The Eighth House

The Eighth House is the house of taboos, and it is one of the most complex and obscure. Everything we fear—or it is forbidden—belong to this house, as well as all mysterious phenomena. It also rules our personal secrets: things we are ashamed of that we prefer to keep for ourselves. It is a house capable of fascinate us, drawing us closer through the lure of the forbidden. This because it encloses also most of our hidden desires and forbidden pleasures.

To put it simply, the Eighth House is the house of death, sex and money. Apparently they are unrelated to each other, but experience shows them to be often together. They have something in common, indeed: they’re all mediums of energy transformation. Transformation is in fact the main topic of the Eighth House. While death is the greatest transformation a person can ever go through, sex and money transform  the physical and psychic energy respectively.

In addition, we could say that transformation—intended as change—is always a little death. As they say, the seed must rot before a new tree can grow. When you change something, you have to leave behind a part of it. The concepts of death and transformation are inseparable.

In regards to the transformation of the psyche, esotericists know very well the relationship between sexual energy and inner development. This is the reason why the Eighth House is the ruler of magic and occultism. They are both arts that try to change yourself and the world through mysterious techniques. The unconscious mind also fall under the domain of this house, as quell as Psychology—which is another way of exploring this dark territory.

Concerning money transformation, it should mainly be understood as financial transactions. In fact if the Second is the house of money we spend to manifest (serving life), the Eighth is the house of money meant as energy of change and exchange (serving death). Generally speaking, all forms of “life springing from death” belong to this house. This is the reason why traditionally this house rules inheritances.

In conclusion, we can say that being naturally ruled by Pluto the eighth is the house of hidden powers. This because usually people don’t look at death, sex and money as energy exchange media. They are rather symbols of power capable of controlling them by exciting their lower instincts. And in the end those uncontrolled forces are what keep people in a state of slavery.

Key Words

• Taboos, the unknown, secrets, darkness,
• Sex, transformation, shadow work, change, death,
• Money, finance, exchange, power, influence,
• Manupilation, magnetism, charisma, instincts