The other day I was reading Elsa's comment on the gemini thread (post?) that said she has Gemini in the fifth and 2 kids.

A lot about astrology is still very unfamiliar to me, so I started researching planets in houses.

I have no planets at all in the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th houses.

Does this mean I'm destined to be barren, partnerless, of service to no one, with zero to show for my career and a social outcast?

I find my chart depressing, and I also find the progressing Saturn Transit through Virgo, Libra and Scorpio to be a real killjoy as well, since those signs are where my inner planets are (will probably ask more questions about saturn transits in a different thread).

Another question I had: is it possible to make up for what you lack in astrology by way of a complementary partner?

Note: I generally speak in hyperbole. I'm a wry quipper. The "tone" of most of my posts is friendly/good natured sarcasm. Sometimes that doesn't come across so I'm just telling people up front to hopefully avoid confusion. 

Thanks for your insight.

A note about empty houses, using myself as an example. In my natal chart, my 5th house is empty. HOWEVER, Capricorn is the sign on the cusp of my fifth house and Pluto just entered Capricorn so.... by transit, Pluto (which moves SLOWLY) is going to be in my 5th house for years. And years.  So, not a natal placement and yet... I can't really call that house empty anymore! 

I have many empty houses, by the way (unless you include asteroids and the nodes): 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th...

Where are the slower moving transiting planets for you?  

I have an empty natal 7th house. When my vertex progressed to 7th house from the 8th - I got married and had two girls in the span of 3 years.

So, I guess you better check which houses your planets are progressing into. My opinion, really.

Chart progressions... jeezum crow. I can't even begin to fathom these! But what you're saying sounds hopeful, so thanks!

Outer planets...

Jupiter in Capricorn, Saturn in Libra, Uranus in Libra (I think), Neptune in Sadge, Pluto in Libra

Exactly. There is a pandora's box waiting to be opened with your progressed charts, I'm telling you. Take time to learn about it.

I'm staring at a chart now... my brain is hurting! But this is... wow... I had no idea this was going on.

THANKS!!

Ei Dina, also give credits to all the lovely ladies in the group.  I'm just picking their brains you know.

I have a bunch of empty houses -- 8th thru 11th using most house systems, with some stuff in the 11th using equal houses.  You can investigate some of the "newer" things that are in these houses -- things that aren't visible to the naked eye and thus have only been part of human astrological consciousness for a little while, like asteroids and centaurs.  (My empty houses are still pretty empty, which I find interesting!)  The valuable thing I've learned from Elsa's site, however, is to really consider the sign on the cusp of a house, which is ruled by a planet, and to think in terms of "having that planet in that house" (even when the actual planet is somewhere else in the chart).

I confess I still really like my centaurs, though.  Okyrhoe is the closest body to my midheaven and she was a female centaur, a very Uranian or Promethean character who was punished for sharing her knowledge with humans when ordered not to by the gods.  She's at 29 Capricorn, directly opposite another centaur, Asbolus, at 29 degrees Cancer in my chart, and Chiron -- the "popular" centaur -- is at 29 Pisces.  I've got all these horse people hanging out at anarectic degrees in my natal chart... whassup with that, I wonder?

Quite insightful indeed qasseia, I really agree with you on the houses and cusp theory. I'm not yet into centaurs. Still stuck with Venusian asteroids (ceres, lilith, cupido, vesta, pallas and eros).  I am reading their mythological background and it's quite interesting.

I read a book this summer and I'm sorry I don't have author's name at hand, but her take on the empty houses was that they did not mean empty...as in literally....such as empty 2nd house, no funds, or empty 7th... no partners...rather, she saw empty houses as areas we probably wouldn't need to focus as much on, and in a sense, that things might come more easily in those areas and we might find ourselves "taking it or leaving it"....  She also emphasized looking at the ruler of the cusp and what that planet is placed to understand more...

So for example, I have an empty 9th house with Taurus on the cusp.  My chart is ruled by Venus (w/ Libra rising) and Venus is in my 7th house of partnerships.   I feel I've had a life filled with 9th house type experiences....including many years of long distance travel and working in education field....and including marriage to a foreign man.   If I didn't know my own chart I would guess I had a 9th house lit up...but it is 'empty'.....

Another example, I have empty 3rd house (siblings) with Scorpio on the cusp.  My natal Pluto is in the 12th house..... and one of my siblings suffered long, painful years in and out of institutions.     

I'm going to check into the progressed chart....persian_cat, makes sense as well.

I think of the house system as the stagecraft of the production.  it's just a setting.  

houses with natal placements are like a set full of scenery, empty houses are like the blank backdrop that comes down so night sky colors can be projected on it behind the action.

it's like one of those revolving stages only there are 12 segments.  the one full of furniture is not more important than the blank one; each supports the action in its own way.  what's important is what the actors are doing. 

*and no house is really empty... each has a sign and a ruling planet to investigate. 

i see it as empty houses giving you more flexibility... planets tend to push the experience of a house in a specific direction.  something like that.  i have an empty first house, for example, but i would daresay i have a strong sense of identity.  (not so much a clue how others see me, but that's a different game.)

Satori, that was a beautiful metaphor! 

Lindsey, I didn't know the third house had to do with siblings! Interesting. Sorry to hear about your sibling's misfortune :(

Persian, i've read a little about the asteroids but all i can remember is juno in scorpio and i think lilith in scorpio.

Quassea, the cusp stuff I'll have to explore when I get better at reading charts. Right now I keep confusing ths symbols for Jupiter and Saturn, and I can't seem to remember what the symbols for some of the signs, either. Looking at charts kind of hurts my brain, but I'll keep trying.

You guys really need to dumb it down for the newbies, I think - ha ha. Thanks for the tips.