Four Angles of the Astral Map |

An Astral Map is a photograph of the sky at the moment we are born. It is calculated according to the place of birth, because it is the sky that we would see if we looked up at birth. The time of birth is fundamental because it will determine the division of the houses in the chart, which are the areas of activity in our lives. This set of information gathered according to the date, time and place of birth of a person will determine their potentials and characteristics. And although much of the interpretation of a chart centers on analyzing the Sun, Moon and Ascendant, the angles of the chart are fundamental to understanding the structure of a personality, how it formed, what sustains it, and how it functions.

While the signs tell us about character traits, the houses relate to conditions. If we were to compare Astrology with theater, the planets would be the actors, the signs would be the roles they play and the houses would be the scenarios or situations where the cast acts. And within these scenarios, the corners of the map are places of great energy, which manifest a lot of what we are and what we would like to be. They are fundamental to understanding our past, present and future. We call the cusps (or lines where they begin) of the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses angles.

Ascendant

The Ascendant, located on the 1st House Cusp, shows our personality, our temperament and natural tendencies, our individuality and way of expressing ourselves. It also relates to beginnings: of the day, determined by the sunrise over the horizon every morning; of our life, with our birth; and all our undertakings. It is the way we “package” and “sell ourselves”. It shows our approach to life.

sky background

The Bottom of Heaven, located on the Cusp of the 4th House, shows our home of origin, our parents, and the home we are going to form. Here we see ancestry, psychological roots and private life. It also indicates the conditions of our later years. It shows the parent who most influenced us during childhood, and who works as the basis of our personality, of our character.

Downward

The Descendant, located on the 7th House Cusp, shows our marital and business partnerships, marriage, divorce, contracts, lawsuits, negotiations, any dealings with the public. It involves our sworn enemies, our cooperation (or lack of) with others. It also indicates what we lack most, as it is in opposition to the First House, which is the house of our most marked personality traits. In other words, it is a “projective” house, because even what we believe we lack, and that is why we seek in the other, are our characteristics, with which we have not yet come into contact, qualities that have not yet been developed.

Midheaven

The Midheaven, located on the 10th House Cusp, shows our profession, reputation, position in the community. It indicates our status, fame, promotion, social and business activities, our employer, the government or any other authority above us. Here we see our accomplishments and how the world sees and values ​​us. It indicates the influence we exert on our environment. Here you can also see the other parent, which is not represented in the fourth house. But the most important information that Midheaven gives us is about our purpose in life: how far do we want to go?

Now, let’s gather all this information and think of the Astral Chart as an evolutionary process, where the first house indicates the moment of our birth, the fourth house represents our childhood, the seventh house speaks of our young adulthood, and the tenth shows the climax of our lives. Let’s also think of the bottom half of the chart as the most private part of our personality, which only a few have access to, and the top half as the most public part, which everyone sees. At birth, we are pure instinct and reflex. We cry to get what we want and, according to the responses we receive to our demands, we learn to communicate, first with our primary caregiver, and then with our environment.

From birth to adulthood

During the first years of our life, the foundations of our personality will be settled. It will be there, in our 4th house, within our family, that we will learn (or not) to be cared for, nourished, protected. Here, we are active receivers of our environment and, with this, we will learn to be donors in the future. It will be according to what we receive here that we will be able to give to others (7th house) and to the world (10th house).

We grew up and became independent. We start walking, dating, working and we find a partner with whom we want to share more than mere moments of pleasure. We arrived at our 7th house, and here we are going to learn how what we are (1st house) and what we received in our childhood (4th house) works or not in relationships with others.

We got married, and we kept progressing. We have a goal in life, and sometimes it takes time to figure out what it is. This objective is demonstrated by the 10th house on our map: that is where we want to go and, together with our partner, we will walk in search of this objective, be it personal, social or professional.

That would be the “natural” course of life (a word not used in any pejorative or discriminatory way). But this is not always the path we follow, not exactly in that order, nor with that fluency. There are challenges to be overcome on a personal and family level in order to achieve our social and professional goals. And it is along this trajectory that we get to know each other and develop our potential as a human being. But what conflicts are we talking about? Let’s look at the relationship between the houses to understand them a little better.

The 1st house is in a square (tension) with the 4th and 10th houses and in opposition with the 7th house. This symbolizes the tensions and challenges involved in the natural maturation process of every human being. Let’s look at these relationships further. Square between the 1st and 4th houses: We are born as separate and unique individuals (1st house), but totally dependent on other people’s care to survive. We only develop from interactions in our childhood home, from what we give, what we receive, what we experience. The question posed by this relationship is: how does home life (4th house) support or stifle our burgeoning individuality? The 4th house indicates one of the parents, and he works as a support for our development, as a base (4th house) and springboard to achieve social (7th house) and professional success (10th house). Or it could act as an impediment to our growth. Opposition between the 1st and 7th houses: some condition of identity and personal freedom (1st house) has to be sacrificed in order to make a relationship (7th house) work. Thus, this relationship shows the classic conflict found in most relationships: how much of our individuality do we keep and how much do we adjust to what others need or require? If we adjust too much, we lose our own identity, but if we are too self-centered and demanding, we will end up alone. In the natural zodiac, not coincidentally, these houses are analogous to the signs of Aries (the sign of the self) and Libra (the sign of the other). Square between the 4th and 7th houses: the relationship between these two houses shows how patterns established in childhood (4th house) can affect our stable relationships. The models of relationships seen and experienced during our early years will, in some way, be taken to the relationship as a couple, either as a reference for what to avoid or as a goal to achieve. And the care not to lose objectivity in the relationship with the other becomes fundamental. The square between the 7th and 10th houses: This relationship shows the conflict that most couples are experiencing today: how much time to dedicate to your career, how much time to dedicate to our relationships? More than that, it shows how these two areas interact, helping or hindering the achievement of our objectives. For some, this interaction is harmonic and both areas have equal weight and value, marriage having been achieved first so that together they can both go in search of their professional achievements. For some, there is always a choice to make. Opposition between the 4th and 10th Houses: I consider these two houses and the relationship between them as the fundamental axis for reading the personality. Shaft (4-10) supports shaft 1-7. Here we see both parents (father and mother) and their influence in the transformation of an individual from a basically instinctual being (House 1) into a social being (House 7). According to this relationship, we will see how homely the person is, what value he attaches to his career and profession, and how his childhood training helps or hinders the achievement of his life goals, seen in the 10th house. 4th house) influences our later social functioning (10th house). The question is: does the foundation cemented in our home of origin give us strength and make us more independent, or does it take away our autonomy and make us more dependent? Square between the 10th and 1st houses: Self-discipline is necessary to develop a career, which invariably limits our personal freedom and spontaneity. Society, as a reference for our lives, imposes restrictions on our natural personality inclinations. Are these two “selves” (private and social) very different from each other, or are they coherent and harmonious? How much of what we are are we willing to give up in the name of our reputation, to meet the demands of the environment?

Understanding the four angles of our map gives us tools to understand and alter our destiny. There is a reason why we are like this, but there are options to be different. Have you found out which ones are yours?