“In essence, the eighth is a house of transformation of which death is only one kind, and not the kind most often encountered. To be sure, eighth house energy may be strong when someone dies, but most of the time strong eighth-house energy means other types of powerful transformation Something but not usually someone dies at these times.
The eighth is not only a house of death, but of resurrection. An old order passes away and a new one begins; there is renewal as well as destruction. There is reason to be hopeful when confronted with strong eighth-house symbolism, for it often indicates that something that has outgrown its usefulness is being removed from the life, thereby granting the individual new freedom.”
Rob Hand (P.290)
“Successfully Navigated:
- Healthy, flowing, spontaneous sexuality. Acceptance of death and an integration of its reality into daily life. Sense of the immortality of one’s consciousness.
Unsuccessfully Navigated:
- Blocked sexual functioning or obsessive sexuality. Inordinate fear of death: denial of death. Rigid denial of “religious,””occult,” or “mystical” feelings.
Sex, death and the occult. Quite a stew. Why are these three seemingly disparate terrains linked together in a single house? What common denominators exist among them?
In each one we confront one of the basic givens of human life. In each we confront a set of needs and issues that are felt universally and that release intense and disruptive emotional energies into consciousness. In each we meet an instinct.”
Stephen Forrest( p.192)
“The 8th house has many labels. Since it is opposite the 2nd house, which is ‘my values’ it is commonly called ‘the house of other people’s values’. The 8th house describes that which is shared and the manner in which we fuse or unite with others… …Relationships are the catalysts for change. The 8th house cleanses and regenerates through drawing to the surface (usually via a present relationship) unresolved issues from previous relationships, especially early bonding problems with mother and father. The first relationship in our life, that with the mother or mother-substitute, is the most highly charged. This is not surprising as our survival depends on her. We are all born into this world potential victims: unless there is the caring love and protection of someone bigger and more adept than us, our chances of survival are very slim. The loss of a mother’s love does not simply mean the loss of a person close to us: it could mean abandonment and death. Many of us continue to project these same infantile concerns onto later relationships… The ruins and rubble from childhood are excavated in the 8th house. Our more problematic and deeper existential life-statements are uncovered ‘alive and kicking’ in present relationship crises. With the added maturity and wisdom that years of living bestow on us, we can clean-up some of the residue from the past, which has coloured and obscured our perspective on life, ourselves and others. The gift of the 8th house is greater self-knowledge and self-mastery, freeing us to continue our journey renewed, less encumbered by unnecessary baggage.“
(Howard Sasporatas (p.59-61)
“The Estate of Men deceased, Death, its quality and nature; the Wills, Legacies and Testaments of Men deceased; Dowry of the Wife, Portion of the Maid, whether much or little, … What kind of Death a Man shall die, it signifies fear and anguish of Mind. Who shall Enjoy or be heir to the Deceased; Dowry of the Wife, Portion of the Maid, whether much or little, … What kind of Death a Man shall die, it signifies fear and anquish of Mind. Who shall enjoy or be heir to the deceased.” (William Lilly (1647) as quoted by Newberg p. 66)
Resources:
Brennan, Chris. (2017). Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune. 2017. Denver, Colorado: Amor Fati Publications.
Forrest, Steven. (1982). The Inner Sky. 2012. Borrego Springs, CA: Seven Paws Press, Inc.
Hand, Robert. (1981). Horoscope Symbols. 1981.PA: Whitford Press.
Newberg, Enid. (2010). Natal Astrology: An Introduction to Astrological Symbolism. 2010. Seattle Washington: Kepler College.
Sasportas, Howard. (1985). The Twelve Houses: Exploring the Houses of the Horoscope.2007. London, England: Flare Publications.