I’ve Got No Planets in My 7th House
(and other astrological disasters)

Help! I’ve got no planets in my 7th house. Does that mean I’m never going to get married?

That’s the question I hear most often. No one has ever said, I’ve got no planets in my 2nd house. Does that mean I’m never going to have money?

The reason no one asks the latter question is because we know there’s a formula that’s guaranteed to yield results: acquire education and skills that are in demand and get a job.

If only there was such a formula for marriage!

But what about an empty 7th house? Well, the truth is that whether it’s marriage, money, children or anything else, an empty house doesn’t mean that the life areas ruled by it are destined to be absent or diminished. If that were true, the entire population would be experiencing a void in more than a few life areas, because every chart contains at least two empty houses.

That’s right. You see, there are 12 houses in the horoscope, but there are only 10 planets. Now it’s true they may be filled with asteroids, the lunar nodes or other sensitive points but they’re not planets. They don’t rule houses, so they’re on the lower end of the astrological hierarchy.

So now that you understand that empty houses are normal, how do you interpret one? Let’s use the seventh house as an example. First, you look to the sign on its cusp, which describes your attitude towards committed partnerships, what you need from a partner, and the type of partner that attracts you.

For example, if Cancer is on your seventh house cusp, you don’t take such relationships lightly. You need to feel safe, loved and secure, which means you need loyalty and commitment from your partner. You also need financial security; and while you don’t mind contributing some of your resources, you’re not about to take on anyone’s financial burdens. As a result, you’re likely to be attracted to individuals who are established in a solid career, have a healthy nest egg and make regular contributions to a retirement account.

Next, you examine the planet that rules the sign on the cusp. Case in point: If Cancer is on the seventh house cusp, the planetary ruler is the Moon. If the Moon is in Libra, you tend to be attracted to individuals who are attentive, well-mannered and appreciate the finer things in life. If it happens to be located in your third house of communications, you need someone who enjoys conversation and intellectual pursuits.

Finally, you need to analyze all of the aspects (connections) between the Moon and the rest of the chart, because each one provides additional information.  A few examples: If the Moon aspects Jupiter, you’re likely drawn to friendly, outgoing and optimistic individuals. If it aspects Pluto, you’re probably drawn to strong, ambitious and even intense personalities. The type of aspect does make a difference. Typically, flowing ones indicate ease with relationships, while challenging ones suggest that the road to love may be a bit bumpy.

As you can see, you don’t need to have planets in the seventh house to interpret it, but what does it mean when you do?

With planets there, and especially if you have three or more, it means there’s a greater emphasis on relationships in your life. Whether the emphasis is positive or negative depends upon the planets, as well the aspects they make to the rest of the chart. For example, having the Sun, Venus or Jupiter in the seventh houses is typically beneficial for relationships. However, having Mars, Saturn and Pluto there usually brings challenges.

If you’d still like a few planets in your seventh house, I have a Mars-Saturn combo in mine that I’d be happy to give you, but I suspect right around now that empty house is starting to look like a dream home.