The Power of Journaling Through the 12 Houses
There is nothing more powerful for me than opening up an empty notebook and scribbling the endless stream of thoughts onto paper. There is something so cathartic in releasing the maddening thoughts into the notebook and suddenly discovering the dots that connect and the breakthroughs that were waiting but I could not process in my mind. I find the mind is like a void, thoughts moving, shifting, changing before my eyes. If I try to contain the thoughts there in the void things will float in and float out effortlessly and I lose the thread. But if I invite myself to sit down and spill my thoughts onto the paper suddenly I can understand what was being formed in the void. I can re-arrange the madness to make magick. This is what journaling has done for me from a very young age.
I can’t recall how early I started jotting my thoughts down into these notebooks, of which I have burned at least a hundred in full release of the past. My earliest memory of a journal was receiving a password keeper journal for Christmas around the age of 9 or 10. It was purple and it used voice recognition to keep my nosey sister and cousin out. I remember vividly how I would record my voice and within a day or two it would somehow forget what I sounded like and not let me in. I would use a pen to pry open the door and reset the voice recording just so I could get back in and access my vulnerable thoughts.
These days my journals are psychological journeys into the growth process I am in, the astrological transits I am moving through, and the deep shadows I am currently processing. I leave my journal anywhere and everywhere in the house, knowing full well that my husband would never violate my trust, and simultaneously not giving a damn if he ever did. He would stumble on chaos in the pages as I attempt to decode the wounds I am working through and understand my place in the world with better clarity.
Journaling has been my confidant, best friend, and part of my deepest healing in this life. Journaling with astrology has been the thing since day one that has helped me integrate the knowledge, learn about planetary cycles and frequencies faster, and helped me embody the cosmos.
To journal with astrology means getting your placements, houses, aspects and more onto paper and decoding the story that is written in your stars. Journaling this way helps you write the story of your soul out so that you can sit in deep reflection, activate deep remembering, and change the way you think through your own mental and emotional processes. It has also been one of the most powerful tools I have found to understand and embody the astrological knowledge I, my students, and my clients have used - and the reason my students learn so quickly.
Why Journaling Through the Karma of the 12 Houses Is Life-Changing
I’m going to go ahead and make a bold statement. I see the entire birth chart as a map to the past, present, and future of a soul. I see all placements, aspects, and conversations inside of the birth chart as karmic, revealing the very purpose of your soul in incarnating here on earth. Not all astrologers will agree with me on this one, and not all people will agree with the idea of past lives. Even my greatest mentor does not believe the entire chart is karmic. Many astrologers believe tropical astrology has nothing to do with the soul. But I see things very differently. I do believe in some quantum way we are experiencing our past lives now, whether they are multidimensional lives all happening at once or we are cellularly wired to the experiences of the past. We won't really know until we get to the other side, will we?
I’ve also had the honour of holding space for plenty of past life regressions where the chart is confirmed through the experiences my client witnesses in multiple lives. (I’ve even had clients recall their birth times and dates inside regressions, completely confirming the life through the chart of that version of them.)
When we see the birth chart as happening in the past, the now, and the future it’s a powerful tool to understand that your soul lessons are literally written in the stars. I constantly hear people say “I wish my child came with a manual”, and I laugh because they did! The birth chart is the manual, it is the map of your soul.
One of the most powerful ways to start decoding this map of the soul is to understand the 12 houses. Sure your moon sign is exciting to understand, but when you layer in the understanding of it being placed in a particular house everything changes. The 12 houses help you identify where a planet or placement is experiencing its journey, how it might express based on this landscape, and deeper layers of the wounding and mastery that might be held within the placement. A Pisces moon in the 1st house expresses very differently than a Pisces moon in the 8th house.
By journaling through the 12 houses suddenly you’ll see hidden patterns, how to break cycles, and what your soul is actually requiring of you in this life.
Uncovering Karmic Patterns That Hold You Back
The way I see it, each astrological house carries a frequency and when we choose to incarnate with a placement in that house brings karmic information. Of course, some placements carry heavier karma than others. Venus alone in the 2nd house is not going to tell a story of karma around material wealth, self worth, and values the way Saturn in the 2nd house will. But each house holds a frequency of possibility and offers the opportunity to access and understand the landscape or stage for certain energies to play out their wounding and/or mastery. The 12 houses shape your current reality through lives previous, current, and I often believe the future. They also show you the opportunities and pain points within these areas of your life. Your job is to decode the information and your journal is the place you’ll do this work, if you’re willing to sit down and put the pen to paper.
