The 4th House: the “Underworld” of the Zodiac
Thoughts from a 4th house moon

There’s always a lot of talk about 8th and 12th house placements needing their space and requiring a certain level of privacy. That’s certainly true, but another space that’s often overlooked is the 4th house.

Consider the layout of the chart. For most, the MC is going to sit in the 10th. It’s where our personalities manifest in the public sphere. Our outward persona, status, reputation, career achievements and the “crown” of the chart. It’s what we build for ourselves.

The opposite point of this, where the sun is going to be in the midst of darkness in the chart is the 4th house and the IC. It’s the antithesis of the 10th house but so much more than just “your home” as it’s often painted to be. It’s what you were born from.

Being an angular house, it carries quite a bit of weight with it, especially when there are planets found in this house. It’s the foundations from which we grow.

It’s the beginning and end of all things. You gain your ancestry from this house and one day, after you’ve passed this house will represent you in your descendants chart.

Where the 10th and MC are the peaks to which we grow, the IC and 4th house is the soil those seeds are planted in. It’s the family that you came from, stretching far back in time along with all the secrets and stories that go with that.

Are there planets located in the 4th? Benefic / luminary / malefic obviously will operate very differently and indiciate different things for each chart. Which houses does that planet rule and how will those areas infiltrate your 4th house life?

Jupiter could allude to a large family, or one that passes on a particular belief system. The moon could indicate a tight emotional connection with family relations [for better or worse]. Saturn may indicate a lack of something or alternatively some sort of restriction.

Where is the ruler of the 4th? This can indicate the influence the family and roots have on the individual later on in life. Of course one day you’ll move out, find your own home but those formative years and connections are incredibly influential.

The 4th is the house that represents hidden things. It’s what we retreat to when we need to rest. I conceptualise it as you occupy the 10th during the day when you’re at work, interacting with colleagues then in the evening, the 4th is that private space you return to.

When we hit 27 years old, we’ve reached our 2nd 4th house year. Incidentally, this is often a time where people either move home or restructure what “home” looks like to them. Perhaps you're even starting your own family at this age.

The difference to my mind [having key 12th and 4th placements myself] is that the 12th house indicates planets the native has to work more actively to unlock. The 12th is a dark, cadent house that takes time to gain familiarity with.

The 4th however are those parts that other people will only see when the native 4th houser so chooses to let them. Imagine how your behaviour is when you’re at a bar with friends, or at the office with colleagues and how that contrasts with you on your own at home.

Are you messy? Do you only sing when no one is watching? Do you have secret treasures or hobbies you do only when you’re alone? Imagine how we tidy and restructure our homes before we have guests over to give off a certain impression.

Planets here are acting in the same way, they’re easy for you to see because you live there with them. For others, they’re [at best] looking at your windows while your curtains are drawn until and unless you decide to invite them in