Our emotional foundation and subconscious self-image based on early childhood experiences are established in the fourth house. The way we feel about ourselves is conditioned by our experience of our parents’ (or significant others’) acceptance or rejection of us as we were growing up. From these experiences we developed our sense of belonging and our capacity to receive - and/or a sense of alienation and a difficulty or frozenness in receiving.

The fourth house rules the home, our family as a child and as an adult, the nurturing parent and our early experience of being nurtured, our most personal and intimate life, real estate and property, and our heritage and ancestry. Here is where we send down roots and establish a base of operations, find our limits, and generally secure ourselves. It is the end of any searching we might have done in the Third house, and thus rules the latter part of life. A planet here indicates the need for a stable emotional base in order to fill the needs of the house it rules. The more planets in this house, the more one tends to be subjective, personal, private or introverted.

Astronomically speaking, the fourth house is that one-twelfth sector of the local sky counter-clockwise from the nadir (see above picture) occupied by planets in the two hours before they reach the lowest point in the local sky.

With Mercury in your fourth house you have a tendency to be high strung and easily exasperated. You need to learn to relax. Many changes of residence and concern over personal security: home, family, and such. Perhaps when you were growing up you didn't know how to express yourself except in ways your parents found offensive. Subsequently you learned that unless you resisted your family's influence you'd never have a life of your own. Having been conditioned to think like your parents, you know and value the importance of thinking for yourself. Your thoughts have great substance and feeling. History, the past and nostalgia interest you.

With Venus in the fourth house you're artistic, optimistic, and love people and social contact; you'd do nothing to cause discord. There is lovingness deep within you, and, as the fourth house symbolizes the end of matters, the latter part of your life should be filled with comfort, peace and love. You love your home, family, mother, heritage, and history in general. You have a strong desire to own your own home -- which will probably be fulfilled -- and want it to be a place of beauty and tranquility. You appreciate emotions and like to get a feel for whatever is happening. You'll probably be a collector at some time in your life, and as such are very discriminating.