Secrets of the 11th House, Part 1: Our Connection to Giving Back to Society
The 11th house is the most treasured of houses. It is said that all planets do well herein and fulfill our desires. It is connected to gains from work, as it is 2nd from the 10th house.
Alas, it is a much more complicated house than most astrologers will admit as it is 6th from the 6th house that can cause health problems. It is connected to groups, associations, and our karma with them, which is not always pleasant. In Part 1, I will discuss the much overlooked connection of the 11th house to groups, society, and community, and in Part 2, I will discuss what the 11th house reveals about one’s income and the ability to fulfill desires.
The 11th house is the house of friends and associations, which is the opposite of the 5th house indicating who we like to play and do recreation with. It is the playground where we venture out into society and sometimes a place where we want to change the world. It is connected with the natural 11th sign of the zodiac Aquarius where social action seeks to move out of the ambitious 10th house and move into the world to effect change for the betterment of society. For those who work with groups, it is not an easy place as our behavior becomes critical and vulnerable to opinions of others and of how one is seen. Creativity of the 5th house is tested here as we express who we are and have society judge it. As we move toward humanity, we hope our creativity and our dreams will come true to create benevolent changes. That means the 11th house is connected to community and how we band together with others to create something bigger and support the collective.
The 11th house is about our highest ambitions for the world including wanting to make a difference in society. It reflects our ability to take the talents, status, and ambitions of the 10th house and move it out into our community and effect change. If we have some success in our life, we naturally want to help those around us. The great philanthropists like Andrew Carnegie and Alfred Nobel did this. We have to realize that if we have a lot of money and we do not share it with others, then we are missing the point.
The 11th house forces us into the world to express our gifts for the benefit of mankind. My spiritual teacher was fond of saying that if we are given money in our life, it is meant to be shared with your community and the world, not for hoarding. This house is the placement of dreams and fulfillment of desires. If it is connected to Jupiter or Pisces, a strong Sun or with Leo, it can be filled with great with hope, optimism, faith, ambition, and triumph. Transits through the 11th house bring fulfillment of desires and joy – this is why it is so cherished.
The 11th house is not always the picnic as many astrologers might describe it, as it is connected to the naturally complex 11th zodiac sign of Aquarius which in Vedic astrology is co-owned by Rahu and Saturn and in Western astrology has a connection to Uranus. Rahu by nature creates deep desires, which are often elusive, like chasing a carrot on a stick, and Saturn brings deep karmic surprises. Aquarius anywhere in the chart is often connected to deep karmic suffering.
Because of the hidden quality to the 11th house being 6th from the 6th it can bring challenges and health issues. These may arise out of complex seething anger and failed interactions with groups. When the group disapproves, we can be cast into a deep funk like an oddball Rahu character judged by the Saturnian community, crowd and hence there are some underlying time bombs hidden in the 11th house in our ability to express our talents in society. If judged poorly, we can be sent down a black hole. Social rejection can bring deep suffering of our creativity from the 5th house sitting opposite the 11th house. I remember Saturn going through my 11th house a few years back while doing some pioneering humanitarian outreach in my community, only to have the snipers and vultures come in and tear my achievement down out of jealousy. These are the type of hidden perils of this house.
We might suffer in this house, but such anguish increases our sensitivity to the distresses of others. Experiences here inspire us to dream of a better world. We are put to the test in the 11th house whether we can take our ambitions of the 10th house and realize our dreams for a better society or be cast out and rejected. We are deeply tested here in whether we can change socially or be taken down by competitive political wolves who are more interested in their self-glorification than really helping society.
There can be Weltschmerz here or suffering for the pain of the world. We may seek to benefit and help society as we become more sensitive here, but local politics may drag us down to earth and create suffering in the end that may breakout into illness. I remember that I became very sick after years of politics in my spiritual organization.
Major transits of the more mature outer planets through our 11th house like Jupiter or Saturn or the outer planets Neptune, Uranus, or Rahu may trigger a longer stint at changing society and getting into the political ring or making a social difference.
Jupiter will support community growth and progressive change, but Saturn will create a long arduous journey of hard work and battling to create a better world. Neptune will give us utopian visions and ideals that may not be possible. Uranus and Rahu will give more a revolutionary tendency and grass roots outreach to inspire us to create a new society against one that is not working. In a sense, one of the secrets of the 11th house and its natural connection to Rahu through Aquarius is to change stale and worn-out elements of society. In a sense, it is an outlaw toward conservatism, which is often so much a part of Saturn and Capricorn.
Neptune wants an ideal society but as we know, Utopia means “no-place” and so our hopes and dreams for a better future become a huge battle against the conservative forces that resist change. Jupiter’s liberal values may also be too unreal if Jupiter is afflicted or the 11th house afflicted. The 11th house is an important place to move into society and our community to express our talents. It may be a difficult fight but it is part of our purpose on the planet.
We can learn so much by looking at ant and bee colonies and the wonderful way they work together for the whole. The 11th house draws us into moving outside of ourselves and doing something bigger for the planet. Do we heed the call or are we taken down by the political forces surrounding us? If your 11th house is strong then you have a good chance to make a difference and it is one worth doing. Given the Rahu self-centered, greedy, and corrupt world that has been developing over the past 30-40 years, we have our work cut out for us – but go out and make a difference. Take on the call of the 11th house to create a better world.
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