This week we start from the Ascendant and move through the first three houses in the natal chart. The last time this happened in The Firdaria Diaries we were 24, 25 and 26 years of age. Twelve years is a decent amount of time to have passed and with the advancement towards our fourth decade, life has changed considerably with the passing of these dozen years. With this change will come attitudes which are poles apart from the ones you held twelve years ago and the way you handle these three areas of life at 36, 37 and 38 will be vastly different from how you imagined you might when you were younger.
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Profections: Moving Forward Through the Houses
36 years old : FIRST HOUSE
Each time we return to the Ascendant we find ourselves re-assessing our lives and making major decisions on the labels we wear (both consciously and unconsciously), how we define ourselves and our environment, and how we want the next few years to progress in our favour.
The last time you found yourself here you were barely halfway through your twenties and there were so many confusing choices involved in becoming an adult.
At age thirty six you may have found that, by a process of elimination, you now have ideas about what you don’t want rather than having a clear plan on how to go about getting what you do desire in life. Experiences from the past dozen years have taught you what you don’t want in a career, a partnership, a living arrangement, family commitments, etc, the list goes on, and only you can fill in the blanks on what you don’t want from the future.
This may be the year when you make an important choice or decide what your life will or will not be from here on in. But making it happen or un-making your life choices is going to take more than just one year. It will depend on which of the seven planets rules your Ascendant as this planet will direct you on how to move forward this year. That is, the ruling planet plus the two planets that combine to make up your current Firdaria.
The first house signifies your attitude and appearance in this world so physical restrictions can hamper you this year. These restrictions can be external and any efforts you make to change an established pattern or move forward can be frustrated or slowed down by an external force that you have little control over. But the restrictions can also be internalised through your own fear of change, so health issues can show your emotional concerns through your body’s reluctance to move into the unknown.
37 years old : SECOND HOUSE
The second house signifies your wealth and the fine balance between money in and money out can be a constant source of worry over the next year. It may be that the changes you began in the previous year have monetary implications during this year. A change in circumstances in your life often rocks the boat financially and you may have to alter your spending habits to accommodate your new lifestyle.
If a major partnership was broken during last year, then this year will be about redistributing your joint wealth and this creates all types of discussion which has the transfer of capital as its source, but really has little to do with money.
38 years old : THIRD HOUSE
On the birthday when you turn thirty eight the yearly focus shifts from finances back to an awareness of how you fit into your environment. You may begin to play a bigger role in your local community especially if a change in finances has meant a change in the area in which you live. If the area is new to you it may be that this year is about becoming comfortable in your new surroundings or finding familiar faces who welcome you into their territory.
Third house is concerned with how we communicatewith the world around us. For many people the internet has opened up a whole new world of networking for the dual purpose of work and social commitments. This year may find you spending a large amount of time ‘broadcasting’ whether for career advancement, or pursuing a personal interest or skill, either of which means you are communicating with groups or individuals from around the world.
In earlier times third house movement was restricted to small distances by slower methods of travel, ie, by foot, horse, camel, or a carriage of some description. ‘Third house travel’ meant the physical space covered from the time you left your home in the morning until the time you returned for the evening meal. During the daytime hours, everything you passed was familiar and non-threatening so there was a comfort and familiarity to your environment. But this is no longer the case. We can travel by aeroplane and cover thousands of miles in one day. Or we can travel via the internet and encounter enormous changes in space and time. This is now our third house.
Third house connects us to our world through the relationship we share with our siblings as we learn many life skills from interacting with our brothers or sisters. For this reason, a third house year can indicate a strong involvement with a particular sibling and depending on the planet ruling the third house, or any planets located in third, this relationship might waver between being one of support, or a state of constant agitation and conflict.
The planet Mars was always believed to be connected to the third house because Mars rules the blood tie between us and shows the united front we become when attacked from the outside, but Mars also signifies the competition which naturally lies in a sibling relationship. As children we competed for the love and attentions of our parents, but we also fought over possessions and fought to stake our claim in family’s politics. We may have reached adulthood, but old sibling habits die hard.
