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Empty 10th House in Astrology: Meaning & How to Read Yours

An empty 10th House indicates that you simply didn’t need a planet present there in order to find success and work toward your goals. It doesn’t imply that you will struggle in your job or will never be seen as someone to be recognized or respected.


But is an empty 10th House in your chart something to worry about? What could it mean to have no planets in your 10th House?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  • You can still excel at your career even with no planets present here.
  • Your 10th House sign and its ruling planet can offer clues.
  • Planets in transit will still move through your empty 10th House.
an abandoned chateau with words that read "your empty 10th house"

What does an empty 10th House in my chart mean?

Because the natal chart contains 12 houses and only 10 planets that astrologers generally consider, you will have empty houses in your natal chart.

If your 10th House is one of your uninhabited houses is that something to be worried about? What does it mean to have an empty 10th House and how do you get insight from a house with no planets?

What does the Tenth House mean?

One of the names used for the 10th House is the House of Career.

Areas of life covered in this house include your success and achievements at work and your social status and reputation.

Also, your ambition and how you approach your career fall under your 10th House as well.

The type of career or huge goal you are drawn to and the style in which you push toward it is described in this house.

And, your 10th House could show you the reputation or status you already have, but it could also give you a glimpse of what you wish to achieve but haven’t quite grasped yet.

I am not generally a believer in destiny and believe that free will plays a huge role in everyone’s life, but if I had to pick one spot on the chart that came the closest to it, it would be your 10th House.

  • social role
  • biggest goal
  • career
  • achievement and recognition
  • reputation
  • ambition
  • what you have the potential to become

What are empty houses in astrology?

While it may be no surprise that an empty house in astrology is simply a house with no planets in it, the bigger question is what does this mean for your life?

There are many schools and branches of astrology, but in the type of astrology I practice, Evolutionary Astrology, an empty house simply means that you didn’t need any planets there in order to find joy and fulfillment in this lifetime.

There are some who worry that an empty house means you will struggle in those areas, or that those parts of life won’t be important.

But from my perspective, any house in your chart has the potential to be incredibly influential in your life, even the empty ones.

What if my Tenth House is empty?

With an empty 10th House, the act of finding and working toward a career that satisfies you didn’t require any planets in order to achieve it.

an example chart showing an empty 10th house
This chart was made using Solar Fire astrology software. Learn more here, including how you can get 15% off!

From the standpoint of Evolutionary Astrology, there is no such thing as a “bad” chart and the one you were born with is always the “right” one for you, regardless of whether your Tenth House sits empty or not.

You came into this life with all of the qualities and tools necessary to dream big and go after your goals, building something you are proud of in the process.

With an empty Tenth House, your planets were simply needed more in other areas of your chart.

Although I don’t believe that an empty Tenth House is a guarantee that you will face no challenges in those areas of life, I also think that finding no planets in your 10th will not prevent you from working hard and finding success.

Luckily, even with no planets here, you aren’t just left to speculate about what your 10th House may offer. Your chart still offers many clues and insights for you!

How do I read my empty 10th House?

The cusp (starting line) of your 10th House is of extra significance in astrology.

It has its own names, the Midheaven, and Medium Coeli, and it represents your public image, reputation, and who you aspire to be.

Your Midheaven is considered the most public point in your chart and, even if there are no planets to be seen in your 10th House, this house cusp may be considered in an astrology reading.

But, there is more to learn from your empty 10th House, and you can follow the steps below to find out more!

1. Your Tenth House sign

Open your chart to see which Zodiac sign the starting line of your 10th House, your Midheaven, lands in.

In our example chart below, you can see that the cusp of their Tenth House lies in Scorpio.

an example natal chart showing the 10th House cusp in Scorpio
Made with Solar Fire software. Learn how to get your discount here!

The sign of your 10th House offers up a set of characteristics and motivations that may help shape how you move through this house. It could give clues into strengths and challenges when it comes to reaching your highest goal, achievement, and your social status.

2. Look up the ruling planet of your Tenth House sign

For the next step, you need to figure out which planet or planets rule your 10th House sign.

Each sign has one or two planets that are considered the sign’s rulers.

Below is a table showing each sign’s ruling planet, and you can use it to locate the ruler or rulers of your 10th House sign.

Zodiac Sign of Your Tenth HouseZodiac Sign’s Ruling Planet or Planets
AriesMars
TaurusVenus
GeminiMercury
CancerThe Moon
LeoThe Sun
VirgoChiron (modern), Mercury (traditional)
LibraVenus
ScorpioPluto (modern), Mars (traditional)
SagittariusJupiter
CapricornSaturn
AquariusUranus (modern), Saturn (traditional)
PiscesNeptune (modern), Jupiter (traditional)

3. Locate the planetary ruler of your Tenth House sign

Go back to your chart and notice which sign and house this planetary ruler sits in. If there are 2 rulers, take note of both.

The traits of that sign combine with the qualities of your 10th House sign, adding more complexity and dimension to your understanding of this house.

Whichever parts of life are described by the house that this planetary ruler is found in will also be connected to your 10th House.

Below in our example natal chart, you can see that their empty 10th House cusp lies in Scorpio, and the table above shows that Scorpio has two rulers, Pluto and Mars.

an example natal chart showing an empty 10th house in Scorpio and its rulers, Mars and Pluto
Made with Solar Fire software. Learn how to get your discount here!

Their Mars is placed in the 2nd House in Pisces and their Pluto sits in Gemini in the 5th House. The qualities of Pisces and Gemini and the life experiences of the 2nd and 5th Houses will help to shape and be connected to their 10th House.

4. Find Saturn in your chart

In astrology, Saturn rules the 10th House.

Wherever Saturn is situated in your natal chart will also influence how you experience your 10th House.

Similar to the steps above, the sign and house of Saturn will mix with the traits and characteristics of your 10th House sign and its ruler, adding yet another level of detail to the reading of your empty 10th House.

the empty tenth house example chart highlighting the position of saturn, ruler of the 10th house
Made with Solar Fire software. Learn how to get your discount here!

In our chart above, you can see that Saturn is found in Capricorn in the 12th House. This information can be layered with the details you have already compiled above, adding additional complexity to the reading of your 10th House.

Will my empty Tenth House always be empty?

Even though your natal planets are set in stone, frozen in time at the moment of your birth, the planets are always moving, of course.

In astrology, the moving planets are said to be “transiting.”

You can learn more about transiting planets in this article from Astro.com.

The transiting planets continuously orbit and interact with your natal chart, bringing their planetary energy to each house as they go.

moon in transit in the 10th house of their natal chart
Made with Solar Fire software. Learn how to get your discount here!

I introduced transits into our natal chart example above, and you can see the transiting Moon is visiting their otherwise empty 10th House, bringing with it its planetary energy.

However, the Moon will quickly move on to their 11th House, taking its influence with it when it goes.

Your empty 10th House can actually be full of activity and energy when you take the transiting planets into consideration.

Other articles you may enjoy:
Empty 9th House
Empty 11th House

a pinterst pin about an empty 10th House