Traditionally known as the House of Marriage, the Seventh House encompasses much more than holy matrimony. We’re talking about all kinds of relationships (romantic, friendships, business) and partnerships. Who you are in a relationship/partnership. Are you happiest as one-half of a twosome, or do you prefer to fly solo? Will you marry more than once…or not at all? The Seventh House also touches on the subjects of open enemies or rivals, contracts, litigation/legal matters, and business associations.
On the cusp of the Seventh House is the Descendant, which as the term implies, is the opposite of the Ascendant on the First House cusp. While the Ascendant tells us how we are perceived by others, the Descendant reveals how we perceive others; how we behave towards them.
Let’s suppose that as you sit looking at your natal chart, you see a big fat bunch of nothing in the Seventh House. With the exception of some cobwebs, it’s completely empty. No planets, asteroids, nodes…nothing; not a damn thing. It couldn’t be any more vacant. You begin to fret, and a wave of hopelessness washes over you. Oh my GOD, you wonder, if I’m taken to court and sued for everything I’ve got, am I doomed? Or perhaps more disturbing, Does this mean I’ll never marry, I’m just gonna die alone?
There, there (this is the part where I gently and reassuringly put my arm around you.) It doesn’t mean any of that. As I’ve discussed previously (and like a proverbial broken record, will discuss again in each upcoming article about the remaining five Houses), there are ten planets (counting the Sun and Moon) and twelve Houses. Everyone is going to have at least two empties, and most people will have more than that. It’s like saying that if your Second House of Money and Possessions is empty that you’ll never own anything or have any money, or that if your Fourth House of Home is empty, that you’ll be homeless. An empty Seventh House could indicate a couple of things. If you’re lucky, it might mean that the life areas governed by the Seventh House are naturally so well-ordered that you have no need to expend much energy focusing on them…yay for you (and pfft…must be nice!) Or it could indicate that these issues aren’t your primary concern in life. It doesn’t mean they don’t matter at all to you, it just means you might be primarily concerned with other areas in your life. An empty Seventh House is interpreted by looking at the sign by which it is ruled in your natal chart — which also happens to be the Descendant — as well as its natural ruler, which is Libra. Examining the traits of these signs can reveal the manner in which you approach partnerships and relationships.
But for now, let’s take a look at how each individual planet’s placement is interpreted when in the Seventh House.
Sun in the Seventh House
A Sun-in-Seventh individual doesn’t feel complete unless they have a partner. They need to be liked and are highly sensitive to rejection. There is a tendency for solar Seventh House folks to base their identities on other people’s opinions of them, and the lesson here is for the native not to allow what others think to define who they are. The Seventh-House-Sun is a chronic people-pleaser who will bend over backward to gain the approval of others. An example of how this tendency might manifest on a personal level would be a woman who is in a relationship but isn’t really ready for sex yet does it anyway, lest her suitor reject her or dislike her if she refuses (yeah, if he did, she would be better off without the loathesome son-of-a-bitch anyway, but that’s not the issue here.) The solar Seventh House native is charming and usually will have a successful, long-term/til-death marriage (although it might not happen on the first try, or even the second or third, but it does eventually tend to happen), and they have a respectable amount luck in legal proceedings or litigation.
Moon in the Seventh House
This one is definitely a pack animal who can’t begin to imagine doing things alone. Table for one at the local eatery? Why, that’s 
preposterous. One ticket for the matinee movie? Won’t happen with this one. A Moon-in-Seventh needs someone around for emotional support, or even just to get out of the house with. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for the Seventh House lunar native to go through several relationships, each time confidently declaring that “this is definitely The One!” to such a point that folks around them, upon hearing this for the fourteenth time, are just kind of like “uh huh…that’s nice.” This is due in no small part to a marked fear of being alone coupled with a belief that any partner is better than no partner, thus they will remain in an unfulfilling or unhappy relationship way too long. Without a partner, a Seventh-House-Moon feels insecure, anxious, and incomplete. Female relationships play a big role with this one, whether the native is male or female, for they are quite influential, particularly when it comes to emotional support.
Mercury in the Seventh House
It’s hard as hell for a Mercury-in-Seventh to make a decision. Why? Because the natural ruler of the Seventh House is Libra…the sign which is infamous for hesitating, vacillating, and enduring self-imposed torture by the most trivial decisions (credit or debit, paper or plastic, soup or salad…it’s truly excruciating to watch.) But they do love to bounce ideas off others and engage in debates, which helps them to gain more insight into their own thoughts and therefore come to conclusions a bit more easily. This one is often in the position of devil’s advocate, partly because they are gifted at seeing both sides of a situation. Chatty Mercury never lacks for stimulating conversation to contribute to a relationship and they require a lot of communication in return from a partner, be it romantic or otherwise. This one also enjoys hearing the thoughts and opinions of others in matters of partnerships. They love few things more than analyzing their own marriage or relationship and the Seventh-House-Mercurian needs an equally communicative partner who enjoys dissecting and examining the guts of their relationship as much as they do. Furthermore, with this interest in analyzing relationships as well as the aforementioned ability to see both sides of a coin, this one makes an excellent marriage counselor or legal mediator. Romantic partners are frequently met via some method of communication; this could be anything from being introduced to one another over the phone, an online chat room, connecting on a social media website such as Facebook or Twitter, or even through written letters (do people still write letters?)
