The 6th House
6th House
Your 6th House covers the following areas:
health (medical issues, diet, exercise)
self-improvement
daily routines (home and work)
co-workers, employees, service people
service to others, obligations
small pets
This is the house of mundane matters, but it hardly feels mundane when it's being activated. Often, difficult transits to this house (Saturn, Pluto, Uranus) can trigger health issues that range from annoying to distressing to life-changing. I'm not a doctor, so I won't be describing specific health issues or solutions here. But usually, the quality of the issue corresponds to the transiting planet: Saturn brings something restrictive, Uranus brings sudden/shocking developments, Pluto indicates a purging or major transformation, Neptune brings vague symptoms, confusion, loss of energy.
A natal emphasis on this house can indicate a preoccupation with illness/diet/exercise. There is either a lifelong drive to improve the self (perfection through stringent diet/exercise) or a lifelong struggle with illness.
If you have a serious illness (or concerns about a serious illness) I always advise seeking the help of a medical professional.
Regarding service, this house is traditionally considered the house of slavery or servants. It is about what you must do for others, so I find that natal planets in this house often indicate a person who feels compelled to help or serve. This can be done willingly (6th House Sun, Venus, Mars, Jupiter) or with resentment (6th House Saturn). The efforts to help others can be distorted as a way of attracting appreciation/love (Sun, Venus) or a way of controlling others (Mars, Pluto).
Those with natal Neptune in the 6th either sacrifice themselves to others (they become slaves) or they are so sensitive to that they must be stringent about who and what is around them on a daily basis. Neptune dissolves boundaries, so if you have it in your 6th you really need to ensure that your daily routine/environment is good for you.
Know that the healthiest expression of 6th House energy is service to others without strings - if you have an agenda or if you feel like you have to but you don't want to, it's time to take a second look at how else you can use this energy. Helping others as a way of boosting your self-esteem/ego is tricky because this house is not about ego. Helping others as a way of controlling them and guaranteeing their love (they can't live without you) is manipulative.
Self-improvement and self-awareness is the best way to use natal placements in this house. Help yourself, first. Get your work and personal routines in order. Address daily habits that undermine you. Then, look at who "needs" your help- do they really? I'll bet you can set some boundaries (you're not a slave).
This house is also emphasized for those in the healing professions, but even then there's a need to step back and practice self-care. The trap of the 6th is getting sucked into the conviction that your only purpose is to help others. You may be a pro at helping others, but at some point you need to nurture yourself.
Even if you have nothing in the 6th, the house ruler (planet that rules the sign on the cusp) will tell you about your health and attitude to service by its house and sign position. 6th House ruler in the 12th suggests a less defined approach to health, obligations and routine. Perhaps you avoid dealing with these issues, or there are hidden matters. 6th House ruler in the 11th can indicate a drive to help your friends, or the public in general. 6th House ruler in the 10th indicates a career that involves healing/improvement.
If your 7th House ruler is in the 6th (or you have Venus in the 6th) a major aspect of your approach to relationships involves service. How's that working for you? The 6th is an unbalanced house, meaning the exchange of energies will never be equal. You need to factor that in to your love life and guard against becoming a caretaker rather than a partner.
The improvement angle of the 6th is often overlooked, but it's crucial. This is where you make things/people better. Even if you're not fully conscious of this, anything 6th House related is rooted in the desire to "fix." Think about how that applies to your various 6th House situations.
Small pets are another overlooked 6th House issue. For many people, pets are their children, whether or not they have planets in this house. Personal anecdote - my 6th is ruled by Jupiter and I have Jupiter in my 4th House (home and family). I grew up with pets. When my parents brought me home from the hospital as an infant the first thing they did was put me on the floor so their dog (an Alsatian) could have a thorough sniff. I was always taught that pets were like my siblings (I'm an only child) and they deserved the utmost respect and love. As an adult, my husband and I are cat lovers, to the max. But we also want to get a dog (I could not live with someone who didn't love animals). I cannot imagine living without a pet because they bring joy and abundance (Jupiter) into my home life.
If you want to:
Become More Disciplined With Your Diet/Exercise
A Saturn transit to the 6th can helpful, but I find that this transit can also bring heavy responsibilities and restrictions that are stressful. TR Saturn will also deliver the results of any health issues you've been ignoring. Transiting Pluto will initiate a profound lifestyle change, but it can be rather dramatic. Much depends on how you've been treating yourself prior to the transit.
Boost Healing/Energy
Transiting Jupiter increases everything, including a predilection to overeat. But it can also boost energy (as well as workload). Transiting Mars is pure motivation, but can also be stressful. Transiting Neptune dissolves and releases but often brings weakness and vague symptoms that come and go.
Become More Organized
Transiting Saturn is the "get real" influence.
Make a Major Change to Health (Break Free of an Addiction/Destructive Habit)
Transiting Pluto will trigger the most profound changes, but be prepared for subterranean issues to be stirred up. You'll be forced to confront the psychological roots of why you do what you do. Transiting Uranus is the liberation transit, but some of its changes can be very abrupt.
Improve Co-Worker Relationships
Transiting Jupiter can bring goodwill, but can sometimes expand existing issues. Transiting Venus is brief but sociable.
You'll notice that there's not a straight out "good" transit for health - they can all be a bit tricky. Much depends on your natal issues, plus an awareness of your personal triggers. I find the 6th House is very sensitive - its energies are a physical barometer for all the other psychological and emotional issues. What happens in the 6th is often a red flag for deeper matters.
The 6th is where you get your sh*t together - it's where you refine, improve and organize. It's where you can become your best self. If it's not working in the 6th, you can bet it's not working in other areas of your life. This is not exciting or pleasurable, but 6th House issues are part of the bedrock that makes up your life. This is where you get real and take stock of how a certain situation or person or habit actually functions (or not) in your life.
