Please read The MC/IC (part one) before this piece. This week we’ll wrap up our discussion on the MC/IC and its part in synastry. If you’re interested in going deeper, I go into more detail in my class on the angles, the cardinal signs and the part they play in sexual identity and development. In the class I talk about the interlocking phases of the progressed Moon and Saturn and their role in developing sexual maturity.
Last week we discussed Saturn’s role and the function of the 10th house in 
relationship. This week we will talk a bit more about synastry contacts with the IC/MC and how they can play out both within and between charts.
Contacts to the MC/IC axis are more common in long term marriages than contacts to the Asc/Desc. This is borne out by a number of recent research studies. It makes sense. Asc/Desc is all about attraction and hooking up. MC/IC is all about creating something substantial from our inner dynamics. If your planets help me to realize my potential, I will feel legitimate and fulfilled in your presence and I will be more likely to stay with you. My contact with you allows me to take my place in the world, to feel as if I (we) belong. The disadvantage is that this contact can sometimes override a lack of genuine mutual exchange. What you do for me, how I feel in your presence, becomes more important than the give and take of actual relationship, where both partners have equal roles.
Emphasis on one end of an angle in a synastry may bring problems to the other. (We haven’t yet discussed Ascendant or Descendant overload–that’s a topic for another day.) We are always striving for balance where an axis is concerned. If your planets load my MC and 10th house, our relationship may inspire me to social service (in a best case scenario) or, at worst, it may be all about external things, neglecting my inner landscape. Or you just may be someone that I like to show off, a trophy partner. However it plays out, depending on the planets involved, the MC/10th house relationship will feel like a natural partnership to the house person, whether it is or not. The planet person will stimulate the 10th house person to achievement, perhaps at the expense of emotional legitimacy, perhaps not, depending on aspects. This may be fine for cool, ambitious types, but may be devastating to someone who is craving intimacy–the planets will pull the relationship focus away from the emotional core (from the point of view of the house person). The more the MC is influenced, the more intimacy can erode. Emotional uncertainty and confusion sets in, because the relationship that seemed like such a good fit in the beginning starts rotting from beneath. This can get complicated, because the person with the planets may not have a clue that anything is wrong. (Those planets will most likely fall into another house or houses in the natal.) With heavy MC contacts, someone needs to keep a constant watch on the emotional level of the partnership.
Usually, if we choose a partner who has loaded our MC/10th house, it’s because we lack something there ourselves. Perhaps our own fourth house is overloaded, or its ruler is in difficult aspect, and we can’t find a way to escape our own inner dynamics and compulsions. The 10th house planets person may provide us with a welcome reprieve, a way out, a breath of fresh air for our suffocating inner world.
Contacts with the IC can be complicated, depending on the planets involved. If you stimulate my IC, you become part of my psychological landscape. I will feel whatever planetary influence falls there, and I will feel it intensely. You will feel familiar to me, like home, like family. I might welcome it if Venus is the contact planet; Pluto may bring something else entirely. It’s important to remember that it’s the person with the angle that has the direct experience: the planet person may be relatively unaware of the effect. This is true for either axis. The angle person feels the planet. The planet person feels the attraction/acceptance/electricity that the angle person emits via the contact, so that planet is enhanced for them. If my Venus touches your angle, your reaction to my Venus makes me feel accepted and attractive, so I want to be with you. If my Pluto touches your angle, you may be hypnotized or terrified of me (at first) and I will feel more powerful around you because of it. Whatever the planetary influence, any contact between the IC and a planet can feel like an intense bond, particularly in the beginning.
