Empty Houses in Astrology Meaning: Ease or Nothing at All?

We don’t like empty things: an empty fridge, an empty wallet, an empty home, and so on.

When you hear about empty houses in astrology for the first time, what comes to your mind is that there is something wrong with that house in the birth chart.

When you look at a chart, you’ll immediately notice that there are some houses with (0) zero planets there. Or you can say that these are the empty houses in the natal chart. What do empty houses in astrology mean?

When you start to study the language of the sky, you learn that there are twelve houses in the natal chart. Each of them corresponds to a certain life area. Some of these areas are more important to us throughout life (as in they are the pivot of your life), for example, the second house of money, the seventh house of marriage, or the tenth house of career.

It can be scary to notice that NOTHING is there in such an important house!

Does this mean that you’ll never have a career, a spouse, or you’ll never make a single penny in your life?

To answer this question in a nutshell,

NO, NOT AT ALL. It doesn’t mean that.

Empty houses in astrology are not about this, they can function perfectly well in your life without natal planets there.

(Imagine though if an empty eighth house would indicate that you’ll never die, or at least when you’ll grow very very old and become tired of living anyways.)

But then how to interpret your empty houses in astrology?

Meaning of Empty Houses in Astrology

Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean that you won’t experience anything good in the life areas of that house!

You can be happily married even though your seventh house is unoccupied. You can make a killing even though there are no planets in your second house.

An empty house in astrology in the natal chart just means that this house won’t be a major focus for you.

Each planet has its particular energy which you can (and are supposed to) use as a resource. Planets take these energies into the house where they are located, so you can utilize them in the corresponding life areas.

For example, if you have Mercury in the third house, you need to put Mercurian energy into use when you communicate or learn (this is a super beneficial placement, by the way). If you have Venus in the third house, too, you can rely on the Venusian energies in these life areas.

If a house is occupied by several planets, it requires a greater deal of your attention and efforts than the matters of the empty houses in astrology.

If you have planets in most of your houses, chances are you have many interests. You tend to spread yourself thin what is hardly sustainable in the long run as the day has only so many hours and human beings only have so much energy. While someone with more empty houses has the majority of their energy focused on only a few houses. As you can see, empty houses in astrology have quite a few benefits.

Why Are Some Houses Empty in the Birth Chart?

There are twelve houses in astrology (and in the natal chart). On the other hand, there are only ten planets:

• the Sun
• the Moon
• Mercury
• Venus
• Mars
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Uranus
• Neptune
• and Pluto.

As you can see, there are fewer planets than houses, so no matter how you try to assign them, there will always stay some empty houses in the natal chart. It’s pretty normal to have 4-5 or even more empty houses in astrology.

(For those people who are not math savvy, there are at least two vacant houses.)

Of course, there are some more objects in use in astrology like asteroids, Arabian parts, or the Moon’s nodes, but most astrologers consider the ten planets to be the most important influence over us.

Often, there are conjunctions or even a stellium (which includes three or more planets) in the chart. These planets are probably located in the same house, so in this case, there will be even more empty houses in the birth chart. There is a heavy emphasis on this house, it’s even the first thing that grabs your attention when you take a glance at the chart. Several planets in a few houses make it easier to focus. People with the planets all over the chart tend to have many interests and it is hard to give them all equal attention.

You can check which houses are empty in your birth chart by casting your chart on astrology websites.

How to Interpret an Empty House in Astrology?

If there are no planets in a house in the natal chart, this doesn’t mean that you can’t interpret it! You should interpret all houses, as they are all important, no matter whether they are occupied. Empty houses are just as important in astrology.

But how do you do it?

When interpreting empty houses in astrology, you need to look to the sign on the cusp of the house and its planetary ruler.

First, find the zodiac sign on the cusp of the empty house in question. What is the element and mode of this sign? What are its strengths and weaknesses? This sign shows how you approach the matters of this house in your natal chart. Remember, empty houses in astrology are still important.

Each of us has all twelve signs in our charts, they are just mapped out differently. After you’ve found it, it’s time to find the ruling planet of this sign, too. Here is a list of each sign’s ruling planet in astrology:

• Aries: Mars
• Taurus: Venus
• Gemini: Mercury
• Cancer: Moon
• Leo: Sun
• Virgo: Mercury
• Libra: Venus
• Scorpio: Pluto
• Sagittarius: Jupiter
• Capricorn: Saturn
• Aquarius: Uranus
• Pisces: Neptune.

After you’ve found the planetary ruler, you need to analyze its position. Which sign and house is it located in? Is the ruler weak or strong in this sign? What aspects does it make with the other planets? Are these aspects harmonious or not? Do the planets work together easily?

Empty Houses in the Natal Chart: Nothing Will Happen There?

No, this house works just as well with the houses with planets! The fact that a house is empty doesn’t mean that nothing will ever happen there. It’s just that you won’t focus on this life area as much.

The twelve houses describe the needs of the human psyche. We all need all of them, just in different proportions.

Do you believe in reincarnation?

