Modern astrologers often assign sex to the 5th or 8th houses, but did you know that originally, in ancient times, it was associated with the 7th house!?

Proufound student of astrology, Chris Brennan, has this to say about sex and the houses...

"In the Greco-Roman astrological tradition sex was evidently originally assigned to the 7th house, and then later it shifted to the 5th house at some point during the Medieval or Renaissance traditions, before eventually moving again to the 8th house in modern times."

The houses weren't even conceived of before 100 BC after which they were popularized by Greek astrologers into the personal horoscope. Before then, astrology was planetary and aspectual and reserved mainly for kings, queens, and dignitaries rather than the common masses. Also, the Ascendant, rather than the Sun or Moon, was the most important feature of the horoscope. Sun sign astrology was popularized during the 1960's and 1970's.

While the fifth house DOES show physical or sexual attraction, it is more properly concerned with LOVE, which leads to attraction, marriage and mating(7th house). The 8th house is the genital sex act itself and its transformative effect. In sign terms, 5th or Leo is love, 7th or Libra is attraction and marriage, and 8th or Scorpio is coitus/intercourse.

All this house talk is confusing and highly theoretical. In my PRACTICAL experience, I have found the Sun/Ascendant relationhip to be the primary indicator of physical or sexual attraction. Sun opposite Ascendant(or Sun opposite the 7th "house") stands out in particular, even more so than Sun conjunct Ascendant. And it doesn't have to be by degree or orb -the sign is what counts. If only one Sun is opposite the other's Ascendant(by sign) it may be one-sided or not as strong, but when both Suns oppose both Ascendants, that's when the rapport is most powerful. This a very common marriage aspect. It is also quite common among close friends or business partners. It's more important(and common) for the woman's Ascendant to be opposite the man's Sun, for men are generally more visual(Ascendant) when it comes to sex or attraction, whereas women concentrate more on the "vibes" or emanations coming from the man's Sun.

Sun sextile Ascendant(by sign) can also be sexually attractive but the rapport is less powerful than the opposition. Sun conjunct Ascendant can also be strong followed by Sun trine Ascendant.

Sun in harmony to Ascendant is NOT the only indicator of physical or sexual attraction, but it is the primary one. For LASTING or GREATER intimacy, other planetary comparisons must be taken into account, namely Moon/Moon(emotional), Mercury/Mercury(mental), and Venus/Mars(true affection). Other notable links are Sun/Moon and Venus/Ascendant. This is because sex is not just physical -it can be emotional, mental, or spiritual as well. The more compatibility links there are between two people the more this will heighten the sexual relationship.

So, true to the Greco-Roman tradition, sex or sexual attraction is more of a 7th house matter than it is a 5th or 8th house one. More accurately, it is primarily a Sun/Descendant relationship.