I thought, after swimming in the waters of concept and symbol, we might like to get back to some hardcore astrology today. Back to dry land. There has been a great deal talked about the ‘shadow’ element in astrology. We usually associate the ‘shadow’ with the Descendant. Traditionally, if the 
Ascendant is the “I, me” of consciousness–what I am, how I define myself– the Descendant represents that which (we feel) is not within us, or ‘other.’ In synastry, the Descendant symbolizes what we are attracted to–something or someone who feels instinctively to be a part of us, but who represents qualities we cannot (or are not yet ready to) own. When the Descendant is prominently involved in a synastry, there is always a feeling of re-discovering something long lost, or of having a deep hunger satisfied (for a time, anyway).
Too often, synastry students ignore the Descendant and it’s ruler in chart interpretation. Actually, ALL of the angles are crucial in synastry, but we will come back to that another day. For now, it’s vital to understand that each arm of the axis needs to be considered as a whole–to quote the old song, you can’t have one without the other. The Ascendant/Descendant form one arm, MC/IC the other. The Asc/Dsc is the gateway to the 1st and 7th houses, and has a natural Aries/Libra affiliation. Traditional astrology is very keen on angle, angle ruler contacts between charts, but we will see here that there are some problematic sides to strong angle contacts in synastry. Strong angle contacts are very immediate and are keenly felt, but they can also tip the balance inherent in the angle.
I think most people would agree with the observation that, the more self-aware we are, the more we understand what we need and want out of a partnership. The Ascendant/Descendant axis has a great deal to do with our self-understanding. Without a good handle on this axis and the way its rulers operate in a chart, a discussion of relationship is pretty much limited to Sun-Mars, Moon-Venus.
The Ascendant does function as an identity center, a mask or container which encompasses the rest of the chart energies. It is the “I” that experiences. It’s our public face, the one we put on when we want to tell someone ‘this is who I am,’ particularly when we are younger. A young Libra rising may be perfectly happy with being ‘the pretty one’ or ‘the nice one,’ whereas the young Scorpio rising feels himself to be dark and mysterious and longs to be seen as such. Young Leo rising may see himself as an artist/actor/creator, or just long to be leader of the pack. Once we move on a bit from identifying with the Moon, which we do in childhood, the Ascendant is the natural place to go, the qualities more easily accessible to the consciousness than those of the too-bright Sun. But a funny thing happens to the angles. Like the planets, they progress…
A birth angle is a fixed point in time, but the chart moves on. And so does our understanding of ourselves.
The Ascendant’s affinity with Aries is often misunderstood. On the surface, Aries is about “I, me.” But the motivation behind the “I” orientation is this: far from being selfish or self-centered, Aries knows it is destined for a journey, the very journey of life, and nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to get in its way. Like a racehorse born to run, Aries sets off towards whatever instinct is strongest, meets up with experience, absorbs it, and moves on to the next. The movement is what matters, not the result, or even the understanding. Aries energy leaves the results for other signs to pick up, analyze, and make something with.
Essentially, the Ascendant is “I”, but it isn’t a fixed “I”, it is an I that is in the process of becoming. It takes in experience, makes it conscious, and moves on. In the process, it begins to define itself, but it keeps moving. It is ever restless, never ‘done.’ Our Ascendant often describes our restlessness, the thing we keep doing and the way we keep doing it. Virgo rising never stops analyzing. Gemini rising never stops making connections. We can’t stop, because it would feel like death.
Now, the difficulty of the ‘shadow’ appears in relationships because as the “I” evolves, so does the “not I.” If we’re lucky, if we are aware, our (usually painful) experiences of ‘other’ will allow us to claim some of that “not I” as our own. It, too, will never be finished, will always be elusive, and somewhat out of our grasp. (I sometimes think that, without the evolving Descendant, we would reach a point where we stop falling in love.) We may also better understand what of the “not I” is a real and present need, and what is based on a wishful fantasy of who we were/are/are not. Without a mature take on this angle, we may avoid an equal and adult partnership, preferring to fall back into earlier need patterns. The Descendant is an area where we would rather let someone else do the work for us–instead of embracing the qualities of our Descendant, we ‘marry’ them, thus attempting to fulfill our mission by proxy. We often project the qualities of our Descendant onto our partners–and they can be qualities that the partner doesn’t actually possess. We bypass the real work of partnership. What does my partner bring out in me? What do we really need to learn from another? Am I seeing my partner for who he/she is, or am I constructing a persona for them out of my own desires? Do I really want the same things now that I wanted ten years ago? Do the people I choose as partners reflect these new needs? The needs represented by the Descendant are deeply ingrained in us, but they can also be an outgrown habit. The Descendant shows where we can be mindless repeat offenders in relationship blindness. The Shadow can become the place where we just never ‘get it,’ we never learn.