Moon and Saturn contacts to this angle are powerfully placed. If your Moon conjuncts my IC, or falls in my fourth house, it relates to having a Moon/Moon conjunction. We become one (for a while). Depending on aspects to the Moon, this can be blissful, or it can quickly turn problematic as the Moon issues that arise will affect both partners profoundly, and may disturb the home life directly. On the whole, it effects how nurtured and supported we feel, and if one person pulls out a stick, the whole emotional landscape of the relationship may come tumbling down. If the fourth house contact is very pronounced, the house person may become dependent on the Moon person to provide emotional sustenance. How successful this is depends on the Moon person. If the person is lunar/fourth house oriented as well, this can work. If the Moon is conjunct Uranus, however, they will show the house person how to break from the psychological patterns they are in (in a good way, by illustrating emotional independence, or in a bad way, by leaving). Moon/IC contacts are usually good for establishing a home together. These people will like to cocoon, and may not need a lot of stimulation from the outside world. They’re that quiet couple down the street you may nod to once in a while, but wonder what they actually do in there all day.
If a person’s Moon falls in my 10th house, they will open me up to the greater world. I am comfortable declaring this person as my partner; I will feel as if we’re a good fit. This, in turn, enhances the Moon person’s feelings of security. If a person’s Moon falls into my 10th house, they will be a midwife to my ambitions, and support my efforts to build something for myself (or us). (How they do this depends on their own lunar aspects. Moon square Saturn might be driven. Moon square Pluto might be manipulative. Moon square Neptune might inspire.) They may help me navigate socially, and to understand current trends and ways of working in the world. They will be in touch with what I need to achieve, possibly understanding this aspect of myself better than I do. My ambitions may feed their own hungers for success. (This is the perfect aspect for the stage mother.) However, the Moon person may be too dependent on my success and status, and may expect us to live our private lives out in public, or have security goals that might not match my own. Moon on the MC will draw me out, and cause me to interact, in no uncertain terms. If I am a 12th house sort of individual, who needs privacy and contemplative downtime, I may not appreciate this.
Saturn in either house is intensely felt. Saturn in either house points to parental issues. Even if the influence is good and Saturn is well aspected, it becomes a dominant theme. Natally, Saturn in the 10th points to a father figure who was in a position of authority at best, or dominated our early life in some way. We learned from his example, but we also felt the hunger to establish ourselves on our own terms, to find a place where we were appreciated for who we really are. Saturn in the 10th expected us to set a good example for others, often at the expense of our own emotional self-expression. We may have not been allowed to be our true selves. Saturn in the 10th, in its natural house, is often fiercely ambitious, and is concerned with producing something lasting, and of quality, whatever it might be. It’s in it for the long haul, and will allow very little to get in its way. It is obsessed with doing things well, and also (sometimes secretly) longs for the traditional trappings of success, and will work impossibly hard for them. Standards are vital. So is integrity. It takes only a little nudge from somewhere else in the chart to turn 10th house Saturns into workaholics, and there is a special danger of losing touch with the IC. We may internalize all those parental messages, and have a hard time becoming our own authority.
If someone’s Saturn falls in my 10th house, they may cause me to relive these early dynamics. They will inspire me to act responsibly and will not suffer any kind of public misbehaviour or disappointment. Saturn will expect me to get a hold of myself and make a success of myself and our partnership, and will bring discipline to my life if it is chaotic. I may feel that the Saturn person has the upper hand in the relationship, which is all right if I’m inclined that way but not so right if I’m a naturally rebellious type. The relationship puts an emphasis on my values, security, respect, and integrity, and, depending on aspects, I may feel repressed by this. I may feel I’m expected to live up to impossible standards. Someone’s Saturn falling in my 10th is particularly inclined to bring up any issues I have with authority. If it makes hard aspects with personal planets, I may begin to feel burdened and inadequate (perhaps repeating a familial pattern). I may feel that I have difficulty expressing my true self around this person, and am tempted to play the good son or daughter and will wear a mask over my true feelings.
