“Can this double inconjunct to the descendent be “turned” and employed to understand the forces around integration of the other angles in a natal chart?  When I look at my chart–the I.C/ is/was the angle more deeply held by the unconscious–and if I think of the midheaven as the Ascendent (where the ruler of the Scorpio Ascendent resides) and then look at the 9th house as the 12th house and the 11th as the 2nd – the whole thrust of the chart towards the I.C. becomes clear.  The Sun/Saturn conjunction in the 11th ( 2nd) connects with the Aquarian I.C.; (Saturn actually inconjuncts the I.C.) and then Cancer Uranus (again inconjunct the I.C.) on the cusp of the 9th (the 12th) also points to and connects with the Aquarian I.C. Owning the angIes (especially the I.C.)–instead of projecting them–seems to be the task …”

Yes, it can be ‘turned.’  In fact, in my class on the cardinal signs and relationship, we discuss the projection of the midheaven and I.C. in depth.  We’ll get into some of it when I begin talking about Saturn in synastry.  And I’m probably going to stir up a hornets nest when I talk about the way men tend to project the I.C. and its qualities when planets allow. It’s another ‘murky’ house, and sometimes its qualities are difficult to own, as you’ve mentioned.

Astrological geometry always applies.  The double inconjunct is what creates a yod formation, although for an actual yod you need  tight orbs (and I prefer three planets, not two planets and a point, for a true yod).  Inconjuncts (150 degrees) are very interesting in the way they play out in a chart.  The two signs that form an inconjunct are not related in any way, not by element or modality.  Signs that are inconjunct are incomprehensible to one another.  The stress that results from double inconjuncts causes a great deal of projection, because it’s difficult for the energy to come to any kind of resolution.  People with yods can be driven.  The energy produced has to go somewhere, and if it doesn’t go to the apex of the yod it will go to the opposite point.  If the I.C. is being projected/disowned, the extra energy will most likely syphon into the M.C.  Your chart is especially illustrative of this phenomenon–not only are Saturn and Uranus both inconjunct the Aquarian I.C. (both are the rulers of the I.C.; when the ruler is inconjunct the point it rules there is an intense struggle which is usually prefaced by projection).  You also have Mars in Leo conjunct the M.C.  Think of all that Saturn and Uranus energy pouring into the midheaven Mars, which would be very easy for you to access.  Also, although both planets are inconjunct the I.C., the planets are not in close enough orb to work together as a sextile would, which would ease some of the pressure.  (I use only 3 degrees either side for sextiles). Your I.C. didn’t have a chance.  Congratulations on finding it again.

“Regarding the surrender associated with the 12 th house – with my emphasized Libra 12th house–and the 7th house Taurus Moon–there was an old and deeply held “addiction” to relating as a source of motivation, inspiration, and even soul. The more conscious and accepting I have become of the obsessive and addictive qualities around relating–the more I surrender to the truth of this issue–the more another and new source of inspiration and motivation is supplied to me thru the I.C.  That surrender is accompanied by a simultaneous opening into the new Uranian dimension of functioning. It is wrenching to the old small self–but liberating to the new and evolving Self. When we’re looking at the issues of surrender related to the 12th – any guidance about where and how that energy being surrendered will re-emerge would be helpful. In my chart, I’d have to say there is an ending around the negative addictive qualities of Neptune and the Moon and a rebirth in and thru Uranus and the Sun…

Your comments are an illustration of the necessity of looking at a progressed chart.  If you don’t mind my ‘hijacking’ the question for a moment to beat the drum for secondary progressions, I at first wondered why all this Uranian activity and the rebirth of the I.C. was occurring, until I looked at the progressed chart and saw that in fact your progressed Sun is making a hard aspect to Uranus right now, which is particularly important as Uranus is an angle ruler.  (Adding to this, transiting Uranus has been opposite the Sun, reinforcing the issues.) The progressed Sun making a hard aspect to angle rulers always signify enlightenment around the houses the angle ruler rules.  It literally forces the light in.  The progressed Sun is also leaving it’s square to progressed Pluto, but still in orb.  Issues surrounding your seventh house Moon (natally square Pluto) are in the process of being resolved via the solar light.  Have you noticed that the progressed Sun is sextiling natal Sun?  This always brings opportunities for great insight.

But back to your question…Your 12th house is a bit of a doozy.  Not only do you have Neptune, Mercury, and Venus there, but Neptune and Mercury are conjunct the South Node.  The South Node in the 12th, all on its own, can signify addiction issues.  Neptune rules the fifth, Venus rules the 7th and 12th, and Mercury rules the 8th (as well as the 11th, which is where the Sun resides).  All relationship houses.  Venus is prominent because it’s conjunct the Ascendant, it’s in the house it rules and it rules the angular 7th.   The Neptune/Mercury tie to the South Node points towards gifts in those areas, but also says that those planetary energies need a new form of expression.  The impulse to surrender is fierce.

