Descendant

Origin and meaning

In astrological tradition, the cusps of the four angular houses (I, IV, VII, X) are the most important structural axes of the chart. The ascendant-descendant axis (cusps I-VII) describes the polarity self / other: how you present yourself to the world (ascendant) and what type of relationship and partner you attract (descendant). They are necessarily complementary — they describe the same axis from two perspectives.

In karmic astrology, the descendant has additional reading: it represents qualities that the soul has developed in past lives (and brings as comfort zone), but also qualities that has projected onto others rather than integrating. The classical work is to recognise that what you see in your partners is yours — and consciously integrate it in your personality.

How it is interpreted

The sign of the descendant describes the type of partner you tend to attract: Aries descendant — you attract initiating, brave, sometimes warlike figures. Taurus descendant — sensual, stable partners, lovers of comfort. Gemini descendant — communicative, varied partners, but possibly fickle. Cancer descendant — protectors, family-oriented, emotional. Leo descendant — magnetic, dramatic partners. Virgo — analytical, perfectionist partners. Libra — balanced, diplomatic partners. Scorpio — intense, transformative. Sagittarius — adventurers, philosophers. Capricorn — mature, ambitious. Aquarius — original, unconventional. Pisces — sensitive, mystical.

In addition to the sign, planets located in or close to the descendant exert important influence on the type of relationships you attract and how you function in close partnerships. Aspects to the descendant from other planets describe the energies that complicate or enhance your relational life. The synastry (chart comparison between two people) gives special importance to the encounters with the partner's descendant.

Working with your descendant

Practical reading: 1) Look at the sign of your descendant — the partners you attract usually have those characteristics, and the work is to integrate those qualities also in yourself, not just look for them in another. 2) Look at planets close to the descendant or in house VII — their energies dominate your relational life. 3) The opposite sign of your ascendant ALWAYS is your descendant — they are two faces of the same axis: knowing yourself well is knowing both. 4) The descendant invites conscious projection work: what you idealise in others you have to develop in you.