Wherever Saturn falls, there is some kind of ‘ouch.’ Something was/is lacking that needs to be found. If Saturn natally conjuncts the IC, my family situation may have been harsh, and either Dad or Mom or both weren’t there to help us when we needed them. (You can see this in the rest of the chart. For example, Sun/Neptune, dad fled. Moon/Uranus, mum was emotionally unavailable.) As with a troubled Saturn in the 10th, there can be issues with authority, and repressed anger. We can lose our sense of inner security and rootedness because of a loss in our home situation, leaving us to feel perpetually precarious. We can sit on Saturn issues for years, while they twist us from within and without. This is especially true with Saturn contacts to this angle. If we feel we ‘never get it right,’ we need to look to imbalances in the MC/IC. IC problems in particular cause us to internalize what often is not our fault, while MC problems cause us to project our Saturn issues on to others. Saturn on the IC is prone to taking on the sadness and responsibilities felt from the mother in childhood, and may particularly absorb mother issues with partners. Without sufficient awareness, the early patterns may be repeated.
If someone’s Saturn falls on my IC or in my fourth house, I will most likely feel responsible for them. I may want to guide and nurture them, and feel a profound link that may be more familial than romantic, though the two feelings certainly can merge. At first, I will feel safe, and anchored. If the person who owns Saturn has parent issues, I may eventually fall into the role of a father or mother figure, particularly if there is an age difference in the relationship. The attachment may unconsciously be one of parent/mentor, and a lack of equality in the relationship may not go noticed until it is too late. Saturn may be fine in the beginning of the relationship, but after a time the angle person may find themselves increasingly unable to express their emotions in any kind of honest or spontaneous way. Saturn may bring the angle person unwelcome familial responsibility. The angle person may feel emotionally oppressed and burdened by the relationship, and grow tired of carrying someone else’s Saturn issues as well as their own. In the case of both the Moon and Saturn on either end of the MC/IC angle, either partner may find themselves cast in a role which fulfills the other’s psychological drama; eventually the role overrides the genuine interaction between them, and the relationship can degenerate. This is true to a lesser extent of any planet on this angle.
Outer planet aspects to this angle have a heavy impact on the relationship dynamics. I’ve found Neptune in either house particularly problematic. The lull of false security followed by deception and betrayal and a breaking of naivete can be devastating on the psyche. This applies whether the aspect is natal or in synastry. Neptune/IC causes me to feel as if the ground is dissolving beneath my feet. I may never feel at ease or at home. (I have had clients with this aspect where the search for a literal ‘perfect’ home has been almost obsessive.) With Neptune on the MC, I never feel secure enough to take my place in the outside world because I don’t know who I am. The sands of my identity are always shifting, and as a consequence I neither feel secure with what I have nor what I want. Neptune on the MC longs for glamour and glory, but often has no clue what to do to get it (especially true if the IC is problematic), often trying to marry it. Neptune in the 10th can point to a career in the arts, but it can also point to people who become obsessed with fame or the famous.
Pluto on these angles brings questions of control and use of power, often having its roots in the family and the parental dynamic. Emotional or sexual manipulation and control can be the order of the day, and I will need to dig deeper to find new levels of power. Uranus falling on these angles can bring a wake-up call of otherworldly excitement, instant rapport and fascination, but natally it can also indicate a wound of abandonment. Uranus often points to a place where something has been violently torn from us, and on either angle it has to do with an emotional break, a hole in the emotional landscape, which must be factored into the synastry. If someone’s Uranus falls on this angle in my chart, it may inspire me to a fresh start that will alter my identity or it will sever me from an ongoing dynamic that I may not be aware of. This may be painful or welcome, depending on my attitude to Uranus and radical change.
The key theme to this angle is self-actualization. Authentic lives are lives lived with self-knowledge. Challenges to the MC/IC ask us whether we are living authentically, or whether our lives are dictated to us by expectations of family, society at large, or unconscious psychological patterns. Whether natally or through synastry, the MC/IC gives us the opportunity to work this out.
See also, “The Inner Script.”
Wow,i just found your website while i was searching about Moon+Sun conjuncts IC (synastry)
I look forward to read ,more .Now i am going to read the rest in your website.
