The 3rd House

The third house is sahaja bhava, the house of those born with one, the younger brothers and sisters. It also governs courage, effort, initiative, the hands and arms, short journeys, writing and every kind of communication that takes personal effort. It is one of the upachaya houses, the houses of growth, in which the tradition says even the natural malefics do well over time, since they lend the will to keep trying. The third is also the house of one's own exertion as against luck: where the ninth shows fortune, the third shows what a person makes happen. Mars is its natural significator. Below are the facts the site's tables hold for the third house: what it signifies and its class among the houses, the reading of each planet placed in it, and the reading of its lord when placed in each of the twelve houses.

At a glance

Signifies

Communication, courage & siblings

Class

Upachaya

Directional strength

None

Opposite house

9th

What the 3rd house is

Houses are counted from the Lagna, the sign rising at birth, which is the 1st; in the whole-sign reckoning the birth chart uses, the 3rd house is the 3rd sign from it. The site's table of significations gives the 3rd house as communication, courage & siblings. It is an upachaya, one of the houses of growth (the 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th), where what a planet gives increases with time.

In transit, counted from the Moon sign rather than the Lagna, the classical gochara table the site uses counts the 3rd house favourable for the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.

Each planet in the 3rd house

The readings the site's birth report gives for each graha placed in the 3rd house. Each is one statement about one placement: the sign, the planet's strength and the rest of the chart decide how much of it a life shows.

The Sun. The Sun in the 3rd house makes you courageous, self-driven and assertive in communication; you act on your own initiative and may outshine siblings.

The Moon. The Moon in the 3rd house grants imaginative communication, close emotional bonds with siblings and a restless, curious, adaptable mind.

Mars. Mars in the 3rd house is excellent for courage, initiative and enterprise; you are fearless, mechanically skilled and dominant among siblings.

Mercury. Mercury in the 3rd house is excellent for writing, media and learning; you are curious, articulate, dexterous and effective in short journeys and trade.

Jupiter. Jupiter in the 3rd house gives ethical courage and wise communication; you advise and uplift siblings and peers, though effort brings gradual reward.

Venus. Venus in the 3rd house gives artistic communication and pleasant relations with siblings; you express yourself gracefully and enjoy creative pursuits.

Saturn. Saturn in the 3rd house gives persistent, hard-won courage and disciplined effort; you succeed through patience, though siblings may be distant.

Rahu. Rahu in the 3rd house is strongly placed for daring ambition, media, technology and self-promotion; you are courageous, manipulative if needed, and tireless.

Ketu. Ketu in the 3rd house gives intuitive courage and unconventional communication; you act on instinct and may feel distant from siblings.

The lord of the 3rd in each house

The lord of a house is the lord of the sign on it, so it changes with the Lagna. Wherever that lord stands, it links the 3rd house's matters to that house. The birth report reads it so:

In the 1st. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 1st links courage, siblings and communication with self and body — it makes courage, communication and self-effort central to your identity.

In the 2nd. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 2nd links courage, siblings and communication with wealth, family and speech — it turns courage and skill into wealth and family support.

In the 3rd. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 3rd (its own house) links courage, siblings and communication strongly here — it strengthens courage, communication, siblings and enterprising drive.

In the 4th. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 4th links courage, siblings and communication with home, mother and comfort — it applies your initiative to home, property and emotional matters.

In the 5th. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 5th links courage, siblings and communication with children, intellect and romance — it gives creative, courageous intelligence and effort in learning and romance.

In the 6th. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 6th links courage, siblings and communication with health, enemies and service — it channels courage into defeating enemies, competition and disciplined service.

In the 7th. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 7th links courage, siblings and communication with marriage and partnership — it brings enterprise and communication into partnership and marriage.

In the 8th. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 8th links courage, siblings and communication with longevity, transformation and secrets — it directs courage towards research, risk and transformation, with bold ventures.

In the 9th. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 9th links courage, siblings and communication with fortune, dharma and father — it links self-effort with fortune, raising you through courageous, principled action.

In the 10th. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 10th links courage, siblings and communication with career and status — it turns courage and communication into career success and public effort.

In the 11th. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 11th links courage, siblings and communication with gains and friends — it brings gains through enterprise, communication and supportive networks.

In the 12th. The lord of the 3rd house placed in the 12th links courage, siblings and communication with loss, expense, foreign lands and moksha — it spends energy on foreign ventures, travel or hidden effort, with siblings distant.

Use the tools

• See which sign falls on your 3rd house, which planets stand in it and where its lord is, with a free birth chart.
• The horoscope counts each transit's house from your Moon sign.
• All twelve: the houses.