The first house is associated with your identity, physical appearance and health. It is the place where planets rise from the underworld and into the world. They are reborn and revitalized. Here, the soul enters the body and the metaphysical merges with the physical. The 1st house is where life is breathed into you from the Heavens.
SUN
Having the Sun in the first house means that your risings sign and your sun sign are identical which suggests that the personal traits of that particular sign will be more solid, more clearly expressed. The vibrations that you give off and what you really are about will be very similar in nature. Sun in the 1st house creates a greater consistency between the first impression you give and who you really are. There is a greater sense of “That's what and who I am and that's it. Take it or leave it.” That's why Sun in the 1st house people tend to come across as very sure of themselves but in reality, they are just firmly rooted in what they know themselves to be. And because of that solid sense of self, they make no excuses about who they are, and express themselves more unapologetically.
Sun in this house often indicates that this person will take good care of their body, they will have at least a little bit of vanity (but usually quite a lot of it :). They will like to look and dress well. They will be more conscious in their choice of clothing.
One of the greatest strengths of people with this placement is that they attract to themselves the right people more easily. When you give off the vibes of who you really are, people who are attracted to those vibes will come to you and stay with you when they see you are what they thought you were. For comparison, people who have Sun and Ascendent in different signs (that's the majority of people) have to learn to deal with people misunderstanding them, and people coming to them and wanting to be their friends but then the friendship or lovership dissolving because of misalignment of expectations, perceptions and reality.
With regard to transits, both the Sun and the Ascendent are extremely sensitive points in the chart. So if you have both in the same sign and close nearby when one gets activated by a transit, the other one will be activated too. This double activation can come off as too strong, especially if Pluto is involved. But positive activations will also bring double dose of joy and luck.
For example, think about a person with the Sun in the 3rd house. A Uranus transit will first trigger their Ascendent and then several years later their Sun - that's two flips of the script spaced out and giving you enough time to deal with the changes. Whereas, if you have both sensitive points in one sign, you will have one period where there is a double dose of Uranian turbulence. Or Plutonian purging.
MOON
Having the Moon in the 1st house means that in life you will be very much led by feelings and intuition. You will find it naturally easy to sense the emotional undercurrents of a situation or interaction or all types of social exchanges. You will have a natural talent for picking up on how people feel about things.
However, other people might find it easy to read your feelings too. And depending on the rest of the chart that could be a welcomed development or not. For example, if you are a Scorpio Sun, you wouldn't want your feelings to be easily read. Or if you are a Capricorn Sun, you wouldn't want to be seen as emotional. So first-house Moon will make you a bit more reserved and guarded. If your Moon is in a communicative and open sign like Gemini, you will be much more bubbly about everything, including how you feel about things.
MERCURY
People with Mercury in the first house give off a bit of a cold, rational and detached vibe. They like to intellectualize and analyze everything, including emotions. They are curious so they like to ask questions and when you first meet them, you are left with the impression that they always have something to say on every topic. They love keeping up with whatever is the latest. They also like gossip, commenting, dissecting, exercising their rational faculties. And … they like talking :) You can easily recognize these people by the way they behave in a discussion - they are the ones never in a hurry to reach a conclusion, they are the ones never rushing through an argument for the sake of resolving the conflict. They thrive within the verbal exchange. There is also an unmistakable low-key neuroticism about people with a very strong Mercury in their chart. I mean it in a good, healthy way. They need more mental stimulation than other people and traces of that low-key neuroticism can be noticed in the way they talk and jump from topic to topic.
In terms of destiny and transits, Mercury retrogrades will affect these people more than people without this placement but on the bright side, Mercury retrogrades 3 times a year for about three weeks, so that's altogether 9 weeks or a little under 3 months. By comparison, the outer planets, as well as Saturn and Jupiter, retrograde for much longer periods.
VENUS
When you first meet someone with Venus in the first house, this person will come across as very polite and caring. Nothing of what they do or say is directly pointed at you, nothing is invasive, nothing risks disturbing the social graces. Venus in the 1st house people follow a protocol for interacting with others that is very considerate of the other person. They have a gentle, subdued charm that easily makes them the socialite of the company. They strive to project class, refinement and manners.
