Seed Principle: Transforming our insecurities into strengths. Parashara calls this Bhava the “cavity or flaw.” It is where we are faced with our mortality and endings, our insecurities in the face of another and our neediness and fears. The changes we undergo through the eighth house compel us to look more deeply into the hidden parts of our self and explore life.

The body part associated with the eighth house is the genitals, the private parts, as the eighth house is where we feel the most vulnerable and exposed. Yet, it is these organs that create life itself. In many ways, the life we are creating emanates from the depth of our fear and insecurities, and the capacity to transform them into strengths.

Eighth house people: Those we are afraid of losing. Those we fear in general. A killer. Those we can’t control. The astrologer. The hypnotist. The therapist. The insurance agent.

Activities: Strengthening our insecurities and facing life’s deeper mysteries are the eighth house. Hypnotherapy, counseling, exorcism, transformative work of any type is related to the eighth house. Death.

Environment: Mortuary, graveyard, Bankruptcy Court, disaster zone, dungeon, dark place. the counselor, psychic or astrologers office.

Objects: Weapons and other dangerous things, Tarot cards, astrology charts. Insurance policies. Inheritance.

Planetary Indicators: Saturn is the indicator of the eighth house because he shows loss and the need to take things seriously and be careful.

Guna / Lesson: Emotional Liberation
General Explanation:
The hidden, shocking, scandalous, deceptive and unexpected events in life come through the eighth house. It’s related to endings, weakness and our deepest fears. It is the second liberation house and shows where we seek freedom through another person and also freedom from the influence of other people in general.

This is a deeply creative house if we have the courage to face its issues. Eighth house trouble will relieve us of our attachments one way or the other, either painfully or with ease. A person’s deepest mistakes and darkest secrets can be seen here. Ultimately how we handle the eighth house shows how much we grow in life – how much we mature – and how much our personal philosophy will be informed by wisdom and insight.

In many ways this house is the repository of our maturity around other people. It shows our maturity around death and losing them. It shows our maturity around relationships and shadow issues that arise, such as jealousy, fear. It shows how we respond to these vulnerabilities as well. For instance – deceit, lying and treachery, murder and many of the darker parts of our psyche have their seed origin in the eighth house.

For many of us, our deepest illusions come through other people, the seventh house. Those illusions are shattered in the eighth house. Remaining childish at this stage can be very costly.

Exactly how will you respond when the illusions of partnerships wear off or the illusion of other people “saving you” wears off? That question is answered in the 8th house.

Evolutionary Process:
“From avoidance, denial and efforts to control our fears to the emotional chaos, mistakes and obsessions we have over them, to a measured and realistic exploration that leads to penetrating wisdom and insight is the Evolutionary process of the eighth house.”

The effects of planets in the eighth house:
The Sun in the eighth house shows there will be a lot of concentrated effort on exploring life’s deeper mysteries. This makes for a lot of interest in occult pursuits, and understanding the nature of the mind and psychology. Modalities such as hypnotherapy and other sorts of deep, exploratory work can be shown. There’s a great capacity to be a healer with this placement.

The Moon in the eighth house tends to bring a lot of psychological fears into the mind of the native. Sudden and unexpected losses are often hardest for the Moon, the place where we feel the most easily hurt and the most vulnerable to begin with. Often there is a difficult relationship with the mother with these natives, and an expectation of fear and chaos with intimacy. However, these difficulties often compel an individual to have a deep interest in the occult and are often healers, astrologers, etc.

Mars in the eighth house can be one of the most dangerous placements, as Mars is reckless and the eighth house is where mistakes may have dire consequences. The person must be very careful with this placement and learn to slow down. Beyond that, a lot of energy will be marshaled toward strengthening our emotional weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Martial arts, sports and competition is often seen with this placement.

Mercury in the eighth house can make for a penetrating thinker and writer especially. The flexible nature of Mercury can support the transformation of the eighth house. In general, Mercury is a planet of transformation and change, and so is the eighth house. Yet, the 8th house is painful transformation and Mercury is about flexibility and transformative ease. Self-expression is very important in this case.

Jupiter in the eighth house truly rises to the occasion, bringing good values, morals and conduct into this place of fear. The eighth house leads us to philosophies and a deeper probing nature, Jupiter is the planet of philosophy. A person with eighth house Jupiter has the potential to be a great teacher and guide in occult matters.

Venus in the eighth house is often more problematic than not. In particular, the potential for sexual abuse and for our desires to come at a very high price, is possible. The desires of Venus lead us into mistakes generally, and eighth house consequences are high and often painful. When evolved, this can lead to a very loving and service oriented placement, or a sexual healer (for example), but the desires must be managed.

Saturn in the eighth house brings a careful, cautious nature into this dangerous area of life. Of course, in this sense, Saturn is quite good for helping us avoid problems. Additionally, the eighth house is going to challenge us and scare us, and Saturn is the planet of our fears. Making this a fearful placement. However, Saturn is also about being practical, real and accepting what is. This is a big part of the eight house, making peace with the way things are, rather than remaining immature about what we hoped, what we want, etc. The painful realities of life are really not that painful, once we make peace with them. This is Saturn’s nature.

Rahu in the eighth house can be a dangerous placement. Similar to Mars, Rahu is where we act with haste and in an unthinking way. In the eighth house this can lead to major disasters and consequences. One needs to be careful and slow down with Rahu in the eighth house, especially when distressed. However, there will be an obsession over hidden, occult areas of life with this placement. Thus, there will be quite a lot of metaphysical interest shown.

Ketu in the eighth house shows one withdrawing from the chaos and danger of life, preferring a more stable, material existence. Often there was a chaotic childhood or past. There’s an awareness of the fragility of life, yet more interest in cultivating stability and structure.

Overview of Houses 5-8
Houses five through eight provide a structure for the evolution of our emotional self, mainly in relationship to others. The highest truth of our relationship with others and our creative self comes through the fifth house of children and creativity. This produces a lot of work and requires the intensive efforts of the six house. Based on our willingness to serve those things we love we may fulfill the highest desires of the seventh house in relationships and business. Those deep desires and entanglements with others results in our fears, insecurities, jealousies and losses of the eighth house, which also leads to the next phase of growth, universalizing our consciousness.

A self evolving/self-correcting process leads forward from houses five through eight, but also backwards from houses and eight through five. The things we love the most (fifth House) create the most work and require the most sacrifice and effort (six house). Our willingness to do that work connects us with the people we desire (seventh House). The intense mutual needs of these seventh house interactions awaken our deepest fears, vulnerabilities and stresses of the eighth house. Faced with such fear and vulnerability, makes us question and hesitate before getting involved with others (seventh house). This hesitation forces us to be more careful in battle and more willing to serve rather than win (seventh house). This willingness to serve evokes a higher sense of who we are in relation to others, and showing us all to be children of God (5th house).

This evolutionary process of five through eight continues throughout our life, as we unfold deeper and deeper levels of awareness with our emotions and others.

Based on this level of awareness with others, we interact in a more universal way, beyond just our emotional desires (houses 1-4) and what we want with individuals (houses 5-9) in houses nine through twelve.