Placidus vs. Equal House System?

sublime_anime

Active member
Hi! I'm just wondering what are your thoughts on this. It would be nice to hear from both sides. So tell me what is the difference and why you prefer to use it. I'm wondering which one is 'right' (if there is one.) I know that my planets are placed in different houses depending on which system i use. so.....
 

sublime_anime

Active member
thanks EJ, i checked those threads out and they were pretty helpful. i've been looking at my chart using placidus, equal and koch . . . I think for me, so far, using koch seems right to me!? :happy:
 

tee_jay66

Well-known member
hi
I got confused using all three house systems that you have used and found that my major planets were grouped either in the 7th or 8th house. Both houses very different and would give different interpretations to my chart. I have also found by weighing up the 3 house systems that koch seems better than the other two.
 
How then does an astrologer choose a house system? Well, the individual studying alone is more than likely to use Placidus Houses. The reason for this is simple - he has to consult an ephemeris in any case, and Raphael's Ephemeris is the most widely used, which gives the information needed for Placidus Houses.
Students who study with a recognised school are usually introduced to all of the house systems, but taught to use one far more than the others. This is usually the Equal House system, which incidentally is also one the oldest one. In this house system, the twelve divisions are very much like spokes of a wheel, equally spaced at 30 degree intervals, with all houses being the same size. This is the easiest of the House systems to use, as it requires no further calculation. Once the Ascendant is known, one simply divides the rest of the chart using the Ascending degree as a starting point - so if the Ascendant is at 22 degrees Leo, this is take as the cusp of the first house, with the second house beginning at 22 degrees Virgo, the third at 22 degrees Libra and so forth.
The Equal House system is conceptually valid within today's astrological standpoint that every individual is free to become what their birth chart symbolises as their ultimate talent. The Ascendant has been shown to correspond to the way the person automatically approaches their environment - the 'persona' in Jungian terms. This person is therefore likely to approach every field of life in a specific way. A person with an Aquarius Ascendant, for example, will approach money-making and material values (2nd house) in a Pisces manner, will learn (3rd house) in an Aries manner, deal with family (4th house) in a Taurus manner and so forth.
The biggest criticism of the Equal House system concerns the position of the MC, which, using this system is more often than not the cusp of the tenth house (or any house) but rather is found within the 9th, 10th or 11th house.
The MC, being the highest point at birth, symbolises the aims and ambitions one works towards, and, by extension, one's career potential and public image. But these areas are also 10th house matters, devised, because of that house's association with Saturn, to show precisely these areas of life. It is therefore conceptually necessary (so goes the argument) that the MC be the cusp of the 10th house. For this reason, the Equal House system has a limited following outside the UK, although it is still the commonest House system within the UK.
http://www.astrolozy.com/article19.asp
http://www.aquamoonlight.co.uk/systems.html
 
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