The Sixth House in Astrology

The Sixth House Meaning

The twelve houses of astrology are a wheel that represents twelve parts of human life. Depending on the time and location of your birth, your astrological signs and planets will be in different houses, indicating the part of your life that sign has the strongest effect on. The Sixth House has two main meanings in astrology: firstly, work, and secondly, health. Obviously, these are intertwined – unpleasant work leads to poor health, and someone completely invested in their work has no time to be sick. Someone with a heavy Sixth House presence in their chart could be a workaholic, a hypochondriac, or both. The Sixth House also represents certain elements of our physical world, so an underperforming Sixth House could indicate a period of material poverty, probably as a result of problems with work or health.

The Sixth House in Aries

In this Sixth House, Aries represents discipline or routine. You know, the type of people who get up at 5 AM, go for a run, then come home and immediately start working, and don’t stop until evening. The boundless energy of the Aries channels well into hard work, and protects the immune system (like I said above, these people just don’t have time to get sick.) However, you can also be overly hard on yourself, which stops you from being truly satisfied with all that hard work. Stress-related health concerns may become a problem later in life, or after an especially long period of dissatisfaction.

The Sixth House in Taurus

Taurus firmly believes in the importance of work-life balance. However much you enjoy your work, you like to keep it at work, rather than bringing it home into all hours of your day. You find that your health is best preserved when you give yourself ample leisure and relaxation time, unwinding after every day, and taking time to yourself to re-centre in a comfortable environment. However, this doesn’t mean you’re lazy. The opposite, in fact– you work on every task you begin with the unwavering determination (some might say stubbornness) of your emblematic bull.

The Sixth House in Gemini

Gemini can be a very abstract, intellectual sign, occasionally having difficulty bringing herself down to the “here and now.” On the other hand, you’re naturally sociable and great with people, very likable and talkative. If you can find work where both your intellectualism and your sociability are appreciated and valued, you will find incredible success. However, just one of these is not enough in a workplace. Purely head-driven work will eventually drive you batty from isolation, whereas work, where you’re always dealing with other people’s day-to-day problems, will leave you sluggish and exhausted.

The Sixth House in Cancer

Cancer is one of the most powerfully emotional signs of the zodiac. Emotions are at the core of almost every physical disturbance you experience, whether that’s stress causing exhaustion and indigestion, or distraction and worry causing you to get injured. Unfulfilling work is a major cause of emotional disturbance, which in turn causes a physical disturbance, so if you feel constantly ill or unwell, take a good hard look at the work you’re spending most of your hours on. It’s important also that you have people with whom you can share your feelings about work – trusted friends, your partner, or even a sympathetic boss. Bottling everything in is a recipe for disaster.

The Sixth House in Leo

The exuberance and childlike joy that characterize Leo are necessary for the workplace if Leo appears in the Sixth House. You need a stimulating, preferably social job, where you can see the results of your actions, and where you are constantly trying new and exciting things. You are also very sensitive to the feelings of your co-workers – co-workers who love their job get you amped up to enjoy it too, whereas despondent ones who constantly bemoan their tedious work quickly let the air out of your balloon. Leos are traditionally said to be prone to heart problems – keep an especially close eye on blood pressure, which can be affected by your high-energy lifestyle.

The Sixth House in Virgo

The Sixth House is always ruled by Virgo, no matter what signs actually appear in it, so if you’ve got Virgo in your Sixth House, then lucky you – all the qualities that they share are amplified. Virgo is a tireless worker, with a strong sense of the importance of her work. Sixth House Virgos make great doctors and nurses, or on the other hand, incredible parents and homemakers. You are extremely modest about your accomplishments, and quickly become uncomfortable when you are complimented for doing what you feel is only your duty. Your health problems are probably a result of overwork and stress, and failing to give yourself time to recover after a difficult stretch.

