As I've been making my way through Howard Sasportas' book on The Twelve Houses, I've been writing up a summary of each chapter. This is what I did for the first house.

The First House The first house deals with not only personal identity but the beginning of the self. It also defines the way we approach the beginnings of all things, new endeavors, new phases of life, as well as “the inborn expectations and images we have whenever we have to ‘get something started’.” This is because the first house is the circumstances and nature of our own literal birth, and that is an imprint of the way we experience beginnings. Planets and signs near the ascendant can even suggest the quality of one’s literal birth itself.

In terms of our journey through life, the first house or ascendant also give a guide to how we approach realizing our sun sign, i.e. the truer self. “The Ascendant may be the way we hatch but what we grow into is the Sun sign. [...] Or, as Liz Greene expresses it, the Sun is the kind of hero we are, but the Ascendant is the quest on which we must embark. The Sun is why we are here; the Ascendant is how we get there.”

To that end, the sign of the first house, its ruler, and the planets found within it are both additional guideposts for that journey, as well as the tools we can employ to get through it. Going through that journey is also an integral part of our existence which cannot be ignored. As we continue to express better and better qualities of the sign(s) and planet(s) in this house, we can have greater knowledge of, and experience growth in, our self. The author also notes that this process is important for all planetary placements, but in the journey to finding one’s identity, first house placements are truly key. “In general, the attributes of any sign or planet in the 1st house are somehow amplified by being in that position, as if the volume of their ‘tone’ has been raised. If 1st house energies are not obvious in the person, then something else in the chart is probably hampering their expression, and this blockage should be examined. “

Additionally, the first house--often described as the mask we wear, and therefore, how others see us--gives an indication of the effect we have on others when we arrive on the scene.

Anyway, I'd love to hear if you agree with this interpretation or not or if you have any different or additional thoughts on the significance and energy of the first house.