Are We Ripe Yet? The Tenth House

Have you come up with answers to the big whys, whats and hows of our existence? Perfect! Let’s move on.

What marks the beginning of the 10th house in quadrant systems (what I use) is Medium Coeli (MC) which is the highest point of intersection between the meridian and the ecliptic at the time of our birth.  

MC is the last axial point of the chart. The others were the ascendant, the descendant and the Imum Coeli (IC). The ascendant (start of the first house) and the descendant (start of the seventh house) are in opposition - the former representing our unique way of meeting/seeing the world and the latter being the area of experience where we meet other people.

The IC (start of the 4th house) was our roots, our home base, where we establish a sense of self and security, and it is opposite the MC (start of the 10th house).

Bear in mind that with the 10th house we only have three houses left. 

So far, we have met the world (1st house), claimed our values and possessions (2nd house), explored our immediate surroundings and learned to associate/think/logic (3rd house), established a sense of self (4th house), expressed that self (5th house), grown and mastered being “I” through crises and responsibilities (6th house), met other people (7th house), merged with them through business or intimate relationships (8th house) and then made sense of things so far through abstraction, philosophy, religion etc. (9th house)

This brings us to the 10th house which literally sits at the top of our charts.

This is the area of experience where we impact the world with everything we have become so far. This is where we yield our fruits – therefore it shows our attitude to our impact on the world, what that impact looks or feels like on the world around us, what we wish to be known for and our public image.

I’d like to elaborate on what I mean by “what our impact looks or feels like”. Sometimes the 10th house is interpreted as the career/vocation house and therefore very superficial analyses are made. A Virgo MC is stamped as the perfect nurse or the secretary etc.

Of course this could be true (in fact, I’ve just realized that I have a client who is a retired nurse with a Virgo MC) but the MC and the 10th house is more like the attitude to the career/vocation and the impact the native has on whatever job they have. A Virgo MC, or a person with Mercury in their 10th house is not necessarily a nurse or an editor but rather they are more likely to be resourceful and practical in their job – whatever that job may be. Or that they wish to be known or seen for those aspects of their work. What I am trying to say is that the way the 10th house field is experienced is much expansive than we might think at first.

I’ve had clients with same signs on the MC but with completely different types of careers, but we could see a similar approach they had to their public impact. They also had similar views with regards to how they are most comfortable being seen publicly.  

In the 4th house, we have our private selves, our own roots and this is only known to us and people we share our lives with. This is where we are nourished, protected and where we establish “I”.  

Exactly opposite the 4th house is the 10th where we – using the power and standing we get from our roots – are impacting the world and being seen for it.

If you want to learn more about your natal tenth house and/or the rest of your chart, I recommend my Spotlight reading. I designed it as an easy to digest entry into your chart focusing on one or two areas of your life. For more information or to book a session, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at astroadco@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram (@astroadco).