A Brief Synopsis of Part I: and Part II:   Conceived by ancient peoples, the clockworks of the solar system are the basis for our modern horoscope. The horizontal line dividing the circle into two hemispheres is a fundamental structure of the chart and represents the physical horizon. Planets postioned above or below that horizon take on special significances. Likewise, close planetary alignment with either the Ascendant or the Descendant is notable, often providing insights into a person's individual nature, or personal relationships.

The horoscope is drawn from the perspective of earth-centeredness, as if the planets orbited her, just as our ancestors first observed them. Planets normally visible, and those temporarily invisible, each have their own placement in the chart, by hemisphere.

Planets at the top of the chart (or sky!) are said to be "culminating". Planets at the bottom are "anti-culminating". Landmaps and skymaps are mirror images, meaning that the cardinal points of the compass are in exactly the opposite positions on each!

The horoscope records multiple larger and smaller cosmic events and cycles simultaneously. When presented as a sky-map, the horoscope is something to which we can orient ourselves. Like any map, the basic symbols and markings must be understood. Experiencing the local sky, day or night, will help with that understanding.

Each day, the Sun rises, entering the morning sky. Then he ascends further, spilling his brilliance down across the land. He advances farther throughout the morning, scaling up the highest he can, until finally he reaches the peak of his climb. At the utmost heights of his journey, his course subtly changes, his direction shifts. His arc gradually turns downwards from its great ascent, as he heads for the fringes of the horizon. Awaiting him there are the hours of darkness, with all their mysteries and dangers, following his descent below the edge of the Earth.

In the horoscope, that point of culmination, or highest placement, is also called the Midheaven or MC, while its counterpart is called the IC. Both are abbreviations of the much longer Latin names:   Medium Coeli, which means "Middle of the Sky"; and Imum Coeli, which means "Bottom of the Sky". Of course the terms refer only to the band of sky known to us as the zodiac, which in turn means "circle of animals" in a literal sense. It also means "circle of life" or "circle of living beings" in a more primary, yet metaphysical sense.

The MC and IC differ from the positions known as the Zenith and Nadir. They are similar in some ways, but are not exactly the same. The later refer to specific points in the sky, that great celestial sphere surrounding the earth. They are the points directly over our heads, or under our feet, respectively. The Earth rotates while tilted on it's axis; so, unless we're standing along the equator (and it's the right time of year) the Sun isn't likely to travel directly over anyone's head. Even in mid-summer, it cants to the south during the day (in Earth's northern hemisphere, where horoscopes originated).

The Midheaven, or MC, is the point of culmination, the highest place in the arc of the zodiac at a given moment in time. It's marked on the chart as a specific sign and degree, whether or not there's a planet near it. Directly opposite lies the IC, it's polarity and mirrored reflection; the IC is said to be located "under the Earth" because it can't be directly observed. Together, they form an axis, much like the Ascendant and Descendant form the axis of the horizon. The Midheaven-IC, an "axis of culmination" stands vertically, and is nearly at right angles with the horizon, though it may tilt east or west, depending upon the season and time of day. It, too, is a place of prominence and importance, especially the Midheaven.

Taken together, the axis of the horizon and the axis of culmination form a large cross that divides the circle of the zodiac into quadrants. These four intersections along the arc of the circle are important, for they signal sub-sets of cyclicity. The Sun rises (dawn), culminates (noon), sets (dusk), and anti-culminates (mid-night), before it rises again, beginning the daily cycle anew. Morning, afternoon, evening and night - each one has a different function in daily life; each one has a completely different feel! All the quadrants of the horoscope prove to be rich storehouses of symbolism; just as each is a rich mine of cyclic human activity and interaction....

The four angles, as they are called collectively, are recognized as important points in any horoscope. In the physical world, they are points of transition, of changes of motion or direction. As such, they imply power, strength, initiative.

The angles have other meanings, as well. We have seen that they contribute a sort of "post & beam" structure to the chart, by defining both the level of the ground, and the heights of the sky. This sets up a fundamental framework which is described in an idealized state as the natural chart. It is the basis from which all the myriad derivatives in astrology arise.

