The Progressed 12th House and Isolation

The 12th house is the house of the hidden, and sometimes this includes hiding ourselves. This is usually most evident with people who have their natal Sun in the natal 12th house, and they come across very shy, reserved, or uncomfortable in public situations. Over the years, I’ve also noticed a theme with the progressed 12th house and isolation. It seems a bit different from the natal 12th house locations, which are a natural part of your personality and life. When it comes in with the progressed 12th house, it’s something that develops in your life for the time it’s in effect, and is more than just discomfort in public or around new people, or being more shy and reserved. With the progressed 12th house, quite often, it seems to bring in true isolation.

There have been many scenarios in which this has presented itself. For example, a woman who’s progressed 12th house cusp came to conjunct her natal Sun. As soon as it did, she became a recluse, developing severe agoraphobia, and was removed from society for almost the entire duration of her natal Sun in the progressed 12th house. The 12th house also governs our subconscious mind, and can be tied to mental illness, so this was brought out in her. She already had the predisposition in the natal chart to this with other factors in play, so the opportunity was there. If you lack anything in the natal chart showing this predisposition, then you’re less likely to develop any manifestation of this transit that is this extreme. But it becomes a possibility if there are difficulties in the natal chart (say, a prominent or challenged natal Sun, Moon, or Saturn, for example).

In another example, transit Saturn conjuncted a man’s progressed 12th house cusp, entering the house. As soon as it did, he also became reclusive, leaving the regular first-world life behind for a quiet life in a monastery. He didn’t quite suffer mentally and emotionally like the woman did, and instead chose to spend his time alone, wanting to deep-dive into his psyche and spirit. He did have much in the natal chart to show there was a lot of subconscious baggage that needed to be sorted through, and Saturn made that important for him. Saturn often forces us to deal with baggage wherever he’s traveling through, and with the 12th house, this is usually subconscious baggage or past-life baggage.

Time and again, this seems to pop up with the progressed 12th house in a way that doesn’t seem to as much with the natal 12th house. Why exactly, I can’t really say. Perhaps the natal 12th house energy feels more comfortable and familiar, while the progressed 12th house energy is developed and takes on a new form.

The emergence from the 12th house veil can often be liberating, terrifying, but almost like being a whole new person. The time spent isolated is often spent being deeply introspective and learning a lot about yourself and the past. The 12th house also governs endings, and so we can move on from it letting go of a lot of what we don’t need. The planet in the 12th house eventually comes to the 1st house, where we come into the bright light. There can be a period of time before the planet actually conjuncts (usually 1-2 degrees before) where you begin to feel the change coming, and you can prepare for it so by the time you’re on the 1st house cusp, you’re ready to break out.

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