Breaking Down The (Second) House
~ the explanation of the naming and framing of this here newsletter~
Making a house a home.
The second house in my chart is one that has always eluded me. Even now, as I study other people’s charts almost daily, I find this house to be one that I struggle to comprehend. Perhaps that’s due to the placement of my North Node and Chiron there. Something I’m clearly meant to heal, but perhaps not to understand. Yet.
The second house rules over material possessions, income, wealth, and more importantly, what we give value too.
Having Chiron (the wounded healer) + North Node (my destiny/karma) here felt quite…kismet? Am I meant to heal this house through exploring it? But then I really thought about it…
The Second House is connected to food. My exact field of study. For the past 4 years, I have been studying food access, food apartheid, and the impacts of diet culture. It is precisely what I value. So much so, I’m on my second go of grad school, starting this Fall with a Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences.
Even with this passion, I have always struggled with finding myself valuable. Who likes talking themselves up? It’s awkward as hell, even in the last paragraph. I cringe every time I mention school, I almost belittle my expertise. As you can see, struggling to see my own value comes quite naturally, thank you Chiron!
However, my North Node placement has given me some hope. My mission in this lifetime may be exactly what I am doing here: seeing my own value. Developing pride in my work. Developing pride in my self.
Each of us are our own little homes, and to make this house a home, I must keep emphasizing it’s value.
Why a substack? Why now?
After many years of fighting with how to present my ideas online, I’ve decided to go back to basics. To simply write. I have tortured myself for years thinking I need to condense what I say, do micro-learning, not overwhelm people. But that is no more.
I want to give people something to actually dig their teeth into, I want us all to feast. It is THE SECOND HOUSE a Venusian ruled house of luxury and food, and simply put, closed mouths do NOT get fed. So let’s feast.
Food and Astrology. What do you mean?
My two interconnected loves. Both mystical in their own way, and for me, two entities I cannot live without. One for nurturing us metaphysically, while the other nurtures us in the here and now.
Both food and astrology continue to be some of the most contentious topics to discuss. Everyone thinks they know what is right, when in reality the same rule can be applied to both. Whatever feels good for your body is what you should listen to.***
***basic nutrition principles and astrology foundations do apply***
In my study of astrology, I have also been astounded to how interconnected the signs and planets are to the body. In my chosen camp of astrology for now (Western astrology, playing with Placidus and Whole Sign systems), certain placements and planets rule of over different parts of your body.
I remember feeling something like relief when I read Virgo placements tend to struggle with stomach problems (any IBS friends reading??). Or that Gemini placements tend to use their hands to talk.
Astrology allowed me to feel seen. I wasn’t alone.
I felt the same relief when I began to study food. The day I discovered what a FODMAP was, it felt like the unforgiving restraints of my IBS were loosening.
Food, I could talk about for days. How it builds community from the ground up. It is both an unavoidable necessity of life and the highlight and center of so many of our best moments. It has a way of connecting us and emphasizing that, once again, we are never alone.
The Second House is meant to make these connections clearer. How can we hold more value in our bodies? In what we eat? In learning again?
This is to build community, to feel seen in your confusion and to simply not be alone.
Are you going to post often?
Any and all nutrition content will be up on the monthly basis. At first, you may see a flurry of nutrition posts, enjoy! I have a well of ideas and informational topics that I’ll be flooding this substack with. Share. Enjoy.
For my own personal musings, expect them monthly. I am a wandering Ph.D. student entering her first semester, be gentle with me lol. I have many little threads of stories, poetry, and other astrological inclinations backlogged, so don’t you worry . :)