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Profections Summary for 36: 37: 38 years of age
Firdaria: Time Portions Belonging to the Planets
The sequence of Firdaria lords has also moved forwards over the same twelve year period. The last time the first, second and third houses were in focus, Mercury was the Firdaria lord of the years for daytime births, and Jupiter was the long-term Firdaria lord for night-time births.
Now in the middle years of the thirties, day-timers are experiencing the Moon’s nine years whilst night-timers are halfway through Mars’ seven year period. Daytime births are for those born between the twelve hours when the sun has risen and before it sets, that is, approximately 6 am to 6 pm (no daylight saving). Night births are after the sun has set and before it rises in the east, approximately 6 pm to 6 am.
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Daytime Births 36 – 38 years of age
DAYTIME BIRTH – Age at Birthday : 36 years
Major Long-term Lord: MOON (Years)
Minor Short-term Lord: MARS (Months)
Mars carries its earlier influence from the previous year, but not for much longer. Two months into this year and Mars will make way for the Sun as the new short-term Firdaria lord for the Moon.
36 years and 2 months
Short-term Lord Changes from MARS to SUN
Long-term Lord: MOON
NEW Short-term Lord: SUN
If the year started with a bang and you can already feel the changes happening then the Sun is a perfect planet to step up and guide you through this first house year. It would be nice to say that the Sun works well under Moon’s direction but unfortunately, this is not always the case and the fifteen months ahead can be fractious and unpredictable in the nature of the events which unfold for you.
The Sun carries a certain amount of arrogance when it comes to the Moon and ‘being told what to do’ never goes down well for the Sun. The end result for you may mean that family disputes and squabbles become a theme for a year when you would rather be concentrating on your own future.
If you are considered to be the ‘stable one’ of the family then you have a revolving door of complaining relatives that need placation and your reassurance. If, on the other hand, you are the one branded as the ‘family troublemaker’ then watch out, they are likely to come gunning for you.
Either way, your reputation is likely to come under fire so maintain as much dignity as you can this year, and if you can keep calm, patient and respectful you should be okay. Hopefully.
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DAYTIME BIRTH – Age at Birthday: 37 years
Long-term Lord: MOON
Short-term Lord: SUN
Whatever has been going on in the previous ten months, it is starting to make inroads into your financial situation. Hang in there as there is a change in short-term rulers halfway into this year, and Venus might give you a better perspective on what is causing your finances to rise and fall.
37 years and 5 months
Short-term Lord Changes from SUN to VENUS
Long-term Lord: MOON
NEW Short-term Lord: VENUS
The Sun’s fifteen month period has now finished and Venus has taken its place. Now is the time to mend fences and restore peace if there have been problems during Sun’s reign. Venus is concerned with everything to do with the female gender so relations with women are particularly highlighted during its period.
The Moon and Venus are highly emotive planets and it would be nice to say that you can have your heart’s desire during Venus’ term. But the truth of the matter is that you can only have what your natal planets’ potentially advocate for you. If either of these planets – that is, Moon or Venus – are in a state of struggle in the chart, either by sign, or house, or aspects to other tricky planets, then any time spent with them is also a time of struggle. They are trying to do their best, but you might think that their best is just not good enough for you.
This is still a year to do with finances and it is important to remember that buying pretty things for Venus when you are searching for love, or spending money on the one you love to hold their attentions, is not a good solution for your long-term Moon prospects, or for your credit card for that matter.
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DAYTIME BIRTH – Age at Birthday: 38 years
Long-term Lord: MOON
Short-term Lord: VENUS
Third house is usually a lighter year in terms of worries about money. Hopefully Venus is bringing you some peace of mind and you are spending time, rather than money, on the people you care for. I spoke earlier about third house’s modern interpretation including social media and as there is a Venus component to the first eight months of the year, you may meet someone through one of these social media sites. Just be careful of the information you provide, and the level of vulnerability you display, as the combination of Moon with Venus is extremely romantic in nature and is searching for someone with whom they can share their story.
38 years and 8 months
Short-term Lord Changes from VENUS to MERCURY
Long-term Lord: MOON
NEW Short-term Lord: MERCURY
Two thirds of the way into the year in which you turn thirty eight, Venus stands down and Mercury takes its place as the Moon’s last short-term ruler for the next fifteen months.
