Midheaven
Encyclopedia
Ecliptic coordinate system
The ecliptic coordinate system is a celestial coordinate system that uses the ecliptic for its fundamental plane. The ecliptic is the path that the sun appears to follow across the celestial sphere over the course of a year. It is also the intersection of the Earth's orbital plane and the celestial...
. It aims to find the part of the ecliptic that corresponds to the highest point in a celestial object's apparent daily traverse of the visible sky, midway between its ascension on the eastern horizon
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...
and descension on the western horizon. The midheaven does not represent the point immediately overhead (our local zenith
Zenith
The zenith is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the imaginary celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction opposite to the apparent gravitational force at that location. The opposite direction, i.e...
), but the point at which that meridian intersects with the ecliptic
Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...
.
In the northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
, the more northerly the latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
of the observer, the lower down on the horizon
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...
the midheaven point is likely to be, but it will always be the part of the zodiac
Zodiac
In astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude which are centred upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year...
that is due south at any time, indicating the point where the planets reach their highest declination
Declination
In astronomy, declination is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle. Declination in astronomy is comparable to geographic latitude, but projected onto the celestial sphere. Declination is measured in degrees north and...
in their arc between the ascendant
Ascendant
The ascendant , or rising sign, is the zodiacal sign and degree that was ascending on the eastern horizon at the specific time and location of an event. According to astrological theory, celestial phenomena reflect or determine human activity on the principle of 'as above so below'...
and descendant
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,...
. The reverse is true in the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
where the planets culminate on the midheaven in alignment with due north. (This rule holds true for all locations outside of the tropics
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
).
Use in astrology
In the Alcabitius, Placidus
Placidus de Titis
Placidus de Titis was an Olivetan monk and professor of mathematics, physics and astronomy at the University of Pavia from 1657 until his death.Placidus popularized the system of astrological houses now known as the "Placidian system", current...
, Koch, Campanus, Regiomontanus
Regiomontanus
Johannes Müller von Königsberg , today best known by his Latin toponym Regiomontanus, was a German mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, translator and instrument maker....
, Meridian and Krusinski house system, the local meridian passing through Midheaven forms the cusp of the 10th house. In the equal house system Midheaven 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 Imum Coeli
Imum Coeli
In astrology, the Imum Coeli , IC, is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven...
('lower midheaven').
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
Astrological sign
Astrological signs represent twelve equal segments or divisions of the zodiac. According to astrology, celestial phenomena reflect or govern human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the twelve signs are held to represent twelve basic personality types or characteristic modes...
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 Imum Coeli
Imum Coeli
In astrology, the Imum Coeli , IC, is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven...
, or IC.
Combinations of Ascendant and Midheaven signs
Because of the obliquity of the EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's axis relative to the ecliptic, away from the equator some signs take much longer to cross the eastern horizon than do others. In the northern hemisphere, the signs from Cancer through Sagittarius take longer to ascend than the signs from Capricorn through Gemini, whilst in the southern hemisphere the reverse is the case.
However, the Midheaven sign for a given sidereal time
Sidereal time
Sidereal time is a time-keeping system astronomers use to keep track of the direction to point their telescopes to view a given star in the night sky...
will remain the same regardless of the latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
of the location for which the chart is cast. This means that, for different latitudes, a different sign can be ascending for the same Midheaven sign. For equatorial latitudes, the sign on the Midheaven will generally be three signs before the sign on the Ascendant
Ascendant
The ascendant , or rising sign, is the zodiacal sign and degree that was ascending on the eastern horizon at the specific time and location of an event. According to astrological theory, celestial phenomena reflect or determine human activity on the principle of 'as above so below'...
, but at very high latitudes this can vary between one sign before and five signs before the sign on the Ascendant. The greatest separations between Ascendant and Midheaven occur when short ascension signs (Aquarius, Pisces, Aries) are on the Midheaven, and the smallest when long ascension signs (Virgo, Libra, Scorpio) are on the Midheaven.
| Ascendant sign | Midheaven signs for middle northern latitudes | Midheaven signs for high northern latitudes | Midheaven signs for southern latitudes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Capricorn | Capricorn | Capricorn, Aquarius |
| Taurus | Capricorn, Aquarius | Capricorn | Aquarius, Pisces |
| Gemini | Aquarius, Pisces | Capricorn, Aquarius | Pisces, Aries |
| Cancer | Pisces, Aries | Aquarius, Pisces | Aries, Taurus |
| Leo | Aries, Taurus | Pisces, Aries, Taurus | Taurus, Gemini |
| Virgo | Taurus, Gemini | Taurus, Gemini | Gemini |
| Libra | Cancer, Leo | Cancer, Leo | Cancer |
| Scorpio | Leo, Virgo | Leo, Virgo, Libra | Cancer, Leo |
| Sagittarius | Virgo, Libra | Libra, Scorpio | Leo, Virgo |
| Capricorn | Libra, Scorpio | Scorpio, Sagittarius | Virgo, Libra |
| Aquarius | Scorpio, Sagittarius | Sagittarius | Libra, Scorpio |
| Pisces | Sagittarius | Sagittarius | Scorpio, Sagittarius |