The Sixth House in Libra

Libra, the scales, exemplifies “work-life balance.” You feel it’s extremely important to be emotionally invested in your work, and also to have time away from it to pursue other interests. You are baffled by people who only seem interested in their work, but equally baffled by people who complain every day that they hate their job, but never seem to do anything to get away from it. You seek happiness in all fields of your life, and won’t stop until you’re perfectly pleased with the balance you’ve found.

The Sixth House in Scorpio

When Scorpio appears in the Sixth House, it indicates a desire for autonomy in work. You don’t want to be chained to a desk, and the idea of getting up every morning to do the same thing makes you want to cry. Find work that is constantly changing and throwing new challenges at you – your creativity will aid you here. Scorpios can be self-destructive, especially when they let anger or frustration accumulate within themselves. It is important to recognize when you fall into the classic trap of being angry – “poisoning yourself and hoping the other person dies.”

The Sixth House in Sagittarius

Sagittarius is a vital, lively sign, and those with it in the Sixth House are unlikely to experience any major health issues – or if they do, they won’t allow their spirit to be put down by them. Your lust for life leads you to seek work that is just as pleasurable as play, while also paying the bills and giving you enough security to pursue your other interests. However, even if you’re working a job you don’t particularly enjoy, you still throw yourself into it 100% – you don’t like doing anything halfway.

The Sixth House in Capricorn

Capricorns find comfort in a routine, with work that is familiar, and that builds logically on itself. On the other hand, though, a Capricorn is never really satisfied with the status quo and is always working towards their next steps. You find it difficult to rest (even when you know that it would make you feel better) if you still see work that needs doing. Traditionally, Capricorns are said to have problems with bones and joints, perhaps because they spend so much time hunched over their work and not eating enough calcium.

The Sixth House in Aquarius

The seemingly boundless energy and search for variety found in Aquarius are great – right up until they’re not. If Aquarius is found in your Sixth House, you probably have a lot of trouble telling when you’re about to burn yourself out, so you keep ploughing along on all your amazing and exciting projects and then wonder why, one morning, you can barely drag yourself out of bed. You’re often up in your head, but take a few minutes every day to evaluate how you’re feeling physically. Making fitness and healthy eating into a “challenge” or “game” can help you pursue them more effectively – for example, by running races, doing a Whole 30 or similar time-constrained diet, or checking Pinterest for some thirty-day fitness challenges.

The Sixth House in Pisces

Your dreamy nature would prefer to be stretched out on a couch, drifting in and out of sleep, and doing work only when the spirit moves you, rather than sitting at a desk from nine to five. Even if you can find a career that allows this, be wary – too little work can open the doors for depression and anxiety to start plaguing your restless mind. A small injection of structure into your workday is crucial, even if it feels painful at the time.

Pluto in the Sixth House

Pluto is a self-guided planet. You’re not especially interested in serving others, especially if you judge them poor recipients of your efforts. Bad bosses don’t keep you around for long. Even good bosses may have trouble holding onto you, as it’s in your nature to chew on the bit of authority. Animosity and resentment can build up, leading to either extreme outbursts of anger or collapse into illness. However, if you find work where you have autonomy and don’t feel taken advantage of, your extremely strong drive, and desire to find the answers to all questions, will bring you great success.

The Sun in the Sixth House

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Sun always wants to shine in whatever house it’s in. In the Sixth House, this indicates a drive to excel in both health and in work-related skills. You are excellent at overcoming challenges but are sometimes plagued with doubt that you might not be excelling enough. You love the feeling of overcoming a hurdle, but sometimes worrying that you didn’t overcome it well enough dampens the feeling of excitement. You’re prone to working yourself to exhaustion.

The Moon in the Sixth House

Caring, nurturing Moons find the most success in jobs where they feel they are helping others. For the more scientifically-minded, medicine (especially pediatrics) is a favourite career. Those who prefer socially-centered work make great teachers. This is definitely a planet with a soft spot for children and animals, and many look forward to having huge families and lots of pets. You are happy to do all the mundane day-to-day tasks associated with these responsibilities, but are sometimes dismayed when other people don’t take them as seriously as you do.

