| The Angles |
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The Angles and Quadrants
The chart wheel can be divided up into four hemispheres -- northern and southern, eastern and western -- and four quadrants -- the first, second, third and fourth. Each quadrant is bound by two of the four angles of the horoscopes -- the Ascendant, Imum Coeli (I.C.), Descendant and the Medium Coeli (M.C. or Midheaven). These four angles are also called Cardinal points, as they lie on the cusps of the houses that rule the Cardinal Signs.
The Ascendant is the first point on the chart wheel and is located on the cusp of the First House (9 o'clock position). Directly opposite the Ascendant lies the Descendant, which is located on the cusp of the Seventh House (3 o'clock position). This opposition creates an axis that divides the chart wheel in half, creating the northern and southern hemispheres. The I.C. sits on the cusp of the Fourth House (6 o'clock position), while opposite it on the cusp of the Tenth House (12 o'clock position) is the M.C. The I.C. and M.C. create a second axis, dividing the chart further into eastern and western hemispheres. Thus the four quadrants are delineated. Each quadrant can be seen as a step in self-development.
In the northern hemisphere lie First through the Sixth Houses, in the southern the Seventh through the Twelfth. The eastern hemisphere includes the Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, First, Second and Third Houses, while the western consists of the Fourth through the Ninth Houses.
The First Quadrant, containing the First, Second and Third Houses of the Zodiac, falls in the northern and eastern hemispheres of the chart and is bound on either side by the Ascendant and the I.C. The First House focuses attention on the self, the Second on possessions and Third on communication and self-expression. Therefore, a convergence of planets within this quadrant would concentrate an individual's focus on personal growth, identity and self-enrichment.
The next three houses, the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth comprise the Second Quadrant, falling in the northern and western hemispheres. The Fourth House emphasizes the extension beyond self into concern for loved ones, especially family and home. The Fifth House deals with pleasure, with love affairs and creative expression and children, while the Sixth House relates to our forays into occupations and interactions with coworkers. Therefore, a convergence of planets within this quadrant would concentrate an individual's focus on an outward development, the moving out from oneself to integrate with the world through family, romantic and career relationships.
As we enter the Third Quadrant, containing the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Houses, we move farther away from the individual's concerns and closer to the higher realms of being, to the more abstract human goals. Falling in the southern and western hemispheres, and beginning at the Descendent, the Seventh House deals with our partnerships and interpersonal contracts, things like marriages and business agreements. The Eighth House is occupied by the concepts of transformation, rebirth and sexuality, of the occult and of death, while the Ninth describes our relationship to higher learning, philosophy and travel. Therefore, a convergence of planets within this quadrant would concentrate an individual's focus on the way their actions and beliefs impact the world as well as their most intimate relationships.
The Fourth Quadrant, comprised of the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Houses, pulls us back around to our innermost selves. The Tenth House trades in social status and in our dealings with authority, and the Eleventh in our social obligations and group associations. The Twelfth House is where our dreams and secrets lurk, as it's the House of the Subconscious. It butts itself right up against the First Quadrant and our First House sense of ourselves. Therefore, a convergence of planets within this quadrant would make for an individual who channels much energy into their relationship with a larger social group, an individual who finds their satisfaction in their public status. Also, some emotions may be suppressed if planets lie in the Twelfth House.
Ascendant
Imum Coeli
Medium Coeli
The Houses of the Zodiac
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