The Medium Coeli - our way to the very top | the Main Axes part 3
- How we reach for the stars
What even is the MC
Continuing our journey around the birth chart and through the axes from where we left off last time, where we learned all about the Horizon Axis with the Ascendant and the Descendant, it is now time to start talking about the more unknown axis points of the chart. One of them being the Medium Coeli or also known as the MC.
If you remember my article about the Ascendant, we talked about how it acts like a façade that you are going to have a hard time changing, since it is simply your little window to the world. It is how you approach others and for them to immediately get a feeling of who they have in front of them. This is important to understand, because at first the Midheaven might sound very similar.
It is how we want to look. How we want to go into the world and be perceived.
In most astrology books you will read about the Midheaven being the part of the big cross that defines success, which is also correct. But I am willing to go a little further and have a look beyond the simple interpretation to make it a little more approachable.
On the vertical axis of the chart the Medium Coeli lies opposite from the IC (Imum Coeli). The IC being our roots, our family, where we come from. Therefore the MC describes where we want to go, often also what we want to bring to the world and what we are going to change into. Regarding the correlating signs, this Axis is about the private life versus the public, professional life and also our transformation from who we are at the beginning of our life to who we will grow into during it.
So as a conclusion we can say that the MC is how we want to be perceived by others to make an impression, to be successful and to be an accepted part of society, but also to be different from what we learned at home at a young age. It is where we want to be our own selves and build - as well as be - something different from what already exists and what we know.
Once again, the MC is not just a random spot in the chart, but lies the beginning of the 10th House (except for a few specific house systems). Since the 10th House shares most of its meaning with the MC, this is also an important house to look at, especially when it comes to questions like “who do I want to be perceived as”, “what kind of career do I want to pursue” or “what image do I strive for/do I often portray”. Here, like with the last two articles too, it is important to look at possible planets in your 10th House and also planets close to your MC if you want to specify the interpretation.
Just like the AC and the DC symbolize the horizon, and therefore the sunrise as well as the sunset, the MC lies between them, being the highest point the sun can reach. So, a person that was born at sunrise will have their sun standing close to their Ascendant and a person that was born during noon will probably have a sun somewhere in the 10th or 9th house.
Just like the AC and the DC, the MC and the IC always lie exactly opposite from each other. But not always 90° from the horizon axis! In this example the Medium Coeli falls into the sign of Pisces and in the Placidus house system. In most (western) house systems it will automatically represent the start of the 10th house, but not in all of them.
Its significance in day-to-day life
Now, you might already guess where this article is going to lead. For now, we will not be getting into job analysis (yet), but keep it a little more simple. Because I often see the Midheaven (in combination with the AC) expressed in clothing. How else could we better express who we want to be and how we want to showcase our personality, than with how we present our bodies and ourselves. For most people their clothes are more than just a choice out of simple comfort. Even though that might be more protruding in younger years, we carry those preferences and choices with us until the day we die.
Here it is important to add, that taste usually gets associated with Venus and comfort with the Moon. The Sun as well plays an important role here as in who we strive to be, our ideals and idols. Regarding your career Mercury and the entire 10th House as well as its ruler should be taken into consideration. But for now, we will only focus on the Midheaven, otherwise you wouldn’t get done reading this article before the next one comes out. However, if you find yourself strongly disagreeing with my associations, it’s worth taking a look at exactly those planets! Please consider that the elements are a very rough guideline and not nearly as accurate as looking at the individual signs. For an in-detail consultation, please always get in touch with a professional.
How you present yourself and like to shine
Fire: If your Midheaven falls into a Fire sign, you probably want to take responsibility at your workplace. You want to express yourself and can’t imagine having a boring job and need some sort of variety or activity every day. You like to appear confident and strong and are very bold when it comes to your clothing style. You probably like all kinds of colors and experimental styles, even – or especially because – like this you are sure to always be the center of attention. For those people living in the moment is often the biggest motto in life.
Air: If your Midheaven falls into an Air sign, you are probably mostly interested in a job with a lot of theory. You are not really the practical type and prefer to keep track of everything that is going on. These people most often pursue a job revolving communication or organization and don’t mind if their tasks get repetitive sometimes. These people often work office jobs and enjoy the company of others. Whether that means that they share their workspace with a team or make their money through services. You prefer to appear smart and often care a lot about what others think about you. Therefore, when it comes to fashion you often follow trends and fit in with the rest. (good to know: an Aquarius MC most often indicates that some sort of self-employment or pursuing a very unusual and individual career would suit this individual the best)
Earth: If your Midheaven falls into an Earth sign, you are probably suited for a more practical job, you want to see results and achieve something with your work. You are hardworking and reliable and don’t want to waste your time with insignificant tasks or jobs that don’t have a purpose or meaning. This also shows in your style of choice. Usually, these people can be seen in more muted colors and value comfort and practicality the most (Capricorns are the exception here, since they most often go for a more classy fit, wanting to look professional and be taken serious). They are reliable and like routines at their workplace, they like to be known as the person one can trust and are often the most hardworking out of the signs.