Venus in the Seventh House
A Seventh-House-Venusian lives and breathes relationships. Harmony is extremely important to this one; therefore they will go out of their way to ensure their relationship remains as peaceful as possible. However, this can result in the native being a virtual doormat for their partner. A Venus-in-Seventh native is usually strikingly attractive and they tend to marry either an equally good-looking individual or someone who is quite wealthy (which, to the native, is pretty attractive as there is sometimes a tendency toward being shallow or materialistic.) The native might also tend to overindulge once settled in a committed relationship, essentially becoming too comfortable and letting themselves go; i.e., gaining weight or paying less attention to their personal appearance. Because the Seventh-House-Venusian is in love with love, they tend to jump into relationships simply for the sake of being in a relationship, only to discover that — d’oh! — they weren’t as prepared as they might have first thought for the issues which come with being in a committed relationship, or that — d’oh! d’oh! — they don’t even really like their partner all that much. I have an Aquarian hippie friend with this Venus placement. While it’s true he’s quite attractive, he has yet to marry, aside from a long-term live-in relationship which was rather turbulent, to put it mildly. However, when single, he would frequently sigh as he lamented, “I need to find a girlfriend.” As much as he has always insisted that due to his whatever’s-clever Aquarian Sun he has this superpower which allows him to remain emotionally detached, not only does his Venus in Pisces (the sign infamous for denial/avoidance of reality) tell another story, but its placement in his Seventh House reveals even more of the truth. And it is my third-party opinion that he does tend to settle, simply for the sake of being in a relationship. This isn’t to imply that he doesn’t truly love a partner — and he does in fact have a lovely live-in Aquarian girlfriend whom he clearly adores, and by no means am I inferring that he settled for her — but that being said, from my vantage point, it certainly appears that he chose her somewhat hastily because of his Venus-in-Seventh need to be in a romantic relationship. This doesn’t mean they won’t ultimately stay together, but their initial decision to commit and rapid subsequent decision to shack up was definitely abrupt from where I’m sitting. Jussayin’…
Mars in the Seventh House
The Martian energy is intense with this placement and the native requires a challenging partner. The Mars-in-Seventh individual is turned off by a yes-man/woman; they want you to argue with them when you disagree with them. They have zero respect for a partner who lacks a backbone. As a result, the native tends to gravitate toward partners who stir their aggression and this means there are arguments aplenty in their personal relationships. Seventh-House-Martians are also notorious for lacking empathy, or the ability to see a situation from a partner’s viewpoint, almost as though they actually do possess the ability to empathize, but they flatly refuse to do so. A propensity toward physical altercations with partners and/or domestic violence is unfortunatey common with this placement as well. Making sure to keep an active, busy life will help release some of this Martian energy and reduce the frequency of clashes in the relationship. The Seventh-House-Martian must master their ability to compromise if they hope to ever have a harmonious relationship. The native often marries or commits to a long-term relationship relatively early in life. My now-deceased Sadge first husband had Mars in his Seventh House. We began our nine-year relationship when he was barely 20. Surprisingly, we rarely fought but on the few occasions when we did, oh sweet lord, we really went all out. Furniture threw, as did other household items, shoving, hitting, scratching, hair-pulling, kicking. The works. He brought that out in me, and if he was alive today, he would readily testify that I was quite skilled at bringing out his aggression as well, and that’s absolutely true. I knew exactly which of his buttons to push, he knew which of mine to push…and push each other’s buttons we most certainly did. So although I was by no means an abused wife, we had our fair share of physical fights (in which, as I just explained, I fought right back. After all, I am an Aries. I’m naturally Mars-ruled. Recognize.)
Jupiter in the Seventh House
When the planet of luck and abundance is in the Seventh House of marriage and partnerships, we have a native who truly believes in fair play. The Seventh-House-Jupiter native is usually quite fortunate in legal matters and litigation, and they make outstanding mediators. Partnerships are more often successful than not, and the native’s natural charm effortlessly wins the approval of others. But the danger here is for the Jupiter-in-Seventh person to get a bit too comfortable with their luck, only for this overconfidence to come back to bite them in the ass (remember: wherever Jupiter is in the natal chart is the area of life in which we feel most confident.) Abundance in the House of marriage can sometimes also indicate a literal abundance of marriages. Jupiter is ruled by Sagittarius, which is the sign of the philosopher, the long-distance traveler, and the knowledge-seeker, and the native’s marital partner could be someone who hails from another country, a completely different background, or who is fairly well-off. Sweet!
