The Tao of Astrology
Free Chart Interpretation Zone
 

Angles of the Birth Chart

            The four Angles of the birth chart are extremely important in chart interpretation.  Together they comprise the cross of life, symbolizing the four elements.  The Ascendant is your fire or outward identity and is always on the left of the chart.  It’s the first thing people notice about you.  It is the social mask between you and the world that houses your interior self.  The sign on the cusp describes your approach to being you, modified of course by the planet that governs the sign and planets in the 1^st House.  The Ascendant also describes your unique dharma, or life work.  Because Mars is naturally associated with the 1^st House due to its governorship over Aries, the planet Mars will also influence the way you act and look.

The Descendant is always on the right side of the chart and symbolizes your interpersonal relationships.  It is your air (mind) flowing out to other beings.  The sign on the cusp describes your approach to relationships and intimacy, also modified in meaning by the chart position of the planet that governs the descending sign and planets in the 7^th House.  The planet Venus is naturally associated with Libra and the 7^th House, so Venus will also have a direct influence on your relationships.

The Midheaven is your earth.  It symbolizes what you are called to do and be in the world.  The sign indicates your general approach to your calling and its governing planet modifies that meaning as well as planets in the 10^th House.  The governing planet of any house creates an image bridge between the two fields of life experience, the one it governs by sign and the one it occupies.  You can draw out a whole energetic flow map of your house structure to understand where your energy is focused in experience.  If the Libra is on the Midheaven, you would look to Venus’ sign, house, and aspects to add more dimensions of depth to the description of the person’s life calling.  The planet Saturn has a natural association with Capricorn, the sign that underlies the 10^th House, so it will also influence your life calling by its chart position and aspects.  It helps shapes your worldly ambitions.

The Nadir is your water.  It symbolizes your home and your soul essence.  The sign on the cusp and its governing planet will determine your approach to family and emotional contentment.  I like to call the 4^th House the well of being.  It is highly undervalued in popular astrology.  Without it you are not fully human.  It’s like taking your mother out of existence.  You wouldn’t be here if she never existed.  It is symbolizes that psychic cord you have that connects you with your hearth, wherever and however you make your home in the world.  I think the reason many people are afraid of homeless people is because they can sense that their cord is not anchored anywhere.  I also believe that this cord is not limited to a physical dwelling.  It extends directly to the heart of eternal being.  It connects us with our spiritual ancestry and the deep imagery of our own personal myth that has grown and changed over the ages.

The following descriptions of the various signs on the cusps of the angles are by no means complete.  Use them as springboards for your imagination.  Write down the four angles on a piece of paper and explore the imagery that emerges by studying the relationships of the governing planets by sign, house, and aspect.  Also, pay special attention to planets in the angular houses (1^st, 4^th, 7^th, and 10^th).  Angular planets are stronger in that they carry a higher archetypal charge.  They are very evident in the person psychological makeup.  The Ascendant is the most evident part of a person’s field that you can see and touch, as it describes the body and shape of the face.  Not all Rising Signs will look alike though.  The planetary governor of a house always influences the shape of the houses affairs.  With all the possible locations by sign and house alone there would be twelve different basic templates of say the Aries Rising persona.  Throw in the possible Mars aspects to eleven other planetary forces in the chart and the number of variations goes up to 1584 types.  What if there are multiple aspects or planets in the 1^st House?  The number goes up again.  This makes sense because every Aries Rising individual you meet will exhibit fiery, pioneering personalities.  However, the planetary modifier will shape that personality into a very unique style.  You just have to go to the next level of interpretive depth to understand the essence of each unique person. 

Proceed to Rising Signs!

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