Water: If your Midheaven falls into a Water sign, a caring and compassionate job (and image) is probably what you are striving for. Anything related to emotions and creativity is right down your alley. These people are often artists, musicians or nurses. They probably find it a little harder than others to work a 9 to 5 job and to be with the same people or do the same work every day. Depending on other factors in the chart, they probably prefer to build their own schedule (this is more of a 6th house topic though). They like to care for others and (ideally) themselves, therefore they need to let their emotions and thoughts flow freely into their profession as well. Their clothing style most often fluctuates a lot, fully depending on their mood. While a Pisces might prefer a more dreamy and flowy aesthetic, Scorpios like an edgy look. Yet, all of them prefer to stay comfortable and blend in, rather than stand out.
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Cardinal: If your Midheaven falls into a cardinal sign you like to lead and have success. Whether that concerns a department of your company or fashion trends. You like to manage and be in charge and probably naturally take on a lot of responsibility, which might even tempt you to start your own business. Clothing-wise you want to impress and show people that you know what you’re doing, since a good image is important to you. Whether that means that you wear formal attire anywhere or like to start trends and often also be ahead of them, you just do your own thing.
Fixed: If your Midheaven falls into a fixed sign, the most important job criteria for you are, that you get to work in a secure and stable work environment. You don’t like changes and are the most reliable out of all the signs. At the same time, it can take a while for you to get moving. You usually don’t change up your clothes that much either, since you value durability and stick to what you know.
Mutable: If your Midheaven falls into a mutable sign, you are the most creative of the bunch. You don’t really mind any job and like the idea of trying out many different things. Yet, you prefer for it to not be too serious, you like to move around and stay flexible. These people often take on unusual jobs that evolve exploring new ideas. Your wardrobe is probably as unpredictable as you. You like to try out everything and often fall out of the norm. You like many different styles but also don’t mind to just blend in, since mutable signs are all about adjusting themselves to the group.
Examples
As I have mentioned earlier, the MC and AC are often tied to each other, since they both have something to do with how we present ourselves to the outside world. If the AC was our window to the world, the MC would be our window sill – decorated however we want others to see us. May it be extravagant and loud to draw in people’s attention or more simple but organized, it is all about how we present ourselves to others.
These associations are probably already sounding familiar to you now! That is a great sign, since you are probably already getting a good feel for the essence of each of the elements. But you probably also know that it is usually not that easy to form a good opinion and interpretation just by looking at these four archetypes, which are fairly quite generalizing.
To give you a better and more realistic feeling of how these combinations can look in real-life, here are some examples that I have gotten to witness first hand (I didn’t choose celebrities on purpose, because often their wardrobe is not really authentically themselves and most of their jobs usually evolve around the same thing. Here we also don’t know if that is what they truly wanted and would have needed for themselves).
Scorpio AC and Leo MC = always dressed black from head to toe, but is obsessed with little sparkly items like a glitter phone case or neon pink trainers. Working for a higher end lingerie brand (Scorpio = Taboo, wants to provoke, comfy, dark clothes; Leo = Luxury, wanting to stand out).
Scorpio AC and Virgo MC = strives to work in a research lab for cancer prevention and cures, prefers to dress classy but most often just goes with what is comfortable, practical and available, prefers to stick with the same clothes over years. (Scorpio = depths, to reveal, research such as reliability and comfort as a fixed sign; Virgo = to fact-check, to research, doing something to aid others)
Sagittarius AC and Libra MC = teacher for foreign languages, likes to be on trend and is in touch with their students about what is trending at the moment (Sagittarius = other countries, advanced studies; Libra: verbal contact with others, being fashionable and concerned about looks)
Cancer AC and Aquarius MC = works as a nurse in the psychiatric field. Likes to dress comfortably first and foremost but also out of the box and ahead of others when going out. (Cancer = care, comfort; Aquarius = unique and unusual)
Here it is also important to note that the way you present yourself doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with how you actually are. Maybe your MC only gets to come out when you’re at your workplace or in public. Or maybe it’s a way for you to compensate with not feeling too good about yourself. Just like the MC is the tip of the chart, this can often only be the tip of the iceberg.
A fire-sign Midheaven, but most of the other planets in a more introverted sign could indicate a strong and fearless exterior, whereas in private this person is not like that at all. A lot of times this also doesn’t happen on purpose. If for example the AC falls into a specifically dominant sign, whereas most of the planets in the chart are once again placed in more shy and introverted areas of the zodiac, that person might even suffer from a sort of imposter syndrome, since they are very likely to be perceived as very confident and competent, although they themselves do not view themselves like that at all.
This was just a small excurse to show you how complex a “simple” axis point like this can present itself in a person. By analyzing their Midheaven alone you can already learn a lot about a person’s behavior, their habits and maybe even preferences and fears they don’t even fully know themselves.
Something like what your personal style is or what you want to do with your life when you are grown up, might only seem like an important question for when you’re young; yet, most of us never truly found out and just went with whatever they ended up in as soon as they turned 30. Therefore, I always vouch for being open to reinventing yourself and trying to get to know yourself better every day. And what better way to do that than with astrology.