The houses divide the sky around you into twelve areas of life, starting from the Ascendant on the eastern horizon. The 1st house is self and appearance, the 2nd money and self-worth, the 3rd communication and siblings, the 4th home and roots, the 5th creativity and romance, and the 6th daily work and health.
The 7th house sits opposite the 1st and covers partnerships; the 8th intimacy and shared resources; the 9th travel, belief and higher learning; the 10th career and public life, beginning at the Midheaven; the 11th friends and future hopes; and the 12th solitude and the inner world.
A planet's house shows where its energy shows up most. Venus in the 10th house tends to bring charm and values into your public role; Mars in the 4th puts drive into home and family. Houses depend on birth time, so they shift if the time is off.