Pleasure to read,..thanks
Ha! So interesting. I have synastry with someone whose natal saturn conjunct their IC is conjunct my moon in the 10th… so my moon is on their IC and their saturn in my tenth… switching roles. So crazy! Also, we both have jupiter conjunct our own IC in the 3rd. Aaww…
Your articles are eloquently written and extremely insightful. I have a question. You say our internal power, our ‘moxie’ so to speak – is in our 4th house. I have Uranus in Scorpio in my 4th house with Scorpio on the IC. I attract intense and odd partners. These relationships often intensify my feelings of insecurity. I am always suspicious and terrified of my partner being unfaithful. I feel powerless, ugly and dream of being a libra. lol. Maybe that’s my venus in leo in my 12th. It conjuncts the ascendant and squares my mc. I am unclear where my internal ‘power’ lies. My true node is in libra. saturn and mars in 1st house. Moon in Pisces in tge 8th. My partners tend to be pretty attractive and emit some kind of super sexy energy. It starts out fine then all of a sudden I become obsessed with comparing myself to all of their past loves to the point I become ill. Would you help shed some light in my life pleae?
Hi Lanie–You would need a reading to discover why you behave the way you do in relationships, but I will answer your questions about personal power and the IC. It’s so much more than ‘moxie.’ When folks have Uranus in the 4th house, they’ve often had their personal power taken away from them in early life. There can be a shock of abandonment that strips them of their individuality, and they rely on others to give them their inner validation–it starts with the family and continues with partnerships. Your insecurity and suspicions are very Scorpio/IC. You need to regain your strength in your sense of self–not as part of a group, or in comparison to others. We reach the point of power in the IC when we come to a place where we know, absolutely, that we have something of worth that no one can take away from us. It’s indestructible and god-given, a blazing light in the depths of our awareness. The only way to find it is to put yourself into situations where you stand on your own two feet, and you are tested in this way. Then the Scorpio energy will be put to good you and you will find yourself stronger and stronger as time goes on, and able to express the truth of who you are in news ways.
Hi Dawn, Wow! I came across your site 2 days ago and I am now hooked. Your writings seem to be revealing some of the answers to my biggest question around my Jupiter (conjunct MC) opposite my nNptune (conjunct IC) natally. I have felt as though I am in this tug of war constantly especially since I experience the death of my baby (approx 20 years ago – I am 47 now) which has seen me delve into addiction issues at ‘home’ versus appearing to have together, confident and sparkling out there in the world and work (I literally crumble into a nothingness once I get home). At that point I feel as though I focussed on the MC and the IC got foggy but I don’t know where to start in dealing with this dilemna. On top of that all my partners had/have their Neptune on/in my 4th house. I feel it is to drive something home to me but I don’t know what or how to deal with this polarity although I have tried to go figure. I think I am maybe one of your classic examples of leaning on one house more than the other and getting no balance in my life, and I wonder where do I start with this to get back the balance I yearn for? I have done very well with Jupiter on my MC but have nothing to show for it and continue to struggle with my IC which I seem to fear. I know I probably need something more substantial in terms of advice but what is your take on this as a starting point for me to think about and gain a little understanding. Much love and thankfulness for whatever enlightenment you can afford. J
Hi Jennifer. It seems as though there are some very crucial issues around your MC/IC, and I hesitate to say anything without examining the entire chart, including house rulerships. The Jupiter/Neptune issue is a big one, particularly as they are both rulers of Pisces and have to do with lack of boundaries and solidity. They both long to transcend the ordinary and would much prefer not to deal with it (and all its messy details). With Neptune conjunct the IC, it’s often a case of early abandonment and insecurity, which causes us to build castles in the air and then try to live in them. Our MCs are all about what we want people to see, how we want to be known. Jupiter on the MC wants to be known as someone wise and mature, a teacher or philosopher, or at least someone jovial and larger than life. But you can’t be all that without a solid anchor in your own being, and that’s what Neptune has taken away from you. Try to get back to what you might be lacking, and that may tell you what you are longing for. Once you define it, you can build your foundation on it.
hmmmm, what about ac conjunct ic(4th house) , and dc conjunct mc (7th house) in synastry?? I have this with someone, and have been wondering what this could mean?? Any thoughts?
