Understanding the Profound Principle of “From House to House” in your Vedic Astrology Reading
Book Your Reading
Uma’s Upayas Astrological Aromatherapy on Amazon & FREE on Kindle
FREE SIDEREAL CHART CALCULATOR
A Note on This Article: This is a generalized Vedic astrology post based on the Bhavat Bhavam system. For a truly personal reading, please consult your individual birth chart. 🙏
Hello, Wonderful Souls!
In our journey together through the stars, I sometimes use a term that might sound like ancient Sanskrit poetry: Bhavat Bhavam. It translates beautifully to “from house to house,” and it’s one of the most elegant and powerful tools in Vedic Astrology.
Think of your birth chart not as twelve separate rooms, but as a magnificent, spinning kaleidoscope. Bhavat Bhavam is the turn of that kaleidoscope. It shows us how one area of life, when viewed as a starting point, reveals its own deepest nature.
When I mention Bhavat Bhavam in our session, I’m essentially saying, “Let’s put a magnifying glass on this one area of your life and see what it’s really made of.” We do this by making that house a new “Ascendant” and seeing what the first house from it looks like. A crucial point to remember: when counting “from” a house in this system, we always begin counting with that house itself as number one.
Let’s explore this beautiful rhythm together.
The Classic Cycle: The House From Itself
This is the foundational principle. To understand the true essence of any house, we look at the house that is 1st from it—counting inclusively. This reveals the “soul” or the “core expression” of that house’s matters.
- The 1st House from the 1st House (Self): This is the 1st House itself. Who you are (1st) is ultimately expressed through… you. Your identity, your body, your very being. The self is its own foundation. This reminds us that at the core of everything is the self—the soul on its journey.
- The 2nd House from the 2nd House (Wealth & Family): This is the 3rd House. Your accumulated wealth and family support (2nd) are sustained and grown through your courage, efforts, communication, and skills (3rd). Wealth without effort is static.
- The 3rd House from the 3rd House (Courage & Siblings): This is the 5th House. Your efforts and initiatives (3rd) find their creative expression and intelligence in the 5th house. Your courage gives birth to your creations.
- The 4th House from the 4th House (Home & Heart): This is the 7th House. Your emotional foundation and domestic life (4th) seek balance and expression through partnerships (7th). A happy home is reflected in your ability to connect with others.
- The 5th House from the 5th House (Creativity & Children): This is the 9th House. Your creative power and intelligence (5th) lead to higher wisdom, fortune, and dharma (9th). True creativity is a form of spiritual expression.
- The 6th House from the 6th House (Obstacles & Struggle): This is the 11th House. Your battles and daily struggles (6th) are intimately connected to your gains, desires, and networks (11th). This is why the 11th house lord can be so complex—it stands as the 6th from the 6th, meaning your biggest gains are born from your biggest challenges. To achieve your deepest desires, you must master your obstacles.
- The 7th House from the 7th House (Partnership): This is the 1st House. Your one-on-one relationships (7th) ultimately lead you back to yourself (1st). Partnerships are mirrors, reflecting your own identity back to you.
- The 8th House from the 8th House (Transformation & Mystery): This is the 10th House. Your journeys through crisis and the occult (8th) manifest in your career and public actions (10th). Transformation becomes your life’s work.
- The 9th House from the 9th House (Fortune & Dharma): This is the 5th House. Your luck, philosophy, and spiritual path (9th) find expression through your creativity, intelligence, and children (5th). Wisdom is passed down through creation.
- The 10th House from the 10th House (Career & Action): This is the 7th House. Your career and public actions (10th) find their fulfillment and balance through partnerships (7th). No one builds a legacy alone.
- The 11th House from the 11th House (Gains & Desires): This is the 9th House. Your biggest gains and social circles (11th) ultimately lead you toward higher wisdom, dharma, and fortune (9th). True fulfillment of desires should elevate the soul.
- The 12th House from the 12th House (Liberation & Loss): This is the 11th House. Your journey into solitude, spirituality, and the unseen (12th) paradoxically leads to the fulfillment of desires and gains (11th). True liberation comes not from renouncing desire, but from understanding its place in your spiritual journey.
The Deeper Insight: Why This Matters
Notice the elegant patterns that emerge:
- The 6th from the 6th is the 11th. This is why the 11th house lord carries such complex energy. It promises our deepest desires, but only after we’ve faced our greatest struggles. The lord of gains is also the lord of the challenge behind the challenge.
- The 8th from the 8th is the 10th. Transformation isn’t meant to be hidden; it’s meant to become your life’s work, your public contribution.
- The 12th from the 12th is the 11th. Even the path of renunciation and spirituality ultimately circles back to fulfillment. You cannot escape desire; you can only elevate it.
Bhavat Bhavam in Context: Relational Astrology
The magic of this principle doesn’t stop with the self-referential cycle. We can apply it to any two houses to understand the relationship between different areas of life.
For example:
- To understand a child’s true father: The 5th house represents the child. To know about the father of that child, we make the 5th house the new ascendant and look to the 9th house (the house of fathers). The 9th from the 5th is the 1st house—meaning the child’s father is intimately tied to the native’s own identity and sense of self.
Other powerful examples:
- The wealth of a partner: The 7th house is the partner. To see the partner’s wealth, we look to the 2nd from the 7th, which is the 8th house. This shows the resources that come through the partner.
- The career of your mother: The 4th house is the mother. To see her career, we look to the 10th from the 4th, which is the 7th house. This links your mother’s public life to your own partnerships.
- The money you make from your career: The 10th house is your career. To see the money you earn specifically from your work, we look to the 2nd from the 10th, which is the 11th house. This is why the 11th house represents income—it is the wealth that flows directly from your actions in the world.
Why This Matters for Your Reading
When I use Bhavat Bhavam, I’m not just performing a technical exercise. I’m trying to show you the living, breathing connections within your own life.
- It shows you the path. It tells you not just what a house represents, but how to get there. Your struggles (6th) are the doorway to your desires (11th).
- It reveals the purpose behind the struggle. The challenges you face are not random punishments, but the very forge that shapes your destiny.
- It deepens your understanding of relationships. It allows us to look at the chart from the perspective of your loved ones, offering profound insight into your dynamic with them.
So, the next time you hear me say “Bhavat Bhavam” in our session, I hope you’ll see it as an invitation. An invitation to look deeper, to see the elegant connections, and to understand the beautiful, cosmic choreography that is your life.
With cosmic wisdom,
Katharine Anne Faris-Strohm,
Professional Vedic Astrologer
