The 12th House is probably the most misunderstood of the twelve astrological houses, I think, partly because most of the traditional astrology books written during the Age of Pisces were infected by a victim virus, or martyr meme. This is no blanket statement about Pisces Sun people but a reference to the shadow of a two-thousand year epoch of Christianity and its crucified man-god.

I do think the 12th house can represent the neurosis of self-stabbing victimization as long as the innate conditions of this House are misunderstood and complicated into problems that do not actually exist. The innate 12th House conditions I refer to are universal human conditions of solitude, being lost in the wilderness and unity with Source.

SOLITUDE. Planets in the 12th house refer to aspects of our experience that require serious withdrawal and alone time to access. Solitude, as opposed to lonliness, expresses the gratifying element of being alone. Alone, as in all one; all alone. Solitude is a universal condition that not every personality is comfortable with, unless they have 12th house planets. For example, a person with a 12th house Uranus may not know true freedom without solitude.

LOST IN THE WILDERNESS. Being lost expresses an innate, universal human condition. Whosoever espouses doctrine that claims they know where humans came from or why we are here is an, albeit good intentioned, LIAR. Bottomline is it's all unknown: we don't know why we're here. A lot of people cannot live with that uncertainty and resort to complex systems of thought, belief, religion and yes astrology, to fabricate a sense of purpose where none exists. Being lost is not a problem; it's central to the human condition. Making it a problem can feed the martyr complex that eats that suffering. Another way of reframing this sense of "lostness" is aimless wandering, or "wu wei" (google it).

UNITY WITH SOURCE. The experience of cosmic unity, or oneness with all of existence, refers to a deep human need for gnosis, or direct knowledge of God. The cause of much human suffering stems from being cut off and divided from Source by the self-imposed borders, divisions, boundaries society (we) create in an attempt to organize and control the chaos of real life. People with 12th house planets need a little, or a lot more, of this natural chaos in their lives and tend to shy away from and/or avoid any externally imposed categorizations that theaten their experience of deep unity.

FOR THOSE WITH 12th HOUSE PLANETS: To the degree you have made a problem out of any of the above conditions (or have bought into society's problems about them), you may have unwittingly pathologized the 12th House and are suffering from the victim virus. No blame; it is not your fault. If you can reframe the 12th house conditions in context to universal human conditions -- rather than as problems that need to be solved -- you can begin healing the split within you and restoring your humanity.


"Life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived."
William Butler Yeats