Astronomically speaking, your first house is that one-twelfth sector of the local sky just below the eastern horizon occupied by planets two hours before they rise. Astrologically it symbolizes early childhood conditioning, and describes self-awareness and the experiences most necessary for its development. The first house is the mask you wear in relating to and projecting yourself into the world. It rules physical appearance, body type, conscious self-image, and how others see and experience you. It’s the window through which you view the world, and through which others receive their first impressions of you.

Whereas your first house is the window through which you view the world and through which others receive their first impressions of you, the sign on the cusp of your first house (your Rising sign) is the particular tint on the glass of that window, coloring and modifying all energy that passes into and out of your being. In fact, all of your personality functions (planetary energies) must eventually emerge through and be colored by your first house cusp if they are to emerge at all. Planets in the first house are parts of your self-expression. The more planets here (except Saturn and Neptune), the more you are involved with putting out your own energy rather than experiencing that of others, hence the greater your subjectivity. Thus the sign on your first house cusp conditions the way you look and how you express yourself.

With Mercury in your first house you can project your ideas and your voice with enthusiasm and energy. The closer Mercury is to your ascendant, the more likely it is that you use this ability in your livelihood. You're a thinker and communicator: a real live wire; but you may be too highly strung or suffer from nervous tension if Mercury has difficult aspects. Learn how to stop thinking about yourself, or to stop thinking, period. It would be very restful on the nerves.

With Venus in your first house, you love beauty and beautiful surroundings, and are probably physically attractive yourself. Friendly and charming, you benefit from working closely and personally with people. You're also lucky, and your early life has been pleasant and easy. Often quite artistic and/or sensual, you express these qualities with ardor or sloth depending on Venus' sign and aspects (see pages 76 - 78 in your personalized, fine art astrology book, "You and the Universe"). A good appearance and the personal approach are important to you; that is, how people present themselves. You're discriminating in matters of personal taste and art. Other things being equal (which they rarely are), this is a placement of ease, grace, good fortune, and the capacity to draw to you whom and what you want. Venus is the attractive principle and the goddess of love, and in your first house it's part of your natural personality, self-expression, body type and personal appearance.

If either Mercury or Venus are within 10° of the ascendant they are conjunct the ascendant, and much of the foregoing is even more strongly emphasized. And if either planet is in the twelfth house AND within 4° or 5° of the ascendant, then it is said to be on the "dark side" of the first house, and it influence will be felt in the first as well as in the twelfth house. The closer a twelfth house Mercury or Venus is to the ascendant, the more it will be interpreted as though it were in the first house; and if either planet is less than 3° from the ascendant, it will expresses itself primarily—and eventually entirely —in the first house.

Famous people born with Venus in the first house are/were James Arness, Sri Aurobindo, Lauren Bacall, John Belushi, Ingrid Bergman, Robert Blake, Robert Bly, Richard Bone, Jorge Luis Borges, Johannes Brahms, David Brinkley, Carol Burnett, Ellen Burstyn, George W. Bush, Albert Camus, Dyan Cannon, Rosalynn Carter, Johnny Cash, Dick Cavett, Dick Clark, Bill Clinton, George Clooney, Joe Cocker, Bill Cosby, Wally Cox, Biilly Crystal, Xavier Cugat, Danny De Vito, James Dean, Bruce Dern, Laura Dern, Emily Dickinson, Matt Dillon, Donovan, Linda Evans, Henry Ford, Michael J. Fox, Mohandas Gandhi, Judy Garland, Hermann Goering, Ed Harris, Audrey Hepburn, Benny Hill, Jimmy Hoffa, Billie Holliday, Harry Houdini, Jeremy Irons, Ed Koch, Helmut Kohl, Lisa Kudrow, Jay Leno, Rsh Limbaugh, Abraham Lincoln, Gordon MacRae, Tobey Maguire, Groucho Marx, Robert S. McNamara, Margaret Meade, Roger Moore, Ralph Nader, Paul Newman, Donald O'Connor, Les Paul, Jane Powell, Leontyne Price, Martha Raye, Steve Reeves, Auguste Renoir, Maximillen Robespierre, Pete Rose, Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Segal, Tom Selleck, William Shatner, Grace Slick, Sting, Robert Taylor, Rip Torn, Arturo Toscanini, Linda Tripp, Tracey Ullman, Lech Walesa, Mike Wallace, Andy Warhol, Earl Warren, Walt Whitman, Oscar Wilde and Gene Wilder.