Being so focused on balance, means that they have a soft spot for beauty. The ancient Greeks considered beauty and balance to be inextricably linked that’s why Venus is associated with both. So Venus-in-the-1st people make sure they look good in a sweet and gentle kind of way. Balanced, where nothing stands out too much, nothing about them is offensively in your face.
This need for pleasantness is deeply seated and one of the potential problems in life with this kind of placement is that when a hard transit hits, these people have to, on one hand, fight the battle to survive, on the other, to constantly strive to look like they carry themselves with effortless chic and class. Still, even when life is hard and these people feel like they are being dragged through the mud, they handle conflicts with a level of social grace that is unmistakable and the onlooker just knows: Ah, prominent Venus in the chart. A Venus person in a tough spot will always be concerned first and foremost with making sure that the problem does not escalate and that the good tone of the discussion is maintained.
MARS
Mars in the first house is that one placement you are never going to have a problem identifying. Mars does not hold back. Anything. These people, when they see what they like, they lock the target, reach out and grab it. They don't beat around the bush, they have no patience for doing things with grace, it just slows everything down. Anything they like, they want, and when they want it, it goes without saying that some sort of fight will have to take place. They don't expect to just receive it like that, and they don't like getting things without a fight. There is no such a thing as getting something gracefully or waiting until it's your turn or until the time is ripe. "I want it here, I want it now and I am making the move".
Everything that Mars in the 1st house people do has the feeling of sharp knives or edges flying around. From the way they dress, to the way they walk and most importantly to the way they go about building the life they want for themselves - it’s pointy and spiky, it cuts. With these people there is never a concern that the way they go about doing something is not graceful, is not soft, smooth and fluid. Their directness can come off as inflammatory but they don’t care.
Take this example. If a Venus in the 1st house person wants a promotion, they are going take that promotion only if there is a sense of consensus among the team and the management that they should get it. Or at least, there shouldn't be any resistance. Going up the career ladder should happen gracefully, almost as if this nice promotion is falling in your lap on its own. Behind the scenes the Venus in the 1st person might be negotiating and charming everyone, lobbying for themselves, to make sure they get what they want but externally, it always looks gentle, not forced or coerced in any way.
If a Mars in the 1st house person wants a promotion, they will have no problem seeing and treating everyone else as a potential competitor and making it known that they won the war. None of this promotion stuff happened because we all gathered as friends and decided that me getting the promotion is the best solution to the leadership gap. With Mars in the 1st house, it all happened because I challenged everyone and in the fight I proved better than everyone else. "By a lot" - the Marsian person would add. :)
JUPITER
Jupiterian influence in the house of self and identity creates individuals who are open and welcoming to everyone. Not open in the sense of pouring their heart out to every stranger but open in the sense of quickly making newcomers feel like they are part of the group. They are friendly from the get-go and you never have the sense that there is a border between you and them, that you are being tested or studied, that you are perceived as unfamiliar. They naturally make people feel accepted: "There is nothing wrong with you or strange about you, you are just as welcomed here as everyone else, we are all here all just humankind-ing".
Of note, however, in their openness and acceptance you won’t find that sense of warm, soothing, healing embrace. They are open and friendly and communicative, and they genuinely want to share their exploration of the world with you but they don't want to heal your wounds, mother you or nurture you. Their attitude of acceptance and openness might eventually heal you but that’s not their original motive and they don’t want to be bothered with emotional drama. These people are eternal explorers and optimists. Probably a better way to put it would be to say that they are very cosmopolitan and worldly. They are above pettiness. They transcend it.
Jupiterians don't dwell on past hurts or measly human-made divisions and they don't want people who do that to drag them down. They move forward with childlike optimism and curiosity. The first thing you will notice about Jupiter in the first house is how much these people don't have any regard for traditional divisions between people on the basis of professions, nationality, culture, official belonging to this or that group. All are welcome. The more the better, the more the merrier. Expansion makes life fuller and makes the heart fuller.
SATURN
People with Saturn in the first house project an image of maturity and seriousness. They look and feel beyond their years. There is an embedded understanding that life is a struggle and is about perseverance and stoicism, and there is no place for frivolities and aimless fun. There is a sense of seriousness about life and inability to just loosen up that is easy to catch even if you aren't into energies and astrology.
It probably sounds like these people got the worst deal, the short end of the astrological stick but there is a bright side to this placement too - they ooze an “I am a responsible, no BS person” kind of aura. And if you dream about a corporate career (or a career in law or politics), which you probably do with this placement, that vibe will be very helpful. You were born miles ahead of the competition.
