I was accustomed to reading the many interactions between the first and 10th houses in my chart as interaction between self (first) and career(10th).
The 10th Place is your career only insomuch as it affects your fame and reputation, which is really what the 10th Place is about.
Tenth house matters have always been my focus in life.
That's because Moon ruling Cancer is in the Cancer 10th Place. The fact that Moon is with Mars would heighten that.
However, upon reading further, I have learned that the 10th house is also regarded as the house of the father.
Some say that traditionally the 9th Place was the father and the 3rd Place the mother (since those are the joys of Sun & Moon respectively).
I've always used the 4th Place for the father and the 10th Place for the mother.
I have never known my birth father; he did not want to be a part of my life. Could this issue also be represented by the energy between the first and 10th houses?
There is no energy between Places.
I use a different triplicity ruling scheme, in which Venus is the Day ruler of Earth, Saturn is the night ruler and Mercury is the participating ruler.
I can't help but note that Venus and Mercury are conjunct in your 12th Place. With Venus being retrograde, I suspect you may never know, or never have a relationship with your birth-father.
Generally, in charts where you see the Sun and Moon in aversion, meaning they are not in aspect by sign, it indicates the parents are separated or may separate.
