The Midheaven

The Midheaven is frequently identified with the tenth house and its associations, although in various house systems the Midheaven is not zero degrees tenth house and may not even fall within the tenth house.  Still, many of the meanings traditionally assigned to the Midheaven are indeed associated with the tenth house.  If we look for a common denominator or core principal from which the various traditional meanings of the Midheaven are derived, and also assign the Midheaven a symbolic place within the human psyche, we can look to the super-ego. 

The super-ego as a concept was developed by Sigmund Freud to explain how the conscious mind and the ego is protected from the irrational and potentially destructive force of the id, the instinctual will to sexuality and power that springs from the subconscious.  Yet the super-ego is not just a psychological function of control over instinctual impulses or of imposing rationality over irrationality.  At what may be a more fundamental level, the super-ego conveys to the ego the expectations of the collective consciousness with respect to how the individual should behave within the social order.  The word “should” is used here very intentionally, for the super-ego can be conceived as the essence of “should.”

In an even broader sense, the super-ego points in the direction toward which it is desirable that the ego move.  We shall return to this level of meaning as we explore how the psyche may gain control over the super-ego, rather than being dominated by it.  But first, we will explore how the super-ego actualizes within the psyche for most of humanity. 

Carl Jung introduced the concept of individuation (which astrologically is closely associated with Uranus).  Individuation may be seen as the psyche’s struggle for autonomy against the super-ego.  Another definition of individuation is the process of freeing our consciousness from the conditioning that it has received and that has shaped our identity.  The “normal” state of humanity is that our identity is thoroughly conditioned.  A great part, if not the entirety, of this conditioning emanates from the super-ego.  Thus, liberation from the super-ego is concomitant with freeing ourselves from our social conditioning, evolving from the conditioned self to the self that has become detached from its conditioning.

However, for most of humanity, the norm is submission to the super-ego rather than the struggle to liberate the psyche from the super-ego.  And, we can say that this state of submission is absolutely necessary for the preservation of social harmony and social order, as long as the ego is the otherwise predominant motivating force within the psyche.  It is the super-ego which lays down the unwritten rules by which society functions and hangs together, and which internalizes those rules within the individual.  The super-ego modulates not only the id, keeping its powerful force under control, but also the ego.  Without the controls imposed by the super-ego, the ego would run rampant in its desire to always place self-interest first and foremost.  There would be chaos and conflict, a perpetual state of aggression between members of society, if the super-ego did not exercise control over the ego.  The mechanism of the super-ego, however, is not to suppress the ego but to sublimate it so that the ego is directed toward the goals supported by the super-ego.  Here we have a first connection between the super-ego and the traditional meanings of the Midheaven—goal orientedness.

The collective consciousness at the level of social organization employs the super-ego to instill in the individual those goals, rules and boundaries that make for the smooth functioning of the social order.  Thus, the super-ego expresses itself differently, in its particulars, in different societies.  For instance, in tribal societies living in environments that naturally produce abundance, the emphasis of the super-ego tends to be on supporting cooperative endeavors, hierarchical structures that minimize individual competition, and control over sexual impulses (lest over-population result).  In those societies, the super-ego is often expressed in systemic taboos and seemingly rigid rules of social conduct, particularly toward social superiors.  In Western societies, the super-ego supports behaviors that further the goals of a more materially complex social order.

The super-ego, as it operates in Western society, must perform a number of functions in order to support the social structure.  Modern Western society is defined by its desire to advance materially, which it accomplishes primarily through individual (and collective) competition.  Thus, the dictates of the super-ego are designed to minimize conflict while maximizing competitiveness, promote materialistic goals, and ensure social harmony while at the same time promoting an unequal distribution of wealth (which is a mechanism used by the super-ego to entice individuals to pursue its goals, by holding out the possibility of accumulating great wealth).

We can conceive the actions of the super-ego to be operating on two mutually supporting levels.  At one level, the super-ego defines the roles that the individual is expected to play in society.  An overarching expectation imposed by the super-ego is that “success” be achieved by the individual.  The super-ego then further defines “success” for the individual to be consistent with the role that they are expected to play in society.  Obviously, not everyone can be a CEO or rise to the pinnacle of their profession.  Thus, “success” is defined in a myriad of ways .  Ideally, the individual’s concept of “success” aligns with the societal role in which their destiny has placed them.

Thus, the Midheaven is astrologically associated with achievement and success in the world.  A primary vehicle for achieving societally-defined success and recognition is through career and occupation.  In our materialistic, secular society, it is through career and occupation that individuals contribute to the maintenance of the social order.  It is a very natural progression, therefore, for the Midheaven to be associated with career. 

Here, we should address the gender-role implications of the Midheaven-Nadir axis.  While stereotyped gender roles have certainly broken down over the course of the past few generations, we should recognize that they are still considered valid by a great many people.  In the Midheaven-Nadir axis, the Midheaven would traditionally be considered the masculine pole, with the Nadir constituting the feminine pole.  “Traditionally,” it was men who entered occupations and formed careers while women took care of the home and anchored the family—activities associated with the fourth house and the Nadir (in many house systems, the fourth house cusp). 