Saturn in the Sixth House

When serious Saturn meets workaholic Sixth House, it’s not uncommon to get an Ebenezer Scrooge character, who doesn’t seem to care about anything but work, and who others may denounce as “no fun.” This really isn’t a fair assessment – you just find more happiness in the solitary satisfaction of a job well done than in going out and partying. You need to find meaning in your work to prevent it feeling like a slog, but once you’ve found that meaning, you never tire of it. But do let yourself indulge in other people’s ideas of fun once in a while – it won’t take anything away from your work to spend one night a week socializing.

Uranus in the Sixth House

Uranus does not typically do well in the structure and ambitions of the Sixth House. The sense of rebellion typical of Uranus makes it difficult to climb up the red-tape-laden rungs of most workplaces. You try to come up with innovative ways to avoid boring tasks, but become extremely frustrated when other people want to stick to their old inefficient systems. Why don’t they appreciate that you’re making their jobs easier?!? A little empathy goes a long way for you. It’s important to recognize that, while you know your plans work, those around you don’t.

Mars in the Sixth House

Mars’ determination lends itself well to the career-oriented Sixth House – either you complete all the tasks that need doing, or you delegate and oversee them with an iron fist. You can definitely come off as bossy, but people have respect for your ability to get results. Try not to alienate those who you consider your “subordinates” along the way, though – you might have some Plutos and Uranuses there who won’t take kindly to what they feel is a tyrannical power trip on your part.

Jupiter in the Sixth House

Success just seems to roll in your door when Jupiter is in the Sixth House. You’re never afraid of a challenge, and those challenges you take on end up having major payoffs. Additionally, because you’re more willing than some other ambitious planets to do work for other people, without seeing the immediate benefit for yourself, you’ve cultivated a strong network of people who respect you and are willing to go to bat for you.

Venus in the Sixth House

The surprisingly patient and serene placement of Venus in the Sixth House stands for a bright future, good health, and a successful career. You aren’t ambitious per se, but take great satisfaction in whatever tasks you’re required to do, even those that others find boring or irritating. Cleaning the house? Sure! Taking care of your husband’s man-cold? No problem! Filing four hundred and seven outdated memos in an unnecessarily complicated and clunky system developed in the 1860s? Sign me up! True satisfaction comes from a job well done, however mundane that job might seem.

Mercury in the Sixth House

Mercury is the planet most associated with the Sixth House, so its energy falls perfectly in line with the needs of this house. You are a clear thinker, with an eye for detail while keeping the big picture in mind, and you have a very goal-oriented way of approaching tasks. You love making a big to-do list, full of subtasks, and then checking them all off in order as you complete them. You’re also a natural problem-solver and are excellent at figuring out puzzles that other people have decided are too difficult.

Neptune in the Sixth House

“Compassion and sacrifice” are the keywords for Neptune, meaning that when it appears in the Sixth House, you will likely spend most of your career helping others, to the detriment of your own health. This is the planet of the parent who stays up all night with the sick child, the nurse who refuses to leave her patients in anyone else’s hands, the counsellor who can’t sleep because they’re worried about someone they work with. While your passion for helping others is laudable, remember that you won’t help anyone at all if you hurt yourself. It is possible to be of service to others while taking care of your own health, both mental and physical.

Final Thoughts

The Sixth House is the house to consult if you’re worried about your career, as so many people are. But remember that these are not hard-and-fast predictions for the career that you will go into; rather, they are indications of the values and priorities that you bring with you to your work. Likewise, the effects of the planets on your physical body are never a substitute for advice from a medical professional, but they may help you notice patterns in your health.

What are you truly seeking in your work? Can you see how it’s affecting your health, either for good or for ill? Like and share this post – these are fields that everyone needs to consider.

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Kathy Freeman

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