Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Writer, and a registered yoga instructor. She received her bachelor’s in broadcasting and mass communication from SUNY Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.
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December 20, 2022
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There are 12 “houses” or segments that make up both the zodiac wheel, and your own birth chart. Each house of astrology deals with different themes, with the ninth house relating to philosophy, travel, and more. Here’s what to know about the ninth house, plus how it impacts your unique chart.
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What does the 9th house represent?
The ninth house is connected to all things expansive—thoughts, travel, higher-level learning, philosophy, and more. As the AstroTwins previously wrote for mbg, the ninth house also deals with belief systems, religion, morals, and ethics.
“While the third house, which lies across from the ninth on the zodiacal wheel, is all about knowledge and information, this one is about wisdom, intuition, and the big picture,” the twins explain, adding this house also reveals how we “take risks and venture to various parts of the world, our minds, and our beings.”
According to astrologer Molly Pennington, Ph.D., the ninth house is also sometimes called the “House of God” in traditional, Hellenistic astrology, because of its relation to beliefs, faith, and philosophy. “It has to do with education too because it deals with all of those structures around the things you believe,” she explains.
The ninth house is also ruled by Sagittarius and the planet Jupiter. Both Jupiter and Sagittarius encompass a certain joy and optimism and a yearning to grow and push beyond borders (both literally and mentally).
What does the 9th house mean in your birth chart?
When you take a look at your birth chart, you’ll see your first house begins with your rising sign. From there, you work counterclockwise to locate the ninth house in the top of your chart. Whichever planet you have in the ninth house will reveal the ways in which ninth house themes manifest in your life.
Namely, the energy of the ninth house shows you where you can expand your perspective, fine-tune your beliefs, and ultimately grow.
Jupiter in the ninth house, for example, will be much more accommodating to feelings of joy and growth than, say, Saturn in the ninth house, which may run up against some resistance. (We’ll explain more about what each planet means in this house shortly.)
If your chart doesn’t appear tohave any planets in the ninth house, according to Pennington, that doesn’t mean its energy is irrelevant to you. There will still be a zodiac sign residing over that house, so look to see which sign your ninth house is in. That sign’s ruling planet represents where/how ninth-house themes are going to show up for you. (For example, if you have Gemini in the ninth house, Mercury—Gemini’s ruler—would be influencing your ninth house, even if Mercury isn’t actually located there.)
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Planets in the 9th house.
Got those natal charts ready? Read on to find out what each planet means when it falls in the ninth house.
Sun
If your sun is in the ninth house, according to Pennington, you’ll have a strong sense of personal philosophy and beliefs and may place a heavy emphasis on travel or studies. Similar to Jupiter in the ninth house, the sun here lends itself to expansive thinking and even careers that allow you to explore the world and/or different belief systems.
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Moon
With the moon in the ninth house, Pennington notes, your religious or spiritual beliefs will strongly influence your worldview. You place high importance on the needs of your heart, which likely include travel and studies, and you are very intuitive. You may lean away from orthodox traditions and prefer mysticism and the occult.
Mercury
Mercury is all about information and communication, and with this planet in the ninth house, Pennington says you will thrive on branching out or expanding your inner catalog of interests and sharing them with others. Particularly, she adds, you may notice a strong emphasis on writing, languages, and information at large—and then communicating your findings to others.
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Venus
With the planet of love in the ninth house, you may enjoy partnerships with people from different cultures or walks of life. The ninth house is, after all, about travel and expansion, and with Venus here, you have a soft spot for faraway places. You may want a career in higher learning or one that allows you to travel or lean toward more Venusian studies like art or music.
Mars
According to Pennington, those with Mars in the ninth house are the first people to dive right into something—whether it’s living overseas or making massive changes in your life. “It allows you a certain bravery or courage to make a big jump. You could be an expat, dropping everything and moving, or changing your major, for instance” she explains.
