trips, something in your immediate neighborhood or slightly further. The Ninth House deals with things at greater distances, such as trips requiring an overnight stay. This is the house where you can find out about a person’s religion and philosophy, the general principles they believe, and also the principles they were raised with. Saturn here, for instance, shows discipline and the likelihood of a guilt trip. I have several clients with that one who were raised in strict convent schools. Uranus indicates rebellion and the total replacement of the early upbringing. The phrase these folks hear the most is “You believe WHAT!?”. While the 3rd house shows how we think about utilizing our own resources, the Ninth House tells us how we think about utilizing the resources of other people. Strong placements here can be good for business and consulting work. The horoscope of Martha Stewart is a good example. She makes her living with publishing (another Ninth House activity) and giving advice.

The Twelfth House: shows the characteristic ways that you can do yourself in. It is the dustbin of the horoscope. Whatever we don’t want to show others, we put here. But this also shows what we don’t want ourselves to see, what we don’t want to deal with. This is the house of our psychological problems. Strong placements here, if not dealt with properly, can lead to disaster, as in the horoscope of Charles Whitman Jr., the Texas Tower Killer, or Henri Landru, a serial killer.

On the positive side, we can get people who try to help others overcome their problems and restrictions. When I was in the hospital years ago, I didn’t want to waste time (hey, I’m a Capricorn Sun-Sign) so I did the horoscopes of everyone on the staff. Most were born right after sunrise (and everyone on the “graveyard shift”). This put the Sun in the Twelfth House. Usually, there were other planets there as well.

The 6th house shows how we can put our own creativity to use. The Twelfth House shows how we can inspire others to make best use of their own creativity. Yes, this house can be the dustbin of our horoscope. But once we learn to deal with it, this house can become our greatest strength.

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