Chart Basics

[newbie]

Ok...now if we look at the below chart and we look at say 5th house, do I consider it as being in Leo or in Cancer where it started?

I always get confused with such charts.

And why do the 4th and 5th houses seem smaller compared to the 6th and 7th one?

[Night Sky]

To begin with:

Fifth is measured from the cusp of the 5th, which is in Cancer. The closer a planet is to the CUSP, that is the beginning of a house, the more of that house it will influence or be influenced by.

Therefore: Sun is close to the 6th house so you interpret it as a SIXTH house entity, especially if it is only like 2 degrees away. 7 degrees and it is only an influence.

your second question is about the house system. House systems vary. If it were an equal house... they would all be 30 degrees in size. It's all to do with where th MC and the IC (highest & lowest point in the sky on the eliptic, correct me if I'm wrong) are due largely to LATITUDE, and it's not that important to understand unless you're going to make your own chart, but thankfully computer programs can do it for us.

[waybread]

Cancer is the sign on the cusp of your 5th house in the Placidus house system, which is the "default" house system at Astrodienst, and the one that many astrologers prefer. There are a number of different ways of calculating house cusps, typically named after the person who invented them, but many astrologers use an "equal house" system in which all houses are the same size, or even a "whole sign" system, where houses and signs coincide. In the Placidus system of calculating houses, house widths will vary, notably for people born in far northern places.

Your Leo sun does appear to be in the 5th but very close to the 6th house cusp. You might play around with the different house systems available on the Astrodienst free charts pages, to see if your sun changes house if you use one of the other systems. Or just ask your self, in what domain of life do you feel most like yourself? Leisure, self-expression, children, or the "play" principle? (5th house) or through work, service, or health-related pursuits? (6th) Sometimes with the sun on a house cusp, you might partake of both houses.

With your sun conjunct Mercury, you probably identify strongly with your intelligence, but consider where in life you best express your core identity. That will help you choose which house system works best for you.

[Kaiousei no Senshi]

If it were an equal house... they would all be 30 degrees in size. It's all to do with where th MC and the IC (highest & lowest point in the sky on the eliptic, correct me if I'm wrong) are due largely to LATITUDE, and it's not that important to understand unless you're going to make your own chart, but thankfully computer programs can do it for us.

It's where the Midheaven and Ascendant are that set the rest the other houses of the chart. Also, I would think it very important to understand house systems and why they are what they are, that way you can make an informed descision about which house system you want to ultimately work with based on your understanding of them. However, for horary it is said that Regiomontanous (sp?) houses are the more accurate for timing and whatnot.

There are a number of different ways of calculating house cusps, typically named after the person who invented them, but many astrologers use an "equal house" system in which all houses are the same size, or even a "whole sign" system, where houses and signs coincide. In the Placidus system of calculating houses, house widths will vary, notably for people born in far northern places.

Actually, none of the house systems are named after the "inventor" of the system, but usually just the most famous popularizer of the it. For example, Al Biruni was using the Campanus house system two hundred years before Campanus's birth. There are several astrologers who do use the whole Sign and equal house systems, but there aren't too many ancient or classical authors who followed this method. It was thought that beginners of astrology would use the equal and whole sign houses until they could grasp the mathematical principles of trigonometry enough to use a more complex house system.

[newbie]

Thank you!
That helped clarify the nagging doubt I've been having w.r.t which planet is the house in.