The 3rd House: The House of Communication and Travel
The Third House is often referred to as The House of Communication, Travel and Technology. It governs all types of communication (from phone, text, email, zoom, even talking). It also governs short commutes, travel, your siblings, neighbors and your early education.
Ruler: Gemini
The third house corresponds to the sign of Gemini and is ruled by the planet Mercury. The third house is where we discern from the chart, how an individual expresses themselves through verbal communication or through writing. Having your Sun or the home planet of Mercury in the third house, you could be described as very “mercurial”, which means that you are more likely to be mentally sharp. You would be comfortable and adaptable to change and be quick whited with comments and your thoughts.
Interests and Environment
The third house reveals the nature of our personal interests and our intellectual curiosity. This is where we see what mentally stimulates the individual. What keeps their attention. Is it books, technology, gossip, games or conversation. This house reveals the persons capacity to learn and study…especially in early education in the primary formal classroom settings. The third house also pertains to our immediate environment and our everyday interactions and communication with our siblings, strangers, neighbors, peers, classmates, extended family and associates. People that would be in our close proximity early on and while growing up.
Highlighted Information
We look to the third house to show how we exchange and receive information, messages and to some extent, value. This house is associated with commerce in the general sense as opposed to the more business and profit specific concerns of the second house.
Here in the third house, what is highlighted is the giving and receiving of thoughts, ideas and all types of information. It is linked to Fed Ex, mail service or post office, package shipments and all types of deliveries in general…this includes food, packages and all types of deliveries. This can encompass Taxi, Uber or the bus and train systems.
Your Temperament
The third house can reveal something about how well we get along with the various people we encounter in our everyday life and also the type of people that we find interesting or mentally stimulating. It can also indicate the nature of your temperament. For example, whether you are outspoken or reticent; opinionated or agreeable.
If you or someone you know has Aries is in their third house, it can suggest that you speak your mind freely and can be a bit provocative with your words. If Mercury is also present, then your wit is bound to be sharp and can be cutting. If Venus is here, you love technology or appreciate giving or receiving important information.
Your Relatability
Your ability to relate with and understand people is also highlighted by the third house. If your third house is occupied with difficult or afflicted planets, it can indicate tensions and sibling rivalries. For example, having a Mars placement in the third house, may suggest you are, or have been in some sort of competition with your siblings. In your early years growing up, you may have been subjected to a competitive home environment where you felt the need to fight for your parents attention and possible approval.
On the other hand, it could be the opposite of that, you may have been the favorite child of your parents and it was your siblings who felt they were in constant competition with you. I’ve even seen this with cousins who are close in age, live near each other and are raised in very close families…similar to siblings. Regardless, the competitiveness could be either good-natured or filled with contempt.
At the same time, Mars can engender a passionate and commanding style of communication. It can confer an ability to motivate and inspire others with your words and rally enthusiasm from people with your message.
The Moon and Your Security and Feelings
The Moon’s location in a chart shows us what we need to feel safe and secure. Having your moon in the third house can mean that you tend to openly share what you feel and can be something of an open book to people. You are likely to show interest or concern in other people’s feelings, and you may encourage them to open up and express themselves freely with you.
Therefore, people with this type of third house placement can make for an empathetic and caring friend and family member. This placement can lend itself to careers in counseling and therapy or even customer service and positions in sales.
Saturn’s Placement
Now, Saturn in the third house can bring about a person of few words, but is clear, concise and authoritative in how they communicate with others. The Tv and all types of News Media is also associated with the third house, and therefore positions and aspects found here can signify something about new developments going on out in the world.
Saturn being a malefic planet can indicate a long-lasting period of negativity taking place in the news. Saturn pulls back, binds and restricts. It has the ability to say No. It wants to limit and build slowly. Therefore, it can signify restriction or downsizing in the News or Media industry.
Developmental Stages
The third house also corresponds to the developmental stages in the individual’s life. It can show up in where you begin to crawl, toddle, then walk…this also includes how you develop speech…babbling and your first words to developing words into sentences and the ability to name things.
This can be the area where speech delays or learning delays are found. The third house is associated with the “concrete mind” as opposed to the “abstract mind” of the nineth house. The third house is connected with mental activities relating to data, sequence, fact gathering and computation.
Mars and Moon Placements
We look to the third house placements to describe how we think and rationalize in a left brain sense. Placements and house rulership can reveal whether we are original thinkers or inclined to follow the crowd. Whether we are open minded or are more wired to adhere to tradition and more conservative beliefs.
People with Mars in the third house believe that knowledge is power, while those with a moon in the third house may use knowledge and information as a means for security.
Summary
When younger, our thoughts are largely based on what is available to us in our immediate environment and what our immediate environment consists of. Therefore, the signs and planets that reside in the third house represents what is out there for us. What we learn in our early years of adolescence in the school, neighborhood, on the bus and from teachers, and close cousins is reflected in the third house. Also the consequences of our actions when we act out, rebel or don’t follow the traditional acceptable norm.
This is where we learn from our experiences from these types of interactions with others. People who have a very active third house are likely to excel in public speaking and possess a persistent thirst for knowledge, education and new skills.
Interested in the different houses of astrology? Check out our post about the 2nd house of astrology here. You can also check out some of our videos here.