The First House is the starting point for an analysis of your natal chart. Through the First House, we gain an understanding of what happened in the heavens at a specific place and time, the moment when a human being breathes for the first time. In Vedic Astrology, this is what is called the exact moment of birth. The different relationships that the stars have with each other, in addition to the different positions of the planets in relation to the constellations, give us life lessons for this reincarnation at the exact moment of our birth.
In this way, the First House marks the birth, the moment of that reincarnation. It is the moment when the human soul returns to resume its cycle of transformation and evolution, to continue its karmic
journey. It comes back again and materializes in a body. But it doesn’t start over, like it’s never been here before. What has been traveled in other lives, what has been learned, is part of the soul. It is what the soul has conquered with its work, something “earned” but only granted, because there is nothing in existence that is not already part of the Divinity.
The longing of the soul materializes in reincarnation. It is the desire to one day return to the origin, and the stars give these marks at the moment of birth, which are like memories, or the archives of their past lives. It manifests itself in virtues or defects, in the joys or sorrows that will be experienced in this life.
First House Directions:
Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra. Chapter 13, Verse 2.
The Sage Parashara replied: The First House is the body and its appearance, intellect, complexion, vigor, weakness, joys and sorrows, and innate nature. All of this must be considered from here.
“Here there is a body,” says the First House. From this new beginning, a canvas is woven. In it will be someone who tries to be happy and earn a living. It will be someone who has a desire for wealth and fame, or the opposite, and will despise material possessions. It will be someone who will seek to satisfy his sensuality to the maximum, or will try to get away from these and other temptations. It will be someone who will seek God, a transcendental truth, or the opposite, and will become more confused, moving away from divinity. These and other intentions are evident in people’s lives, which is why they are the main subjects of study in a natal chart.
Purushartha is a fundamental concept of Vedic philosophy. It is a Sanskrit word that translates to the purpose of human beings. Purushartha consists of the four ultimate goals that are necessary for a happy and fulfilling life. They are Dharma (righteousness and morality), Artha (prosperity and economic values), Kama (sensual pleasures), and Moksha (liberation from the cycle of reincarnation). They are related respectively to the mission of your life: to obtain sustenance or wealth, the satisfaction of sensual desires, and self-realization.
Each of the 12 houses of the zodiac is associated with one of these four key human life goals, collectively known as Purusharthas. We will talk about these at length when we study the other houses.
The Ascendant or First House is associated with Dharma. Keep reading to find out more about Dharma.
The significance of Dharma
The following are the words of His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in a class given by him on October 11, 1975 in Durban, South Africa.
As humans or living entities, what is our dharma? Our dharma is to render service. Each one of us is serving, as a family man, is serving, as a society man, in the nation – each one is, whatever… our occupation. As a doctor, you are also offering your services, as an engineer you are also offering your services, or like anyone else, as a businessman as well. Sometimes businessmen advertise on a billboard that “our main occupation is serving you.” Thus, each one is busy serving someone else. This is what is called dharma, the basic principle of dharma. So what is our dharma, as living entities? Our dharma is to render service.
His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The First House is a house that is naturally associated with dharma. It is not associated with artha: eating, drinking, sustenance, wealth, fame, nor with kama: satisfying sensual desires, nor with moksha: liberation.
The First House and the physical body
The first house is the physical body and indicates its appearance in this world. It then tells us that the reason for the physical existence of the human being is to follow their dharma.
The First House is related to the attributes of the body. Whether someone is tall, thin, or short of stature, and of robust complexion – these all can be seen in the natal chart.
The planets of the First House influence the characteristics of the body. In this way, a person who is born with Jupiter in this house, could be robust and tall, or could have traits of goodness in their personality. If Venus is in the ascendant, the person could be very beautiful and charming. Rahu could give an individual the appearance of being alien to a particular place in addition to conferring magnetism or charisma.
Identifying the First House
When identifying the First House, one of the observations that we make is to determine the zodiac sign that corresponds to this house and its ruling planet, including the location of this planet.
For example, this is the birth chart of Kamala Harris, the current Vice-President of the United States and former senator from the state of California.
The ascendant (colored square) at the time of her birth corresponds to Gemini. This is her First House. We can also identify the planet Rahu (or North Node of the Moon) in this house, exactly on the 1st degree of the ascendant at the time of her birth. This means that Rahu will have a marked influence on her ascendant. From this, we can conclude that the personality of the senator will be influenced by Rahu and by the characteristics of the sign of Gemini.
Rahu is related to foreigners — people who are not from a particular place, or people who are perceived as such even though this is not the case. Senator Harris is a citizen of the United States and therefore is not a foreigner. However, she is perceived by some in the USA as such because she is the daughter of immigrants. Ironically, it is more accurate to say that she would be a foreigner in India, the place of birth of her mother, or in Jamaica, the place of birth of her father. But some in the USA still insist that she is a foreigner.
This is the case in which Rahu strongly influences the ascendant. People with this planetary position are often perceived by others as out of place. Others may remark that something is strange about them. Despite all of this, many times people with Rahu as the main influence on their ascendant are charismatic and magnetic.
The ascendant sign and personality
The sign of the ascendant also influences the personality. For example, a person with a Pisces ascendant will behave differently from an Aries or Leo person. As noted previously, the planets that are located in the first house with the ascendant sign also can change the hue of the personality. Additionally, the house where the ruling planet of the ascendant is located can have an impact.
It is not advisable to conclude things about someone’s personality using only information about their ascendant sign. Many other factors combine to determine the character of a person. Although the ascendant gives a huge amount of information, other factors such as the position of the Moon, the planetary influences on certain houses should be studied. For example, an individual generally might have a balanced character, but they have a conjunction of two (or more) planets in their natal chart. This can cause them to lose patience easily and have isolated tantrums without any recognizable reason.
As mentioned in other articles, it is not appropriate to make generalizations or stereotypes about the personality of any given ascendant sign. Each of us is unique and born with free will. If an individual tends to be indecisive or insecure, and these are designated as traits of a particular zodiac sign by some astrologers in magazine or newspaper articles, it does not mean that this person cannot make substantial changes to their personality and go on to have a positive impact in the lives of others. So-called traits or characteristics associated with zodiac signs are not written in stone. They are malleable.
There are many factors that must be considered. But above all, the lesson that the first house offers for the evolution of the human soul is the teaching that, as living beings, we were born to serve the Creator. It is not gratification of the senses, material achievement, or satisfying the desires of the body, the key motives of the Purusharthas in this current incarnation. But the awareness that the only desire of the soul is its return to the Creator, serving him on this material plane.
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