Angle to angle contacts increase intimacy, excitement and a sense of “I know who you really are.” When the angles are identical, there is a sense that two people are fellow travellers and there is a surface agreement about how we experience the world. The planets will fall in the same houses as the natal chart, promoting understanding. However, when the angles are flipped, there is the same intensity but it becomes more of a challenge because of the polarities involved. I am forced to become more complete to myself when the other person is present. The other person stretches us and teaches us where we need to go. This may be fine if we’re ready to evolve, but if we aren’t it may cause a lot of strife and resistance as we cling to our old selves. It may be just too much evolution for some. For example, say I have Aries rising and Mars in the first house. I meet someone who has Libra rising in the same degree–my Mars falls in the seventh house of that chart. Libra rising needs to learn to be more aggressive, but my Mars falling there may be a painful experience for him/her, and too much to take. It all depends on the planets involved.
hi Dawn,
I am reading your articles . I think they are very insightful and systematic.I have o question and very worried about this. my four year old son has chiron conjunct north node conjunct neptun in fourth house opposes sun in tenth house. is it a very bad aspect. can you help me?
Hello, Raz. Don’t worry about Chiron/Neptune on the Nodes. No aspects are ‘bad,’ it depends on what we do with them. It’s impossible to interpret the aspect without the whole chart. The one thing you can do for him as a mother is help him develop his independence and his sense of inner strength. He will be better off if he is allowed to express his genuine, unique self, and not conform to other people’s expectations.
Hi Dawn,
I’ve got a Moon, Uranus, Saturn and Neptune conjuct his MC in capricorn. His Venus and Mars conjuct my IC in Leo. We also have the same AC in Taurus and DC in Scorpio.
His Jupiter conjunct my MC, my jupiter conjunct his AC. we both have Pluto conjunct our DC. Im sorry is so much but What does this mean please?
Hi Shaz. I’m sorry, but it’s impossible to make any relevant comment on a synastry using only a list of aspects. There is so much more that needs to be taken into consideration, and I’m not able to do that in this space.
Hi Dawn,
What would that mean if my partner’s ascendant (with venus on the angle) has an exact square to my IC/mc? his asc/desc is aries/venus my ic/mc is cancer/capricorn.
Would that be similar to the flipped asc/desc scenario?
Thanks
good evening, I ‘m writing from France, I look for help to give some meaning to sinastry aspects I have with a guy
-my lilith conjuncts both his NN and his IC 2° (because he has his NN/NS axis and his MC/IC axis very close to each other 4°)
-his lilith opposed my asc (-1°) or , conjuncts my desc, if you prefer
-in my native chart, I’ve got venus conjunct jupiter conjunct IC , in virgo , (6°19, 10°49,6°15) and HIS VERTEX is 10°19 Virgo =conjuncts the three of mine at the same time !
-in his native chart, he’s got Jupiter scorp 21°38 conjunctVenus sag 2°09 conjunct his MC sag 7°, and MY VERTEX is scorp 20°23 = conjuncts all that !
seems very fated, dont you think ? i’ve met him ONCE in all my life, and I ‘ve been loving him for 30 years since this day. We never made love. Yet I was sure he was my soul mate.
I got married with another, I love him, have children etc, but I never forgot this other guy .
We often find Vertex contacts (and more importantly, anti-Vertex contacts) in relationships that feel like fate. The magnetism of the Vertex and the way it draws experience to us is a magical thing.
Thank you vey much for your answer,
Yes “magical thing” are exactly the good words to describe my feeling, even if life/fate/circumstances made any kind of loveaffaire be impossible between us . This synastry is really a strange one, as the single-10minutes-meeting-talking we shared was a strange one. That’s how I felt it. As my venus RKNS is conjunct my IC,and his vertex conjuncts my venus, the big thing is that his vertex-antivertex axis is conjunct to my MC/Dc axis. My IC/DC axis is also square his NN/SN axis. It’s really an odd thing to watch this little venus of mine fixed at the bottom of the chart at the IC point IV, and throwing squares-darts at both sides of the other person crucial points, just as if she wanted to prevent him from living his own destiny, by interfering in the middle. The least I can say is that she failed.
hi dawn and thank you for yet another insightfull articale.
question: what is the meaning of synastry where north node conjuncts ic- south node con. mc?
