Poetry in Motion: MC-IC (2025)

by Polly Wallace

Introduction

Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within awheel
Never ending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel...1

The astrological chart is based on the circle of the zodiac. Thiscircle is designed to show the relationship between earth and sky. For astrologers it is a brilliantly effective framework; it captures and describes current positions and also perpetual cycles of the Sun and theplanets as perceived from the earth. In its basic form as a circle, thezodiac has no beginning and no end.

Astrology charts come in a bewildering array of formats andstyles. Imagine – down the centuries and across the globe – a carnival ofcharts, emanating from all directions; mysterious hieroglyphics fromearly civilizations, magical hand-drawn charts and sophisticated computer-generated charts, all mingling together! So very different fromone another, yet all connected by the device of the zodiac. This circlehas proved its value. One reason it works so happily is because of theangles.

The four angles of the chart form two pairs – Ascendant andDescendant, Imum Coeli (IC) and Medium Coeli (MC). These divide thejourneys of the Sun, diurnal and annual, into four stages.

Ascendant and Descendant correspond to sunrise and sunset,annually to the equinoxes. IC and MC correspond to midday and midnight,annually to the solstices. By taking stock of the Sun's position inrelation to the angles, we can estimate how far the Sun has travelledalong its path at any time of day or at any point in the year.

In her book Astro-Mythology, Valerie Vaughan describeshow Native American tribes combined study of the stars with theirunderstanding of Nature. Their inspiration often came from vision quests.Sun Bear, a Chippewa medicine man, set forth a system of earth-astrologybased on the Medicine Wheel, the unity of the four cardinaldirections:

The Native American system envisioned by Sun Bear, likemost others throughout the world, relates the four directions to the fourseasons and the four elements. North refers to winter, which begins cyclically with the Sun located in what Western astrology calls Capricorn. The East is spring and begins with the Sun in Aries. The Southcorresponds to summer and the Sun in Cancer, and the West relates toautumn and the Sun in Libra.2

Throughout the world ancient monuments continue to evoke a senseof the reverence with which early people watched the sky. They worshipped the Sun, identified four turning points that gave structure to its movement and then lived in tune with the rhythm of this cycle. From massive rocks they created temples and circles that aligned with theirSun-god's journey. The pagan calendar, the Wheel of the Year, derivesfrom the annual journey of the Sun; Yule, Oester, Litha and Maboncoincide with solstice and equinox points. For pagans the cycle of theseasons is not only a measurement of time – it also describes a quest for balance, played out through dynamic interaction between the forces of Light and of Darkness.

So back to astrology's charts. Like stone circles, they representthe heavens. If the zodiac marks the boundary of a field, the angles are those standing stones that give structure to its sacred circle.

As symbols of the fundamental connection between the four cardinal directions, the four elements and the four seasons, the four angles areloaded with significance. No wonder they are recognised as potent pointsof the astrological chart!

The cycle of the angles

The angles divide the chart into four quadrants. This structuring transforms the circle of the zodiac into a cycle. Two Sun cycles – dailyand perpetual – are represented by the zodiac. We experience both of themas the interplay of light and dark.

North of the equator the Sun's annual cycle begins with the springequinox, the day on which the Sun moves from the southern to the northern hemisphere. This is a point of balance – the hours of day and night areequal. For the next three months, as the Sun moves further north, the sunrises earlier and sets later, increasing our ration of light as the hoursof darkness are eroded. This continues until the summer solstice, thelongest day. The word 'solstice' means sun stands still. It isa turning point; the Sun appears to pause in the sky before making itsway back to the southern hemisphere, mirroring the journey of the pastthree months. Hours of daylight gradually diminish until the autumnequinox, a point of balance when hours of light and dark are again equalas the Sun moves into the southern hemisphere. In the north daylightdwindles until the Sun reaches the winter solstice, the shortest day. Inan example of the interplay of macrocosm/microcosm that underpinsastrology, this yearly sequence of equinox, solstice, equinox, solstice,is reflected in the daily pattern of sunrise, midday, sunset, midnight.

The journey of the Sun offers a template for all planetary cycles.In astrology this is spelled out through the language of major aspects. Every planetary, and inter-planetary, cycle is defined by the sequence ofconjunction, waxing square, opposition, waning square, conjunction orreturn. Any web of aspects and aspect patterns, however complex, can beunravelled back to this fourfold process. Month after month the Moonprovides us with a vivid, often visible, example of its own fourfoldcycle, another version of the Sun's progress from one angle to the next.

