The Sun
in the Third House
I’ve always been tempted to label the Third House “Miscellaneous” because it is associated with so many things that seem unrelated. The Third House has been connected with some things, like education and our mental capacities, that seem to go together as well as others, like siblings and short journeys, that seem rather arbitrary.
Many of the activities and attributes considered under the rule of this house seem less than crucial in the modern world. For people of the Hellenistic and medieval periods, even a short journey was a matter of considerable effort and substantial risk. Today, it is our commute to work. There was a time when the fate of one’s sibling, for good or ill, had a major impact on the standing of the entire family, but in today’s world, siblings often live completely different lives and see each other only on holidays and at funerals.
This is not to say that there aren’t families in which siblings are close or that you can’t get hit by a truck on your way to work. These Third House matters can be important in certain instances, but, compared to matters of the First (self), the Second (resources and money), and the Fourth (home) Houses, it is hard not to see the Third House as something of a lightweight.
It’s a Small World After All
What makes the Third House distinctive and important is not a shopping list of disparate attributes. It is a matter of scale. The Third House describes our small world. It is the world in which waving to your neighbors and stopping now and again to exchange gossip is a social necessity. A world in which the headlines in your local paper are more important than those in the New York Times, a little league game outranks a presidential press conference, and a short drive to a local theme park with friends or family is more desirable than a trip to Rome.
This small world is important because, no matter where you are, this is where you live. You may think that you can rise above this level of existence and keep your mind focused on the big issues, but sooner or later, you’ve got to drive to the grocery store. You’ve got to talk to someone who isn’t interested in your opinions on politics or art. You’ve got to pay attention to the intimate mechanics of living, which aren’t so boring when you start really noticing them. When we fail to honor the Third House and the small world it represents, we not only mark ourselves as snobbish and odd, we also miss out on some of the greatest joys of being human.
People with the Sun in the Third House have the advantage of being tuned in to this small world. They have a unique appreciation of its rhythms and routines. They recognize the importance of their sibling, but also of the people they work with and of their neighbors. They remember names. They know the best places to eat or buy this and that. They are not ashamed of the commonplace because the commonplace is their natural habitat.
This intimate connection to their small world allows people with the Sun in the Third to remain grounded and sane no matter how bizarre and unhinged the rest of the world might become. They seem immune to the craziness of other people. In fact, sometimes people with this placement will intentionally cultivate associations with slices of society that are particularly extreme and whacky simply because they know that, as long as they are tethered to their small world, they are safe from the insanity.
Communication
Communication figures prominently in the affairs of several houses. The Ninth House is about the communication of ideas. When we are expressing our individuality in the First, we are certainly communicating. The building of relationships in the Seventh requires communication, and what is the creativity of the Fifth if not a form of communication? Despite being integral to numerous houses, however, communication is universally associated with the Third House.
What makes communication in the Third House different is that people with this placement focus their communication skills on specifics. They have a gift for talking to people of all sorts because they speak in terms that everyone understands. They might talk about the weather, the ups and downs of the local sports team, a new movie, a new restaurant, or the price of gas. They might share an old joke or pictures of grandkids. In every conversation, people with the Sun in the Third will find common ground.
This is not to say that people with the Sun in the Third House can’t think lofty thoughts or have opinions about the big events of their times. It’s just that those thoughts and opinions tend to be based on information and experiences that come from their small world. This typically allows them to communicate big ideas in simple first-person terms. In some cases, this communication style might make what they say seem banal and limited, but it can also give their remarks extra relevance.
This ability to find common ground and speak in simple, direct terms often allows people with the Sun in the Third House to be exceptionally persuasive. During World War II, Winston Churchill persuaded a nation on the brink of defeat that they could never be beaten. Evangelist Jimmy Swaggart used the power of his preaching to persuade millions that he spoke the true gospel. Then when he fell from grace (after a tryst with a prostitute was revealed), he persuaded many people to take him back.
Like so many things with this placement of the Sun, the persuasive power of Sun in the Third people tends to be specific. It works best with people who share some semblance of that person’s small world. When Jimmy Swaggart made a televised plea for forgiveness to his parishioners, it was treated as a joke by nonbelievers, but for those who grew up with that concept of temptation and redemption, the reverend’s tearful appeal made absolute sense.
Your Mission
Ancient astrologers thought highly of the Third House. They called it the home of the Goddess.2 In my admittedly unscientific study of the houses, I found that Third House people do pretty well. The only house placement (using the Koch system in this case) that has more celebrity examples than the Third is the Tenth. These Third House celebrities include extraordinary people from all walks of life. Obviously, seeing the world on a small scale is not such a bad thing.
And yet, this placement of the Sun is not without its challenges, particularly when the Sun in the Third person ventures outside his or her small world. An example of this is Charles Lindbergh. Within the very small world of an airplane cockpit, Lindbergh was the master. His skill as a pilot allowed him to become the first person to cross the Atlantic by plane and made him an American hero. However, when Lindbergh tried to apply that same mastery to the larger world of international politics, he failed miserably. As a leader of the America First Committee during the 1930s and early 1940s, Lindbergh was perceived by many as supportive of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.
Sticking to what you know is good advice for anyone, and it particularly resonates with people with the Sun in the Third. This is not to say that you can’t try new things, but you have to realize that your ability to succeed at new ventures will depend on how they blend in with the rhythms and routines of your small world. The roots of that small world likely stretch back into your childhood, so making changes to those rhythms and routines will be difficult and potentially troublesome.
So, your mission with the Sun in the Third House is to know the strengths and limitations of your small world and to act accordingly. Your skill set is probably specific, your ideas and opinions rooted in first-hand experiences, and your interests localized. Within the confines of your small world, you might be a master or a star. Depending on the nature of your small world, the skills you develop there can lead to recognition from the larger world. However, your successes typically have more to do with understanding your role within your small world than a hunger for fame outside it.
Along with this mission come some special responsibilities: You have to work extra hard to keep your mind sharp and your thinking clear. You can’t allow yourself to be carried along by false premises and negative ideas. Nor can you allow your small world to be hijacked by the priorities and desires of another person. These are serious pitfalls, but as long as you are alert and sufficiently self-aware, they can be avoided.
The potential for happiness and accomplishment with this placement of the Sun is huge. You possess a heightened sensitivity to the mere process of living that can make every day a holiday. There is also the potential for great wisdom. The small world teaches us about the inevitability of change and gives us a better appreciation for those things that stay the same. So, honor your small world, enjoy it, and learn from it. When all is said and done, there’s no better place to be.
2. Deborah Houlding, The Houses: Temples of the Sky (Bournemouth, UK: Wessex Astrologer Ltd., 2006), 43.