House 8 is often presented as a deep house. It concerns personal transformation, crises that bring about evolution, intimacy, and resources shared with others (inheritances, debts, other people's property).
It is not a house to read only in a negative light: it also speaks of regeneration and change, not only of loss.
Succedent house (with Houses 2, 5, and 11): associated in classical doctrine with stability, here applied to subjects that, paradoxically, concern change — the succedent houses consolidate what the preceding angle (the Descendant, House 7) set in motion: once the other has been met, House 8 explores what is shared with them.
Natural sign and ruler: Scorpio, ruler Mars (Pluto in modern astrology) — consistent with the theme: Scorpio is itself the sign most associated with transformation and intensity. See the Scorpio entry.
No planet finds its joy in House 8 in the classical doctrine of the seven planetary joys (see House 1).