Some astrologers think that empty houses in astrology are a sign that you nailed the matters of this house in your previous lives. So if you have many empty houses in your natal chart, good for you! 🙂

In the following part, you can read about how planets can move into empty houses in astrology.

Will Empty Houses in Astrology Always Stay Empty?

The answer to this question is again, no! If some houses were empty at the moment of your birth, it doesn’t mean that they will always stay empty. Empty houses in astrology get opportunities to develop fully, too!

First, planets keep moving, and they kept moving after your birth, too! Empty houses in astrology will contain sometimes a transiting planet (or even more transiting planets at a certain time).

These transits bring a lot of planetary energy to the matters of this house.

Depending on the qualities of the planet, this influence can make you think about this life area again, bring an easy flow of energy and new opportunities, bring restrictions, etc. As you can see, you can expect various things to happen under various transits.

But there is one more way how planets can come to empty houses in astrology: through secondary progressions.

The planets kept moving after your birth. Secondary progressions equate one day after you were born to one year of your life.

Slow-movers like the outer planets, or even Jupiter and Saturn stay in the same place in the progressed chart for a very long time, but the quicker planets like the Moon move quickly. The progressed Moon changes signs every two and a half years. Sooner or later, it will occupy a house in your chart that is empty in the natal chart.

As you can see, empty houses in astrology don’t stay empty forever!

Empty Houses in Astrology Meaning

If you want to learn the meaning of your empty houses in astrology, here’s a short overview. In an empty house, you can expect a less complicated scene: when there are no planets, there is less energy you have to use in the corresponding life areas.

It’s perfectly normal to have a lot of empty houses in astrology.

Empty First House in Astrology

If there are no planets in your first house, you are not focused on yourself in this lifetime. The first house is the house of self, how you come across to others, your attitude to the world, and new beginnings. An empty first house suggests that this will not be a major theme for you. Look to the ascendant if you want to learn more about your empty first house in astrology.

Empty Second House in Astrology

An empty second house suggests that accumulating wealth will not be a major focus for you. You can still be rich, but it’s not what you will spend most of your energy on. People with an empty second house are usually less possessive and economical. Of course, finances are important to everyone, but in your chart, they don’t require an extra focus.

Empty Third House in Astrology

An empty third house suggests that the life area of communication is not particularly challenging in your life. You don’t have a lot of work to do here unless the ruler of your third house is seriously afflicted or your Mercury is weak. You can connect with others easily with an empty third house in astrology.

Empty Fourth House in Astrology

An empty fourth house indicates that your home life doesn’t require a lot of your energy. Usually, you come from a family where the atmosphere was supportive. People with an empty fourth house don’t have a particularly challenging relationship with their parent represented by this house, usually the mother.

Empty Fifth House in Astrology

Creativity, self-expression, romance, and children don’t require an extra focus in the lives of empty fifth house people. These life areas run smoothly, or at least without you having to put extra effort into them. If you want to know more about fifth house matters in your life, look to the sign on the cusp and its ruling planet!

Empty Sixth House in Astrology

With an empty sixth house in astrology, you don’t have to face a lot of challenges in your job. Your health doesn’t require an extra effort to maintain unless the chart as a whole says otherwise. An empty sixth house suggests that you don’t have a strong emotional bond to your routines, both in your work and private life.

Empty Seventh House in Astrology

An empty seventh house suggests that partnerships are easy for you. Committed relationships and marriage don’t require an extra focus, you have less work to do in this life area. If you want to learn more about your seventh house, look to the sign on the cusp and its ruling planet.

Empty Eighth House in Astrology

An empty eighth house in astrology suggests that you are at ease with joint resources. Unless the ruler of the eighth house is afflicted, there are few complications around receiving an inheritance or other people’s money. You are also comfortable with sexuality and intimacy. An empty eighth house indicates that deep transformation comes naturally to you.

Empty Ninth House in Astrology

If there are no planets in your ninth house, education and spirituality don’t need an extra focus in your life. You experience expansion in a natural way. An empty ninth house suggests that higher education and philosophy don’t play an unusually big role in your life. Your relationship with foreign cultures doesn’t require a lot of attention if you have an empty ninth house in astrology.

Empty Tenth House in Astrology

An empty tenth house indicates that a career is not a particularly challenging life area for you. Of course, everyone has to work hard to get great results, but you can expect to spend more energy elsewhere in your life. An empty tenth house in astrology does not mean that you cannot be successful, it’s just that it doesn’t require extra effort. Your public image is described by the sign on the cusp and its aspects if your tenth house is empty.

Empty Eleventh House in Astrology

An empty eleventh house suggests that your social circle is not a major theme for you. You can have many friends, but you won’t have to face a lot of challenges in this life area with an empty eleventh house in astrology. Things come to you in a natural way. You usually don’t spend a particularly lot of energy on networking. You are innately good at it.

Empty Twelfth House in Astrology

People who have an empty twelfth house in astrology don’t have a particularly big karmic baggage in this lifetime. You don’t have to put a lot of effort into resolving the past. An empty twelfth house suggests that you operate well in the world without a strong need to retreat from time to time.

If you enjoyed this article about the meaning of empty houses in astrology, save it for later, and share it with your friends!