Whole Sign Houses begin with the zodiacal sign containing the Ascendant. That entire sign is the first house, the next sign is the second, and the sequence continues around the zodiac. The exact Ascendant and Midheaven still matter; Whole Sign Houses simply define the topical places by sign.

Why the rising sign matters

The Ascendant establishes the first place and therefore the order of all twelve houses. This is why Stelliums treats the rising sign as structural information rather than a standalone personality label.

Read the ruler with the house

Each sign has a traditional domicile ruler. To understand a house, inspect its sign, the ruler of that sign, where that ruling planet is placed, and the testimony involving that planet. A house is not judged from a keyword list alone.