Thus, for women who are still tied to the stereotypical gender role, the Midheaven may symbolize the success of their husband.  In other words, those women project onto their male partner their own yearnings for success as informed by the expectations of the super-ego.  Their role, then, is tied to the Nadir, which in this dynamic can be viewed as symbolizing all that supports the super-ego driven drive for success. 

The Nadir’s essential meaning can be seen as Rootedness.  It is what anchors the chart and the psyche.  For those tied to stereotypical roles, gender or otherwise, the Nadir can be viewed as associated with a deep rootedness in tradition and other forms of societal conditioning, much of which is conveyed through the family (associated with the fourth house) and operates through the subconscious (Moon and fourth house, again).  This social conditioning supports and is essential to the functioning of the dictates of the super-ego in modern society.  It is through conditioning that the goals of the super-ego are imparted and ingrained and it is the conditioned mechanisms of the psyche that keep the individual focused on following the lead of the super-ego. 

This brings us to the second level of the super-ego’s operation in the psyche.  This is the inculcation of all of the behaviors, attitudes, beliefs and assumptions that support the goals of the super-ego.  For ordinary humans living in modern society this can be summed up as being a law-abiding and responsible citizen.  In order for the goals of the super-ego to be attained at the societal level, there must be a high degree of order.  People must feel a high level of responsibility to act within the framework that allows individual success to be achieved.  Again, since we cannot all be CEOs and millionaires, this means accepting the role that we have been allotted in society.

Of course, there is a strong belief, particularly in the United States but also generally, that we are masters of our destiny and that ambition and hard work will take us where we want to go.  A corollary to this is the belief that we have indeed chosen our vocation and position in society, though some who are not satisfied with their position may conclude, or be led to believe, that this is because of poor choices made along the way, or lack of ambition and hard work.  Yet actual social and economic mobility, even in the United States which prides itself on being a classless society, is much more restricted than people generally assume.  Even putting aside the dynamics of karma, most people have been bound for their station in life practically since birth.

Therefore, it is imperative if social order is to be maintained that people are generally satisfied with their place in the social order.  Of course, there is a balance here, for a certain amount of dissatisfaction is necessary to stimulate ambition—at least in the competitive society that modern capitalism has constructed.  The optimal outcome of the social conditioning process is for there to be just enough dissatisfaction to spur the individual toward achieving the goals dictated by the super-ego without being so dissatisfied that they begin to question the social order or to act in ways that are antithetical to it.

In reality, the optimal outcome is not always achieved.  I will speculate that stresses to the Midheaven or other forms of “affliction” (e.g., too much ease creating expectations that “the world owes us something”) may be found more often among those individuals who thwart the expectations of the super-ego, particularly through criminal or anti-social behavior.  Let us remind ourselves, also, that not all “crime” is punished and not all criminals are “low life.”  We may see highly unethical if not criminal behavior among those who are highly motivated—too highly motivated—to achieve success and recognition by whatever means possible.

While most people are conditioned to acquiesce to the expectations of the Collective Unconscious super-ego (as manifested through their individual super-ego), this certainly does not apply to everyone.  There are those who actively and consciously reject the goals of the super-ego and the standards for success that are laid out by society.  We might expect to find some version of a Uranus contact with the Midheaven or perhaps one of the other outer planets in such persons. 

There are also those who seek to transcend the constraints of their conditioning through individuation and spiritual development.  For those, the task is to transform the meaning of success by supplanting the goals formulated by the collective super-ego with a deeper and higher goal.  This involves questioning and then redefining the purpose of human life.  We ask the fundamental question: what is a successful life?  If success is not defined for us by the super-ego, then we must determine what constitutes success for ourself. 

As we turn toward the Real goal of life and work towards it, this also involves supplanting the mechanism of the super-ego with our own independent moral compass.  We no longer rely upon the collective super-ego or the conditioned individual super-ego to tell us what is right and wrong.  Seeing clearly the Goal before us, we can now determine what is right-action for ourself. 

Paradoxically, the transformation of the super-ego does not mean the rejection of the dictates of the super-ego—at least not in appearance.  Recognizing that the material world is Illusion and has no real value also frees one from the need to rebel against it.  Earning a living becomes secondary—a means rather than an end.  We recognize that spiritual progress depends upon stability on the material plane and that earning an honest living is a moral prerequisite for spiritual development. 

The transformation of the Midheaven also involves a transformation of the meaning of the Nadir.  As we question and detach ourself from the conditioned super-ego, we come more in touch with our spiritual rootedness—our rootedness in the Source of All.  It is now our yearning to return to our spiritual roots, to merge into that Source, that impels us toward our Goal.  Thus, the Nadir-Midheaven axis becomes fully actualized within our psyche.

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