Each of the four angles plays an individual role in theastrological chart and is also part of a complementary pair that definesthe chart's horizon or meridian. Integral to these two pairs is thecontrast between points of balance, the equinoxes, and points of extreme,the solstices. All four angles combine with one another to create astrology's perception of life as cycles of experience spiralling throughthe axes of the chart.

The angles, like the Moon's nodes, are points in space. They are qualitatively different from planets and other physical entities in thesolar system. So how can we accommodate this difference? Dane Rudhyar, apioneer in the use of cycles in modern astrology, recommends the SabianSymbols as another string to our bow:

...the importance of the degrees of the zodiac at thefour angles of a chart can hardly be overestimated......these (Sabian)symbols can be a significant tool in the hands of an intuitiveinterpreter who does not force a philosophical or social point of viewupon them but allows every detail of the symbolic image or scene to speakfor itself.3

Including the Sabian Symbols in our interpretation of the anglesadds a poetic dimension that can refresh our sense of the magical history surrounding the angles. It also adds emphasis to the importance of theangles as signposts in the passage of time.

Imum Coeli and Medium Coeli

In The Astrology of Personality, Dane Rudhyar describesequinox and solstice as "...periods of special activity of thelife force and of special release of power".4 He explores theirspecific qualities:

It was clear, however, that the types of release thatoccurred during these four crucial periods were of different natures. Atthe equinoxes came the times of greatest momentum of life; at the solstices of least momentum: just as if we watch the oscillations of apendulum we see its motion being the fastest when it crosses the point ofequilibrium and the slowest when it reaches its end position.5

In the daily cycle of the Sun, sunrise and sunset are dramaticmoments; the change-over between day and night sets the tempo of ourlives. This bold purpose translates into astrology. In many charts the horizon is drawn in strongly, ascendant and descendant really stand out.This axis is a constant factor, blissfully unaffected by house systems.All astrologers, and many non-astrologers, know the zodiac position oftheir natal ascendant or rising sign.

On a daily basis, the Sun's extreme positions are less defined.Without using a clock, midday and midnight can be difficult to pinpoint.The Sun's high-point tends to merge into a sunlit process; its low-point becomes hidden in the shrouds of deepest night. In the astrological chartthe positions of IC and MC are neither obvious nor secure. According tohouse system, these two points either hover between several houses, (e.g.Equal House) or sacrifice their individuality to a merger with the 4th and 10th house cusps (e.g. Placidus). Many astrologers, but few non-astrologers, know the zodiac positions of their natal IC and Midheaven.

When we consider the Sun's annual journey the solstices revealtheir importance. Extremes of darkness and light coalesce around the shortest and the longest day. This distinguishes them as pinnacles in thepattern of the year with its dynamic interplay of light and dark.

Astrologically the horizon announces our arrival on planet earth;the meridian describes the pathways of our journey through life. Thesignificance of the IC/MC axis may not be immediately obvious; it emergesin its own time and when it does we recognise it as profound and far-reaching.

Nowadays the astrological convention is to abbreviate Imum Coeliand Medium Coeli to their initials, IC & MC. It is interesting toconsider older names for these angles. Definitions of Imum Coeli includethe lowest heaven6 and a literal translation as the undersky.7 Such evocative phrases conjure up a sense of the IC as aterritory in its own right – a worthy counterpart for the Medium Coeli'sdescription as the middle of the heavens8. Definitions as Northern Angle (IC) and Southern Angle9(MC) also invest this fundamental structure of the chart with moredignity than their current acronyms.

As the undersky, the IC is always hidden. It stands likethe portal into a mysterious zone. The realm of the lowestheaven is vast; it encompasses all our past(s), all the detail of our origins and our roots – and all our secrets. It is another world, aninner world, experienced on a level as profound as the deepest darknessof night-time and of winter. Like the earth below our feet, this realm isthe fecund darkness where seeds germinate, where roots develop intricateand enduring networks.

In contrast the MC, the middle of the heavens, remindsus that even the sky has a summit, a crowning glory. It suggests all thatis light, airy and open. Its sense of infinite possibilities beckons usto venture forth on the wings of our aspirations and our dreams. Thisrealm is spacious enough to accommodate us – time after time. Think of atree such as Yggdrasil, the immense ash tree central to Norse cosmology.The IC, the undersky, is reflected by invisible roots that are vital for stability and nourishment. The MC, the middle of the heavens, flourishesout into a visible canopy that reaches for the sky.10

Interpreting the IC and MC

The four angles form a cycle; they also work as twocomplementary pairs – Ascendant/Descendant, IC/MC – and each angle isintrinsically important as an individual point in the chart. We can lookat this process more closely by engaging a case study – the birth chartof Toby.