What are the biggest cycles you consistently meet in life?
Are you always struggling with money?
Are you constantly meeting the “wrong” partner? (ahem, karmic partners)
Have you struggled with friendships?
Has health been a major struggle you keep meeting?
Do you struggle with being seen or sharing your art?
What is your relationship to success?
There is a house holding the frequency of each of these problems in your chart. Journaling allows you to recognize repeating patterns. Whether it's struggles with self-worth (2nd house), power dynamics (8th house), or feeling lost in your purpose (10th house).
Your journal is the place you will begin to see the pattern, and once you see the pattern, you can begin to shift it. This is how the work begins to release outdated patterns, heal and complete old cycles, and initiate new ways of being.
Rewriting the Narrative of Your Life
There one thing we can say for sure is there is a lot of doom and gloom when it comes to mainstream astrology. Yes, there are heavier placements and yes there will always be trials and pain points on this human journey, and yes sometimes it’s nice to know a chronic health transit is about to hit (but when do we stop catastrophizing?) . But within every “hard” placement in your chart is a powerful opportunity for growth and soul evolution. Without the intense, life altering, earth shattering moments in life you would never be ushered into a stage of rebirth. We do not grow in our comfort zones (though we do need regulation to truly integrate and expand.)
The karmic blueprint revealed to you in your chart isn’t just about previous lives, it’s about the here and now and what you are carrying. It’s the accumulation from those lives, and the accumulation from this current one, the “good” and the “bad"‘. It’s the energy stored within you revealing the patterns and the stories that have kept you prisoner of your own mind, cycles, and circumstance.
Honestly? Karma is about choice, free will, and growth. You get to choose differently.
Journaling through the 12 houses in your birth chart gives you the opportunity to change and even accept things as they are by finally witnessing the truth about the experience. If you’re anything like me you might have continuously met issues with friendship groups in your life. When you start your journaling process you might find that you have deep karmic work inside of your 11th house, just like I do. What the journal provided me with was the opportunity to understand the karmic cycles I had been repeating all through my youth, and what my soul was actually seeking out of these friend groups and the wounding tied up in them. The understanding that I was continuously seeking external validation from people who were cruel was a pivotal point in deepening my work with an astrologer. Imagine what you might find within your 11th house?
Why did I seek to be in the “popular” group over and over throughout my childhood, even though the people in those groups were the worst I had ever encountered? They were the same people on repeat. Different city, same exact personalities.
Why did I thrive those 2 years I dropped the need to be popular and went through my punk rock/goth phase? I had the best friends I could have ever imagined from ages 11-14 and I sure as hell wasn’t seeking any external validation or to fit in. In fact I was doing the radical work to stand out.
Why did it feel so damn good to cut all those “friends” from the popular group out of my life in grade twelve while I was in my nodal return? Yep, you guessed it, my nodal return happened in my 11th house of friendship, and my 5th house of creative expression. I stopped giving a fuck what anyone thought, lost 10 pounds of emotional weight, and started being my whacky self.
Through deep reflection, you get to reframe limiting beliefs, release inherited fears, and reclaim your personal power. Another example is if you have 7th house karma around attracting codependent relationships, journaling helps you redefine what healthy partnership means for you. Without this reflection you might never see the cycle, and never change the way you’re showing up in life and need to keep repeating the cycle until you finally understand. This is why this work is quantum.
Integrating Shadow & Light for True Empowerment
Within the 12 houses multi dimensional stories reveal themselves including stories about your deepest wounds and where they play out their drama in your life, and your purpose here on earth. We like to box in purpose within Western Culture by focusing on it being only tied to career or that which earns us income. But in truth your purpose is the ever expanding alchemy of your life, how deeply you move through the trails and lessons of it, and how attuned you become to what your calling is. The houses of the birth chart paint the picture of why you came here, and what you came to overcome.
Each house will contain gifts and pain points you’re invited to flush out through self study, and journaling is the perfect access point into diving into these wounds and karmic mastery points. For instance, The 8th house may hold fears of vulnerability, but it also offers deep transformation. The 10th house may reveal struggles with visibility, but it also calls you to step into your unique leadership role.
By writing down and decoding this information, bit by bit, you start to understand your cosmic makeup and in turn change the way you live your life.
Before I started the process of journaling through the 12 houses in my chart I felt like a victim of my circumstance.
