The 12th house in astrology is perhaps the most misunderstood of the houses. Because the 12th house rules your subconscious mind and is the house of the hidden, there is a lot of energy in this house that you don’t even realize is there. It’s locked away in your subconscious, and you don’t even know what’s hidden away!
There are 12 houses in astrology, each governing a different part of your life and personality. The first step to understanding your 12th house better and unlocking what’s hidden is finding the sign your 12th house falls in and any planets you may have in your 12th house. Don’t know that? Use this birth chart calculator to create your natal chart (and read this article to start finding placements!).
What the 12th House Represents
Let’s get into what the 12th house in astrology represents. As mentioned, the 12th house rules your subconscious mind, so all of your subconscious issues, subconscious desires, and subconscious motivations are tucked away in the 12th house. The 12th house in astrology represents what is hidden to you, and this is both externally hidden to you (what others hide from you), and what you hide from yourself. Since the 12th house rules your subconscious, you don’t usually know that you’re hiding it. Your subconscious kicks in, and you hide without realizing it.
In line with the hidden energy, the 12th house also represents privacy, the things you want to keep out of the spotlight. This energy avoids attention, and you can be more comfortable with whatever is in your 12th house when no one is looking, when you’re alone, when you’re in comfortable places with familiar people, and when the pressure is off.
The 12th house governs karma and past lives as well. Being the very last house, it can come with a lot of baggage! Your 12th house can show potential karmic baggage you need to work on releasing, and indicate what you may bring with you from past lives.
Because it’s the last house, endings are also ruled by the 12th house. This is where the line is drawn, transitions are made, and you can clear out what is no longer needed (that pesky baggage!).
Neptune is the natural ruling planet for the 12th house, bringing its watery, flowing, difficult-to-discern energy. The 12th house is a Cadent house, which are the houses that are naturally linked to the Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces; the 12th house links to Pisces). All of this energy makes the 12th house a highly intuitive house, and can show where you may feel guided by an unseen hand and intuition can take over.
You can focus on your 12th house by the sign the 12th house falls in and planets in the 12th house. If you have many planets in the 12th house, like 3 or 4 planets in the 12th house (or even more!), then the 12th house has a major influence in your life. You may be someone who hides almost everything and has real trouble being open. If you have no planets in the 12th house, there’s extra emphasis on the sign the 12th house falls in. Just because your 12th house is empty doesn’t mean you’re exempt!
How to Reveal What Your 12th House Hides
There are basically 2 things you need to do to reveal what is hidden in your 12th house: become more consciously aware and remove blocks. Simple advice, but difficult to follow! Because the 12th house is rooted in your subconscious, you need to work on becoming more consciously aware of what is there. Studying astrology and the sign and planets of your 12th house is a great step to doing just that!
Removing blocks means thinking about what subconscious blocks may be present that are preventing you from accessing what’s in your 12th house. Trauma, abuse, neglect, and stress can all create blocks subconsciously, as well as past life issues and karmic baggage. Take time to reflect, be introspective, meditate, and be honest with yourself about what may be the cause (or multiple causes!). Once you pinpoint causes, you can work on removing them. Energy healing can be helpful, so check out this article about using Reiki for healing.
As you’re working on that, here is what you can unhide in your 12th house:
12th House Signs
12th House Aries:
Aries is the warrior sign, so having your 12th house in Aries can show you hide your inner warrior. It may come out when you have to defend someone else (not yourself), or when you’re fighting for something behind the scenes. Energy can pick up when your subconscious kicks in, and you can have great gut instincts. Channel those instincts and get more in tune with them.
12th House Taurus:
Taurus is the most grounded sign, so having your 12th house in Taurus can show you hide just how grounded you are. You may think you’re much more erratic than you really are, and present yourself as someone who is always going from this to that. There’s actually an earth goddess inside of you that you can work to access consciously.
12th House Gemini:
Gemini is the sign of the mind, so having your 12th house in Gemini can show you hide your intellect and quick thinking. You may let emotion take over logic, but there is likely a strong logical, analytical mind inside of you that can actually help you work through emotional issues so you don’t feel so batted around by your feelings.
12th House Cancer:
Cancer is the sign of emotion, so having your 12th house in Cancer can show you hide your feelings, especially serious feelings. You may want other people to always view you as fun and joyful, but this can keep you from really opening up. There is likely a sensitive, nurturing soul inside of you that can help you truly connect.
12th House Leo:
Leo is the sign of creativity and fun, so having your 12th house in Leo can show you hide your creative side and want to be seen as very practical and serious. You may fear people seeing your playful side, and think they’ll judge your creative expression. Yet you likely have a real artist inside of you, and can be a lot of fun if you let your guard down.
12th House Virgo:
Virgo is the sign of work, so having your 12th house in Virgo can show you hide just how practical and detailed you actually are. You may try to keep the peace as much as you can to avoid confrontation or out of fear of being judged. Sharing your work and letting yourself tend to the details can be a good thing for you.
