Author: Alison Price   –   Updated: February 2025

The 3rd House

This time I’m looking at another of the twelve houses and that is the 3rd house. The 3rd house is part of basic natal astrology as houses fall under the four cornerstones of chart interpretation, which are signs, planets, houses and aspects. As an aspiring astrologer, it makes sense for you to understand which areas of life are represented by each house. Then if your client comes with a question about say, the people next door, you know exactly to zoom into the 3rd house for some insights of their relationship with their neighbors.

• More on PLANETS in the 3rd HOUSE

Strong 3rd House Criteria

I believe a strong third house is one in which:

• There are at least three planets, stellium or nay.
• The sign on the cusp of the 3rd house is ruled by the chart ruler, the Sun (Leo) or the Moon (Cancer).
• There is a focal planet in a major aspect pattern such as a T-square, yod, Thor’s hammer (Finger of the World) as this planet is at the sharp end and draws attention.

You can listen to our podcast episode on the 3rd house.

The 3rd House in Astrology

Type of House

The 3rd house is a cadent house, meaning it can be a quieter place.

Hemisphere Placement

Northern Hemisphere

The 3rd house lies below the horizon, making it part of the private, introspective side of your chart in the Northernhemisphere.

Eastern Hemisphere

This house falls on the self-oriented left side of the chart, highlighting personal perspectives and independent thinking of the Eastern hemisphere.

Quadrant Position

The 3rd house is part of the 1st quadrant, emphasizing personal development and self-awareness.

Triple Division

Located in the 1st triple division (“me”), the 3rd house contributes to self-expression through speech, writing and thought processes related to what you want..

Themes of the 3rd House

General

The 3rd house in astrology governs communication, learning and everyday interactions. It represents how you engage with the world on a daily basis, including your relationships with siblings, neighbors and your local environment. I’m going to share some main themes of the 3rd house now:

Siblings and Extended Family

The 3rd house reflects your relationship with siblings, cousins and those in your family of the same generation to you. It can indicate whether you have a strong bond with your brothers and sisters or if there are challenges in these connections. This house also represents sibling rivalry, cooperation and shared experiences growing up.

Neighborhood and Local Community

This house is closely tied to your immediate surroundings, including your neighborhood, local community and even your neighbors. It shows how involved you are in community activities, whether you feel connected to your surroundings and your general experience of daily life in your local area.

Early Education and Learning Style

The 3rd house reveals your early schooling experiences, the way you learned as a child and your interactions with teachers. It also relates to primary education, school friends and how easily you absorbed information. If you struggled in school or excelled in certain areas, these patterns can be seen in this house.

Travel

Short-distance travel and running errands fall under the 3rd house. It reflects your habits regarding short trips, weekend getaways and how you navigate your city or town. Traditionally the astrological definition of “short distance travel” is as far as a horse can go in one day which I believe is about 50km (31 miles) give or take a whicker. Whereas the 9th house, “long distance travel” represents journeys of more than 50km (31 miles), or further than the distance which a horse can trot in a day including international travel. 

Weekend Away

A weekend away, less than 50km (31 miles) distance and staying inside your country, is 3rd house travel. If your weekend away crosses an international border, it is a 9th house experience, even if you travel less than 50km (31 miles).

Commuting and Transportation

This house describes how you move through your local environment and you when you are out-and-about beetling around near home. It reflects your habitual routes and how you navigate your city or town. It also covers routine trips such as grocery runs, school drop-offs and visiting nearby places like schools and libraries. Your usual mode of transport vehicle be it skateboard, bicycle, roller blades, taxi, Uber or your car in particular, is represented by the 3rd house.

Communication Style

The 3rd house plays a major role in how you express yourself, whether through speech, writing, texting, or on social media.

It represents:

• How you speak in conversations.
• Hesitations, lisps, stuttering and the use of filler words – like, ah, um and er.
• Your listening skills.
• Your preferred communication methods, such as phone calls, emails, or quick texts.
• How you interact on social media platforms and nowadays with your emoji use 😊, tweeting or messaging.

A strong 3rd house suggests an active mind, curiosity and ease in social interactions, while challenges here may indicate some difficulty in expressing thoughts clearly.

Extend Yourself

Natal

If you are trying to understand the 3rd house here are some of my ideas on how to extend yourself into understanding more.

Using your birth chart and your astrology journal, please do the following:

• Write “The 3rd House” at the top of the page.
• List any planets in your 3rd house.
• List any points in your 3rd house (Lunar Nodes or the Part of Fortune).
• Note the sign on the cusp of the 3rd house.
• Note the house planetary ruler (the planet(s) that rule the sign on the cusp of the 3rd house).
• Write a brief interpretation of your 3rd house. Mention the sign on the cusp, whether there is an intercepted sign within the house, any planets or points within the house and at this point you can look to your third house ruler’s complex and see how well it is placed (or not) in your chart.

Extend Yourself Further

Transits

• Find the next planet that will enter and transit your 3rd house.
• Note the date of the house ingress (when it enters the 3rd house).
• Note the date of the house egress (when it leaves the 3rd house).
• If you have planets in your third house, find the exact dates for the conjunctions from the selected transiting planet to your 3rd house planets.
• Write a brief interpretation of this transiting planet and explain how you may expect it to express itself in your life (250 words).

Book Recommendations

Books

Here are a few books about the 3rd house and houses in general.

• The Twelve Houses by Howard Sasportas
• The Twelve Astrological Houses: The Way of Creative Accomplishment by Dane Rudhyar

eBook

Note: this is a very slim eBook.

• On the Road with the Twins: Gemini, Mercury and the Third House by Garrett Coulson.

Overarch

Keep in Touch

I think that the 3rd house inspires us to embrace curiosity, communicate with clarity and foster meaningful connections within our daily lives. It encourages the origin of our lifelong learning, open expression and active engagement with the world around us. The 3rd house is not the first place you would likely look in any chart reading, but it will add support and insights to the main themes shown in the chart as a whole.

More on Houses

Here are a few more articles about the astrological houses.

• Houses
• Triple Division Houses
• People in your the Houses
• The 3rd House
• 3rd House Planets
• 6th House Planets
• The 6th House and Herb Gardens
• The 8th House
• The 10th House
• The 12th House
• Money Houses

Starzology Astrology Podcast

Listen to more podcast episodes on the houses and related topics.

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Author Bio

Alison Price: Professional Astrologer

Alison helps you uncover your individual creativity and lead a fulfilling life using your own astrology. She shares her wisdom from the heart with a touch of humor. She offers Consultations for everyone and Coaching for Aspiring Astrologers.

If you’d like to get in touch with Alison, you can reach out to her via email at starzology@gmail.com.

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