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Jupiter
Jupiter rules the ninth house, so similar to the sun, having Jupiter here lends itself to a natural optimism and flowing energy. As Pennington explains, “There’s a constant continuation of [ninth-house themes], like an upward movement in life—whether it’s promotions or traveling farther away,” adding that people with this placement are often very influential without really having to try.
Saturn
Saturn is known as the planet of restriction but also discipline and hard work. This planet paints the ninth house with a certain seriousness, according to Pennington, who notes you might take your studies or religion very seriously. You may also experience tests of faith throughout your life, she says. This placement also hints that your Saturn return (which happens around your late 20s) will also be a particularly revealing time for your own personal philosophy and ethics.
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Uranus
Uranus in the ninth house will likely result in a very progressive and forward-thinking person who thrives on avant-garde ideas and cutting-edge studies, Pennington says. You may experience a series of unexpected twists throughout your life, with Uranus being the planet of innovation and radical change, but this energy will feel encouraging to your own personal growth.
Neptune
With Neptune in the ninth house, Pennington tells mbg you may be inclined to more “out there” systems of belief, leaning into new age spirituality, mysticism, and even psychedelics. These things will heavily influence your perspective and code of ethics, as contrary to the status quo as they might be. You may also have a particular proclivity for ocean travel and being on the open sea.
Pluto
Pluto is a very psychological planet, so to have it in the ninth house may lend itself to a particular interest or skill in human psychology. Pennington notes you may choose to go that route in higher learning, with an endless curiosity about the subconscious. Your interests in travel, philosophy, and beliefs are also intense and colored with an air of loftiness that keeps you both inspired and aspiring.
North node
Your north node relates to your destiny in this life but also the obstacles you’ll have to overcome to reach it. As holistic psychiatrist and astrologer Kayse Budd, M.D., previously wrote for mbg, having your north node in the ninth house “relates to a destiny to be a literal or figurative ‘explorer,’ including the possibility of living in or working with other cultures.”
South node
Where the north node is your destiny in this life, the south node is the exact opposite zodiac sign of the north node and reveals the gifts that you bring into this lifetime. “You will be innately good in these areas of life and may begin your early path based on your south node leanings,” the twins previously wrote for mbg. The south node in the ninth house, then, indicates a natural sense of higher learning, philosophy, and travel but not necessarily what this lifetime will be emphasizing for you.
Chiron
Chiron represents the core wounds you’re meant to deal with in this life, and having Chiron in the ninth house, according to the twins, can result in “Fanatical or zealous beliefs, disruptive nomadic tendencies, aggressive or tactless communication style, chasing the ‘high’ of the next big thing.” But someone with this placement will also be able to reveal higher truths with compassion, foster diversity and inclusivity, and share laughter as medicine, the twins add.
Transits in the 9th house.
Throughout the course of your life, you’ll experience planetary movements that “transit,” or move through, the houses of your chart. These transits influence the way the planets, signs, and houses all interact within your charts.
The quicker-moving, inner planets, like the sun, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, will transit your ninth house many times throughout your life, continually bringing up ninth-house themes like belief, philosophy, religion, higher learning, and travel.
You may find you feel more inclined to travel to faraway places or make a big change when Mars is transiting your ninth house, for example. Or when Mercury transits your ninth house, you may want to pick up a new course of study, Pennington notes.
With the slower-moving outer planets, like Saturn or Pluto, the transits occur less frequently but can still usher in major momentum and change.
At any given point, you can cross-check the current sky’s chart and your own birth chart, in order to figure out which planets and signs are in your ninth house and further, how to layer or compile the themes of the ninth house with the planet or sign residing in it in order to maximize the transit.
The takeaway.
We hear a lot about the planets and signs of astrology, but the houses are where you really start to understand how these astrological themes are playing out in your own life. Understanding your ninth house placements can give you insight into your own belief systems, philosophies, and overall sense of growth and expansion.