12th House Libra:
Libra is the sign of relationships, so having your 12th house in Libra can show you hide from others, not wanting to deal with other people very much. You may seem like a loner at times, or are commitment-phobic. Yet working with others and committing may be just what you need, and you can be extremely supportive.
12th House Scorpio:
Scorpio is the sign of power and control, so having your 12th house in Scorpio can show you hide how powerful you really are. You may be afraid of the power inside of you, and don’t want to deal with the intensity you actually have. There is likely a powerful force inside of you though, and you can be formidable when you embrace that.
12th House Sagittarius:
Sagittarius is the sign of optimism and philosophy, so having your 12th house in Sagittarius can show you hide the happy-go-lucky part of yourself. You may want to present yourself as someone to be taken seriously, who is disciplined and mature, but you’re actually someone who likely has a strong inner optimist and solid beliefs.
12th House Capricorn:
Capricorn is the sign of ambition, so having your 12th house in Capricorn can show you hide that ambition. You may want to seem like a rule breaker, unconventional and independent, but you can thrive when you merge that with the traditional and conventional, and find success out of the spotlight.
12th House Aquarius:
Aquarius is the sign of independence, so having your 12th house in Aquarius can show you hide how independent you really are or want to be. You may fear being too independent, unconventional, or seen as weird and shunned. Yet you likely have a strong independent streak and can see the world in an original way.
12th House Pisces:
Pisces is the sign of gentleness, so having your 12th house in Pisces can show you hide just how sweet and understanding you can be. You may be quite assertive on the outside, but have a soft center on the inside. Learn that sharing this with others doesn’t make you weak. You may also have super strong intuition, though you may not want to show it.
12th House Planets
Sun in 12th House:
When your Sun is in the 12th house, the thing you may hide most is YOU! You may struggle with showing who you are to others, and may even struggle with knowing who you are with yourself (particularly in your younger years). Embrace your true self and figure out who you really are. You don’t have to hide yourself. You’re great!
Moon in 12th House:
When your Moon is in the 12th house, this can make you hide your emotions. You may have difficulty expressing what you feel with others, and sometimes have a hard time figuring out how you feel for yourself. This can keep you from getting the support and comfort that you need, so get in tune with your emotions, allow yourself to feel, and share that with others.
Mercury in 12th House:
When your Mercury is in the 12th house, this can make you hide your thoughts, opinions, and ideas. You may struggle with vocalizing what’s on your mind in any way, and can seem very quiet to others. Yet you likely have a gifted mind and a charismatic way of communicating, so work on embracing your mental abilities and showcasing that.
Venus in 12th House:
When your Venus is in the 12th house, this can make you hide your affections for others. You may struggle with openly sharing the love, like, and care you feel for the people in your life (and may loathe public displays of affection). Yet you’re someone who is very caring, very compassionate, and very supportive, so start being more open with those you love.
Mars in 12th House:
When your Mars is in the 12th house, this can make you hide what drives and inspires you to act. You may seem timid and afraid of taking initiative when others are watching, and can take a back seat to what other people want. Yet you’re someone who can make things happen, who can be a quiet leader, and who can have killer instincts. Let others see that part of you.
Jupiter in 12th House:
When your Jupiter is in the 12th house, this can make you hide your happy side. You may not want others to see your jovial moods, perhaps wanting them to take you more seriously. Yet you can be someone who knows how to make everyone happy, put a smile on people’s faces, and you can be a wonderful help to those in need. Embrace your inner guardian angel qualities.
Saturn in 12th House:
When your Saturn is in the 12th house, this can make you hide your goals, and hide from your responsibilities. You may have a lot on your plate, and people can scoop even more on it, which can make you easily stressed and overwhelmed subconsciously. Yet you’re someone who is given so many responsibilities because you can handle them where others can’t, and you can take the reins and keep the trains on time. Instead of trying to run from that, embrace it.
Uranus in 12th House:
When your Uranus is in the 12th house, this can make you hide your individuality. You may worry about what people will think if they see how different you actually are, and you may run away from change and independence. Yet you’re someone who can be quite the innovator, and lead people into the future. Embrace your originality.
Neptune in 12th House:
When your Neptune is in the 12th house, this can make you hide your spiritual self. You may not want to share your spiritual side, and keep quiet about your strong intuitive hits. Yet you’re someone who can inspire others spiritually, and have an awesome intuition that you should connect with.
Pluto in 12th House:
When your Pluto is in the 12th house, this can make you hide your powerful side, and run away from power and control. It may frighten you, or you may attract people to you who want to control you subconsciously. Yet you’re someone who has an incredible will and strength that can’t be matched. When you embrace that, those controlling people run away!
Conclusion
The 12th house may be the house of the hidden and subconscious, but it doesn’t have to be. A little bit of conscious effort can help you unlock what’s hidden.
There’s so much in your 12th house waiting for you. Go find it!
Related Article: The 12 Astrological Houses: 12th House of Endings
