The 4 Angles in Astrology: Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven, and IC

The 4 angles in a chart are the ascendant, descendant, midheaven, and IC. They divide the chart into four quadrants, and represent four key areas of all of our lives: who we are, our relationships, what we do out in the world, and where we’re from.

What is the Ascendant in astrology?

The ascendant, AC, or rising sign, is the sign that was literally rising in the sky from the eastern horizon at the time of a person’s birth. It either begins or is contained within the 1st house, depending on house system, and it represents our first breath, our very first experience of the world, the moment we left someone else’s body and began to experience the world through our own. It is individuation. It’s the filter that everything else in the chart passes through before it enters the external world.

Psychologically, it’s can be viewed as what others have seen in or projected onto us from the moment we were born, and over time it became a core part of our identity because we’ve seen how it can keep us safe.

The ascendant is our physical form, identity/characteristics we strongly identify with, parts of our personality that are right up front for all to see, how we present ourselves to the world, our relationship with ourselves, and finally, the way that our identity has been shaped by others.

What is the Descendant in astrology?

The descendant is the sign that was literally descending in the sky into the western horizon at the time of a person’s birth; in a sense, it’s the part of us that is “setting.” It opposes the ascendant and either begins or is contained within the 7th house, depending on house system. It’s associated with other people: relationships, enemies, partnerships. It’s where we learn to balance self with other, and it’s who we become–and what we let go of–in one-on-one interactions.

Sometimes the descendant is a part of ourselves that we reject, disassociate from, and instead seek in or project onto other people, sometimes in a loving way (like seeking a romantic partner who embodies its qualities) and sometimes in a more negative ways (like disdainfully seeing that sign’s more negative qualities in others).

Working to see the energy of the descendant within ourselves is crucial when it comes to recovering, embracing, and integrating repressed parts of ourselves. It’s a great place to start for shadow work.

How do you feel about this sign? Can you see this part of you in yourself? If not, ask the people around you if they can see it in you; you might be surprised by their answers.

What is the IC (aka Imum Coeli, Nadir) in astrology?

The IC is the “bottom of the sky,” the sign that sits at the bottom of the chart, hidden from view, like the root of the tree. In the whole sign house system, it is most often it’s found in the 4th, 3rd, or 5th house, or it begins the 4th house. It describes our family, home environment / private life, early life experiences, ancestry, our experience of childhood, our first experience of love and thus how we learned to give + receive love. It is the foundation we grow from, and therefore what we’ve become comfortable with.

The IC contains powerful information about how we perceive(d) our family and childhood environment, how our family perceived us, and what was normalized during childhood (whether it was actually normal/healthy or not), and digging into it is a key part of inner child work. So much of who we are comes from this early experience of life.

What is the Midheaven in astrology?

The midheaven, or MC, is the sign that sits at or around the peak of the chart, right overhead in the sky. In the whole sign house system, it is most often it’s found in the 10th, 11th, or 9th house, or begins the 10th house. It’s most commonly associated with career and public image/what we’re known for, and our relationship with public life. Using the midheaven with intention can be a clear-cut key to career success.

But the MC is also what we idealize, and because it opposes the IC, what was missing from childhood. It’s what we go out into the world to find; what we strive to be; qualities we elevate, idealize, and respect in ourselves and others. What we couldn’t do/find at home, we do/seek out in the world.

The midheaven can be seen as a collection of qualities that we intentionally choose to cultivate in ourselves. It’s the teenage rebellion and the ladders we climb. Oftentimes, the more difficult childhood/IC/4th house are, the more forcefully we run toward the midheaven and the more strongly we identify with it.