A couple embraces and smiles under a wedding veil, representing the 7th house in Astrology.

Your 7th House of Relationships and Agreements

The seventh house represents your close bonds and partnerships.

What is the 7th house in Astrology? The 7th house of a birth chart represents our relationships with others. Cooperation and conflict both live here. This house rules one-on-one partnerships of all kinds, including romantic relationships, business alliances, friendships, and even adversaries. It also describes how we approach agreements with others, including legal contracts, negotiations, and lawsuits.

The zodiac sign that occupies the 7th house of your birth chart is called the Descendant. It represents qualities you hold that you have not yet consciously embraced or balanced within yourself. Through your relationships, you’re forced to face these qualities in others, which helps you grow more fully into your complete self.

7th House Themes

Partnership
Contracts
Marriage
Cooperation
Conflict
Adversaries

7th House Meaning

The 7th house is all about relationships. It rules our approach to relating, the types of people we're drawn to, and how we manage conflict. Thus, it's not just about cooperative partnerships -- the 7th house includes enemies as well.

To better understand this house, you can look at its opposite -- the 1st House of Self. Both houses shape your identity. However, the 7th house is where you understand yourself in relation to others. We all know that relationships are where we do the hard work to accept ourselves wholly. Oftentimes the qualities we seek in others tend to represent missing parts in us that we are subconsciously trying to find. Or we may even project our unowned shadow parts onto others. In this way, your partnership house can tell you more about yourself as an individual than you may realize.

In this area, you begin to take the individual purpose cultivated in the first six houses out into the world. You also decide who you want to partner with to do so. Agreements, negotiations, legal contracts, and lawsuits are all ruled by the 7th house, including marriage and divorce.

The sign in this house adds a unique flavor to how you cooperate with others. With Gemini here, for example, a person may be quite social and value having many kinds of relationships, while long-term commitment to one person or project could be a struggle.

When you have serious questions about a relationship in your life, you can look to the 7th house for answers.

Planets in the 7th House

If your birth chart shows any planets in the 7th house, you’re likely to see their influence in your relationships.

Here’s what planets in the 7th house could mean for you. Not sure which planets are in your 7th house? Find out for FREE now with our Essential Birth Report »Find out now with our Essential Birth Report »

Sun: Relationships are a big part of who you are. At times, you may even become a little too dependent on them. Don’t sacrifice your needs to avoid conflict with those around you.

Moon: You’re very empathic, perhaps to the point where you confuse your emotions with the emotions of others. Harmony in your relationships helps you feel secure and fulfilled.

Mercury: Communication is a priority in your relationships, so much so that you are likely turned on by intellectual stimulation. You thrive when you can debate ideas.

Venus: A charming and agreeable air makes you very attractive to others. This works out well since you prefer to be in a relationship -- just don’t forget about your relationship with yourself.

Mars: Your strong need for independence can cause strife in your relationships. Learning to cooperate and listen to what others are truly saying will help you find balance.

Jupiter: While you probably thrive in partnership, your beliefs and values may begin to mirror your beloved’s. Fairness, equality, and social justice are likely to be at the top of the list.

Saturn: Relationships take a lot of work for you. The responsibility of commitment may wear you down -- don’t get caught in someone else’s standards of what success looks like.

Uranus: You need freedom in a relationship and are likely attracted to those who are a little different. Your detached nature may also make you seem hard to get.

Neptune: Try not to read too many fairy tales. Idealistic thinking and unrealistic expectations can distort the true colors of your relationship. Remember, you don’t need anyone to complete you.

Pluto: Your soul has a strong security attachment to relationships. You’re being called to transcend your dependency on others and listen to your own advice for a change.

Chiron: The relationships modeled to you as a child may have involved a lack of closeness or an ugly divorce, potentially resulting in a fear of abandonment. Own your need for connection.

North Node: Even though you may pride yourself on being independent and self-reliant, you must recognize your need for relationships. Find ways to maintain your sovereignty in them.

South Node: You’re always thinking about what others think, but being a people-pleaser is likely getting old. It’s time to put yourself first, whether people like it or not.

Transits in the 7th House

When a planet transits the 7th house of your birth chart, relationships are highlighted, as well as any contracts, agreements, or legal dealings you’ve got on your plate. The specific nature of the matter depends on which planet is transiting and how it's impacted by the rest of the chart.

For instance, when the Moon transits your 7th house, you can be especially emotional and nurturing with a loved one, but you may also end up sacrificing your needs for someone else. Venus transiting the 7th house can be a very promising time for solidifying a commitment to a special someone, while Saturn transiting here emphasizes the importance of responsibility and boundaries between partners. Watching the planets that transit your 7th house, and learning more about them, can help you prepare for the inevitable ups and downs in your significant relationships.

The 7th house’s emphasis on relationships leads us into the 8th house, where we encounter lessons about intimacy and transformation. Take a look at this 8th house overview to see how it’s showing up in your life.