Ascendant
The ascendant of a given geographic location at a particular point in time is the point on the zodiac which is ascending over the Eastern horizon as viewed from that place and time.
The astrological ascendant, or rising sign, is the zodiacal sign that was ascending on the Eastern horizon at a particular moment. For example, if a horoscope was drawn for an individual's birth that occurred exactly at the moment of sunrise and the sun was in Leo at that moment, the ascendant would be in the same sign as the sun-sign, so the person would be said to have Leo rising (or ascendant in Leo) in addition to having the sun in Leo.
There are exactly 30 degrees per astrological sign, and because 12 multiplied by 30 equals 360 which is the span of the ecliptic, all twelve signs rise and fall during the course of one 24-hour day. This exact rising degree forms the first house cusp of a horoscope and is said to be of great significance in the interpretation. The planet that rules the astrological sign of the ascendant is said to be the chart ruler.
Since the ascendant usually forms the cusp of the first house in a modern horoscope many astrologers believe that it naturally correspond to Aries, the first astrological sign of the zodiac, but these assumptions were not always made. Ancient astrologers used whole-sign house systems almost exclusively, which meant that each house of the chart began at 0 degrees of each sign. The first house was the one in which the point of the ascendant fell, but the ascendant itself did not form the boundary of the house. Secondly, the concept of each house having a corresponence to a zodiacal sign, which is sometimes called natural houses or the natural zodiac, is a modern one. In the original formulations of astrology, Mars, which rules Aries, the first sign, actually was most at home and most powerful in the sixth house, not the first. Some astrologers, nowadays, think that the ascendant could correspond to other signs in spite of Aries, like Leo (the sign of appearance, pride, egocentricity and self-importance, all characteristics that could likely be suitable for the first house) or Libra (because Libra rising seems to give the most good-looking appearance, very likable humane characteristics and diplomatic abilities, so astrologers think that is the best position for an ascendant).
The Ascendant is of great significance in all schools of astrology due to the fact that it serves as the filter through which everything in a horoscope- including the Sun and Moon- is expressed. Thus, most astrologers believe that the Rising Sign exerts an influence equal to or more powerful than the Sun and Moon. sun and moon. In Jyotish, the ascendant is without question the most individual and defining element in the chart.
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, Venus. The sign the seventh house is in is, for astrologers, the sign of people you are the most attracted by, you easily get along well with and you are most likely to start a love relationship with, if backed up by other zodiacal aspects.
Midheaven
Ptolemy's definition: The Medium Coeli is the point which is upper square from ascendant, eg. zenith by modern astronomy vocabulary.
Modern definition: The Midheaven or Medium Coeli is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the Meridian (line of longitude) in the south on northern hemisphere (and the point in north in the southern hemisphere).
In astrology
The Midheaven is one of the most important angles in the birth chart. It traditionally indicates career, status, aim in life, aspirations, public reputation, and our life goal.
In the Placidus house system, the local meridian passing through Midheaven forms the cusp of the 10th house, but neither zenith nor Midheaven are 10th house's cusp in this house system; in the equal house system it can be found in the 9th, 10th or 11th house. The other end of this axis, 'beneath' the earth, is the point known as the IC or Immum Coeli.
Whilst the Midheaven is traditionally thought of as indicating a goal in terms of career or working life, it is not confined to this type of goal, and can indicate very personal or spiritual goals as well.
The individual will identify with and admire the qualities of the astrological sign on the Midheaven. The sign on the cusp of the Midheaven quite often indicates what kind of career, vocation, or reputation in life the native will pursue. It also reflects how an individual reacts to stressful situations.
The Midheaven quite often refers to a parent, quite often the mother, but sometimes the father. The other parent is sometimes represented by the angle at the opposite end, the Immum Coeli, or IC.
Imum Coeli
In astrology, the Imum Coeli (Latin for "bottom of the sky"), IC, is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven. It marks the fourth house cusp in most house systems (this is reversed in the southern hemisphere).
Astrological significance
The Imum Coeli is said to refer to our roots and also to the least conscious part of ourselves. It symbolizes foundations, beginnings in life, what may have been experienced through parental inheritance and homeland influences, need for security and relationships with the home and family life. It also may describe the circumstances that we will encounter at the end of our lives. Because this house was the most distant point possible from the visible part of the horoscope, Hellenistic astrologers considered the IC to be the home of the underworld, or Hades.
In many cases the IC refers to a parent — traditionally, the father. Modern astrologers may use the IC as a significator for the mother, or for both parents. There is no consensus in modern usage for which parent is best represented by the IC. The point is moot for Hellenistic astrologers who considered the fourth house the house of the father, but did not use the Imum Coeli as the cusp of the fourth house.
Using the natural houses system (see cadent houses) and modern quadrant house systems in which the IC is the cusp of the fourth house, some modern astrologers see a correspondence between the fourth house and the astrological sign Cancer. However, traditional astrologers, using whole-sign houses, never made this connection.
In whole-sign house systems the signs and houses have the same boundaries; hence the Imum Coeli can actually appear in the third house, the fourth house or fifth house; in cases of extreme terrestrial latitude, it may even fall in the second or sixth houses.
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