“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela.

In the chart we find 3 unfortunate houses, the 6th, 8th and 12th and they are classified as unfortunate due to what they rule; everything that exists on earth is to be found in one of the mundane (earthly) houses. Illness and the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune are to be found in the 6th, death in the 8th and self-undoing and sin in the 12th. The 6th house and the 12th form an axis in the birth chart as they are positioned opposite each other – the assessment of this axis is vital in understanding why we attract certain types of people into our lives, certain illnesses and certain kinds of good or bad luck.

The rulerships of the 12th House

We are prone, as a species, to averting our eyes from our own folly and avoiding the word “sin” as it causes distress and challenges our belief systems. The modern age in which we live tends to focus on the “mind over matter” principle where Grace is not required, and on reincarnation. The word “sin” has therefore become redundant to those who subscribe to this philosophy which advocates that we receive numerous chances to improve ourselves over the course of many lives, there is no eternal damnation, and we are the masters of our own destiny.

What is often overlooked is that the cultures from which the belief in reincarnation springs, not the modern western version of it, all subscribe to the word karma which in Biblical terms is interpreted as “what ye shall sow, so ye shall reap.” There is no room in this model for behaviour which has carte blanche over misdeeds, which means that even in those cultures, the word sin exists, albeit labelled, interpreted and applied in different ways.

The 12th house rules sin, self-undoing and secret enemies, and the manner in which others harm us being secret not that they are necessarily unknown to us. Ancient authorities also place those who are jealous of us in this house as well and even our own jealous natures would be located here. Too often though we analyse the 12th to locate secret enemies who will slanderously and deviously derail our best-laid plans, forgetting that we are our own worst enemies. It is far better to view the 12th in this light and to determine the propensities for self-undoing to try and harness these negative traits.

The 12th does not rule hospitals, monasteries and convents as in modern astrology. Hospitals belong in the 6th house of illness and houses of prayer, which are dedicated to God's work, belong in the 9th. Religious choose to devote their lives to their maker of their own free will and doing God's work is certainly not a prison sentence.

The 12th rules witches (these questions from clients are still rife today in horary astrology), imprisonment, sorrow, our fears and phobias, secrets and large animals. In the body it rules the feet, and the feet are our footprints that we leave behind as we traverse through life, highlighting again the aspect of sin and self-undoing.

Self-undoing is woven through the whole chart

The potential for sin and self-undoing is not found exclusively in the 12th, this potential will be scattered throughout the chart and as always, stem from the temperament (essence based on the 4 humors) of the person. It is more the attitude to matters of this sphere that concerns us with regards to the 12th than the actual acts themselves. Do we perceive our folly as endearing or do we view it with disdain? Do we understand that often we are the only obstacles on the path to achieving the success we desire or do we perpetually blame others for our woes, thus shrouding ourselves in a victim mind-set? This does not mean that some people are not more prone to attracting those who wish them harm than others, but it does not negate the fact that the person will still be involved in that interaction, and often there are ways in which this can be minimised.

While most of us prefer to blame others or our circumstances for the restrictions placed on our potential, again it is often we who are the wardens. There are most certainly those who are born into or placed in dire circumstances which are almost impossible to overcome, but this does not hold true for many of us. The late Leo Buscaglia sums it up succinctly when he says "get out of your way", a phrase we would all do well to heed.

Our actions of folly which we repeatedly perpetuate are the keys on the gaoler's metal ring, yet we continue to embrace these negative behavioural characteristics or repeatedly indulge in actions or substances which are harmful to us. So often, especially when it involves addictions to substances, the person has to reach the very depths of despair, what some call the dark night of the soul, in order to relinquish these tools of self-undoing; the 12th is most certainly the place in the chart where we sink into this dark and frightening pit of despair.

The 6th and 12th house axis

“.....that they might recognise that a man is punished by the very things through which he sins.” - Book of Wisdom 11:16. The 6th, which is the opposite end of the axis to the 12th, is the house of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune which the world throws at us, as well as the house of illness. We are afforded in life exactly what we require to advance on our spiritual journey, and how we rise to the occasion will determine that growth.

If we utilise the sword of Mars, the planet which joys in the 6th house for that very purpose, and turn it upon these malefic perpetrators while displaying courage and fortitude, we raise the bar. If however we perpetuate the events of the 6th by accessing the 12th, the results are disastrous. So often we trigger the 6th by engaging in the 12th in the first place.

If the lifestyle is one of debauchery, uncontrolled excess or destructive choices, why are we then so alarmed when our liver suffers through excessive drinking, we contract Type II Diabetes through gluttony, the aggressive person we married that has a history of violence suddenly turns that anger on us or we lose our fortune due to our gambling addiction? To summarise this in a crude fashion, if you lie down with dogs, you are prone to attracting fleas – the dogs being the 12th house activities which are harmful to us and the fleas being what is then attracted from the world via the 6th house.

Conclusion

Ancient authorities advocate that illness manifests to burn off the bad humors in the body to maintain homeostasis, the same can be said of the bad-fortune we attract into our lives. The choice is ours as to whether we address the cause of these issues, which most likely stem from the 12th house, thus being able to minimise the effects of the 6th house. A thorough analysis of the birth chart can assist in this process and it is then possible to formulate a plan of action using medical astrology, if the matter pertains to illness, or to apply the numerous astrological tools pertaining to the psyche and emotional nature of the person.