The Eleventh House:
Dreams or Destiny?
By Terry Lamb, M.A.
Many think of the twelve houses of the chart in terms of their traditional mundane and psychological meanings. Nicholas Campion summarizes the energy of the 11th house as:
[Ruling] the individual's desire to integrate with the community . . . the wider social circle of acquaintances and groups, broader ambitions, general hopes and wishes, and political activity.1
Demetra George and Douglas Bloch describe it in terms of:
The need to be innovative, original and create social change; social aspirations, group interactions, friends and associations; the capacity to liberate the self from past limitations; [our] unique individuality.2
These are excellent interpretations as far as they go, but the spiritual-karmic point of view offers more. Such a perspective can lend a new insight and deeper understanding to our interpretations. To do this, we must consider the 11th house as the house of group karma.
Many teachers have suggested that groups of souls will incarnate together, either to accomplish something that a group must do, or to work out something between themselves. An example of this is a group of Toltec Indians who were massacred in one spot in Northern Mexico by Spanish conquerors. These souls reincarnated and gravitated toward the Southwestern U.S. and regathered at a regression workshop. Presumably, they would each have planets in their 11th houses depicting the nature of their relationship to the group, what they could fulfill within it and what they learned or need to learn as a result of the massacre.
We can presume that many such scenarios occur. In fact, since we each have an 11th house, each of us has group karma that we have asked ourselves to fulfill. Of course, this is stronger in some people's lives and charts more than others are.
To give you a feel for how I interpret the 11th house from this perspective, I'll run through an interpretation of the planets in this house. You will also need to take into account the sign(s) in it and the aspects to the planets found there.
Sun: The personal identity is integrally linked with group consciousness and the consciousness of a particular group. The individual may spend much time in groups looking for their karmic (ideal) group. He may cast about with behavior and motivations that seem out of place until he finds the right group. The person may personify their group's identity, become its motivator, hero and leader.
Moon: The memories from past lives, the instinctual nature, family and feminine nature are tied up with a specific group. Often this group is the nuclear family of origin or a spiritual family with which the person identifies emotionally. The heritage may be a key focus.
Mercury: The communicative abilities are focused through a group. This individual may become a spokesperson for the group. Often he was or is a student, or has a refreshing but naive approach to the group and its purposes.
Venus: The values and love nature are focused through the group. Often there is karma with a specific individual with whom they will team to fulfill the groups’ goals and purposes. The values of the group may be a learning ground for the individual.
Mars: The aggressive energies are expressed through the group. There may be past life karma of violence within groups (especially if retrograde or in hard aspect to other planets). The person may have many conflicts in the group or create factions. He may also energize groups in more benign ways related to Martian talents, e.g., as a surgeon or athlete.
Jupiter: The socio-cultural identity of the group is focused through the individual. This person may be powerful in articulating the teachings and social identity of the group and may take on a leadership role.
Saturn: The institutional identity of the group is focused through the person. They may have special insight into the purpose and unique work that the group has incarnated to fulfill. They will take a serious and responsible approach to the group's activities. They may feel a special destiny with the group, as if they are bound to the group and must fulfill its energies.
Chiron: The ability of the group to transform itself and others is focused through this person. They may be a shaman for the group, personifying the group's process of change and healing. They may find themselves being transformed as an example for the group or to show the way for other group members.
Uranus: The group's sense of individuality, innovation and rebelliousness is focused through the individual. This person's uniqueness becomes a beacon for the others to follow, often presenting traits which are peculiarly charismatic to the group membership. He may be the black sheep of the group, or rebel against it and thereby provide a reactionary focus which brings greater cohesiveness to the group vis-à-vis its agreed upon goals and actions.
Neptune: The group's ideals and spiritual identity are seen within this person. He may provide a vision of the future that the group can articulate. He may be a victim or underprivileged person around which the group can rally. He may have made sacrifices for the group or continue to do so.
Pluto: The group's transformational energy is articulated by this individual. He may contain much of the group's power and bring it into manifestation for the group. He may have control of the group or its membership and may transform the group as he transforms himself.
Transpluto: This individual will help the group to manifest its rewards through patient, steady effort. He may act as a rainmaker, bringing to the group the prosperity—financial or in other form—that they have earned over many lives.
Ceres: The individual has a role of healing within the group which will be fulfilled through caring for its members and the group energies. He may personify a mothering energy for the group.
Pallas: This individual is a warrior in the name of truth and justice for the group. He will act and speak out in impartial wisdom to articulate the group's inner truths.
Juno: This person is attached to the group through desire (which need not be negative). The emotional nature of the attachment may endow the individual with the ability to motivate the members to express their energies more wholeheartedly on the group's behalf.
Vesta: This individual will express his highest purpose on the planet through the group. He will work tirelessly to fulfill its purposes and will keep the flame of the group kindled at all costs.
When a planet is retrograde in the 11th, it suggests that there is leftover karma from past lives with the group. This does not mean that the energy was misused, although that is a possibility.
Looking at the 11th house from this perspective adds to what we already know about it from the traditional and humanistic perspectives. Such an approach to the chart can give us more insight into the soul behind the person. It can also lead to a greater sense of fulfillment in the person whose life it maps. | 