Why was I always suffering through chronic health issues? Why was I always repeating the same cycles of feast or feminine with finances? Why did I keep hitting the same visibility wound though I had the deepest desire to shine and be seen as great in my work? Why was my childhood so hard? Why had I suffered depression from such an early age? I asked myself these questions over and over but it was not until I began to dissect my birth chart that I began to see the karmic patterns emerging. This gave me the power of choice. I could either keep repeating these patterns or I could change the circumstances of my life. I could work with the teachings of each house in my chart and become an active participant in my life and in the karma I am creating here on earth.
This is one of the most revolutionary things you can do for yourself. To witness your patterns and cycles and actively work to change them is an act of rebellion in a world that is complacent and has lost itself in the web of distraction, instant gratification, and dopamine hits. (Oh, and congratulations if you’ve read this far, you’re in the 2% that can keep their focus.)
Your journal becomes the landscape to process emotional and mental “blocks” and start living differently. This doesn’t mean witnessing your truth is going to be easy, or that the steps to your radical new way of living are going to reveal themselves right away. But it does mean that while you’re digging into the astrological archeology of your soul, you will be initiated into change. The rest is up to the level in which you commit yourself to the craft, the mentors you choose, and how deeply you’re willing to listen to the guidance of the universe, The All.
How to Start Your Astro Journaling Journey Through Soul-Mapping
You’ll probably hate this, but the first step in this process is to commit. As I mentioned earlier, your mind is like a void. It’s constantly taking in new information, changing, adapting, releasing, and shifting. If we keep everything in our heads, we’re bound to lose the thread. And I can almost guarantee that you are the type of person whose mind is moving faster than the speed of light, or else you wouldn’t be reading this, and you damn well wouldn’t have made it this far in the conversation, am I right? You’ve heard it before but consistency is key.
I don’t care what your journal looks like, and neither does the universe. Right now my journal is an unlined, nothing special notebook that I ordered off amazon in a pinch. It’s nothing glamorous but it gets the job done. If you’re the type that needs a whole new beautiful journal for this process, go ahead and do that. But don’t wait to start until you “get the right notebook”, cause honestly that’s procrastination in sheep clothing.
If you already have a journaling practice your job now is to start reflecting on the placements stored in your 12 houses. My advice? Start with some of the karmic pain points like The Moon, The South Node, and your Pluto placement. (Use this Free Guide to help you begin) These placements will automatically have you asking yourself questions around your karmic comfort zones, your fears, and where you are alchemizing in this life on your souls journey.
If you’re new to journaling, one of my favourite ways to start this practice is by tracking the New and Full Moon each month and where it is activating you in your 12 houses. Take note of what the focal point of the energy is in the house the Moon is activating, and if you see themes coming up in your life that relate. Sit down with your journal and reflect on what you’re being shown, ask yourself questions around how you can grow through these moments, and see what opportunities are being presented to yourself.
To start, dive into the insights below to explore how the 12 Houses reveal your karma, past-life patterns, and the areas where you can embrace your mastery.
Your Soul’s Story Is in Your Hands
Journaling through the karma of the 12 houses isn’t just an exercise… It's a journey of liberation. It allows you to see yourself clearly, rewrite old scripts, and step into your power with intention.
To help you embody this work, I created the most powerful mastercourse where you’ll be supported in journaling through each of the 12 Houses in your chart, what placements are contained within, and how your life has unfolded through your birth chart. You can discover more here.
Please note, you will need to know your rising sign to know your 12 Houses, and before you ask, no it does not matter what house system you use. Though I use and teach in Whole signs personally, many of my students use other house systems.
Where do you have placements?
Placements in the 1st House: Signify the self and contain past life experiences that have formed who you are today. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your identity.
Spend time cultivating your identity
See others as a mirror for uncovering who you are
Dig deep into your personal shadows around your perception of the world
Discover how to initiate your passions and go after what you want
Placements in the 2nd House: Are connected to money, possessions, and self-worth. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your material comforts and values.
Spend time cultivating your connection to stability and security
Heal any wounds around hoarding, holding, or gripping
Dive deep into your shadows around wealth, security, and finances
Uncover what you truly value and prepare to let go of what you don’t
Placements in the 3rd House: Are connected to communication and learning. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around expressing your truth and building connections.
Spend time learning to find your voice and speak your truth
Dive deep into the shadows of where you feel unheard or unexpressed
Learn to connect with those around you and explore new things
Cultivate your social network and begin to live in connection with others
Placements in the 4th House: Are connected to home, family, and roots. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your nurturing, belonging, and emotional security.
