Astrology Hemispheric Emphasis

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HEMISPHERIC EMPHASIS IN BIRTH CHARTS

by Brian Habit

July 18, 2003

Determining which hemispheres are emphasized in a birth chart can add an extra level of understanding--albeit a subtle one--to the chart. Each of the four hemispheres indicates a particularly helpful perspective for a person to cultivate.

Count 'Em Up

In order to determine which hemispheres (if any) are emphasized in a particular birth chart, assign a point value to each planet, and then count the number of points in each hemisphere. I recommend assigning 3 points to the Sun, 3 points to the Moon, and 1 point each to Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. (Ignore everything else in the chart.) Count up the total point value of the planets that are located in each of the four hemispheres, one hemisphere at a time. If the total number of points in a hemisphere equals 9 or more, consider that hemisphere to be emphasized in the chart.

Some charts contain an emphasis on one or two hemispheres; some charts contain none at all.

North

The horizon divides a chart into the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. The northern hemisphere includes houses 1-6.

If the northern hemisphere is emphasized, then it is important that the person experience internal realizations to mark changes and development in her life. Feelings and intuition color her perceptions and her focus of attention. She should give a greater priority to looking inward and experiencing intangible changes "in your gut" than to looking outward and achieving highly visible changes.

South

The southern hemisphere includes houses 7-12. If the southern hemisphere is emphasized, then it is important that the person experience concrete rites of passage and visible milestones to mark changes and development in her life. Examples of such visible events include getting married, going on a major trip, and developing a prominent career.

If the southern half of your chart is is emphasized, give a greater priority to looking outward and achieving highly visible changes than to looking inward and experiencing intangible changes "in your gut."

East

The meridian divides a chart into the eastern hemisphere and the western hemisphere. The eastern hemisphere includes houses 1-3 and 10-12. If the eastern hemisphere is emphasized, then it is important that the person develop his self-determination, make choices, and rely on his own will.

If the eastern half of your chart is is emphasized, give a greater priority to defining your own will and applying it to circumstances ("making your own breaks," if you will) than to reacting flexibly to trends and changing circumstances ("going with the flow").

West

The western hemisphere includes houses 4-9. If the western hemisphere is emphasized, then it is important that the person develop alertness to signs or omens in his environment. He should focus on noticing changes in his environment and adapting to them in a flexible, cooperative way.

If the western half of your chart is is emphasized, give a greater priority to reacting flexibly to trends and changing circumstances (going with the flow) than to defining your own will and applying it to circumstances (making your own breaks).

An Example

As an example, let's use my birth chart.

In my chart, the northern hemisphere contains the Moon (3 points), Uranus (1), Pluto (1), Sun (3), Neptune (1) and Mercury (1)--a total of 14 points. That's equal to or greater than 9 points, so the northern hemisphere is emphasized. Logically, if the northern hemisphere is emphasized, then the opposite half of the chart (the southern hemisphere) is not emphasized.

Since the northern hemisphere is emphasized, I would do well to focus on developing internal realizations to mark changes and development in my life. Feelings and intuition color my perceptions and my focus of attention. When I'm at a party and someone asks, "What's been going on in your life?", I may not always be able to name concrete, worldly events...but that doesn't mean there's not a lot going on for me. Much of what happens for me happens within me.

That's not to say that I'm necessarily shy, by the way. With the Moon, Venus, Mars and Jupiter in fire signs (and Venus and Mars in the 7th house of other people), I'm not exactly shy.

The western hemisphere contains the Moon (3 points), Uranus (1), Pluto (1), Sun (3), Neptune (1), Mercury (1), Venus (1), and Mars (1)--a total of 12 points. Again, that's equal to or greater than 9 points, so the western hemisphere is emphasized, while the eastern hemisphere is not.

Since the western hemisphere is emphasized, I would also do well to keep my eyes and ears peeled for shifts and "openings" in the world around me. Riding the waves of trends and jumping on openings will tend to get me farther than taking the initiative and mounting more of an "assault" on life. My life is closely bound up in the lives of other people (my clients), as is the case with many astrologers or psychotherapists.

Taking a western-hemisphere approach to life doesn't mean that I should act like a wimp or a doormat. With my Sun, Moon and Ascendant all in strong-willed fixed signs, I'm not likely to be a pushover.

Hemispheres Pertain to Your Life--Not You

I want to be clear that the hemispheric emphasis refers to the sort of life that you need. It doesn't refer to you per se. (We look to the planets and signs that are prominent in your chart--not to the hemispheric emphases--for information about you and the qualities and behaviors that you should cultivate, in order to be spiritually satisfied.)

For example, let's suppose that the southern hemisphere is emphasized in your birth chart. You might read the above and think, "But I'm very inner-oriented, not outer-oriented! I've never been married, I don't have a prominent career, etc."

There might be very good reasons for you to cultivate an inner orientation--reasons that have to do with something other than the hemispheric emphasis on your chart. At the same time, even if there are such reasons for you to cultivate an inner orientation, your life needs to feature visible signs to mark how you are growing and changing.

Let's further suppose that you have four planets in your 10th house of public pursuits, and you have the North Node of the Moon in Pisces in the 4th house.

Given your North Node, you'll have greater satisfaction in the long run by going beyond concrete, public pursuits (activities of a Virgoan/10th-house nature) to pursue activities of a more introspective, imaginative, private (i.e., Piscean/4th-house) nature. It's as if you're a student and you've already studied Virgo and the 10th house. Repeating the course might be comfortable and familiar, but it won't take you any farther. It's time to focus on another course, one about Pisces and the 4th house. (See my series about how to interpret the North and South Nodes in your chart for more on this. It's at http://www.proudphoenix.com/nodeslist.html)

Now, returning to the emphasis on your southern hemisphere, we can say that it's not enough for you to have realizations to mark the major steps that you take in growing in your life. You need visible events, perceptible rituals, or rites of passage to mark how you are changing (such as a major trip, relocating, marrying, etc.). Those are all just examples. You don't need to experience any of those specific events in order to satisfy this need. With four planets in your 10th house, what's important is that you define yourself in the eyes of your community through whatever "hats" you wear, and you redefine yourself by trading in some of your hats, as you change, over the course of your life.

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