Saturn in the Seventh House
And here’s the schoolyard bully of planets, back to beat us without mercy, kick us when we’re down, and steal our lunch money in
the Seventh House of marriage, partnerships, and legal issues. Saturn’s speed-bump effect here can delay marriage until later than other folks, with the native often not marrying or committing long-term until they are at least well into their late twenties to early thirties. Marriages occurring earlier than this with this placement almost always fail. You’re right, that is a bold statement but it’s an honest-to-goodness pattern among Seventh-House-Saturnians…and bear in mind, I didn’t say they always fail, I said almost always. To the tune of close to nine out of ten times, in fact. The Saturn-in-Seventh native often marries or commits long-term to a partner who is four to eight years older than they are, and the partner is frequently a dependable, responsible type, often someone with an earth Sun sign such as Capricorn, Virgo, or Taurus. The native might be drawn to this partner for financial security which can come back to haunt them if/when the partner ends the marriage/relationship; or if Saturn happens to be well-aspected in the Seventh House, it can motivate the native themselves to become more dependable and responsible as a result of the marriage. My now-deceased Cancer second husband had this Saturn placement. When we began our relationship, he was 20 and I was 24. We married four years later, when he was 24 and I was 28, and we separated three years after that. By his own admission, he found our relationship and marriage made him feel quite secure, both emotionally and financially. Although there was a period of a few years in which my then-hubby was highly self-motivated, even holding down two jobs just so he could put one entire paycheck into a savings account while contributing the other paycheck to our household, more often than not, I was the sole breadwinner and when I filed for divorce, he didn’t have two dimes to rub together because he had become so dependent upon me.
Young enough to be his granddaughter?
Uranus in the Seventh House
Unorthodox Uranus in the Seventh House of marriage and partnerships often gives a native who is a confirmed bachelor/bachelorette. If they do commit long-term or eventually marry, I promise you there will be something unusual about the relationship or the partner. They might marry someone with a significant age difference (by significant, I mean a partner who is at least old enough to be the native’s parent or young enough to be the native’s child.) Perhaps the Uranus-in-Seventh marries an eccentric individual or one who is just perceived as strange for whatever reason. Whatever the case may be, something will be unconventional about the situation. In fact, if the marriage or relationship is not bizarre in some way, it will not work. End of story. The Seventh-House-Uranian places enormous value on friendship; therefore, they do not want to simply be their partner’s lover, but their buddy as well. This is mandatory if the relationship is to succeed.
Neptune in the Seventh House
“But deep down he’s a really good person, and he says he loves me…”
Oh good lord, here we go again with Neptune, seeing what they want to see in the Seventh House. What this translates to is a native who could be married to or in a relationship with a complete douche or a miserable bitch, but bless Neptune’s rose-colored heart, they will gloss that right over and refuse to acknowledge their partner for the drug-addicted, drunken, verbally/physically abusive, polygamist, con artist, lowlife, deadbeat criminal they actually are. Either that or the native will make excuses for how poorly treated they are by their partner, or even if they are just an unlikeable a-hole in general. This placement is a textbook example of an abused, co-dependent spouse who stays with their abuser either because they believe they can change them if only they could uncover the wonderful, loving human being they just know is lurking in there somewhere behind the veil of this worthless bastard, or they will put a spin on their circumstances in an attempt to justify their partner’s behavior and the fact that they remain in a negative or even potentially harmful situation. Because of their sensitivity, the Seventh-House-Neptune individual makes a great counselor or therapist. They can go too far, however, absorbing the problems of another as if they were the native’s own, and feeling responsible for fixing everything or solving that person’s issue for them.
Pluto in the Seventh House
The planet of extremes in the Seventh House of marriage and partnerships brings an unparalleled intensity to a relationship. Very often, a native will find that they are in a love-hate relationship. It definitely doesn’t lack for passion, but the Pluto-in-Seventh should be careful that what they are experiencing is in fact passion, rather than just a fancy word for drama. Wherever we find Pluto in the natal chart indicates the life area in which we seek truth and meaning. This intense planet in the Seventh House also brings with it changes, obsessions, distrust, paranoia, and power struggles to marriages or partnerships. The native’s behavior in a relationship frequently brings out the worst qualities in their partner, such as jealousy, possessiveness, and obsessiveness. A Seventh-House-Pluto often feels trapped in a relationship, yet has a simultaneous craving for a partner to possess them completely. The lesson for the native here is to recognize their tendency to provoke a partner’s anger and defensiveness by lashing out because of their own deeply-rooted fears of betrayal, and to ultimately realize that not everyone is hiding something or otherwise betraying them in some way.
Born Under a Blonde Sign 