Sixth House in the Complete Horoscope

The 6th House governs your work, what you do for a living. It doesn't exactly deal with the social situation at work or your career, because these things belong to the 10th House. The 6th is about what you work with, what it is you do, and how that works out for you.

     In traditional astrology this was (and still is, to many astrologers) the House of health, revealing illnesses and other ailments. The reason for this is simple: few things influence your health more than what you work with, day in and day out. This was particularly true up until the 19th century, since medicine was quite undeveloped until then. So was ergonomy, et cetera.

     Even today, your work is sure to affect your health and well-being, so keep this in mind when examining your horoscope. Below, though, I focus on the work itself. Health issues related to different professions are easy enough to foresee.

Zodiac sign and Planet

If the House changes Zodiac sign somewhere in its span, that means your work changes significantly sometime in your life. Both your profession and your whole work situation. If you have the same Zodiac sign through most of the House, you are likely to remain in the same profession throughout.

     Planets in the 6th House indicate that a lot happens in your work and that it's an important part of your life. That's not true for everyone. Some of us spend our days at the job without caring much about it. even if the House is void of planets, it's not sure you don't care about your work - but not as much as if you had planets there, for sure.

     Here are simple keywords describing your work, depending on what Zodiac sign you have in the 6th House:

• Aries intense
• Taurus steady
• Gemini amusing
• Cancer committed
• Leo individual
• Virgo meticulous
• Libra controlling
• Scorpio unsettling
• Sagittarius free
• Capricorn constructive
• Aquarius thoughtful
• Pisces devoted

     Here are keywords for how your work is affected if you have a planet in your 6th House:

• Sun dominant
• Moon dependent
• Mercury communicative
• Venus creative
• Mars struggling
• Jupiter successful
• Saturn responsible
• Uranus exploring
• Neptune improvising
• Pluto drastic

     The keywords are just simple clues to understand the 6th House. You need to consider the whole before deciding on the meaning of one single ingredient.

Aspects

The 6th House has the following aspect relations to other Houses:

• Opposition 180° 12th House
• Trine 120° 10th House, 2nd House
• Square 90° 9th House, 3rd House
• Sextile 60°8th House, 4th House

     These relations between the Houses are quite important when analyzing their influence. The opposition aspect to the 12th House, that of personal sacrifice, is obvious when you consider the need for health and ability in your work. The 12th House shows what you lack. Also, when you're ill or weakened in some other way, your work will suffer.

     The trine to the 10th House, that of your career, is even more evident. Your work helps you in your career, and vice versa. The trine with the 2nd House, your resources, is clear when it comes to money: work brings the bread. Also, your personal capacity is your main resource at any job you might have.

     The square to the 9th House, travel and change, just states that usually these things are hindrances in your work. The square to the 3rd House, friends, says that your work keeps you away from them. But with squares there are always possibilities to get around the obstacles.

     The sextile to the 8th House, what is out of your control, is not that evident, but things of this House can be helpful in your work, and not only if you inherit it, like everybody did in the old days. The sextile to the 4th House, home and family, is clear: your work supports your home and your family supports your work (hopefully).

© Stefan Stenudd
The planets
The Zodiac
The Houses
The aspects