The most powerful places in the heavens are those that are angular to the Ascendant (AS). The Angles. The power of these places lies in the activity generated by that angularity. The fourth place, the Imum Coeli (IC), and the tenth place, Medium Coeli (MC) are square (four places, 90/270 degrees, respectively) from the Ascendant, while the seventh place (DS) is in opposition (seven places, 180 degrees) to the Ascendant. These are strong hard angles that represent activity, action, challenge. The things that motivate the existence of the thing depicted in the chart. The angles are important because these are the places that represent the foundational significations of the moment of the chart.
When we look at a chart, we must remember that structurally we are looking at a representation of the world. The left side of the chart represents the physical east. This is the AS, the first place, the point of sunrise, the point where the Sun ascends and breaks the horizon for that day. This is morning time. Moving clockwise we come to the MC, the tenth place from the AS. The MC represents the physical south. It is the highest point of the Sun’s travel. This is noontime. Opposite the AS is the DS, the seventh place from the AS. The DS represents the physical west, the point where the Sun sets and disappears beneath the horizon. The farthest point from the AS, this is evening time. At the bottom of the chart is the IC. The IC, the fourth place from the AS, represents the physical north, the lowest point of the Sun’s travel chart. This is midnight.
The AS indicates the instant a thing happens. The exact moment in time based on place, when it enters into existence. That moment could be a question, an event, or a birth. Staying with the analogy of ‘birth’, in the literal sense, as in a nativity, a natal chart, the AS represents the person (the native). The fourth house from the AS represents the foundation of the native, the parents (mother), home, country. The seventh house, because it is diametrically opposed the AS, represents the ‘other’, as in the other people in the life of the native, such as wife/husband/partner, business partner, and people who oppose the native (known enemies or contestants). The MC, the highest point in the chart, the most visible part of the heavens, represents the native’s accomplishments. Generally, the MC represents what the native is known for, what they do for a living, their careers.
The other places have significations, as well, but, because of their position relative to the AS, these places are less foundational to the native . However, here we can find places of light and activity, as well as places of extreme darkness and inactivity.