There is an article about that contact on this site. Please use the search engine on the site to find the link.
Hi, amazing insights, learning a lot from your site, I have 5 planets in scorpio in 4th house, jupiter, mercury, venus with pluto conj. sun near my IC squaring a moon conj. saturn in aquarius in the 7th house. I have a long term intense relationship with sun-sun-mars-pluto conjunction and his saturn on my ascendant in his 12th house.. i am interested in the moon saturn aquarian connection in my relationship and the sun pluto near the IC.. Thanks!
Sorry, Ro, I can’t comment on lists of aspects. Synastry is a skill of synthesis.
Great website and awesome article! Take care 🙂
How about Jupiter conjunct someone’s IC? Is this akin to a Jupiter conjunct Moon aspect?
Not quite like Jupiter/Moon, which has tremendous buoyancy and joy to it. It’s a quieter aspect. When my Jupiter hits your IC, my hopes and dreams find a home. Your IC is lit up by the grace and happiness I bring to you.
Thanks for the response, Dawn. My Jupiter conjuncts the IC of someone and I often wondered who was more affected. Feom what you describe, it sounds like I would feel more.
Is that because of Jupiter? I thought usuaally the angle feels the bigger impact.
Thanks.
Hi Dawn,
Your insights are great.And i loved the article.
I just wanted to ask if ic in 8th house in synastry is similar to moon in the 8th house in synastry.?
Hi Dawn:
That’s a really illuminating description of moon on MC! I wonder if in synastry sun conj MC is similar, or is it more ambivalent? Like is the sun person more of a guide, or could he also be a bit too authoritative?
Thanks!!
Both are possible.
How would a Moon square MC double whammy play out? is it simultaneously conjuncting the others IC?
My neptune and mercury in Sagittarius conjuncts my partners IC. Even after years of living together, I can still sense his unease at home with me. How can this be helped? Does it matter that his moon and sun are in Pisces?
I suspect that there are other issues at work here. It takes more than Neptune/Mercury to make someone uncomfortable.
thank you for this article. what would you say if the sun is conjuncting a persons IC. in this particular case, in the sign of gemini ? thanks
The sign doesn’t matter as much as the conjunction. There is a feeling of belonging, of family, when this occurs. However, the person may also bring ‘light’ to any issues you may have regarding family or your early environment.
to clarify, i am refering to a mans sun conjuncting my ic
My husband has his Lilith set up my nodulo north and my midheaven in Pisces. What does that mean? Am I a sexual trophy or do we have a kudalini chemistry? Please answer me! A big hug and congratulations on the article.
There is no way of knowing the effect without looking at both charts. BML is not an easy energy to interpret.
Great article.
What about other aspects to the MC/IC in synastry? I have a case in wich sun, mars, jupiter and uranus of person1 are not forming any aspect to any planet of person2 (altough mars and uranus hit some middle points and asteroids, whilst sun and jupiter not even that) but sun trines MC, mars trines MC, jupiter conjuncts IC and uranus squares MC of person2.
What would the purpose of such a relationship be?
Not going into analysis of personal charts and whole synastry chart, I would really like to know your thouhts on the first glimps.
My guy and I have conjunct ICs and loads of planets, etc all conjunct those. I feel as if I am in the most painful relationship I’ve ever been through. Is this common with lots of IC contact? Thanks.
Is IC conjunct MC in synastry supportive and binding?
What about having Neptune conjunct the midheaven in synastry? However, in the composite, Neptune just falls in the 10th house (not conjunct the angle). Also, the rising composite sign is in Auarius, and the north node in Taurus conjunct the IC or 4th house angle. What does that mean? Does the north node mean coming together to form a family (4th house =home)?