The point opposite the Midheaven: it concerns home, roots and private life.
Abbreviated IC. It marks the start of the fourth house and describes where you come from: family, the place you feel sheltered, what stays private. The Midheaven is what you show; the Imum Coeli is what you stand on.
The axis with the Midheaven
The Imum Coeli lies directly opposite the Midheaven: it is the degree of the zodiac that was crossing the local meridian on the far side, below the horizon, at the moment of birth. Its sign is always the opposite of the Midheaven's: an Aries MC means a Libra IC.
The two points are read together, as the two ends of one line. At the top is what you build in front of others; at the bottom, what holds you up when nobody is watching. A chart with many planets near the Midheaven and few near the IC, or the reverse, is read in astrology as a pull between public and private life.
Reading it in your chart
The sign on the IC describes the atmosphere of the home you grew up in, or at least how you experienced it, and the kind of setting in which you feel at ease today. A Cancer IC is traditionally linked with strong family roots and a need for intimacy; an Aquarius IC with a freer household, sometimes felt as unconventional.
Planets near the IC, or in the fourth house, are read as weighty presences in your private world. Saturn there is often taken to describe early responsibility or a strict family structure; Jupiter, a generous environment. Tradition also ties the fourth house to "the end of the matter": how cycles close, and the later years of life.
Frequently asked questions
Does the IC represent the mother or the father?
Astrologers disagree. Part of the tradition gives the fourth house to the father and the tenth to the mother, others reverse it, and others speak more broadly of the parent who gave you roots and the one who showed you the world. It is safest to read it as a portrait of the family atmosphere rather than of one person.
What does a planet conjunct the IC mean?
A planet within a few degrees of the IC is called angular, meaning especially strong in the chart, but its strength works below the surface rather than in plain view. It tends to colour family life, the home, the need for security and your inner world.
Why can't I find the IC in my chart?
If your birth time is unknown, the IC, like the Midheaven, cannot be reliably calculated. If the time is there, look towards the bottom of the wheel, at the end of the line opposite the Midheaven. SideraMea marks it FC, from the Italian Fondo Cielo, the same point English-language astrology abbreviates as IC.
See it in your own chart
Calculating your birth chart is free: wheel, planets, houses, aspects and a first reading. All you need is your date, time and place of birth.