Talking About the 12th House with Astrologer Danielle Ventimiglia

The 12th house is one of the most dreaded placements in astrology. The ancients called it the House of Troubles. It is known as the house of self-undoing, and it is associated with illness, addiction, and confinement.

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with an astrologer who specializes in 12th house issues. We talked about common 12th house misconceptions and techniques for coping with difficult placements.

Danielle Ventimiglia is an astrologer and therapy graduate student. When she isn’t studying or practicing astrology, she likes to do watercolor paintings of the zodiac signs, needle felt fantasy mushrooms, roller skate, and love on her two kids.

Ada: Thank you for agreeing to have this conversation with me! I usually like to start by talking about your interests and background as an astrologer, but you mentioned in chat the other day that you are a counseling student with a Scorpio stellium, and I am dying to know the story of that.

Danielle: My pleasure! I am a natal astrologer very fresh on the scene, as well as a first year professional graduate student in a Marriage and Family Therapy program (MFT). By the end of it, I’ll have a Master’s of Science. I’m really proud of my academic achievements but I’m equally as thrilled about my emerging astrology practice. I intend to incorporate natal astrology as a therapy option in a future private practice.

My journey with the cosmos began when a friend gifted me the course “Mental Health Management for Mystics” by the insightful Olivia Pepper, and has spanned over 3 years of independent study, alongside sessions with various astrologers around the globe. Being relatively autodidactic, I sometimes experience imposter syndrome, but my work with clients speaks for itself. Although I have fun poking at zodiacal stereotypes/archetypes, I am steering more away from pop astrology to turn attention to the 12H themes. The intention is to build a support group for those wanting to work more within the transformative, often misinterpreted space of the 12th house. This group is called The Neptune Institute.

As for the Scorpio Stellium in the 6th, it basically opposes my 12th house moon, including a brutal moon-Pluto opposition. The past four years have brought me closer than ever to that stellium energy as I work through finding stable and healthy routines (Scorpio/Taurus axis) alongside living with multiple diagnoses. My 5th house sun keeps me from getting too lost in the intensity, and I am a devoted mother to two beautiful children. Like many others, I use astrology as a tool to navigate and make sense of the human experience. Getting to know myself on a deeper, cosmic level has been one of the most nourishing ventures to date. I hope to bring others into the experience and conversation.

Ada: Balancing a new astrology practice and a new graduate degree and two children and difficult health must be really challenging! But I’m guessing you have lots of practice working with challenging routines with a 6th house stellium in Scorpio.

As a Taurus sun myself, I’m curious how your Taurus moon plays into things.

Danielle: I’ve definitely had to juggle a lot of twists and turns in the road of routines and I think that’s pretty true for many people. Medical issues cause much disruption. I find that the depth of focus and passion for whatever I am working with boosts my Mars in Capricorn- challenges will come up- and though I may despair or complain for awhile- ultimately I’m in it for the long game of trying to stabilize my life, so that I can have a more “steady” routine with my kiddos and a grounded soul. Coparenting complicates things and that adds an entirely different dimension.

As for the Taurus moon and North node: it is very very grounding for making a lush home life, a kind of emotional sanctuary environment. I like to say that my Taurus moon placement means the 12th house is my literal haunt- and I make it as cozy and visually pleasing as possible, with an evolving altar for relatives/ancestors. I have truly been enriched by exploring my natal nodes, and thus the Scorpio/Taurus axis. It’s kind of like making a verdant garden of the wisdom you gain from the most challenging hurdles in your personal service (to your health, work, routines, even devotion to animals-6H themes). Then passing on the example to the next generation. I try to access some humor whenever I feel things get too laden with Plutonic or Scorpionic energies, and count my blessings, for Taurus embodies the principle of abundance.

Ada: As someone with a few intense things going on in Scorpio, and the 12th house in Cancer, so much of what you just said resonates for me. In a lot of ways, I feel like my life is defined by a cycle of shock and recovery.

What do you do to make your home an emotional sanctuary?

Danielle: Your natal placements do sound deep! I am always grateful for the emotionality of water energy because it brings us closer to being human. My home used to be a place of isolation, a sort of prison of pain, while going through diagnosis (I have left temporal epilepsy with a catamenial element specific to female hormones) and separation from my children + their father. But my home has always held me, even in my darkest times. I always had shelter. It still feels haunted because my kids aren’t here a lot of the time. I notice the toys not being played with and the spiritual resonance of my children’s presence. I have house plants (Taurus green thumb), a garden in summer, lots of trinkets and art, collages, books, and I allow myself to surrender to ecstatic dance with music in any given room. :) Bringing in elements of vibrancy and aesthetic, making space for my emotions to happen safely as well as space for being artistic, and remembering to say Thank You while looking around at all I have and all that I’ve learned.

