The Fifth House
I am the Door.
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.
The fifth house can be considered the playing field and the playground. It includes games – the game of life, fun, play, and sports – as fundamental ways of socializing and channeling potentially aggressive urges into a joyous, pleasurable way of interacting with others. It shows hobbies and favorite recreational activities. The fifth house rules the theater and entertainment in general.
It is the house of children, for it indicates our desire to replicate ourselves, either biologically or creatively. It includes offspring and pets, especially those trained to perform for amusement or for sport.
Romantic love, courtship, sexual love as a vehicle for creative self-expression, idealized relationships, very close friends with whom we share our ideals and playful joie de vivre are included here, as are the activities of gambling, taking chances, speculation and investment. The fifth has an affinity with the stock market as well as the racetrack.
In Hindu astrology, the fifth has spiritual significance. It shows specific credit from past-life efforts, which are destined to appear in this lifetime, called poorvapunya. Nearly all world-famous individuals have a powerful fifth house. This house plays a major role in the lives of great saints and religious leaders, for it rules morals, mantras, higher learning, divine wisdom and spiritual techniques.
It is considered to be one of the major indicators of one’s life purpose, and the spiritual responsibility connected with this particular incarnation. In a sense, it shows the birthright. A person with a strong fifth house often has a sense of his destiny from an early age.
In esoteric Western astrology, it is the house of the expression of the spiritual will, the Will of God. It represents where and how we begin to actualize the higher self. It shows how we can best express the desire to manifest the spiritual life and consciousness and the activities that stimulate and strengthen the will.
Planets transiting the fifth may bring opportunities for education, romance, and taking up new spiritual studies, new hobbies and creative activities, including the birth of a child.
In synastry, the planets the partner brings to our fifth house may indicate past-life credit owed by them to us or vice versa. For example, a man’s Jupiter coming to his partner’s fifth, may indicate he was married to her before, and happily so, or he was her teacher in spiritual matters. If she, in turn, brings her Jupiter to his fifth, we might say they deserved each other on the basis of past merit. On the other hand, if the planet is Saturn, it might be the chance of many lifetimes to pay off an old and heavy debt through a romantic relationship or a deep friendship, for we have serious lessons to learn about the right use of love and will.
The sign on the cusp of the fifth house and the placement of its ruler shows our vision of creativity and how we express love and choose close friendships. Planets in the fifth house add energy and urgency to creative activities and indicate the artistic talents we have.
A strong fifth house can produce statesmen and politicians as well as athletes, educational and spiritual leaders, and fine artists. The correlation of politics, art and theatre explains why actors can become successful politicians and why politicians possess the skills of actors, for they need dramatic art to hold the public’s interest through an ability to entertain, interest, or excite and incite.
From a spiritual standpoint, the fifth house is the door through which the Divine Will enters our life when and if we are willing to open ourselves to it. The ego may refuse to answer the call, until, at last, we have learned sincerely to repeat the affirmation, “Thy will be done.” Then love, joy and creative inspiration flow effortlessly into our lives and through every fiber of our being.
About the author:
Eleanor Buckwalter has studied, practiced and taught astrology in Los Altos, CA for more than twenty-five years, including three years with the late Richard Idemon, a psychological astrologer. Her primary astrological focus of interest is parent-child relationships and family dynamics.
Last updated on July 5, 2014 at 6:44 pm. Word Count: 709
