Angle (astrology)
Encyclopedia
The angles are the four Cardinal points of an astrological chart
: the Ascendant
, the Midheaven
, the Descendant
and the Imum Coeli
.
The astrological chart is a schematic representation of the sky at any given moment of time, projected upon the ecliptic
--or the apparent path of the Sun
as seen from the Earth—which forms the circle in which the chart is enclosed. The longitudinal positions of the planets are plotted onto this circle, because the planets (except Pluto
) and many stars, lie very close to the Sun's path in celestial latitude.
How this map of the sky is seen from the Earth is determined by where the horizon
is at the time for which the chart is cast. The horizon forms the boundary between what can be seen, or the visible sky, and sky which exists on the opposite side of the earth, which exists at the same time and space, but cannot be seen.
The line of the horizon cuts across the circle of the chart horizontally, and forms the most important angle of the chart: the Ascendant
, or the exact place where the Sun's path crosses the horizon in the East. It is at this point that all planets and many stars appears to rise up out of what cannot be seen and become apparent to the observer. This is because the Earth's daily rotation reveals sky objects from East to West, and makes them appear to be moving from the eastern horizon across the sky to the western horizon, where they disappear again to the observer, dipping down again to the unseen sky. The western horizon, where the Sun's path meets the horizon in the West, is called the Descendant
.
The other very important angle of the chart is the Midheaven
(also called the M.C. for the Latin Medium coeli, or "middle of the sky.") The Midheaven represents the highest point in the sky reached by the Sun, or its culmination, as it crosses from one horizon to the other—the noon point in a chart which is plotted for dawn. At the Earth's equator
, it is the point on the ecliptic which is directly overhead from the observer; as the observer moves north or south from the Equator, the midheaven appears to withdraw, so that from points north of the equator, the noon point of the Sun appears lies in the southern sky, and south of the equator, it appears in the northern sky.
The point opposite the Midheaven, which is in the unseen sky, and would be the midnight point in a chart cast for dawn, is the anticulmination of the Sun, or the Imum Coeli
, which is Latin for the "bottom of the sky." This is the last of the four angles.
The angles are crucial to the understanding of the meaning of the sky map to the individual or event for which it was cast. There are no more individual points in chart. Much has been made by astrologers (deriving from the Theosophical tradition that is closely linked to much of modern astrological practice) of the quality of "coming into being" that they represent, as they represent going from the unseen to the seen. Since Theosophical astrology was tied to the idea of manifesting from the spiritual to the bodily form, the angles have come to symbolize this connection. However, even if this theory is discounted, as Bernadette Brady has noted, to all ancient peoples, the horizon was the place where the gods came into contact with the earth and became available to human supplication. Without this connection, the spiritual realm and the world had nothing to do with one another, and for that reason, astrology, which seeks to communicate between the two spheres, must use this place of connection to derive significance for the world from the sky.
For delineation of each of the angles, see:
Natal chart
In astrology, a natal chart is a stylized map of the universe with the "native" at the center. It is calculated for the exact time and location of the native's birth for the purposes of gaining insight into the native's personality and potential...
: the Ascendant
Ascendant
The ascendant , or rising sign, is the zodiacal sign and degree that was ascending on the eastern horizon at the specific time and location of an event. According to astrological theory, celestial phenomena reflect or determine human activity on the principle of 'as above so below'...
, the Midheaven
Midheaven
The midheaven is a point of definition in the ecliptic coordinate system. It aims to find the part of the ecliptic that corresponds to the highest point in a celestial object's apparent daily traverse of the visible sky, midway between its ascension on the eastern horizon and descension on the...
, the Descendant
Descendant (astrology)
In astrology, the descendant is the point directly opposite, or 180 degrees away from the ascendant. The descendant forms the cusp of the seventh house of the horoscope and refers to partners or relationships. The descendant is ruled by the seventh sign of the zodiac, Libra, and its ruler planet,...
and the Imum Coeli
Imum Coeli
In astrology, the Imum Coeli , IC, is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven...
.
The astrological chart is a schematic representation of the sky at any given moment of time, projected upon the ecliptic
Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...
--or the apparent path of the Sun
Sun (astrology)
The sun is considered a very important part of astrology. It, as well as the Moon, are the most important of the astrological planets, and the two of them are often referred to as the luminaries. In Greek mythology the sun was represented by Apollo, the god of light, and Helios, the god of the sun...
as seen from the Earth—which forms the circle in which the chart is enclosed. The longitudinal positions of the planets are plotted onto this circle, because the planets (except Pluto
Pluto
Pluto, formal designation 134340 Pluto, is the second-most-massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the tenth-most-massive body observed directly orbiting the Sun...
) and many stars, lie very close to the Sun's path in celestial latitude.
How this map of the sky is seen from the Earth is determined by where the horizon
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...
is at the time for which the chart is cast. The horizon forms the boundary between what can be seen, or the visible sky, and sky which exists on the opposite side of the earth, which exists at the same time and space, but cannot be seen.
