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While every aspect of the birth chart is significant, a TikTok astrologer explains the quartet of points that take precedence.
Stewart King, aka @theastrology_consultant, took to the platform to impart that the ascendant, descendant, Midheaven and Imum Coeli hold the key to self-knowledge and actualization: “These are the four cardinal points, the four power points of your birth chart. If you have control over these four points, you have control of your life and the life you want to live.”
To calculate these power points, you will need your exact birth time, location and a birth chart-generating website like this.
Read on to learn more.
Ascendant
The ascendant, also known as the rising sign, is indicated by the constellation rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment a person is born. It indicates how we are immediately perceived by others.
According to King, the ascendant represents the essential self.
“Whatever sign your ascendant is in is the sign you need to master in order to understand yourself, know yourself and take care of yourself.”
He shared that the rising sign is something of an unlock that indicates natural abilities and predicts challenges.
“Your self is everything, you understand? Through the ascendant, you know what you’re good at, what you should do, and what situations you shouldn’t be involved in,” King explained.
He considers the ascendant the single most important access point for self-mastery.
“Without knowing yourself, you cannot truly have the life you want to have.”
Imum Coeli
In the birth chart, the Imum Coeli (IC), Latin for “bottom of the sky,” sits opposite the Midheaven at the base of the birth chart. As King shared, the IC represents ancestry, sanctuary and the concept of home.
“It’s about your roots, your history, what type of family environment you had growing up. The sign that rules your IC indicates how you want your home life to be and who you want to be within that home life.”
King noted that knowing who you are provides the foundation for understanding the home you come from and wish to return/retreat to.
The IC also offers the opportunity to dive into the root systems that predate us to better learn the themes that have shaped us
“Knowing your roots gives you an internal power,” King said. “You should know what happened in your lineage because this gives you a perspective on what you need to do in your present and in your future.”
He maintains that the sign the IC falls, or bottoms out in, illustrates the psychological energy that can return you to a state of safety and stability.
Descendant
The descendant is the sign opposite the ascendant and indicates the kind of relationships that attract and shape us.
“Relationships are crucial. Human beings are meant to have connection,” King explained. “We are not complete by being alone, we need relationships, and this includes friendships, partnerships, marriage, all of these connections.”
In the birth chart, the descendant is the sign that rules the seventh house of partnerships. The descendant’s energy represents qualities we seek in others, qualities we may want to develop in ourselves, or qualities that complement our strengths and struggles.
Midheaven
A defining point in the birth chart and the pinnacle point in the wheel, the Midheaven is also known as the MC, an abbreviation of Medium Coeli, Latin for “middle of the sky.”
The Midheaven is concerned with ego identity and ideals, the reputation that precedes us, and how we respond to and are viewed by the world at large.
Something of a goal post, it reflects aspirations, ideals, our sense of purpose and our visible accomplishments.
In most house systems, the Midheaven rides on the cusp of the tenth house, or the house of public image.
As King explains, the Midheaven is the path with answers to: “What are you known for? What does everybody know you as? What are you into? How do you help people? How do you provide a service? How do you make life better for yourself and others? What is it that you do?”
It’s no coincidence that the Midheaven is located at the tippy top of the birth chart. It represents the highest point any planet can reach and, in turn, relates to the sights we set and the heights we seek.
It’s crucial to note that the Midheaven is not limited to labor because what we do is never the whole of who we are.
For example, famed author Franz Kafka owned an asbestos manufacturing company, and Charles Bukowski was a writer and poet at heart but a postal employee by trade. Thus, the Midheaven is more closely aligned with ultimate purpose and true role fulfillment than with a specific vocation.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the star
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.
