4th House
The fourth house is the house of roots: the family of origin, home, land, and, in the classical tradition, the end of life. Its cusp is called the IC, the nadir of the chart.
What the House Rules
The fourth house rules origins, family history, housing, and the inner sense of "home." It is the most hidden part of the chart, what a person shows only to those closest to them.
Tradition links it to one of the parents (schools disagree on which one), to real estate, and to whatever a person returns to.
Planets in the House
The Moon in the fourth house strengthens attachment to home and to the mother, Saturn indicates a strict or impoverished childhood and late independence, Uranus relocations and an unconventional family.
Planets here work in ways others don't notice, but powerfully.
Sign on the Cusp and an Empty House
The sign on the IC describes the atmosphere of the parental home. Like the Ascendant, it requires an exact birth time.
An empty fourth house is common; the theme of home is then judged by the ruler and by the Moon.