The line of the horizon cuts across the circle of the chart horizontally, and forms the most important angle of the chart: the Ascendant
Ascendant
The ascendant , or rising sign, is the zodiacal sign and degree that was ascending on the eastern horizon at the specific time and location of an event. According to astrological theory, celestial phenomena reflect or determine human activity on the principle of 'as above so below'...
, or the exact place where the Sun's path crosses the horizon in the East. It is at this point that all planets and many stars appears to rise up out of what cannot be seen and become apparent to the observer. This is because the Earth's daily rotation reveals sky objects from East to West, and makes them appear to be moving from the eastern horizon across the sky to the western horizon, where they disappear again to the observer, dipping down again to the unseen sky. The western horizon, where the Sun's path meets the horizon in the West, is called the Descendant
Descendant (astrology)
In astrology, the descendant is the point directly opposite, or 180 degrees away from the ascendant. The descendant forms the cusp of the seventh house of the horoscope and refers to partners or relationships. The descendant is ruled by the seventh sign of the zodiac, Libra, and its ruler planet,...
.
The other very important angle of the chart is the Midheaven
Midheaven
The midheaven is a point of definition in the ecliptic coordinate system. It aims to find the part of the ecliptic that corresponds to the highest point in a celestial object's apparent daily traverse of the visible sky, midway between its ascension on the eastern horizon and descension on the...
(also called the M.C. for the Latin Medium coeli, or "middle of the sky.") The Midheaven represents the highest point in the sky reached by the Sun, or its culmination, as it crosses from one horizon to the other—the noon point in a chart which is plotted for dawn. At the Earth's equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
, it is the point on the ecliptic which is directly overhead from the observer; as the observer moves north or south from the Equator, the midheaven appears to withdraw, so that from points north of the equator, the noon point of the Sun appears lies in the southern sky, and south of the equator, it appears in the northern sky.
The point opposite the Midheaven, which is in the unseen sky, and would be the midnight point in a chart cast for dawn, is the anticulmination of the Sun, or the Imum Coeli
Imum Coeli
In astrology, the Imum Coeli , IC, is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven...
, which is Latin for the "bottom of the sky." This is the last of the four angles.
The angles are crucial to the understanding of the meaning of the sky map to the individual or event for which it was cast. There are no more individual points in chart. Much has been made by astrologers (deriving from the Theosophical tradition that is closely linked to much of modern astrological practice) of the quality of "coming into being" that they represent, as they represent going from the unseen to the seen. Since Theosophical astrology was tied to the idea of manifesting from the spiritual to the bodily form, the angles have come to symbolize this connection. However, even if this theory is discounted, as Bernadette Brady has noted, to all ancient peoples, the horizon was the place where the gods came into contact with the earth and became available to human supplication. Without this connection, the spiritual realm and the world had nothing to do with one another, and for that reason, astrology, which seeks to communicate between the two spheres, must use this place of connection to derive significance for the world from the sky.
For delineation of each of the angles, see:
- AscendantAscendantThe ascendant , or rising sign, is the zodiacal sign and degree that was ascending on the eastern horizon at the specific time and location of an event. According to astrological theory, celestial phenomena reflect or determine human activity on the principle of 'as above so below'...
- Accidental AscendantAccidental AscendantIn horary astrology, an accidental ascendant is determined according to the time and date of the question that is being asked, and the querent's one is rotated to the point where the ascendant of the native's horoscope becomes the sign and degree of the Ascendant of the question...
- Equatorial AscendantEquatorial AscendantIn astrology, the Equatorial Ascendant, or the East Point, is the sign and degree rising over the Eastern Horizon at the Earth's equator at any given time. It is the point where the Earth's equator intersects the ecliptic.-See also:...
- Accidental Ascendant
- MidheavenMidheavenThe midheaven is a point of definition in the ecliptic coordinate system. It aims to find the part of the ecliptic that corresponds to the highest point in a celestial object's apparent daily traverse of the visible sky, midway between its ascension on the eastern horizon and descension on the...
- DescendantDescendant (astrology)In astrology, the descendant is the point directly opposite, or 180 degrees away from the ascendant. The descendant forms the cusp of the seventh house of the horoscope and refers to partners or relationships. The descendant is ruled by the seventh sign of the zodiac, Libra, and its ruler planet,...
- Imum CoeliImum CoeliIn astrology, the Imum Coeli , IC, is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven...
- Angular houseAngular houseIn astrology, an angular house, or cardinal house, is one of four cardinal houses of the horoscope, which are the houses in which the angles of the chart are found. The angular houses of the horoscope are considered to be the most ardent, or forceful, and are considered to have the greatest impact...
- Succedent houseSuccedent houseSuccedent house is an astrological term for the houses that follow the angular houses in an Astrological chart. “Succedent” derives from the Latin succedens meaning "subsequent" or "succeeding"...
- Cadent houseCadent houseIn astrology, a cadent house is the last house of each quadrant of the zodiac. A quadrant begins with an angular house, proceeds to a succedent house and ends with a cadent house...