House 4 (Imum Coeli)
House 4 is the fourth of the 12 astrological houses and one of the four angular houses. Its start marks the Imum Coeli (IC, Latin for 'bottom of the sky') — the point directly opposite House 10's Midheaven and situated below the Ascendant-Descendant axis — and it governs home, family, roots and one's private, domestic foundation.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-20
Historical fact
As one of the four angular houses (alongside Houses 1, 7 and 10), House 4 is considered, in the house-strength classification inherited from Hellenistic astrology, one of the chart's most potent. Its start, the Imum Coeli (IC), sits directly opposite House 10's Midheaven (MC). One point without consensus among astrologers: traditions and individual authors have historically disagreed on whether House 4 represents the mother or the father (with House 10, the opposite angle, representing the other parent) — this assignment varies by author and regional convention, without a universally accepted answer, so it's worth treating as a genuinely open point rather than a fixed rule.
Interpretation — Western Astrology (Tropical)
In modern Western astrology, House 4 governs the home, family of origin, ancestral roots and someone's private emotional foundation — often described as the base the rest of the chart rests on, being the 'lowest' and most internal point of the sky. As noted above, different astrologers link this house to the mother or the father, depending on school and author. Natural rulership: Cancer and the Moon.
Interpretation — Vedic Astrology (Sidereal)
Vedic astrology (Jyotish) typically uses the Whole Sign house system, without the unequal subdivision by latitude common in Western quadrant systems. In this tradition, House 4 is called the 4th Bhava (Sukha Bhava, 'house of happiness') and governs the mother, home, emotional foundation and property — unlike the Western ambiguity noted above, Vedic tradition assigns this house to the mother more consistently among its classical authors.
This section presents one tradition's interpretation, not a verifiable fact.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Imum Coeli (IC)?
- It's the point marking the start of House 4 — the zodiac degree at the chart's lowest point at the moment of birth, directly opposite the Midheaven (MC), which marks the start of House 10.
- Does House 4 represent the mother or the father?
- There's no universal consensus: different traditions and individual astrologers assign House 4 to one parent or the other (with House 10 representing the opposite), varying by school and regional convention. Vedic astrology tends to link House 4 to the mother more consistently.
Sources
- Nicholas Campion. A History of Western Astrology (2009).
- Claudius Ptolemy. Tetrabiblos (c. 150).
- Maharishi Parashara (trans. R. Santhanam). Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (1984).
- Vettius Valens. Anthology (Hellenistic astrology) (c. 175).