The Roving “I” (part 2). See also, “The Inner Script.”
i am wondering if the opposition points to the Sun and Moon in an individual’s chart also carry a similiar Shadow quality as the Descendent when we are looking at synastry charts ?
also, the other thing that immediately comes to mind when the term “Shadow” is used – is Saturn – and the fact that it is exalted in Libra. is there something about our journey and work with Saturn that is pivotal in understanding and working with oppositions and relationships? i have frequently heard you use the terms “mature” and “immature ” Saturn ……..
I may be the last person in the world who should answer this question about the Sun and the Moon. I have both my Sun and my Moon conjunct a ruler of the opposite sign, and in the planet’s respective houses.
All polarity points are crucial to understanding and developing the under-developed areas of a planetary energy. I think this is one of the most valuable discoveries of modern astrology–how something as simple as understanding polarity can give direction and insight.
However, polarity has its limits. Polarity is about providing insight to what may be missing. On the surface we can say yes, developing awareness of the opposite sign from the Sun and the Moon will bring insights into behaviour. But the lights are not planets. I don’t think anything is ‘missing’ from them. It’s more a sense of getting in touch with the true energy of each body and letting it flow outwards, and not letting it be thwarted or repressed by other elements. Outer planets have a particular talent for warping the expression of the lights, at least initially, until we learn how to focus the energy of the light towards the planet to bring the planet into service of the light. If looking at the sign opposite provides insight for the Sun/Moon person, then all well and good. But I wouldn’t say that the polarity point of either provides a home for the Shadow the way the Descendant does. Perhaps it would be helpful where there are strong Sun and/or Moon contacts between the charts (particularly conjunctions) where the opposite archetype would be missing from the interaction. (For example, a woozy synastric Sun/Moon conjunction in Pisces would require a dose of clear-headed Virgo from time to time–one or the other partner would have to fulfill that need.)
We have to remember that the angles are not planets. They are crucial gateways for experience. The Descendant is ‘other’ in a very literal sense. It provides an open door for relationship experience, as well as providing the parameters for defining the ‘not I.’
Yes, Saturn’s exhaltation in Libra is very much about the process of maturing via ‘other.’ Not only in the sense of intimate relationships, but in the more esoteric sense of dealing with the ‘outside world.’
Dawn – just to ground my understanding of the angles and the shadow a bit – a few more questions …..
if i understand things correctly – the ascendent – descendent axis is defined by the Sun and its a calculation/position related to the time of birth – is that close to being accurate ? is the other axis – the midhaven – IC also set by a calculation relating to the Sun’s position ?
would it then be the Sun’s energy that is primarily animating and illuminating the play and changes within an individual thru the angles by progression and transit ? if thats the case its easy to see why you started with the essays on solar fire….
are the shadow influences upon the angles – (for example a planet conjunct an angle that casts a shadow on the opposite angle) generally as potent and difficult to integrate as outer planet contacts to the lights ? are there any general guide lines you follow about how to prioritize and interpret shadow and unconscious influences within an individual chart ?
thanks,
Don
Don– I’m afraid that natal angles are calculated via the midheaven’s position for the adjusted sidereal time of birth. Sidereal time defines movement via fixed stars, not the Sun. I actually find this very poetic. Our charts are defined by our highest point, our greatest possibility. I think you’re confusing natal angles with progressed angles, which can be directed via solar measurement. There are a number of ways to progress angles in secondaries, which is way too complicated a topic to get into here. Ironically, perhaps, I don’t use the solar arc to progress the angles. I find that it’s too far ahead of the client’s conscious experience.
If a natal planet conjuncts an angle, it’s influence will be very apparent in the person’s life. It will give weight to that end of the angle. If it’s the Asc, they’ll need to express that energy directly, perhaps ignoring it’s implications on partnership. If it’s conjunct the Descendant, they may try to pass the planet off onto a partner. Planet’s conjunct the Desc are harder for us to get a hold of, though they may be very influential in a random, unconscious way. I’ve seen them behave much like unaspected planets. Much depends on the state of the planet itself and if that planet’s energies are easy to tap into. If my Mars is conjunct my Desc and square to Pluto, I’m going to have a much harder time of accepting its influence than I would if Mars was trine Venus and Saturn. If Mars is conjunct my Desc, I may have trouble accessing my own ambition and agression. It may be difficult to integrate that into my definition of “I”.
