LN said
[...] l needed to solve this problem so l am no longer inhibited by what may very well be arbitrary boundaries created by these housing systems. l had been putting too much importance on these divisions of houses.

Nothing in our lives exists in a vacuume and this idea of an abrupt end to an energy makes no sense whatsoever. Wherever my planets change houses with the Whole house system, l now interpret them as the natural flow between both, carrying traits of each. lt seems very natural and answers to some potent influences that l feel exist in my nature. This involves Pluto and my Moon while using both charts. l am glad to have solved this problem for myself now, everything seems to add up now.

Thank you so much, LN!

I had recently been 'struggling' with choosing between Placidus, Equal and Whole.

I believe, like you, that energies don't start and end at a cold, hard line. I believe in buffer zones, and even overlaps.

Thank you for helping me see my own beliefs, and how to work with them.

My 'struggle' has ended!

Using the Whole House system (or Whole Signs, as it's called on astro.com?) puts my 0 Cap Mars in my 1st house instead of my 12th.  Perhaps believing it to be in my 12th for years has in itself been a source of self-undoing? 

Could the power of suggestion, when the suggestion might be erroneous, be more detrimental to those of us who are highly suggestible (Libra Neptune in 9th opposing Aries Sun in 3rd)???

Placidus, since back in the day. Calculated MC-IC coordinate systems result in various sized house cusps, but the angles remain the same. I prefer the MC-IC angles on cusps 10 and 4. Equal, whole and some others don't use 10 and 4 as MC-IC angles. Sunshine astrology uses whole sign for predictions, which sometimes rings a bell, for some, for others not. That's why they say check your ascending sign. My preference is for Placidus, but if your shoe fits, wear it! Any way Astrology is good because it makes us think, hopefully. Another thing, sometimes if things don't seem "right" the birth time could be inaccurate. 

Equal house. I switched over from Placidus reading this blog mainly because while planetary transits made perfect sense with this system, transits by house didn't. I switched to equal, and it made more sense, although I was not seeing Pluto in 5th house transit happening at all, when it should have started. Then I learned I'd mistaken my birthtime, by using my geographically adjusted real birthtime at services that do the correction by themselves. Using my actual birthtime changed my Ascendant position by 8 degrees, and suddenly made everything fall into place. Especially Saturn cycle passages.

Whole house wouldn't work for me, either. I have 14' Virgo Ascendant. Whole house would place almost everything on my chart to house they don't belong to. Sun in the 2nd, again, for instance. This is a big revelation with my correct birthtime, since both Placidus and equal houses put my Sun in 2nd house, and so would whole house, using my mistaken time of birth. But it just isn't me. OK, I love beauty and having beautiful things, but that's all I hve from this placement.

So, I work with equal house, even converting charts I see into it. It comes easily, for me, I was good in geometry.

The thing is that we all have to understand is how big the planet in question is and how close it is, and which sign it is in. When we put that all into perspective, it does not even matter which house system to use because it all works out anyway. 

Like for instance, I have Uranus 3° Sagittarius in the 4th house Placidus. I'd say that Uranus is big enough and at a pinnacle degree enough wreak it's havoc on both houses. Doesn't matter which 'system' to use. And it's true in my life as well. Because it does wreak havoc in my 5th like a whole house system would say. 

I'm convinced I have Mars in the 8th house , now.  I'm using equal from now on.  I always believed in Placidus, because I swore my Mercury was in the 8th, even though my Mars being in the 9th never felt 100% right.  Now I believe I was mistaken.  My Pluto is in H3. I have a penetrating and obsessive mind and blah blah, but this can all stem from Pluto in the 3rd.  It makes more sense to me.  My Mars makes more sense in the 8th.  All my life ive had crazy intense stalkerish desires and turned my anger inwards etc.