Sex – The 5th House vs The 8th

Zodiac vintage faceYou read in astrology that sex is associated with both the 5th and the 8th house. This is confusing to the beginner. I can simplify it for you.

The 5th house rules sex for recreation. The 8th house rules sex for procreation. If you have an emphasis on the 5th or the 8th house in your chart, you can probably relate to this.

For example, I have a packed 8th with nothing in the 5th. I don’t “play” sex. I say that without passing judgement. I know a lot of people who have sex for fun and recreation and see no problems with it. I just know it’s a different function. Understanding this can be empowering.

What is your prevailing attitude towards sex?  Can you see this in your chart?

102 thoughts on “Sex – The 5th House vs The 8th”

  1. this doesn’t jive for me at all…

    5th house aquarius with venus and mercury…I’d expect a rather “wheeeee!” approach to sex with this but that is not me at all. I need loads of honesty, trust and deep feelings to feel really good about having sex with someone. Definitely not about procreation but equally not about recreation at all.

    So what gives?

    I’m wondering: I have jupiter in opposition, neptune square, and I do remember reading that t-squares “point” to the area where we fix or solve the conflict, which is my taurus 8th house. eh? does that ‘splain it?

    no idea.

  2. I’ve got the same set-up as Maaike: Aqua moon in 8th, Uranus in the Scorpio 5th (8th-house ruler in the 5th house).
    Plus a Leo sun (5th vibe) and Mars-Venus conjunct Pluto (8th vibe). 😉

    I can do casual, I can do “recreation,” but to do so it needs, needs, to be an instinctual gut-hit. Lukewarm will NOT do! And that happens very few and far between.
    Even in my casual encounters, there’s a certain “loyalty” I expect: kiss and tell at your own risk! I’ll serve it back to you in a way you’ll never forget… *smirk*

    I much prefer something intense and soul-searing, though, something with depth and smolder I can sink my teeth into and savour for a while; this doesn’t satisfactorily lend itself to casual sex.

  3. Sun in the 5th and Mars in the 8th, Libra can’t decide!

    I would say I identify with the 5th house more. I have Sun (me!) loose conjunct Venus (likes + chart ruler) in Aquarius (detached) there along with Pallas. However, despite all my Aquarius and attempts to just not care, I do get very possessive of my lovers which I attribute to Mars conjunct Eros and Jupiter in 8th/Taurus. I feel like a Scorpio sometimes and I don’t particularly like it.

  4. Is there a possibility of self-denial of sexual expression when saturn in the 12th is in square to sun in the 8th (capricorn)??? Sexual inhibition or difficulty achieving orgasm with partner because of hidden guilt (saturn in the 12th)??

    Saturn also squares moon in cancer in the 2nd btw…

    Would really like to get some feedback on this

  5. Kinda lost on this one.
    5th house has Sun (Aries) Jupiter & Mercury.
    8th house has Saturn.
    Confused….

  6. Ive got a emty 5th house…
    Capricorn in the cuspid… ruler Saturn in the 12th Leo which doubles my attitude toward that.

    My 8th Cuspid is Aries, with Taurus Chiron on it… Sex is also healing for me.

    i only play with the one im in love with… im quite serious about it, in doing it… but i love anything sex related, im heavily sexual (Taurus Mars).

    My Scorpio Juno also wants a deeeeep connection.

  7. I have an empty Aquarian 8th house, with Uranus (conj BML) in Sag in the 5th. Scorpio 5th cusps,with Ceres.

    Sex its very important for me. I am nurtured by sex, fun, creative activities. Sex, either in a relationship or a fling,has to be intese and gut felt, as SaDiablo said.
    I also tend to be quite playful, kinky and exploring, trying new things turns me on. I am a devotional lover and expect the same, something too intense does not allow for another person. Unless is a threesome, haha!

    Anyway,there is so much taboo about sex and certain sexual experiences, that made me put down my desire to experiment. Its an inner struggle.
    But with that mix of signs, houses and planets/asteroids that finally comes out.

  8. 5th ruled by Gemini, 8th by Virgo – both ruled by Mercury. Mercury Pisces 2nd. Both empty.

    Sex is a spiritual exchange. You are exchanging energy. I only wish to do it with someone I love. There has to be a spiritual connection, or I see no reason to allow them to have it from me.

    My ex used me physically, so I detached emotionally during it. I could never have a one-night stand.