Sorry, I missed a part of your question. Charts have to be analyzed individually, but if there is a lot of emphasis on the Desc via planet and rulership–just a lot of contacts to the Descendant and its ruler, then that person will be partnership oriented and at the same time prone to projections. If there are a lot of contacts there via synastry, then this particular relationship will be intense and cause the person do redefine what relationship means to them. There may be particular projections or attitudes that the person will have to come to terms with, depending on the planets involved.
thanks Dawn! – as always – very helpful – there is something emerging around the MC- IC for me – with a Leo Mars on the midhaven – the strongest part of the shadow is down there at the bottom of the chart with the Acquarius IC and the empty fourth house – there is an energetic/emotional/spiritual rearrangement in the works around the midhaven and the IC that is similiar to the redefinition you are mentioning around the ascendent and the descendent in your last post……
I’m going to be doing a similar piece on the MC/IC soon. MC/IC contacts are vital in synastry, and yet very few people give them any weight.
Dawn – i am suspecting that the angles all work together and lay a foundation for what we are here to accomplish as individuals. the pathway into relationship is really difficult and confusing if the angular foundation of ourselves is caught in shadow or off balance – we get wound up in trying to complete or fulfill ourselves thru relating when its really an inner completion thats being called for….
a couple other questions about the setting of the midhaven. as you mentioned – its established based on sidereal time which defines movement based on fixed stars. which fixed stars would those be ? – and then if it is possible to explain it briefly and simply – what is the calculation that yields the ascendent – descendent axis once the midhaven is established ?
thanks,
Don
Stars don’t move in relation to one another. Planets do. Look at it this way: The time it takes for the entire sky to move around in an entire circle (from the point of view of the earth) is one sidereal day. This is a different measurement from the time it takes the Sun, which is a solar day. Adjustments need to be made to find sidereal time from birth time. which is adjusted for both time and place. For example, within a time zone, it could be 8 PM, but one area will be headed towards darkness and another will still have light. The sidereal time would be different for each.
Finding the angles by hand is a laborious process. I know, I started long before computers. The computer has replaced the Table of Houses, Ephemeris, Atlas and Atlas of local time changes that you needed to calculate the angles and house positions. It does in a split second what used to take an hour, and it’s more accurate. However, I think it’s important to learn the concepts behind how a chart is calculated, and get some kind of three dimensional model in your head so that it makes sense symbolically. Believe it or not, the Idiot’s Guide to Astrology has a good, simple explanation. So does Kevin Burke’s Astrology Math Made Easy. Though you’ll see how easy it isn’t, unless you’re a math wiz.
Aha! Finally someone writing about the descendant. I’ve got a planet on the descendant and I’ve been trying to understand what it means. Thanks, very helpful. Rose
i love this blog. ive done ten years of projection in a relationship who’s synastry had mars conjunct the desendant and let me tell you its been a near death experience and rather like falling in love with yourself through the other!
brilliant ! I have a mars conjunct descendant synastry with my husband and let me tell you its been a rollercoaster ride of projection. I can honestly say its rather like falling in love with your darkest self !!!!!!
What happens if a person has their DSC (Aquarius) empty of planets and their Uranus is in Scorpio in the 4th House (Libra) AND that planet is unaspected?
How does one interpret the needs here?
Seems challenging.
Uranus in the fourth house is always difficult. The 4th house is where we cling, where we find security, and Uranus is determined to disrupt all that. Uranus in Scorpio will be disruptive in the extreme, only in a clandestine way. You will never see it coming and then it will go ‘Boo’ right in your face, ripping away all of your cherished safety. Sometimes Uranus in the 4th causes the family to be cold or uppity in some way, intellectual or unusual sometimes. Sometime it is downright rejecting and we feel ourselves to be permanent outsiders. As the ruler of the 7th, sometimes we seek partnerships within the family/tribe. If it is squaring the Asc/Desc, partners will be a difficult learning experience and cause us to assert our own identity. We may be attracted to that Uranian vibe and then find that it’s too intense for comfort, and causes us to re-experience earlier losses or rejections. With Aquarius on the Descendant, we need to remember two key words in partnership: friendship and freedom. If you can remember that, it will make the road a lot easier.
Dawn,
Thank you for that detailed assessments. Unaspected planetary imterpretations are a challenge for me. My Sun conjuncts the man with the unaspectef Uranus in the 4th (he lives in another country. 4 of my planets (Sun, Merc, AND Uranus with Jupier right on his IC) are in his 4th house.
This led me to wonder if I would be a comforting presence in his life or familiarly Uranian. My natal Scorpio Sun conjuncts Uranus (9 degree orb). This had me reviewing your article on chart signatures.