The Fourth House generally begins at the lowest point in the chart. If we could look below it, we would be looking off the chart somewhere into the past. This is to do with our roots and origins. What family did we come from, who were our grandparents and ancestors. What have been the issues in our family over the years, what is the family history we are inheriting ? The Fourth House is more immediately about our current family, about our Mother and Father about the environment we grew up. Specifically it relates to our Mother. For the child we have been following through the houses, it is how he sees his family around him, what sort of warmth there is in the home, where he lives and whether he feels safe and nurtured there.
The Fourth House is naturally ruled by and parallels the sign of Cancer. It is a watery house and is concerned with the realm of feelings and emotion. Does the child have a tangible feeling off warmth or coldness in this house ? Is a person secure and safe and cared for or do they feel cold and abandoned or neglected ? This is also an indication of how we wish our home to ultimately be for us when we form our own families.
The opposite House to the Fourth is the Tenth. This is to do with being out in the world and showing our public face, quite the opposite of the insular Fourth House.
Planets in the Fourth House show us how we relate to our family and home and origins. With many planets in the Fourth House much of a persons focus will be taken up with home and family. They may need to isolate themselves away from the Public world to gain strength and remember their roots. They may also have many issues that need resolving in the sphere of the family.
With Jupiter in the Fourth House a person may have or be part of a big family. There is a hint of joy and life about this placement. There is likely to be a lot of emotion and expression and life in this family. With Saturn in the Fourth however the person's family background is likely to have been cold and austere and lacking in love. A person may have been an only child or have had to take on a great deal or responsibility at an early age, possibly acting as a father or mother figure.