    I don’t know if I’ll ever have it again. It’ll be interesting to see who the guy is, and why I agree to have sex with him (fall in love with him). Once I do, he’ll never go without it, I assure you. I hope he takes his vitamins.

  9. My 8th house is empty – cusp Gemini but mostly in Cancer (I have Lilith in my 8th though but I don’t know much about that). My 5th house is actually empty too – cusp of Aries (only a sliver of it in Taurus.

    Both of these probably explain why I don’t have much interest in sex and I never wanted to get married or have children. Funny I have alot of Scorpio in my chart (Rising and Sun exact conjunct Pluto) but nope, don’t really care about sex at all. So, I guess yeah my chart is correct! 🙂

  10. Our sex life has always been just about as much fun as it could be, and never boring. It started out as just fun, from both perspectives, but we were seriously about fun, if that makes any sense. This, I believe is the fifth house perspective. Also, we were friends first, which helps.
    As for the eighth house, I believe HE was unconciously all about procreating, in an instinctive way that he’s just beginning to understand.

  11. Venus in 8th square Pluto in 5th. Sex is totally intense and serious for me, and only with someone I totally trust. After I know I’m safe with them and that there’s a long term investment, then I can start being playful.

  12. Couldn’t be intimate with someone I don’t know, inside and out. Packed 8th. Little something in fifth says “quality folks” only.

    I don’t play around with intimacy/sex either.

    Have only had/still only have one partner. Says it all.

  13. Packed 8th! Sex has always been more serious pursuit! I have to know the person well. I have done the friends with benefits, but had absolutely no fun! :-0
    Also, a few unpleasant experiences, which really took the fun out of sex!

  14. 8th house moon in gemini / empty 5th house in pisces… I have always wanted children, and the best sex for me is when it’s emotional, when I have strong feelings for the person. It doesn’t always need to be intense or passionate… I can very much enjoy ‘fun, light’ sex too… but there needs to be an emotional connection at the root of it all.

  15. I have an 8th House Stellium in Gemini with an empty 5th and the woman I am totally in love with has a 5th House Stellium in Leo with an empty 8th.

    There’s so much magnetism but haven’t gone all the way yet. So far it seems like my 8th House is more influential in the relationship. She also has her Pluto in the 7th. And we have opposite Ascendants (me Libra, hers Aries) so almost all the houses are on opposite signs.

  16. My 8th house is ruled by Libra, with my sun in Libra and a stellium of Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter, in Scorpio and Jupiter and Venus conjunct Pluto in Scorpio in the 9th house. My fifth house is ruled by Cancer, and had Vesta in it. To me, sex is something not to be taken lightly. It changes everything. When I have sex with someone, it’s usually only because I feel something intense or passionate towards that person. Nothing casual..

  17. Natally I have the ruler of my 5th (saturn) conjunct mercury in my twelve (I’m a Leo/Virgo). The ruler of my eight is conjunct the nn as well as venus. So I’m very passionate, ofter jump into sex too fast. Its hard to separate love from sex. My fifth house make my kids… ummm a chore. Dont get me wrong, I love them, but I take raising them very very very seriously. Now, currently pluto is rx but when it goes direct, it will be at 8 degrees Capricorn, and I’m 8 degrees Virgo, so I’m thinking something big is going to happen. When Pluto started its rx motion it really messed up my relationship, everything got cold and when it finally opposed my natal moon in cancer at 12 degrees, we broke up. So I wonder what pluto transit in my fifth is going to do??? Get passionate about sex?, get passionate about raising these kids?, another kid? Death of a child? Transforming through my creativity? A new passionate lover? (Got neptune opposing my asc) or a lover that is going to lie to me? Heeeeeellllpppp plzzz

  18. Hello,

    I have a libra uranus in 5th and cancet saturn in 8th.

    I have sexual instability on one hand but longing for relationship – moon in 7th house

  19. I dont know where I fit in this. I have moon in 8th, but Scorpio rules my 5th and I have 1.6 million planets an asteroids in Scorpio in the 5th. I am actually a nun.