Ada: That’s so beautiful!

So, you mentioned that your focus as an astrologer is in the 12th house. What is your story with that?

Danielle: Where does it even begin? Lol It took me over 30 years before I started exploring my own natal chart with other astrologers’ guidance. Once I understood the power of the moon-Pluto opposition, things began to make sense and I didn’t have to beat myself up so hard anymore. I haven’t had the opportunity yet to work with too many 12H clients, but am looking forward to that possibility. Now that I’m on the road to becoming a therapist, I see a gift in wanting to help people through their Mental anguishes, their sorrows and fears because without processing those darker parts of us, we remain in the darkness to our own light. There’s even the likelihood of working in various institutions (a 12H theme). The 6H Scorpio Stellium speaks to overall health, and the moon-Pluto opposition speaks to mental health IMO. So I would really love to work more with clients struggling in those houses typically labeled as “bad.” We are taught to avoid being alone and self-reflecting- so maybe it’s that, in some way, the spirituality of the individual is discouraged by society. I could go on and on, but having conversations around these themes with other people is kind of where my heart is at these days especially.

Ada: As someone with such a strong emphasis on “bad” houses in your chart, what do you wish people understood about your experience?

Danielle: As with anything, it’s all in how you perceive it. Astrology is a guide, and not a label. When seen for its greatest utility: it is empowering and gives a sense of agency.

I think part of the problem is in seeing the world in terms of the binary: good/bad beautiful/ugly right/wrong. It both surprises and does not surprise me that the (Western) origins of astrology failed to incorporate the expansiveness of the cosmos and instead brought an obstacle all too human.

I wish people to understand that struggling in life is normal, but it becomes harder once we see it a certain way and cling to that perception- or if we let others dictate our views for us. It’s a lot of work to break free from destructive patterns, to really tune into one’s core, and it gives me hope to see a lot of people doing this work. There will always be those who are stuck or need help, and if I can share my intense experiences in a helpful way, then I will have done my individual part in human evolution. We get nowhere by denying the hard stuff- we expand when we integrate all parts of our experiences. Thank you for sharing this conversation with me!

Ada: You’re so welcome! Your perspective is so inspiring.

So, tell me about the Neptune Institute.

Danielle: For now, Neptune Institute is an intentional space for support, and it is still being formulated as I find other astrologers who may want to collaborate and co-host. I’ve been going it alone for many years (something I’ve become adept at thanks to the 12H moon)… and I wanted to see if others would join in on some important conversations. I haven’t seen (or searched for) many courses or astrologers geared towards the 12H themes, so I thought, why not start a support group? Some of the themes which I’ve mentioned previously are really hard to talk about, to experience, to process and to hold. 12 Housers tend to be more solitary individuals (IMO), they may stay rather hidden, so I want to shine a subtle spotlight onto them. I want to know how others are moving through and dancing with their more challenging placements. I want to hear the stories of these wise, sometimes woeful sages. Hoping more people will show up once things are a little more structured.

Ada: What is your dream for this project?

Danielle: I am not sure I’ve thought that far ahead. A fellow astrologer and I have been talking about launching the Neptune Institute using Calendly platform, when Jupiter enters Pisces later next month. I will be sure to make a visible announcement on my page as well as Brandon’s page (@BRAMstrology).

It would be great to have a flowing group of people sharing wisdom from their 12H perspectives/experiences.

Nothing fancy- keep it simple- the themes are complex enough. :)

For me personally, I am not too interested in making money from astrology so much as getting astrology recognized within the professional and academic mental health field as a valid therapeutic modality. That would be amazing. People need support and there just aren’t enough therapists out there and that’s why we are seeing alternatives to professional therapy. I would love to do a research project trying to measure the efficacy of astrology as a therapeutic modality. The funding for such a project is an entirely different story.

So I’m starting small- with Neptune Institute and Graduate school. ;)

Thank you so much, Danielle for this wonderful conversation.

If you would like to learn more about Danielle’s practice and the Neptune Institute, you can find her on Instagram at @velma_libra and on her website.