MOONPRINTS by Dana Gerhardt www.astro.com /astrologia/in_dgsecdhouse_s.htm

The Second House

by Dana Gerhardt

Like a mischievous boy releasing a mouse in a roomful of cheerleaders, try dropping the subject ofmoney into a gathering of metaphysical people. Watch how many scramble for the tabletops. Whenyou're discussing the 2nd house, you have to talk money. Yet in most spiritual circles, money is a dirtyword. Craving dollars is an affront to spirit and decidedly uncool (except of course, for those spiritualteachers whose hands are always open for donations). Nor is astrology exempt. More than once I'veheard that charging for readings is blasphemous, since astrology is a “gift” (this might explain theprofession's drive to prove that it's a “science”). New Agers, on the other hand, like money. They'llrecite affirmations and magic mantras to get more of it. If you don't have enough, they argue, it's a signthat your thoughts are uncool.

Whether money is dirty or evil--or spirit-inspired--or as ismore likely the case, energetic but neutral, “How do I getmore of it?” is one of the top three questions on mostclients' minds. Frequently it's followed by the lament, “Ifonly I didn't have to make money!” What a tragedy theworld expects us to be house painters, insurance salesmenand loan officers, when our souls cry for grander personas,to be artists, philosophers, adventurers. Having to makemoney seems a wretched detour. I've heard it said thatGod needs more dishwashers than kings, but why then,wouldn't God plant in us a burning desire to wash dishesinstead? This dilemma is especially acute for the Pluto inLeo generation, whose dream of creative self-expression is so keen—despite being raised by Pluto inCancer parents, for whom money, the security of it, the status of it, was the greater prize. Aside from love relationships, little provokes so much longing, anxiety, resentment, or confusion.Astrology locates one's financial status, along with the attitudes and conditions that help or hinder it, inthe 2nd house. If you want to unravel your own money mysteries, it's through this house you musttravel. What you encounter there, however, will hold the key to far more than just your bank account.

In Sacred Contracts, medical intuitive Caroline Myss identifies the energetic ground of the 2nd house.(1) Though Myss is not an astrologer, she has a keen grasp of archetypal energies. To diagnose thecondition of your 2nd house, she suggests looking at an area of life where you feel continuallydisempowered. Though this conflict may surface in areas associated with other houses--yourrelationships (7th) or your career (10th)—your disempowered approach, she suggests, will likelysource from the negative attitudes in your 2nd house. In other words, the key to your power in theworld—or the lack of it—lies here.

The 2nd is a “succedent” house. This means it succeeds or follows an important house on the angle.The angular houses (1,4,7 and 10) are, as John Frawley writes, the “structural key to the chart, like themain beams in a roof.” (2) Planets in angular houses are stronger, have more power to act. They definethe pillars of your life: your personality, your home and family, your relationships, your career. A planettransiting through an angular house will often bring more dramatic changes than the same planettransiting another house. Angular transits can initiate a theme that survives long after the transit haspassed.

This doesn't mean succedent houses are less important. Rather, their significance is bound up with thehouse that came before. Succedent houses play a necessarily supportive role. They're meant tostabilize whatever the angular house has launched. The succedent 5th, for example, rules children,romance and creativity-—but together they have a job to do. As activities, they further encourage theself-essence nurtured by home and family in the angular 4th. Likewise, the deepening intimacies,financial and sexual, of the succedent 8th test and/or strengthen the partnerships forged in the 7th.Similarly, social networks in the 11th can affirm or undermine the professional status developed in theangular 10th.

The role of the 2nd house, therefore, is to support whatever entity was birthed in the 1st. A vigorous2nd house not only ensures your survival, it can make you a force to contend with. If you were anation, for example, your 2nd house would describe your national assets, your banking system, thehealth of your exports and crops. If you were a country declaring war, in the war chart's 2nd houseyou'd find your allies, your ammo and your guns. Similarly, if you were a plaintiff in a lawsuit, thelawsuit chart's 2nd house would show the people testifying on your behalf. A strong 2nd house canmake the difference between winning and losing.