  20. I totally know what you mean about how sex has a different function than play sex. I have pallas in Aries in the 5th house, jupiter, chiron, ceres, and verte in the 8th. I have venus in scorp in the first house so regeneration is a constant theme in my life, especially when it comes to sex. I now view it as sexual evolution. I use to have tons of sport sex and then sex got more intimate and even disgusting. Sex became a means of power and we are all responsible for how we use sexual energy. After tons of experience, and I know there are people who have WAY more experience than me, sex became Sacred out of the pain that I had put my body through in the past. Sacred sex for me, is a way of redemption, of allowing my body to channel spirit in divine union. Only those who are brave at heart and calm in mind can enter, because consciousness is expanded beyond my body. This means that I can only become sexual with people who hold the same vibration as me. Being intimate with the self builds up this vibration and you will experience heightened sensuality. I feel like a vessel, carrying with me the energy of my environment, all the pain and the confusion that Sacred sex burns through. As my body is able to heal with sacred fire, my surrounding environment becomes lighter, and more cheerful, before it gets dense again, so the process keeps repeating itself until people know. When I enter the space of Sacred sex, I am not preplanning a “marriage with house and kids” with a chosen partner at the time. I am not “looking” for someone to fill a gap. I am very in my body and since we are all emotional sponges, I need sex to be Sacred because the emotions that un-sacred sex that my body absorbs needs to be cleared and replenished.

  21. My boyfriend has a super Aquarius 8th house – Mercury, Sun, Venus, and Jupiter! He’s also got a 5th house Scorpio Mars. His Saturn conjuncts my 5th house moon in Sadge (our ascendents are same sign, Cancer, just 10 degrees apart.) He’s never been married, and already has a child. I’m not a virgin, but I told him I’m not having sex with him until marriage, because I believe sex is for making babies. He accepts that. He would also like to marry me tomorrow lol. I’m not Plutonian at all, but very much a Taurus, and I’ve dated my share of Scorpios, and tried to have relationships with 3 different guys with 8th house moons (fail fail fail). This one is so different… he’s got a 4th house Libra moon. I love his Aquarian energy. I’ve got Gemini 🙂 And I think we have a great Saturn-Jupiter thing going on.

    The relationship report I got from you is great, Elsa. I just can’t decide if I should share the info with him or not. I know it won’t change his mind about what we he’s going to do in our relationship, but I just wonder if he’d find it remotely interesting, amusing, or even hilarious (like the part that says I’m more stubborn than him, ha.) I haven’t mentioned it at all yet.

  22. I have sun and venus in my 5th house nothing in my 8th house my wife has nothing in 5th or 8th whether we shall have any children ? if yes when if no should be adopt one?

  23. Interesting view, I can totally agree with you! And I have 6 planets in the 5th, since they are much in the same sign and house I have developed a very special relationship towards sex. And I can say like this, I have only had one partner, I’m happily married. But I have more lust and need than my husband, but he manages good I think. My focus isn’t on having sex for the “play” it is more deeply grounded in me, but that is because of the planets in 5th and the sign ruler is standing in one deep pit of Aquarius in 7th so… But I can do it for fun too..

  24. I have no planets in 8th or 5th but I do have part of fortune in 5th house which doesn’t do anything I think. My sex/romantic life has been dry to put it nicely.

  25. I have Mars in Pisces in the 8th. Sun/Ven in 5th in Capricorn … I love kink and submissive (sexually/emotionally – Alpha otherwise) men.

  26. I have 3 plants in 5th house 2 in 8th one is my sun and north node and ceres I think I get serious about sex after I have a kid

  27. I’ve always wondered about this, since Taurus Mars and Lilith are in my 8th, and Aquarius Moon & Venus are conjunct in my 5th, about 15-16 degrees away from my Aquarius Chiron. So … I have always been single, bi, longest relationship 2 mo., and vulvodynia (excruciating pain in the vagina during penetration) makes intercourse a non-starter (which of course put an end to courtship by men). This might be an expression of the 5th House, which actually has Capricorn on the cusp.

    At the same time – and this may be Mars & Lilith in the 8th, where they are in Taurus but Aries is on the House cusp – I am fully orgasmic, enjoy the sexual activity I do have as regenerative, and I write bouncy, graphic fiction. I also produce two podcasts on sexual health with a researcher/educator, and have explored various swing/kink communities.

  28. Both houses empty.
    In Placidus, Neptune ruler of 5th is in Libra, in 12th.
    Venus ruler of 8th is in Cancer, in 9th, square Neptune.
    All this is pretty nebulous to me.
    Sex is not often for fun, more for excitement, and for me has never been for reproduction. It’s some sort of awkward, misguided (sometimes even sordid) & often dissatisfying human interaction where I do feel, according to a famous expression of Elsa’s “like a siren out of water”.
    These 2 planets in 12th do uncertain things, preferably hidden.
    I don’t like to expose myself too much.
    In Equal the rulers would be Venus & Uranus, both in 9th. Another point of view. But the murky 12th seems more appropriate to describe how I “feel” about the subject.

