The 7th house in astrology: love, marriage and partnership
The 7th house begins on the western horizon, at the degree of the zodiac that was sinking out of sight as you were born. It’s the house of the other person: the partner, the spouse, the business partner, the best friend and even the rival who knows you best. If the 1st house is you, the 7th is who you become in someone else’s company.
The 7th house at a glance
- Starts at
- The Descendant, the western horizon
- Covers
- Marriage, partners, close one to one relationships, contracts, open rivals
- Natural sign
- Libra
- Natural ruler
- Venus
- Type
- Angular
- Opposite house
- The 1st house
- Old names
- Greek, the Setting place. Latin, Uxor, the wife
What does the 7th house mean?
This is the house of partnership in all its forms. It describes the qualities you look for in another person, the kind of people who keep turning up in your life, and what you learn about yourself through them. Astrologers often notice that the 7th house describes the traits we find hardest to own, so we fall in love with them in somebody else.
It also covers contracts, negotiations and open rivals, anyone you meet face to face. Love and rivalry share a house, which will surprise nobody who has ever been married.
What is the Descendant?
The Descendant is the degree of the zodiac that was setting on the western horizon at your birth, exactly opposite your Ascendant. If you have Aries rising, your Descendant is in Libra. It marks the start of the 7th house, and its sign describes what draws you to another person.
Does the 7th house show my soulmate?
It describes the kind of love you are drawn to and the qualities you are looking for, rather than a name or a date. Many people recognise their partner in their 7th house sign and planets, often years after they met. Love has a way of finding the chart.
Your Venus and Moon tell more of the story, and comparing two charts, synastry, shows how two people actually meet.
Which birth time puts your Sun in the 7th house?
Each day the sky turns a full circle around you, so the Sun crosses every house before the next morning. A 7th house Sun means a late afternoon birth, with the Sun sliding down toward the western horizon. We stepped the Sun through ten minute slots on days across a year to find the likeliest hours.
Born between about 4pm and 7pm? There is a good chance your Sun is in your 7th house.
What do planets in the 7th house mean?
Planets in the 7th describe the people you pair up with, and what happens between you. The closer one sits to the Descendant, the more it shows.
Sun in the 7th house. Partnership is central to who you are. You come alive through other people, and you may be drawn to someone who shines brightly.
Moon in the 7th house. Emotional closeness is how you feel safe. You tend to nurture your partners, or look for someone who will nurture you.
Mercury in the 7th house. You want a partner you can talk to for hours. Conversation is how you fall in love.
Venus in the 7th house. Libra, one of Venus’s own signs, is the natural sign of this house. Love comes to you gracefully, and you bring beauty and kindness to your relationships.
Mars in the 7th house. Strong, direct people draw you in, and sparks fly in both directions. Passion and conflict sit close together.
Jupiter in the 7th house. Growth and good fortune tend to arrive through partners. You love generously, and the people you choose often widen your world.
Saturn in the 7th house. You take commitment seriously. Love may come later or with lessons, and what you build together is made to last.
What if my 7th house is empty?
Relax, an empty 7th house is very common and says nothing about whether you will find love. Ten planets simply can’t cover twelve houses. The sign on your Descendant and its ruler still describe your partnerships, so follow that ruler through your chart.
Why is my 7th house bigger or smaller than 30°?
Placidus, Hali’s house system, splits the sky by time rather than by equal arcs, and the gap between big and small houses widens the further from the equator you go. The size of the 7th house over a day, at four latitudes, looks like this.
| Place | Latitude | Smallest 7th house | Largest 7th house |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equator | 0° | 27.6° | 32.6° |
| Madrid | 40.4°N | 19.6° | 47.8° |
| London | 51.5°N | 15.7° | 60.5° |
| Reykjavík | 64.1°N | 6.9° | 114.9° |
Placidus gives out entirely above about 66° latitude. For births that far north or south, Hali uses Whole Sign houses and notes it on the chart.
What’s the difference between the 7th and 1st houses?
They’re opposite ends of the horizon. You are described by the 1st house, which begins at the Ascendant in the east. The 7th begins at the Descendant, the western horizon, and describes the people you meet one to one. Planets across this line often describe the tug between independence and togetherness.
Frequently asked questions
Does an empty 7th house mean I won’t marry?
No. Empty houses are normal, and plenty of happily married people have one. The sign on your Descendant and its ruler still describe your relationships.
Which planet rules the 7th house?
Venus, by way of Libra, the house’s natural sign. In your own chart, look at the planet that rules your Descendant sign.
Do I need my birth time for the 7th house?
Yes. Your Descendant, like the rest of the house wheel, goes all the way round in a day. With no birth time, Hali shows your planets without houses rather than pretending to know.
Sources and methods
To size the houses, Hali sampled Placidus cusps through an entire day at every latitude shown. The clock samples 2001 at 40.4° north, one day in four, finding the Sun’s Placidus house every ten minutes, local solar time. Vettius Valens’s Anthology, and the wider Hellenistic tradition, supply the house names of old and the planetary joys. A traditional medieval verse, naming the houses one after another, supplies the Latin ones. Our data is free to use under CC BY 4.0.