The 1st house shows your emergence into life and the 2nd shows what keeps you here. It holdseverything you can call “mine.” Through the 2nd you extend into the world and ground your being. As ababy, this begins with acknowledging your very own fingers and toes, the food you possess with yourmouth, the teddy bear that no one can sleep with but you. As you grow, you must continue the processof grounding, which keeps deepening your 1st house process of self-discovery. You keep learningabout who you are through the things you want to own, the resources you have to use, the value youplace on yourself.

The 2nd rules both what money can buy (possessions andmaterial resources) and what it can't buy (talents, self-esteem, and values). If you're unhappy in your career, thework you're doing may not utilize your natural talents--described by the collection of sign and planets in andruling your 2nd house. Moon in or ruling the 2nd, forexample, suggests strong intuitive resources, emotionalsensitivity, a desire to nurture. Unless this Moon is inCapricorn, Virgo, or Taurus, a career as an accountantmight be torture. Maybe you like what you're doing but itdoesn't pay enough. Why does your co-worker march intothe boss' office and demand a raise when you couldn't do it if your life depended on it? He's got anassertive Mercury/Mars conjunction in the 2nd while you have a self-defeating Sun squared by Pluto.

Your 2nd house ground must be worked. You have to transform what you find there. As an infant, thishouse was a veritable Garden of Eden. Everything you needed—toes, food, and teddy bears--wasmagically supplied. Yet as you grew, you learned that gardens must be maintained. Vines needpruning, fruit trees must be planted, flowers have to be fertilized. Earth is a paradise, but it's also full ofreality. Pests can destroy your garden, predators can steal your crops. If you don't learn how toincrease your garden's yield, your needs won't be met, your desires can't be satisfied. If you wait formanna to drop from the heavens, you'll starve.

In other words, you have to get real in this house. You must learn how to use, protect, and manage itsresources, or you'll suffer a fall from grace. Anyone who has a problem with money is just plain naiveabout that.

John is forty-nine years old. He has no savings to speak of and plenty of debt. For much of his adult lifeJohn has struggled to hold various minimum wage jobs. For the past ten years he's lived off hisgirlfriend's income. Benefic Jupiter in diligent Virgo rules his 2nd house cusp. John is a gifted artist andcraftsman. His mosaic jewelry designs are truly inspired. “They're like paintings in stone,” a friend once

enthused. Yet John produces his jewelry infrequently. Even during his prolific times, he's been unableto support himself. Talking with John, I learned that his father, a carpenter and set designer for theHollywood studios, had repeatedly warned his son not to work with his hands. Resenting his blue collarlife, his father concluded that if you work with your hands, you won't make any money. The artist inJohn's 2nd house lay pinned and wriggling under this heavy pronouncement.

John's 2nd house ruler Jupiter is itself ruled by the planet of hands and craftsmanship, Mercury. Boththese planets are in a tight hard aspect to Pluto. One is generally powerless to use planets in difficultaspect to Pluto until something is transformed. Mostly John has felt paralyzed--unable to do his art,unable to do anything else. Given John's hands are his best resource, by devaluing them, his fatherhad essentially told him he was worthless. And for much of his adult life, financially and otherwise, Johnhas unconsciously been proving this was true.

Patti has a 2nd house Jupiter in Cancer, conjunct the Moon and Uranus. When she first came to seeme, she had money troubles too. Patti is a talented, well-educated woman, but her recent work historyincluded a string of relatively low paying jobs, none of which she particularly enjoyed. In fact she'd justleft such a job and wanted to know where to turn next. She hated being economically dependent on herhusband.

It took a few sessions to unravel the financial secrets of Patti's 2nd house, but slowly the picture cameclear. As a child, Patti observed her father's relentless criticisms of her mother whenever she spent anymoney. Patti decided to hold onto (Cancer) whatever money she got. By saving her allowance, shecould win her father's approval. Working for her own money would later become important too,because that meant independence and freedom as a woman (Moon/Jupiter/Uranus). At the least, itmeant freedom from a husband's criticisms!

