THE 12TH HOUSE

The twelfth house is the key to everything that has gone before. It is the accumulated subconscious, which abstracts meaning from the past and builds a foundation into the future. It is the residuum of ultimate values. The twelfth house is the end of the road where we find ourselves after having passed through all the other phases of living. As the end of everything (prior to suggesting a new beginning in another cycle) it holds the secrets of life and the hidden or subconscious motivations of any life that may follow. It also holds the secrets of past lives that may have preceded this one. Obviously, it is the least-understood area of the horoscope and, understandably, the area most frightening to ordinary mortals.

The Twelfth House is commonly referred to as the House of the Unconscious. The unconscious state can help engender our successes, as well as assist us in coping with our failures. This House might more aptly be called the House of Reckoning, since it is in the Twelfth that we review what we have been (and done) and decide where we go from there. Along with these unconscious musings, we also deliberate on strengths and weaknesses which are hidden from public view.

We can learn much from the unconscious. In its most noble manifestation, we will be prompted to be charitable. If we learn our lessons, both past and present, we are also better equipped to move forward. The Twelfth House compels us to seek closure in a spiritual way as an aid to positive growth.

The last House of the zodiac also recognizes that we can feel bound in life -- stuck and confined. For this reason, this House rules jails, hospitals, institutions, asylums and any space that inhibits freedom. More gloominess in the Twelfth comes in the form of danger, secret enemies and clandestine affairs. Beware!

While some may decry the Twelfth House as the garbage bin of the zodiac, it's really an unfair term. Ultimately, this House is the champion of positive transformations. It is here that we stand on the precipice and determine how we will proceed. By visiting the unconscious and meeting with the past, we begin to glean what the future will bring.