After Mars, Saturn is the easiest energy to identify. If for Mars success is a bloody fight to be won, for Saturn it is a process of ruthless exertion to build yourself brick by brick that has to be withstood. Even if there are easier ways to get rich or respected, they prefer this one because that's how they earn their own respect.
These people have either had the kind of life that has forced them to grow up fast, or they intentionally wanted to grow up fast because they have always felt more attracted to adulthood themes.
URANUS
Uranus in the first house people may seem a bit distant and cold at first. It’s because they intellectualize their experiences. Intellect is how they meet the world. Emotions are not their forte. So even after you have spent some time with them, even then you feel like a part of them is not present, it’s locked away, it’s far from you.
They are not unfriendly, in fact they are very communicative, they have very vivid minds and they are always up for a good intellectual conversation but there is always something that seems distant about them.
Very often the topics that they are interested in would be related to science or the future of mankind which is a bit far from the standard coffee-table topics. They often have opinions about unusual things, or angles on topics that are eccentric and somewhat out of the ordinary. Their angle on trivial things is, at least in some way, something you haven't heard other people say before.
They like to experiment with themselves, to try and live in a new way that isn't the accepted order of things in their society.
With regard to transits, Uranus has a 84-year long orbit which means that almost everyone experiences a square and an opposition of Uranus to their first house. That means that a Uranus to Uranus square and opposition will directly affect the 1st house. So unusual as these people may be in their understanding of the world, their lives will be marked by significant shifts in their identity. Uranus is the energy of unpredictable, inexplicable reverses of fortune and in this case it is hitting the house of self and identity directly.
NEPTUNE
Neptune in the first house amplifies intuition and imagination. People with this placement will feel their environment and the people they surround themselves with on an energetic level. They have a tendency to live more in dreamt-up worlds than in the 3D reality, in fact, they are among the people on the planet least interested in the 3D.
Usually this non-reality that they drift into is way more positive, way more dreamy, a better world. But it can lead to losing connection with reality and when that happens life can go either way - you could end up living the dream or you could end up living under a bridge.
Very often, Neptune in this house creates people with a more fluid sense of self. They are easily influenced by the energetic fields around them. The surrounding energies influence who they are and how they respond more than they do for other people. The line between the self and the outside reality is blurred.
These people are not great at making long, logical, well-reasoned exposes. Logic feels too fixed, too rigid to them. They like elusiveness and flexibility.
With regard to destiny, Neptune in the first house people are very adaptable. As mentioned earlier, their personality is less fixed and much more fluid than the standard self. There is a balancing act going on here. On one hand, Neptunian people tend to live in their imagined, better reality which is constantly under assault from the objective 3D reality. On the other hand, they are very adaptable and capable of maintaining their faith in this better world that they can envisage despite the discouraging feedback from reality.
PLUTO
Pluto in the first house gives the individual depth and intensity. People with this placement feel to the rest of the world like deep dark waters in the middle of the night. There is calm, a sense of control over what is being let on. But there is also tension in the air because you know there is more movement under the quiet surface. Sort of like the calm before or even after the storm. The sense of intensity is always present even if you can't exactly pin-point where it is coming from.
Pluto is very particular about power struggles and where the power balance lies in every social interaction. So they are suspicious and as a result quiet. They like to observe people and gain insights into their personalities without betraying anything about themselves. Despite the intensity, their faces rarely betray emotion or reaction. This gives them a sense of personal power and makes others see them as having personal power. Intense eye-contact is a classic give-away that someone has Pluto in the 1st house.
What destiny do people with this placement have? With Pluto in the house of self and identity the transits of Pluto become very important for this individual. Transiting Pluto brings very cathartic transformational experiences to everyone’s life. Whether it is for good or for bad depends on how well the individual has mastered Plutonian energy, particularly self-control and psychological power games.
In mastering Pluto energy, the key element is that intense emotions and feeling deeply have to be seen as an advantage, not a setback. It matters that the individual does not have to face their deepest fears before they have matured enough to at least have a chance at handling the loss or defeat well. It is also important that the person learns to swim in such deep waters otherwise Pluto in the 1st house can lead to a twisted relationship with addictions and violence.