The 4th House

4th House

 Your 4th House covers the following areas:

• childhood/your roots/ancestry

• family (that you grew up with and current)

• your current living situation (including your physical dwelling)

• traditionally associated with the father (but I have found that it can apply to both parents) 

• the land beneath your feet

Traditionally, it's also considered to be the end of all things (transits to this house can bring major endings) but I'm iffy on this - I feel that the 8th and 12th are more applicable. But maybe all three houses (4th, 8th and 12th) are about endings - a topic for another post. 

Anyway...

This is your foundation. The quality of that foundation will have everything to do with your childhood. Natal outer planets in this house often indicate circumstances beyond your control (when you were younger). Saturn in the 4th suggests a lack of something. Neptune indicates dealing with illness/addiction/lack of boundaries (parental). Uranus points to disruptions and/or feeling like an outsider in your family. Pluto can indicate early trauma. Jupiter often suggests abundance (wealthy parents, lots of love from one or both parents) but when combined with less favourable planets it's possible to have a mix of positive and negative (Jupiter plus Saturn could indicate wealthy parents who were strict or distant). 

Even if this house is empty, the condition of the house ruler (planet that rules the sign on the cusp) will tell you much about your foundation. If the foundation you were given is not great, you can work with it to make the most out of what you have. 

Keep in mind that 4th House energy is what you're familiar with, because it's how you grew up. So you don't want to change it, you want to cooperate with it. So if you have natal Uranus in the 4th you will be more comfortable with an unusual domestic life - the white picket fence is not for you, but that doesn't mean you can't have some stability. You just need to design a home life that works for you, in the healthiest possible way. You may not have had control as a child, but you're an adult now. Maybe you want to travel half the year and the other half you live in your place. Whatever works and makes you feel "at home."

The cusp of the 4th (the IC) is extremely sensitive - transits to this angle can stir up buried issues from the past, uproot you or change your entire life from the ground up. Transiting Saturn over the IC can heralde a major ending or increase in domestic responsibility. Transiting Uranus or Jupiter can bring a relocation. People whose planets that fall in your 4th House (especially if they are within 4 deg of your IC) will remind you of family, for better or worse. They will feel instantly familiar and you will relate to them as you did your parents. 

This is also the house of the introvert - natal Sun, Moon and Venus indicates someone who wants (Venus) or needs (Moon) to spend a lot of time at home. House hermit. Sun in the 4th suggests your purpose revolves around home and family. The planetary ruler of your Ascendant in the 4th means your identity is rooted in your home life. In all cases, family will be very important, whether or not the relationships are healthy. Making the most of these placements means ensuring that your domestic life is as happy, nurturing and safe as possible. Working from home may be an option (especially if the ruler of the 10th House of career is in the 4th). 

If you want (please note the below is not professional advice, or even complete astrological advice - these are hints to point you in the right direction):

To relocate

Transits of Jupiter into the 4th are your best bet for a positive relocation (often to a bigger place). Uranus can indicate a move that happens suddenly and makes you feel out of control. 

To buy a new home

Jupiter again (but this can also increase expense). Transiting Venus with Jupiter in the 4th is excellent. 

To construct/make repairs to your home

Transiting Pluto is the great deconstructor, but this energy is so all-or-nothing that you could end up with a bigger project than you ever imagined. Transiting Pluto trining planets in your 4th or your 4th House ruler is better, because Pluto's energy is directed in a gentler way (meaning, not like an atomic bomb). You may want to balance this out with some benefic Jupiter transits, some Venus, maybe some trines/sextiles from Saturn to stabilize matters. Saturn is essential for maintaining control. 

To put down roots/stabilize

Transiting Saturn into the 4th can force that to happen, but this can also be accompanied by heavy responsibilities and family illness. A better bet would be a trine (easy aspect) from transiting Saturn to a planet in your 4th or the ruler of your 4th. 

To heal family wounds

Transiting Neptune can dissolve old hurts. Transiting Pluto will dredge up the ugly stuff that's been buried, but there will be no secrets after this transit. Transiting Uranus can blow the lid off the past and force a family update, but it can be very harsh. Transiting Jupiter can be nice but often doesn't get to the root of the issue. It depends how deep you want to go and how dramatic you want to be. 

Your natal chart and other transits/progressions will always amplify or lessen the impact of the above.