What does it mean if the first to the eight house is empty, void of the major planets?

Well, not really empty. I have Saturn in the first house (Aq) only. Then it is empty. Then the ninth house (Lib) has 5 planets in it all in the sign of Scorpio (jup, mer--Ret, ven, sun, plu) . The tenth house (Sco) has 3 (moon, mars, N. Node.) in the sign of Sag. The Eleventh (Sag) has 2 in the sign of Cap (ur, nep).