Mercury has a harder head than Venus so if you have any misgivings about a new online romance, then Mercury should be capable of asking the right questions to evaluate what is true and what is false information.
The only problem; the Moon will be unwilling to direct Mercury to follow its hunches as the Moon wants to keep a hold of emotional attachments even if there are uncomfortable suspicions stirring in the mind.
One thing that is worth a mention is the connection between the third house and siblings. The Moon signifies family, and mother in particular, so there may be some discussions around mother’s welfare during this third house year.
The two short-term lords for this year can also signify siblings: Venus is female relations, sisters, cousins, and Mercury is generally seen as male relations, brothers, male cousins (often younger than yourself), again highlighting round-table discussions and nervous decision-making. If you are involved in a family business there may be offers to sell or expand so these possibilities need to be given careful consideration.
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Night Births 36 – 38 years of age
NIGHT BIRTH – Age at Birthday : 36 years
36 years
Short-term Lord Changes from MERCURY to MOON
Major Long-term Lord: MARS (Years)
NEW Minor Short-term Lord: MOON (Months)
Funnily enough, this is the reverse of the same two planets that start the year for someone born during the daytime and turning thirty six with a first house emphasis. The biggest difference is that if you were born at night, the Moon is your primary luminary and Mars prefers the coolness of the night to the heat of the day.
This benefits the night-born person turning thirty six who wants to make positive changes in their life as it is likely to be a time when things ‘feel right’ for them. Night-timers depend a great deal on their inner landscape of feelings and intuition so having two planets that cater to this part of themselves is a definite bonus during this year. Take time out to think through your plans as depending entirely on your hunches or emotions can lead you into situations you may regret later.
Both the Moon and the first house are linked to the strength and vitality of the body and this can be a year when health concerns need to be addressed. Remember that this is a year of changes so if Mars is pushing too hard the body might suffer from stress or exhaustion.
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NIGHT BIRTH – Age at Birthday: 37 years
37 years
Short-term Lord Changes from MOON to SATURN
Long-term Lord: MARS
NEW Short-term Lord: SATURN
Saturn becomes the ruler for the year in which you turn thirty seven and it is likely to bring you down to earth with a thump if you have been running away with some crazy ideas in the previous year.
Saturn is all about a good old fashioned reality check so this is the year when it will be asking difficult questions like: ‘How can you afford this? How are you going to pay the bills? Do you have any savings to cover this expense? Where is the next pay packet coming from?’
Following your heart is a wonderful thing during a Moon year but when Saturn treads on the heels of the Moon then the repercussions can be disastrous if you have thrown all caution to the wind. Saturn following the Moon is the natural progression of the Firdaria system, so this ‘coming back to reality’ is not unique by any means. However, this is Mars’ seven year plan for your life and things never go smoothly under Mars’ direction.
Mars encourages daring and praises courage in the face of adversity and this is fine when you need this planet to go into battle for you. But in everyday life Mars can be exhausting, restless and argumentative, not to mention torching bridges that really didn’t warrant burning in the first place.
Saturn does not appreciate being told what to do by this kind of Mars so the combination is trouble, strife, arguments with others, and generally a difficult and painful year to be endured with tenacity and patience.
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NIGHT BIRTH – Age at Birthday: 38 years
38 years
Short-term Lord Changes from SATURN to JUPITER
Long-term Lord: MARS
NEW Short-term Lord: JUPITER
Jupiter follows Saturn so celebrate this birthday if for the only reason of surviving a tough year with a planet that often measures life by the glass half empty philosophy. If Saturn has made you pull in your purse strings in the previous year, try not to go crazy with your money now just because Jupiter tells you there is plenty in the coffers.
Rather than spending up big, this year might be a good one to relook at the plans you tried to make two years ago when the Moon was your focus and see what changes you are willing to make now to improve your lot in life.
Jupiter can make good use of your skills and any opportunities that arise might be worthy of a good hard look during this year. A mentor or associate might be able to introduce you to someone who can benefit or advance your plans but take care to look at all your options before making hasty decisions.
Third house travels can take you far and advance your ambitions if you know what you are looking for and the combination of Jupiter driven by Mars can bring big plans into fruition. Make sure they are realistic plans and that you can sustain them once Mars finishes its Firdaria period next year.