What is the 6th House?
In the House 5 Makeover, we covered relationship with God, spiritual pursuits and practices, intelligence, children and destiny. Now, House 6 covers primarily adversaries, debts, litigation, health, healing capability and work (service to others). We need to work to support our well-being.

The various Zodiac Signs are filters that color how the Houses and planets behave. This newsletter will cover the sign of Virgo, which is considered the natural 6th House of the Zodiac. That means that the sign of Virgo naturally colors things in line with the qualities of the 6th House. In other words, Virgo often relates to health, debts, healing just as the 6th House do.

Let us begin by covering the general significations of the 6th house and what they influence in your life. In the 2nd week, we show you how to examine your own chart and find which planets are influencing your 6th house. As we progress through the final 2 weeks, you will be guided through a powerful meditation and transformation workshop that will enable you to counteract principles of negativity. Your own personal 6th House is the subject of the next newsletter.

General Characteristics of the 6th House
The Sixth House is known as the house of “Health, Enemies, Debt & Litigation”. It is one of the artha houses, a house of achievement of goals or wealth, indicating wealth coming in and going out. A strong 6th house could indicate the ability to overcome adversaries, strong health, a possible profession as a healer (medical or holistic doctor, nurse, spiritual healer etc.), ability to vanquish debts, gains through work efforts.

The Sixth House is also an upachaya house (house of increase), so it is a house that improves over time. For example, your ability to mitigate or eliminate enmity with others can improve over time, as can health and the ability to stay healthy.

The 6th House corresponds physically to the middle abdomen, such as the small intestines, liver and kidney; so health issues related to these are relevant. Other significations of the 6th house include bad habits, stinginess, imprisonment, diseases, misunderstandings, untimely death, wicked deeds, dishonor, competition, and mother’s siblings.

Characteristics of Virgo, the Natural 6th House
Virgo or Kanya, is the 6th sign in the zodiac, an earth sign, and the natural 6th house. Mercury is the ruler of Virgo, giving its qualities to the 6th house as well. Virgos make good teachers, communicators, are pleasant looking, possess practical knowledge and are good craftsman and artisans. Their mercurial influence makes them vulnerable to nervous disorders, neurosis and digestive problems. Virgos are very orderly, precise, clean and possess strong memories of facts and details. They are service oriented, sometimes to a fault. They tend to be late bloomers sexually, then over compensate when they are older. They can be both volatile and versatile, reflecting the changeable nature of Mercury.

Mercury, Lord of Virgo
Mercury is associated with intelligence, mental and verbal acuity, communications, wit, dexterity, shrewdness, commerce, education, adaptability, vocation, writing, childhood, acquiring and organizing money, the rational conscious mind which organizes ideas, the spoken word. Mercury influences the many things we do to make something happen and impacts our manifesting abilities. A weak Mercury can bring immaturity, dishonesty, improper boundaries with others, addiction, insomnia, anxiety and nervous stomach, foolishness or deceitfulness. In its highest form, Mercury brings the ability to connect to the Divine Word, names of God, and our inner powers of the mind.

The Sanskrit word for Mercury is Budha (pronounced ‘bood’), meaning “intelligence” or that which discerns between the true eternal and the transient illusion. This is how Mercury, in its highest expression, is the discriminator between truth and non-truth, pure from impure, and opens a pathway which ultimately becomes the Buddha.

Professionally Virgos tend towards business, speaking, teaching, writing, academia, ministry, healing, crafts work. If one has weak or afflicted Mercury, fraud, plagiarism, or other forms of deceit can be activated. Mercury becomes exalted in Virgo, debilitated in Pisces. We should note that Albert Einstein had a debilitated Mercury, yet we know how well his intellect functioned! Its placement and many other factors in his chart determined his overall intelligence and genius.

Mars & Saturn as Indicators for the 6th House
Mars and Saturn have a special relationship to the 6th House. These two planets give additional insight into the nature and qualities of the 6th house. So if you are examining issues regarding adversaries, for example, it is useful to also examine the position and condition of these two planets, Mars and Saturn. For example, if Saturn is strong in your chart (not necessarily in the 6th house), then you may have support for overcoming or dissolving adversarial relationships. Mars in the 10th house can indicate competition or jealousy in career life. In addition, a strong Mars can activate the ability to overcome those things in the career.

As the signification for disease, Saturn becomes a karaka for the 6th house. Generally speaking, Saturn is the great “task master” and is associated with hard work, discipline and service; thus its association with the 6th house. As the signification for enmity, theft and injury, Mars becomes the other karaka for the 6th house. Mars is the great warrior and when strong, vanquishes his enemies.

Planets Placed in Virgo
No one planet placed in a sign or house will be the sole indicator of fortunes and influences. As we will guide you in the 2nd newsletter in this series, you must assess the strength of the 6th house; look at where Mars and Saturn are, and also where Mercury (Virgo’s Lord) is placed. Your own intuition will indicate to you what resonates in the various descriptions. Here are some general indications for a particular planet placed in the sign of Virgo.

Sun in Virgo
The individual will be skilled in writing, poetry, mathematics, well-spoken, well-read, strong earning power, weak constitution, shy, keen intellect, seeks adulation. This placement can give a feminine appearance. (Virgo is the only sign in the Zodiac represented by a woman.)

Moon in Virgo
Learned, teacher, good deeds to others, forgiving, lover (and skilled in) of music and dance, may live in a foreign land or far from the birthplace, sweet speech, conceited, talkative, favors daughters, possible clairvoyance, interest in astrology and astrologers, honest, principled, affluent. This placement brings blessings for happiness.

Mercury in Virgo
Both “Exalted” (to 15° of Virgo) or “Moolitrikona” (16° to 20° of Virgo). Mercury is also “in its own sign” here. In all regards, a strong placement for Mercury. The individual is learned, intuitive, sociable, eloquent, possible author, priest, astronomer, orator, forgiving, eloquent, handsome, refined. This empowers unselfish and generous tendencies.

Venus in Virgo
Venus is debilitated in Virgo, lending to such propensities as small-mindedness, illicit love affairs, loquaciousness, unscrupulousness. Individual is learned, wealthy, smooth talking and enjoys visiting holy sites. This placement can lead to do doing spiritual service.

Mars in Virgo
Religiously inclined wealthy, large family, confident, affable, short-tempered and indiscriminating technology industries or profession, conceited, upbeat. This placement can bring good children and a strong sense of fearlessness.

Jupiter in Virgo
Learned, pious, strong in defeating adversaries, ambitious, affectionate, stingy, lovable, attractive spouse, good fortune. This placement can bring friendship with others.

Saturn in Virgo
Inclined to public life, conservative, dark complexion, erratic, impolite and inclined to base sexual encounters, good support to others, possesses wealth and good progeny. This placement empowers some interest in the occult.

Rahu in Virgo
Favorable position for Rahu. Some sources considered it in its own sign in Virgo. Gives increase of wealth, friends, physical comforts (home, car, clothing), and religious inclinations. This placement can accelerate innovative thinking.

Ketu in Virgo
Generally considered to being favorable as Ketu (and Rahu) give benefic results when in a house owned by Mercury (or Jupiter). Favorable for spiritual pursuits and attainment. This placement can empower intuitive abilities.

Take our Sixth House Quiz now >>