Spend time processing your relationship to family and ancestry
Dig deep into any emotional wounds that exist within the family, home, or childhood
Learn to forgive, release, or heal that which makes you feel unsafe or not held
Cultivate your personal sense of inner nourishment and home
Placements in the 5th House: Are connected to creativity, pleasure, and romance. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your self-confidence, karmic partners, and passion.
Spend time uncovering your passions and creative gifts
Dig deep into fears around being seen, feeling second best, or not sharing your gift
Release the need for external validation around your creations
Cultivate a life of pleasure, eros, and play
Placements in the 6th House: Are connected to work, health, and service. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your self-discipline, health, and the pursuit of perfection.
Spend time cultivating daily routines that support you holistically
Dig deep into how your everyday actions impact your health and wealth
Release the need to perfect things, take messy action
Cultivate a relationship with the sacred work you’re called to do through mastering something here on earth
Placements in the 7th House: Are connected to partnerships, marriage, and rivals. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your inner balance, harmony, and relationships.
Spend time nurturing partnerships and relationships, in and outside of love
Dig deep into the mirror people present to who and what you are learning about yourself through them
Release the people-pleasing and desire to enmesh with others
Cultivate powerful connections and collaborations in your network
Placements in the 8th House: Are connected to transformation, death, and rebirth. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your intimate relationships, power dynamics, and taboos.
Spend time learning to let go, release, and shed
Dig deep into the mysteries of your inner world and intimate partnerships through enmeshment
Release the need for control and power
Allow yourself to transform and change
Placements in the 9th House: Are connected with travel, philosophy, and spirituality. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your belief systems, exploration, growth, and higher learning.
Spend time cultivating a relationship to the divine through learning
Dig deep into questioning why you believe what you believe
Release dogmatic thinking and having to be right
Harness your desire for growth and continue to expand into your next horizon
Explore and grow endlessly
Placements in the 10th House: Are connected with career, reputation, and authority. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your responsibility, ambition, and leadership.
Spend time harnessing your personal legacy, what is it that you want to leave behind?
Dig deep into your desire for external validation and approval
Release the parts of you that desire to dominate or claim power through control
Uncover the depth and desire to leave your mark on this world, what really fuels you?
Placements in the 11th House: Are connected to community, social causes, and innovation. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your individuality, rebellion, and visionary thinking.
Spend time connecting to your greater vision for the world
Dig deep into the social impact you wish to have on the collective and who will help you get there
Release the belief that your way is the best way to progress or change the collective
Deepen your relationship to your community so that you may help bring about change
Placements in the 12th House: Are connected with spirituality, intuition, and the subconscious. This is where you may have wounds or karmic mastery around your isolation, healing, and surrender.
Spend time connecting with Source/God and deepening your channel to the divine
Dig deep into the service you are called to do in order to help the collective
Release any saviour complex or martyrdom that tells you to save anyone
Cultivate your relationship to your inner world and take time for solitude
This method is why my students learn so fast
Understanding the 12 Arenas of your Life
Understanding the 12 Arenas of your Life:
15 Go at your Own Pace Powerful Teachings
Your astrological birth chart is a map of your soul’s journey, full of insights about your purpose, strengths, and challenges. In Soul Mapping: Journaling Through Your 12 Houses, you'll embark on a transformative experience of self-discovery, blending astrology with reflective journaling to explore your chart house by house. This course will help you decode the language of the stars while connecting deeply with your authentic self.al birth chart is a map of your soul’s journey, full of insights about your purpose, strengths, and challenges. In Soul Mapping: Journaling Through Your 12 Houses, you'll embark on a transformative experience of self-discovery, blending astrology with reflective journaling to explore your chart house by house. This course will help you decode the language of the stars while connecting deeply with your authentic self.
Understand the energies that rule the 12 arenas of your life & how to work with them
Start living in alignment with how your energy natural flows & stop working against yourself
Uncover the roadblocks, hidden talents, and areas of importance in your life
Check out what my students have to say…
“I so love this! Break those molds, break the rules! I have learned more from you in the 4 years of your teachings and learning from your unique perspective than I have in the 30+ years studying astrology before you. I took courses and they don't shine a light to your way of communicating the subject.” - Michelle B
”Awe thanks! I am really loving this course! One of the first ones I have found myself excited to engage and be at every week!” - Kelsey B
”Vikaa. My love, thank you for this container, It feels like astrology fills in the void my my never ending curiosity whatever sits in my gemini is.” - Wanda