All addictions are false gods.  A false god takes away our power, which a true divine link never does.  We surrender to a false god in order to touch what is holy, ending up with our soul sucked dry.  Your Neptune on the South Node in the 12th, ruling the 5th, is the signature for your false god.  However, the desire and ability to merge with the divine is the secret gift there.  The first thing that you need to do is accept the fact that you are a 12th house individual.  This will never change.  A desire to connect with the numinous will always be there, as will a tendency to retreat from the world in order to better hear what the universe is asking of you.  This is okay.  This is what 12th house people do.  And, because the planets there are all relationship planets, and strongly placed, your relations to others will always have this 12th house mode of operation.  Again, there is nothing wrong with it.  The problems with the 12th happen when we give over our power.  When that happens, it’s a sign to sacrifice our false gods and find true ones.   Giving over power is different from surrendering.  Warriors may surrender on the field of battle, but they are still warriors.   They may have lost the battle, but their innate power remains.   We have to remember this in the 12th house, because those of us with a packed twelfth house may become overwhelmed by life’s demands, and we are sometimes harsh on ourselves because we know we have so much to ‘clean up.’  We are forever cleaning out the closets of our soul.  Sometimes we have to stop looking at ourselves from the point of view of what we lack and start taking note of our strengths.

When your false god of relating is surrendered, and you find you are relating from a more centered part of yourself, the houses that the 12th house planets rule are the first to benefit from the change.  With Venus so strong, and conjunct the Ascendant, your self-definition as a Venutian will certainly alter.  You may find yourself displaying the more positive Venus qualities of balance and equilibrium, which takes inner strength and which incorporates Mars/Aries.  This, in turn, will affect your partnerships, as Venus is the seventh house ruler.  Mercury, as ruler of the Sun and the North Node, will also point the way forward.  With the North Node in the 6th house and Neptune so strong in the 12th, you will have to incorporate your facility for divine inspiration into your work.  Did you notice, by any chance, that progressed Neptune is conjunct your progressed South Node (and opposite the North Node) exact to the minute?  This is one of those times where a natal conjunction is brought alive via progression.  This is exactly the time to sort out your Neptune/South Node/12th house issues.  An opportunity like this (in astrological terms) will not come again.  You need to focus now on what the North Node means to you, what it means to use your Mercury as a conduit for your divine (12th house) creative expression (Neptune ruling the fifth).  You need to ask yourself how best to put your 12th house talents into service.  The North Node will act as a magnet for your newly released 12th house energy.

“Finally, you made a comment about the “basic fulfillment of emptiness” related to the 7th –  that really caught my attention and took me down a road of speculative insight and understanding.  The instincts held by the primal planets, Moon and Mars, are so emotionally forceful–“messy” as you say–that something as subtle as a “fulfillment of emptiness” is overrun and overlooked. This seems to be the struggle between spirit and instinct–but consciousness is so held captive by instinct that the more subtle spiritual impulses are obscured.

I would be curious to hear anything more you might have to say about this “basic fulfillment of emptiness” and the 7th…is it an inner or outer fulfillment–or both ?”

Both the Moon and Mars can be motivated by hunger.  Moon and Mars are needy, and demand that needs are fulfilled.  Go hungry for a couple of days and see how rational you are.  The 7th house itself isn’t desperate that way.  The seventh points to ‘other’ in the purest sense and is not necessarily based on what may be lacking.  Moon and Mars aspecting the Descendant may confuse things, but basically the seventh house is an airy, Libran place where we look to find equilibrium.  If we sense something missing in the second house we will try to find it in the seventh:  if I have a hole in my shirt I will look for someone who can sew.  The projection that happens between the 12th and the seventh is almost accidental:  I won’t know what I want to worship until I stumble upon a god.  We sense the emptiness, but the empty spaces of the 2nd and 12th houses are not usually very conscious.  This is why the Descendant is so potent.  With Moon and Mars, we really experience and identify with those hungers.  The seventh is an altogether gentler place.  We can find seventh house fulfillment either through others or through ourselves, though the solo path takes a lot of conscious work.  Most of us spend our lives looking to get others to fill in the blanks.

The Chart Workshop section is open to any and all questions on natal astrology.  However, this week, I received some questions on recent articles, so I will begin with these.  With thanks to Don for his thoughtful responses.