1. The four angles as a cycle

Our first encounter with a birth chart makes an immediateimpression. This is likely to combine general information with odddetails. Both are valuable, often setting the scene and the tempo forsubsequent findings. More systematic chart appraisal could begin withlooking at all four angles together. How does their cycle contribute tothe story of the chart as a whole?

The four angles of Toby's chart fall in fire and air signs. Upbeat ascendant in fiery Leo is complemented by the wider perspective of descendant in Aquarius, an air sign. This interplay of impulse and consideration is affirmed by the angles of the meridian. Toby's LibranIC, inherently calm, looks poised to be ruffled by Aries on theMidheaven. The four angles' interaction of fire with air suggests that,while self-expression is vital for him, he is inherently aware of whatlies beyond his own immediate concerns.

Toby's Ascendant and Descendant are in fixed signs, indicatingthat he has determination and will-power. He is likely to be loyal, bothto his own aspirations and to the people in his life. The angles of the meridian fall in cardinal signs. This introduces qualities of initiativeand of authority; Toby is motivated to take control of his own life. Allfour angles, by element and quality, share a predisposition towards yangenergy – towards tangible aspiration in a visible world.

2. The axis of the IC/MC

The angles of the meridian, like those of the horizon, function effectively as an interdependent circuit. Their axis guides the journeyin which the personal and private (IC) transforms itself into the sharedand public (MC). In contrast to the horizon's announcement of identity,the axis of the IC/MC is subtle. It takes time, maybe years and years, toreveal itself. It is liable to shift and shift again as experience oflife exposes different facets of character.

As a young boy Toby developed a passion for football. His IC/MCaxis found an apt field in the beautiful game'scombination of commitment to the team (Libra) with the chance for personal glory (Aries). Toby played in defence. As a young adult, he captained a local team; moments of glory came thick and fast, culminatingwith him holding aloft the big silver cup (Aries MC).

Toby and football made a good team. In the light of his natalchart their union falls into place as one expression of his IC/MCinteraction, one example of how belonging (Libra) and independence(Aries) can work together. For Toby's easy ways with people (Libra) madehim a fine team member while his instinct to challenge himself (Aries)kept his game edgy and fresh. Perhaps it is testament to the inherent loyalty of a Libran IC that Toby and Kris, fellow defenders aged 10, recently played best man for one another's weddings.

3. The houses of the IC/MC

Toby's awareness of the people around him (IC) combines with animpulse to make an individual contribution (MC). This quality of hismeridian plays out in various dimensions of his life. House positions ofthese angles offer another perspective on their significance.

In Toby's natal chart, the IC falls in the 3rd house, MC in the9th. This suggests that, for Toby, life-experience, rather than status, may be the ultimate goal. In the natural chart the 3rd house is ruled byMercury, the 9th house by Jupiter. This brings in a sense that perceptionand communication, travel and ideas, are likely to feature in Toby's story.

Toby spent his childhood in Stroud, a small rural town with lively networks of activity. He enjoyed school, especially sporting activities;his social circle widened as naturally as ripples in water. He left hometo study for a degree in Leisure Management and then spent several yearsliving in large cities – Birmingham, Bath, Bristol. In 2005 Tobyexperienced a crisis in his personal life. Jupiter was moving throughLibra, home of his natal IC – change was in the air. In May 2005 Marsmoved into Aries; Toby saw the freedom hidden within apparent loss – andtook his chance. Alone he set off for Asia and Australia, the other sideof the world. With hindsight this adventure proved to be a turning point.Long hours spent travelling gave him time to take stock. Exposure tocompletely different lifestyles and attitudes gave him a whole newperspective on his own life. He made many friends – and he met the lovelygirl who, several years later, became his wife.

In the light of astrology, Toby's journey shows its truecolours as an expression of his IC/MC. This axis, with its innate trustin life (Libra) and its pioneering impulse (Aries), provided Toby withthe outlook and the spirit to deal with his crisis in this particular way. And it was the qualities inherent in these angles that brought aboutsuch a happy outcome. Toby has settled in Stroud – his 3rd housesanctuary now redolent with valuable experience, courtesy of its 9th house counterpart.

4. Angular planets

Planets conjunct an angle add a further dimension to ourunderstanding. Toby's MC, powerful in its own right, is in the same signas his Aries Sun. Even closer to the Midheaven lies Mercury, itsretrograde direction adding intrigue to the plot. Retrograde planets tendto generate self-motivation; Mercury retrograde enhances thinking for oneself. A feature of Toby is that, for personal decisions, he pondersalone, however long it takes, until he reaches a way forward thatsatisfies the spirit of Aries MC and the realism of retrograde Mercury.Toby, Aries to the core, is actively engaged with the outside world. Heis effortlessly realistic – as if the presence of Mercury retrograde is asteadying influence, adding a dose of realism to the dynamic duo of AriesSun and Midheaven.

