| Element | Air |
| Type | Cadent |
| Related Sign | Gemini |
| Natural Ruler | Mercury |
| Joy | Moon |
The Third House is the house of communication, a crucial topic often underestimated. Together with the first house (and the rising sign in particular) the third determines the first impression you make on others. Particularly, the ascendant forms our identity and body image, giving you your peculiar look; the third house instead mainly has to do with the way you communicate.
The Jungian concept of Persona well describes the combined effect of the first and third houses on the psyche. Basically you can think of the third house as your relational interface to other people. This interface is like a mask we put on: it doesn’t necessarily define us—nor our relationships. It’s a social tool we use to express ourselves just enough for a chat.
Although this house might seem secondary (it is a cadent house, after all) the number of problems caused by misunderstandings are countless. Just think of all those life long friendships ended for a missed reply or an unsent invitation. Not to mention all the social issues caused by communication problems—they are countless! If we are not able to communicate our feelings, frustration is going to consume us. If we never say no, we won’t have healthy personal boundaries. Some people entrench behind walls of silence hoping for others to be looking for them. As you can see a healthy third house is crucial for your well being.
Being opposed and complementary to the Ninth—house of higher education and long travels—the third rules primary education and short, usual trips. During those small trips (you go to the hairdresser, then to the grocery store, etc.) information flows freely, from mouth to mouth. Again this house is about information exchange, so long chats to the phone are also ruled bu the third.
We can say that generally speaking all places dealing with news exchange belong to the third. Even media fall under this category: phones, TVs, radios, books, newspapers, flyers, magazines, social networks, blogs, etc. Reading and writing find here their place, so if you plan to write a book the third (and the Fifth, creativity) is the house you want to check.
Key Words
- Verbal communication, mask, persona, meetings
- Media, cellphones, newspapers, radio, TV, the internet,
- Taxi drivers, shepherds, journalists, mailmen, mail system
- Imitation, primary education, reading, writing
