Your Fourth House In Astrology Highlights What You Define As A True Home
The universe is a huge place, to an almost inconceivable degree. On a macrocosmic level, we, as humans, have managed to make our home on planet Earth. But on an individual level, many may feel that our true sense of home is challenging to grasp. Perhaps you've moved or immigrated, perhaps you have a complex cultural background, or, perhaps, you did not have a traditional upbringing. There is no one definition of "home," and how we define what feels like home to us can change over time.
Understanding our roots is often a central part of who we are, though it can be a complicated and equally emotionally charged process. This is where astrology can come into the family photo. In your natal chart, your Fourth House, referred to as the House of Home, can give you insights into where and how you feel most at home, as well as what your home might have looked like as a child. The Fourth House is also considered a house where generational themes can manifest, such as those passed down to you from your ancestors and your parents. Taken together, the Fourth House can be considered the place where you go to feel safe, and the foundation to which you might return for stability. Looking into the planet (or planets) in your Fourth House, as well as the signs they are in, is the first place to start when it comes to evaluating what the house means to you.
The Moon and the Fourth House
The Fourth House is ruled by the moon, which is archetypically associated with the maternal, where the womb could be considered our first home of sorts, the first place where we were first safe and protected. Sometimes, the Fourth House might even relate to your mother, or the main caretaking figure in your life, providing insights into your relationship with them, specifically. But the fact that the moon is also outside of, and orbits, Earth, also points to the idea that our homes can be outside of ourselves, too, while still remaining close to us. As such, home can be an internal place that we create for ourselves, within ourselves, and a place outside of ourselves, such as our actual homes or chosen family.
Depending on what planets you might find in the Fourth House, your experience of home can change significantly. For example, should you find Neptune in your chart, you might have perhaps felt more connected to the internal home you have created within, than to your external sense of home. This does not mean that this placement is detached from the idea of home, however; those with this placement might strongly desire a nurturing and stable external "home" to ground them. And if you find that you do not have any planets in the Fourth House, this does not mean you are lacking a sense of home, but that you have fewer life or karmic lessons to work through in this regard.
Cancer and the Fourth House
The Fourth House is also ruled by Cancer, which is again associated with the archetypically nurturing spirit of the maternal. Cancer is regarded as closely connected to family and friends, and Cancerians might significantly define themselves by who and where they come from. Consider also that cancer is represented by the crab. Crabs wear a hard, protective shell that keeps them safe from danger, just like a physical house does. But knowing that safety is also an emotional protection for us humans. Without feeling physically safe, we might not be able to feel emotionally safe and vice versa, again underscoring the importance of having a solid foundation to return to.
Depending on what sign you might find in your Fourth House, you may feel varying degrees of closeness or separation from your home. Those with the air sign Aquarius in the Fourth House, for example, might feel untethered from their homes or experienced an upbringing rather distant from family. At the same time, however, those with Aquarius in the Fourth House might also seek to disrupt the form and non-conform when it comes to creating their own homes. As such, the sign of your Fourth House placement might underscore both strengths and weaknesses when it comes to your home, where a balance between them is central to maintaining a strong foundation, both in a literal and figurative sense. Remember you always have the chance to actualize your idea of "home" in the future, no matter what your upbringing was like as a child.