  29. My Taurus moon is in the 8th. My Venus in Scorpio in the 2nd
    I love my moon in the 8th. Especially in Taurus.
    Sex is an emotional intimate thing. I have to feel a deep emotional and spiritual connection. See the persons shadow. Have a few good healthy arguments or crisis and see how he handles my shadow and how I handle his. My Taurus makes it a sensual thing. I connect when I know how he tastes,smells and feels. His voice has to resonate with me.

  30. Saturn in Capricorn 5th house, empty 8th house in Aries. Serious play. I can’t have a casual sexual relationship. Our one child was a happy, unplanned occurrence. Everything has worked out fine though we weren’t on a mission to make a family. It seemed like the right thing in the moment. Makes sense.

  31. I have Neptune in the 5th/Scorpio, Mercury in the 5th/Libra, and Saturn conjunct South Node in the 8th/Aquarius. Libra on my 5th house cusp, Capricorn on my 8th house cusp. My earlier adultmlife was quite notable for its lack of sex. Never dated in high school. I was a “late virgin” (lost it when I was 20). I was celibate for 14 years during my 20s and 30s after my first love broke my heart. Married for the first time at age 34. Never had my own kids, but my first husband was emotionally about 10 years old (*snort*). I knew the moment I first laid eyes on my current husband (he’s my second) that we were going to get married. I’d actually seen him in a dream I had at age 11, and he had gray hair in the dream. So I knew I would meet him when he was “older,” and I figured I’d be older too. But we’re often like kids together ourselves in that we have so much “good clean fun” with each other outside of the bedroom too. We seem to help each other stay young at heart. My 5th and 8th house placements in regard to sex have played out very true to form.

  32. My 5th is also empty, so I also agree with the 8th house point of view. But what about the other ten types?

    1st: For self-confirmation. In polls most often the reason for extramarital affairs.

    2nd: For money. Prostitution also needs to be represented somehow in astrology.

    3rd: Because of curiosity. Isn’t this everybody’s first reason?

    4th: For reproduction. The biological function of sex can hardly be skipped in this topic.

    6th: Because of an health issue like nymphomania.

    7th: Because the partner wants it.

    9th: Because your guru wants it or because a holy scripture told you to multiply.

    10th: For career purposes. Hollywood’s famous casting couches for example.

    11th: In order to rebel against the norms of society. Ex-hippies said in interviews that they practiced free love not because it would have been fun (opposition to the 5th), but because they had to do it as part of their ideology in order to be rebellious.

    12th: Out of mercy with those, who are left-over.

  33. I have an 8th house Mars in aries square my 5th house stellium in capricorn (saturn,uranus,neptune) and my 11th house jupiter conjunct chiron in cancer. I take my relationships quite seriously, but I haven’t had many, so far. Power struggles have been an issue in my relationships…Saturn return coming and I feel like I’m stuck ?

  34. I have aries in the 5th house and Mars in the 5th (in aries too) and funnily enough I used to hate fire types, I always wanted sensitive, moody cancer/scorpio type guys. but now its all aries like damn the aries man is usually such an egotistical asshole but damn so fucking attractive.

    my gemini 8th house is actually empty though, I like all the fun and games of flirting, the playful lighthearted stuff, the chase, but when it comes to getting that true connection, deep intimacy, union of two into one, I always run 10 miles or something stops it getting to that level. (venus in aqua too)

    I love children though, I want 20.

  35. Avatar
    Astro Enthusiast

    Man this thread lasted years! Lol 5th house stellium Cap here. Moon, Uranus, Neptune also vertex. Mars in 8th Aries squared Uranus and Neptune. Sun, Merc, Venus opposition Pluto squared Saturn
    . Intimacy was delayed in life, early sexual abuse and assault. Wounds to intimacy and healing took years. Cravings for intense intimacy are strong and the actual act is like my spiritual body rising up. Also, feel sadness for not having children, if I do have them they will come later in life, if I’m fruitful enough to have any at all.

    1. Avatar
      Hildegarde's Noviciate

      Its so amazing how sexual abuse can play out. One either runs from sex or one continues the abuse like a wounded animal.

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