Mercury's influence in Toby's life is evident through a pattern ofdualism. Toby's career has two main strands. He spends half the week inschool (3rd house) as manager of an inclusion unit that seeks to restorea sense of order to disruptive pupils (9th house). Idealistic Arieswants to make a difference – harnessed by Mercury retrograde's affinitywith what is possible. For the rest of the week Toby runs his ownbusiness – a company that hires out all the paraphernalia that makes eachwedding reception distinctive and gorgeous. Toby is in his element -Libra IC relishing this involvement in local events, Aries MC challengedto grow his company in line with his vision, with Mercury retrograde likea helpful editor, keeping it real.

5. Planetary rulers of the IC/MC

Many features of an astrological chart gain significance when wecan see how outer activity reflects inner experience. IC and MC, mostprivate and most public points in the chart, are pivotal instruments forthis concept of union. Planetary rulers of these angles indicate how the essence of the IC/MC polarity may be experienced in real terms.

Venus is the ruler of Toby's IC. In his natal chart she appearspoised in the 7th house, affirming the importance of relationships inToby's life. Her position in Aquarius, another air sign, reminds us ofher affinity with far-reaching ideas. Venus' strongest aspects are withthe outer planets, suggesting that Toby's innate sense of values has repercussions through wide fields of experience.

Mars, ruler of Toby's MC in Aries, is a natural counterpart forVenus. His position in Pisces brings the water element into the equation.From the 8th house, exactly conjunct Toby's south node, Mars invests thestory of the angles with undercurrents of sensitivity and imagination.Mars forms a sextile with Toby's Capricorn Moon and, like Venus, makes aspects with the outer planets.

Venus and Mars are bonded together by a rich cultural heritage of mythological themes. They make a good team as rulers of IC and MC for Toby, a person whose own happy marriage is reflected in the outside worldthrough a successful business centred on weddings.

6. Sabian symbols11

The Sabian Symbol for Toby's Ascendant is: Elderly man gazesat moose head on clubroom's wall. For his MC the symbol reads: A woman's hat with streamers blown by the east wind. Both imagesenhance the chart's themes of personal achievement within a context ofgroup activity.

The symbol for Toby's Descendant is A Hindu pundit revealshimself suddenly a great healer and, for the IC, A fireplaceblazes mysteriously in a deserted farmhouse. These evocative imagesbring an aura of mystery to Toby's natal chart. Their suggestion ofunseen powers is perhaps a reminder of how astrology conjures up thosesubtle dimensions that underpin and motivate the more tangible levels ofour life-experience.

Summary

The zodiac is like a medicine wheel – we all carry its imprintdeep within our psyches12

This exploration from astronomical and historical perspectivesprovides a broad and colourful background for the angles of the natalchart. It also emphasises how the whole vast realm of astrology is basedon people's lived experience of the sky – and that this is as relevant today as it ever was.

In astrology, as in the sky, the Sun forms a natural focus andcentre; its perceived journeys are pivotal to our understanding of time.The angles provide a structure for measuring the Sun's movement – and a means to comprehend the patterns within each planet's cycle.

Symbolically the four angles are gateways into place and time.Astrologically the four angles hold the essence of our place in the world(Asc-Desc); and they tell the story of how we can mobilise this essentialfacet of our character as we envision and then reach for our dreams (IC-MC).

Image source:
Stone circle: Public Domain CC0, Unsplash via pixabay.com
Yggdrasil: by Oluf Olufsen Bagge

Polly Wallace is aprofessional astrologer who lives in the beautiful Cotswold Hills ofEngland.After gaining the diploma of the Faculty of Astrological Studies Pollyworked for the Faculty as distance learning tutor, contributor to writtencourse material and tutor at Summer School. Polly's articles have been published in the Astrological Quarterly,Journal of the Seasons (NZ) and the AA Journal. She initiated and wrote anastrology column for Inside Time, the national newspaper for people inprison. Polly holds an honours degree in English and American Literaturefrom the University of Kent; she is now looking forward to finding ways tocombine her life-long love of literature with her fascination forastrology. Polly is available for astrology readings and for tuition, in person, byphone or via Skype. She can be contacted via pollywallace@yahoo.com or www.skylinesastrology.co.uk

First published in: The Astrological Journal, March/April2014

© The Astrological Association of GreatBritain 2014

All articles at aglance