Patti's 2nd house conjunction is a gifted combination; she has an abundance of talents to explore. As ateenager she Patti interested in music, but her father's ringing disapproval hit hard. "You can't makeany money at that," he scowled. So Patti followed her father's footsteps and got a degree in his field.But curiously, she couldn't make money at that either. Patti eventually unraveled the mystery at thebottom of her 2nd house: Her father's devaluing of her creative gifts translated to the subliminalequation "You only make money when you do things you don't love." She complied with a history ofjobs that she hated. Her resentment against this bargain kept her salaries low.

One of the biggest problems with 2nd house attitudes and values is that, initially at least, they'rereceived. I remember sitting in a therapist's office years ago, complaining I was a failure because Ididn't drive a Mercedes. “But Dana,” my therapist replied, “you've never struck me as someone whocares about such empty status symbols!” It was a liberating moment. My father wanted to see me in aMercedes; that would have signaled his daughter had finally arrived. The irony is that years later Iactually did buy a luxury car (though not a Mercedes). Venus rules my 2nd house cusp; I like luxuryitems! By the time I bought the car, I had raised my income considerably. I had finally grown into myown money values.

Writing about the 2nd house, Dane Rudhyar makes an important point: We must transform this territoryto suit our individual purpose and destiny. (3) If we don't, we're merely servants of the past, agents ofghosts, our lives being lived by our ancestors. Possessions must be used, says Rudhyar. This meansimpressing them with the rhythm of our individuality--—whether that's material possessions, ournatural gifts, or the money we spend. We need to lead in the 2nd house and give its holdings apersonal significance (which is how the 2nd truly supports the 1st). Rudhyar advises we dedicate whatwe have to who we are, for it's being that gives meaning to having. “Nothing is more futile andspiritually empty than having without being, and this is true of all kinds of possessing.” (4)

John is lucky to live with a woman who believes in histalent. But years of her loving support did nothing forJohn's development as an artist. It was only when Lysa gotfed up and demanded he start earning his share, that Johntook the emotional risks of supporting himself. Lysa has agood business sense and supplies a lot of the drive for hisnow budding career. But the excruciating steps of puttinghis work out there, whether sitting in a booth at a craft fairor even just hearing how customers received hiscommissioned pieces, are all John's. He is maturing,though shedding the old skin and growing the new one ispainful. It takes courage. John couldn't have done it without the prickly need to make money.

That's why I'm suspicious when I hear people complain how the pressure to make money ruins thespiritual life or interferes with one's personal quest. Spirit and matter are inextricably bound. We findourselves in physical bodies, on earth, needing to make relationship with other material things for goodreason. Matter gives form to spirit. What better way to grow and develop soul than against the hardedge of materialism. If we could simply fantasize or "intend" our way to growth, would we ever descendfrom the ethers?

Modern astrology grants Venus rulership of the 2nd house. Traditional astrology makes Jupiter andTaurus its co-significators. All three may be important in getting the full 2nd house picture. Venuscertainly describes one's tastes, the style one prefers to be kept in. To assess someone's self-esteem,aspects to Venus may tell an important story. But it's also helpful to look where the grounding,stabilizing force of Taurus is applied. Further, the North Node currently in Taurus (through December2004) adds emphasis on 2nd house issues. Collectively, some will react with a greater desire to spendmoney on security (funding the war against terrorism, for example). Others will feel this as a need toclean up the nation's finances (addressing the deficit and unemployment). Individually, many will befocused on getting their financial act together.

