The Eleventh House and Creativity
Understanding our art through the place of good spirit
“The heart of creativity is an experience of the mystical union; the heart of the mystical union is an experience of creativity. ”
Julia Cameron
In this newsletter, I will be exploring the main topics and facets of the 11th house, classically known as the House of Good Spirit.
I have already spent much time exploring the 5th house, the place that describes our creativity and art-making practice. You can find some of my articles here:
Make Art Divine Again: On the 5th House and the 9th House
Opposite the House of Creativity, is the 11th, where we find such topics as hopes, dreams, communities and alliances. While the 5th house depicts us in our element, making art in our own interior way, the 11th shows us the spiritual seed of our physical creations as well as the networks and aspirations that bring this work out into the world.
By understanding the relationship between Good Spirit and Good Fortune, we can hopefully expand our view of the creative process and learn more about how our 11th house impacts our lives. May this essay help you understand this part of the sky and re-invigorate your relationship to creativity.
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Located above the horizon, the eleventh house is on the rise. Found next to the 10th house, the highest part of the sky, “immediately behind the summit of bright heaven,” as Manilius puts it, planets in this temple have nowhere to go but up.1 Whereas planets in the tenth have already reached their peak, with “no movement save for the worse can it make, nor it aught left for it to aspire to,” those found in the eleventh are “more secure than it”.2 For, you see, according to the primary motion that describes the movement of the signs through the sky each day, planets in the eleventh will soon be in the 10th, leaving them forever on the upward trend.
As such, planets in the eleventh are considered universally auspicious. Firmicus Maternus tells us that '“[When] the Sun is in the eleventh house, the natives and their fathers are fortunate and hold high position; their prosperity increases over time”.3 Even the malefics in the 11th bring about good, though the elevation this place promises is delayed until the native’s 30th year if Saturn is found there.
No wonder, then, that Jupiter, the Greater Benefic, is said to rejoice here. Ruling over all manner of wide-spread goodness, ranging from wisdom and material abundance to friendship and freedom, Jupiter’s rejoicing here aligns the eleventh with a good fortune that connects us deeply with the realm of spirit. Just as Jupiter gives us space to dream and encourages a big view, the eleventh is where we envision the future and begin working towards our immaterial aspirations. We see the mystical undertones of this house as Manilius tells us to “let its ruler [Jupiter] convince you that it is to be reverenced”.4
For you cannot talk about the Eleventh House without talking about spirit. One of the original names for this portion of the sky is “the house of the Good Daimon,” referring to the tutelary deities assigned to watch over every human. Homer describes daimones as “winged guardians or protectors over mortals who dispensed riches”.5 Plato divided daimones into good and bad, both of which enforce fate through gifts or harm depending on their nature.6 The daimon of the eleventh house has also been compared to “the Roman genii, the fairy godmother, the guardian angel, and the spirit guide,” all of which work to help the individual achieve their dreams.7
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