The Twelfth House

The Twelfth House is the last one. For this reason it rules all ending processes as well as the last phase of every cycle. This is always a very delicate and particular moment. On one hand, we look behind to draw conclusions; we retire from the scenes to get a global picture of what once was. On the other we look ahead, preparing for the new cycle to come. It is an intense moment because we are asked to leave behind the ghosts of the past, and throw ourselves into the unknown future. All this takes an overwhelming leap of faith.

We may be nostalgic, but time is over. We are surrounded by the ruins of a world that has now passed away. It is an emotional and unstable moment that we’re living. We literally feel missing the ground under our feet. For this reason in the Twelfth House we retreat from life and escape from reality, both mentally and physically.

In the physical sense, it rules all places of confinement or imprisonment. In fact, both positively and negatively, they are all places where we separate from everyday life: asylums, hospitals, hospices, monasteries, also barracks in time of war fall into this category. Whereas in the psychological sense, there are other forms of escapism: alcohol, drugs or (in a healthier way) Arts, meditation and mysticism.

The Twelfth House is also the house of compassion. In fact when we feel alone, or when we find ourselves among the suffering, compassion is naturally developed. In this way the twelfth can also become the house where we master the highest moral qualities, a place of elevated spiritual development. After all, we owe most of our maturity to the goodbyes we had to give and to the wounds we have been able to heal. The way we handle loneliness and give relief to others is described by the twelfth as well.

Key Words

• The end, retrospective, suffering, compassion
• Leap of faith, mysticism, spirituality, clairvoyance
• Loneliness, isolation, confinement, escapism, arts,
• Drugs, alcohol, addictions, madness, diversity