Jupiter is the planet of wealth. You can't accurately assess someone's wealth potential withoutdetermining this planet's strength. That said, I've long puzzled over the following observation: PeopleI've known with the greatest money difficulties often have Jupiter in or ruling the 2nd--while the moresuccessful ones often have a 2nd house Saturn. This runs counter to conventional wisdom, which saysJupiter brings good fortune and Saturn brings bad luck. Maybe this is because we no longer live in the traditional world—where the family fortune spelled one'sown financial fate, where jumping class lines was difficult, where Saturn described the limits of a life,rather than the efforts to overcome them. Jupiter brings an expectation of privilege--although most I'veknown with Jupiter in or ruling the 2nd come from middle class lives. Even so, their sense ofentitlement is strong. No matter the actual balance in their bank account, about their future, they tendto feel secure. “Something will come,” they say. And something usually does. John, for example,always had a roof over his head and a good meal, also money for shoes, his masseuse and his dentalbill, despite going years without any income.

Jupiter rules my sister's 2nd. Saturn sits in mine. When we both were pregnant, I worried about how I'dmanage the coming obligations, the costs of day care, my baby's health insurance, clothes, diapers,food. My sister was relaxed and happy. She was living on disability and the state paid for it all. I madesix times my sister's income—but who had the greater fortune may be a toss-up! The differencebetween Jupiter and Saturn reminds me of the fabled grasshopper and ant. The ant works all summerwhile the grasshopper plays like there's no tomorrow, until winter comes and there's no food. I've beena 2nd house Saturn ant. I save and work hard. But I know a lot of Jupiter grasshoppers who play allsummer and still don't starve when the winter bill comes due. There seems to be room for both in thisworld. So I'll leave it to you to decide--which planet is a blessing in the 2nd and which is the curse.

You can hear me speaking my 2nd house Saturn throughout this article. But I got a taste of the

grasshopper's carefree spirit the last time Jupiter transited through my 2nd house. A new spirit ofconfidence entered my life, bringing an orgy of self-esteem that started the day Jupiter crossed the 2ndhouse cusp. It was as though some fine trade wind had just blown in and puffed up my sails. I startedto value myself. A lot. And to the raised brow of my cautious Saturn, always in guilt and fear aboutbuying things, I started to spend money without apology. Almost every weekend became a shoppingtrip.

Once Jupiter entered my 3rd house, I lost some of the excesses of that time (who could go shopping, Iwas too busy with paperwork!). Yet my newfound self-esteem remained. In fact my income rosedramatically not with Jupiter in my 2nd, but after it entered my 3rd. Clearly this was due to the positiveseeds planted by the previous transit. I began a new twelve-year money cycle that was very differentfrom the one that came before

Of course money isn't everything. It isn't even what I enjoy most about my 2nd house. All of itsstruggles and successes run much deeper than dollars. Yet for a quick diagnosis of your 2nd househealth, money is a good place to start. Look at your assets and bank account. What do they say aboutyour relationship to earth? Next look at your possessions. Do they reflect your individuality? Do youown them, or do they own you? How about your 2nd house talents? Are they being used? And mostimportantly, do you keep transforming this ground, ensuring that your 2nd house holds attitudes ofpower rather than defeat? I used to work with a man who had a stellium of planets in the 2nd, including a Venus in Virgo. Moneywas not the driving force of Ed's life, but he liked what it could buy. In fact, one of my favoritelunchroom pastimes was listening to Ed romance his latest purchase. Whether food or furniture or thehardwood floors in the new house he just bought, he had a way of describing material possessionswith such love and appreciation, you'd swear each was the finest, most delicious thing in the world.Occasionally I'd see or taste the thing he talked about and it actually seemed small and lackluster tome. But what a gift to have first seen it through Ed's more developed 2nd house eyes. The 2nd houseafter all sets the stage for our physical pleasures and comforts. It reminds us to take joy in earthythings!

Notes:

1. Carolyn Myss, Sacred Contracts (Harmony Books, 2001), p. 342.

2. John Frawley, The Real Astrology Applied (Apprentice Books, 2002), p. 156.

3. Dane Rudhyar, The Astrological Houses (CRCS Publications, 1972), p. 64.

4. ibid., p. 65.

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