The Fifth House (H5), the House of Leo, is the first of the Relating Houses. In these houses we have the experiences that expand personality consciousness to encompass awareness of others, and develop the emotional body. The other houses in the Relating group are Houses 6, 7 & 8.

H5 is associated with self–expression, individuality and creativity, but it is the response and recognition of others, which supplies the creative drive. A person born with Sun in H5 might have creative genius, but he would not get out of bed if there was not someone out there with whom to share his creations. That which expresses who he is he displays for others. In the House of Leo creativity is communication. An individual finds his point in giving his best and receiving recognition for it. Later, the soul communicates to the personality about how best to puts its quality out into the world.

The House of Creativity provides the foundations of the human soul, because when the sacral centre is under control and there is creative energy available for activities other than procreation and survival, then the causal body can form. As the soul develops, the House of Leo retains its direct connection to it.

The sacral centre provides the fuel for creation of all kinds, and to use DH Lawrences’s words for ‘kindling the life-quality where it was not.’

The sign on the cusp of H5 indicates the quality of the creative contribution, and the level on which it will best express itself. When the Earth signs are on the cusp of H5, then the contribution will be on the physical plane and the message communicated by the means of what is tangible; when it is the Water signs, the creative contribution will touch the emotions; when it is the Air signs, the contribution will be intellectual and use the medium of ideas; when it is the Fire signs, the creative product and its message will touch the spirit in some way.

For those of us now working at integrating orthodox and esoteric astrology, the sign on the cusp of H5 connects the individuated personality and his or her planetary function. It shows the means by which an individual will make his or her contribution and indicates from a spiritual angle that the point of individuality is that it is able to be a creative agent for the expression of spirit in our world.

All planets in H5 condition the creative capacity; the house location of the planet, which rules H5 will provide more detail as to where the creativity will be best expressed.

• The Sun confers an identity as a creative individual. The house position of the Moon will contain the clues as to why this kind of experience is going to take new ground for consciousness. Often it will indicate that the past life experience has formed an association with duty, conformity and compliance. Through expressing his or her creativity, a person stands to become more aware of self and personal capacity.

The inner planets +Jupiter increase energy and confer specific gifts in accordance with the planetary principle involved.

Those with the Moon and inner planets in H5 need to hold the awareness that procreation and the creation of a large family, may create practical impediments to expressing the creative abilities on other levels

In this house, Saturn and the outer planets challenge the individual to raise his or her game by getting freer from the ego-centred perspective.

• Saturn is particularly punishing in this house as it denies a person the sense that he or she can create anything of worth. In the consciousness of a Westerner this is likely to provoke an existential crisis. Those with this placement have to push through a great deal of self-doubt in order to create something that will prove to themselves that they have potency and worth.
• Uranus brings creative originality that may be someway in advance of what others are able to understand and appreciate. This can come hard to those who crave recognition. With this placement of Uranus, the intuition is highly developed.
• Neptune will make sacrifices of creative energy, including the sacrifice of the creative opportunity itself, which may then pass to a child who is gifted.
• Pluto disinclines an individual to procreate. There is an impelling sense of the need to create on a level higher than the biological, and this placement of Pluto is associated with having a creative task of service to perform on behalf of his or her time and generation.

• The orthodox planetary ruler of H5 is the Sun
• The esoteric planetary ruler of H5 is the Sun, and operates in this capacity when positioned in the second decanate of a sign.

Suzanne Rough
DKF-Koruna
October 2015