Wendy Cicchetti

The tenth house refers to worldly affairs. It is the corporate office-this is where all public appearances are scheduled, and where we plan and receive recognition for our individual accomplishments in life. The tenth house represents our life path, which, if we're lucky, is also related to our chosen career or our professional interests. It speaks to our community standing, prestige, public recognition, one's employer, one's superiors and the government. The tenth house is related to authority figures and policy makers and, traditionally, to that ultimate authority figure and policy maker, Mom. Even though modern astrology has decided that the father should be represented by the tenth house and the mother by the fourth house, in classical astrology, Dad is behind the scenes at the foundation, while Mom is the one who takes the more prominent role in shaping our lives and how we appear in public. Capricorn is the natural sign of the tenth house, and Saturn is the natural ruler. The MC (Midheaven) has much significance in tenth house affairs. Whether or not it forms the cusp of the tenth house, the MC indicates the natural direction of a person's efforts as applied to his or her career, worldly ambitions and other outside interests of a public nature. The tenth house is traditionally called the house of career. In a natal chart, it shows one's reputation with people whom one does not know personally.

The last (but by no means the least important) angle is the Midheaven. The Midheaven is the door to the roof of our building-it's where we stand out, where we're the most visible to the outside world. The Midheaven relates to our career and life path in the sense that this is how we want to be recognized by society as individuals. While the Midheaven is the most public and prominent point in the chart, it is also the most isolated and lonely. The roof is only big enough for one person at a time, and it's a long, narrow climb to get there. The Midheaven is opposite the IC, where we are the least visible, but the most connected to our roots and our source. The Midheaven is our crowning achievement as individuals, our most public face, and the way we take responsibility for our role in society.