The natural chart begins with the vernal equinox, which is the onset of the sign Aries, and coincides with the first day of spring. Spring is a time of growth and change, of stretching and reaching. As such, it's seen to be much like the early morning hours of the day, and hence, the eastern horizon. So, Aries is placed on the eastern horizon in the natural chart.

The next major division point is also seasonal, and the sign Cancer marks the onset of summer, at the solstice. It is the time of easy livin' when the air is warm, and food is plentiful. It is the time of humanity, with it's all its poignancy and laughter. Cancer is the sign of the home, of nourishment, and of the family's security.

The following season is autumn, when Libra becomes the consumate artist, liberally brushing away the lush green-golds of the land. Shade drenched trees' broad leaves turn red and amber, putting out the most spectacular show on earth. While it will become their death wail, and Time will see them tumble, and fall silently to the forest floor; it's not due yet. Libra is the sign of balance, of relationship, of art, grace and beauty.

When Capricorn ascends into power, the Winter steals in with him; dragging along the cold north wind and laying claim to the land, with a vicelike grip. Mankind retreats shivering, and makes supplications to the gods for deliverance from ice-pack and snowdrifts. Capricorn is the builder, the lone climber who can endure, and ascend to the highest ambitions he can envision. He can dream of a distant spring-time, and persevere until he finds the way there.

These broad acknowledgements of life's cycles correspond to the activities of the hours of the day, and of the long seasons of the earth. The natural chart reflects them all in form, structure and meaning.

The signs that fall onto the angles of the natural chart are inititators, they herald the change of season, usher it in. The Astrological mode, or quality, of these four is cardinal. After the onset of each season there follows a deepening of the nature of that time of year, during the months of the fixed signs. This, in turn, is followed by a relaxation, a renewed openness to change, with the onset of the mutable signs. They follow one another in sequence throughout each season: cardinal, fixed, mutable. As a new season begins, it starts with a cardinal sign, followed by a fixed sign, and then a mutable sign; continuing the pattern unchanged, as it marches forever, around and around the circle.

Like their siblings, the cardinal signs are paired, and are axial. Spring is the polar opposite of Fall. Summer is the reverse of Winter. Spring and Fall begin with equinoxs, defined as "either of two times of the year when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator and day and night are of equal length". Summer and Winter begin with solstices, defined as "either of the two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator" (an imaginary extension of the Earth's equator out into space).

The cardinal signs are of an initiative nature, hence the association with the onset of the seasons. Every fourth sign in the zodiac is cardinal. Because the zodiac is a circle, and there are 12 signs in all, these four are naturally at right angles with one another, as are the four fixed signs and the four mutable signs. As such, it is called the Cardinal Cross.

Probably because of the emphasis on the Seasons, and the dramatic changes they bring to the earth, these four signs are used to symbolize the ideal Ascendant and Midheaven. The equinoxes proclaim Spring and Fall, and signify the ideal axis of the horizon, and are associated with Aries and Libra. The solstices mark the onset of Winter and Summer, and are the ultimate symbols for the natural axis of culmination, Capricorn and Cancer. These are the strong, almost structural beams, the right angles of the cardinal signs, that epitomize the importance of the Asc-Dsc and MC-IC in the natural chart.

The name "Angles of the Chart" is puzzling, considering that the horoscope is drawn into a wheel-like circle. Quite possibly the name refers to the Cardinal Cross, and the right angles made by its signs. Or, perhaps the name harks back to a distant time when charts were drawn as squares, instead of circles. Then as now, the angles are an integral and structural part of the horoscope. Today, the angles and the area immediately around them are known to be positions of strength for any planet. This is especially true in the case of the Ascendant and Midheaven.

The long arm of each axis divides the whole circle of the zodiac by half. It is when they are laid together that they link, and form a cross, partitioning the circle into quadrants. The Angles demarcate many things, many cycles. They are a fundamental building block of much of the complex Astrological lore that is carefully handed down generation to generation. Essentially, Astrology is but another study of the nature of humanity, the microcosm which reflects the greater whole of the macrocosm.

Articles on Using Astrology's Starlit Path:

[Table of Contents]  [Decans]  [Duads]  [Eclipse]  [Declination]
 [Horoscope]  [Ascendant]  [the Angles]  [Combust!]  [Zodiac]
 [Page Designing in Solar Fire^®]  [News'n Views]

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