Midheaven
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Ptolemy's definition: The Medium Coeli is the point which is upper square from ascendant, eg. zenith by modern astronomy vocabulary.
Modern definition: The Midheaven or Medium Coeli is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the Meridian (line of longitude) in the south on northern hemisphere (and the point in north in the southern hemisphere).
[edit] In astrology
The Midheaven is one of the most important angles in the birth chart. It traditionally indicates career, status, aim in life, aspirations, public reputation, and our life goal.
In the Placidus, Koch, Campanus and Regiomontanus house system, the local meridian passing through Midheaven forms the cusp of the 10th house, but neither zenith nor Midheaven are 10th house's cusp in this house system; in the equal house system it 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 Immum Coeli.
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 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 Immum Coeli, or IC.
[edit] Combinations of Ascendant and Midheaven signs
Because of the obliquity of the Earth'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 will remain the same regardless of the latitude 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, 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 |
