The Sixth House is the rhythm of life, the continuity shaping our daily experience

Italian version


The 6th House, the second of Cadent Houses, uses the formative and generative impulses of the two previous houses through the cyclical expression of time, repetition. In the 3rd House, the first of the Cadent Houses, we saw the need for an interrelation with the environment, the first form of relationship of individuality with the dualistic vision. With the 6th House, co-significant of the sign of Virgo, the constructive process begins with the environment itself through the establishment of a rhythm, the succession of movements over time that ultimately originates the vital frequency typical of an individual.

Therefore, the Sixth House introduces us to the concept of cyclic time. Unlike the linear one, which extends its temporal horizons indefinitely, cyclic time triggers a circular mechanism leading to the condensation of an entity around its characteristic core. We could define the process as the passage of the individual entity from a chaotic state, free to express itself according to apparently random lines (see the meanings of the 5th House) to an ordered one, or somewhat coherent with the immediate surrounding environment. Actually, it is the individual who, thanks to their fundamental note, builds around them a daily continuity that in some way mirrors and expands his expressive potential, creating a resonance with his surroundings.

To better clarify the concept, think of the related symbolism of the sign of Virgo, or rather one of its images according to Christian iconography, Mary mother of Christ. Mary is a virgin because she carries spiritual sonship in her womb: the idea, the principle that veils itself of the human form, does not require natural intervention for its generation. However, the structure is necessary to reveal the potential of the spirit. Similarly, on the level of individual representation, the Sixth House becomes the testimony of our existence which, at least in theory, should be like the garment manifesting our true inner core in daily works.

But let’s get to the meanings that judicial astrology offers us of this sometimes underestimated sector. The general sense, especially in the astrological texts of a few centuries ago, is the not precisely comforting one of the diseases. This negative interpretation highlights the not integrated sense of the rhythmic and vibrational aspect of the individual, who struggles to express themselves in everyday life according to their parameters, hence the consequent physiological imbalances. Today, instead of the servants of the old times, we would indicate housekeepers, carers, cleaners, or those who serve in the daily conduct of existence, a needed element to maintain things adequately organised. Then there are pets; the meaning is entertainment and the daily commitment they give and require. The association with uncles and aunts seems at first sight questionable. In reality, it is an indication that arose from the so-called derived houses: The Sixth House is the Third House starting from the Fourth, thus becoming the House of the parents’ brothers and sisters. Today’s sense of the Home reflects those aspects of the experience that share the rhythmic and repetitive tone of their proposition: employee work, domestic and daily activities.

In Earth signs, the Sixth House promotes the need for physical constancy, perhaps through sport and nutrition. In Air signs, it will be a question of looking after the relationships and balances between the various aspects of everyday life. Water signs define a certain degree of fickleness in dealing with everyday reality or a sort of sentimentalism linked to one’s habits. Finally, Fire signs will instinctively face the daily commitments, not giving them excessive weight.

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