posted October 24, 2007 01:16 PM              

I'm not sure if it was here that I read something about that we think we "appear" to the exterior as our ascendant, but people "see" us as our MC.

Any help?

posted October 24, 2007 04:05 PM            

On the AC/MC:

"The Ascendant defines, in part, the first impression we make on others in a personal rather than professional sense. It represents our physical appearance, our physical bodies and overall health, and the body ego. The Ascendant is often referred to as the mask we wear, although I don't consider it to be as superficial as this might suggest. What it does represent is our natural and personal defense mechanisms that we use to adapt to, and cope with, our environment.

The Ascendant also shows our first impressions of the world around us, and reveals our expectations of the world around us--whether we are naturally hesitant or enthusiastic, for example. How we begin new projects, and our attitude towards new experiences come under the rule of the Ascendant.

The Midheaven represents our most visible achievements in the eyes of society, our public "face" (as opposed to our more personal "face" at the Ascendant), our accomplishments, and our overall sense of responsibility and standing in the world/society."
http://www.cafeastrology.com/ascendant.html

posted October 24, 2007 04:18 PM              

As easy examples, look at the Beatles and their public personas.

Paul McCartney = The youthful and fun-loving guy with a lot of energy. His nickname was "the Cute one."

Ringo = The happy-go-lucky funnyman who was thought to be the friendliest. His nickname was "the Loveable one."

John Lennon = The sharp, ambitious leader with a caustic wit. His nickname was "the Brilliant one."

George Harrison = The proud and stubborn guy with enough self-confidence to not be an attention-seeker. His nickname was "the Quiet one."

It's easy to correctly guess their MCs: Gemini, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Leo.

You don't know them personally, but that's how they appear publically, right? That's their MCs talking. And yet their friends and family who interact(ed) with them on a close level view them more in-line with their Ascendants.

The MC is also your "ego-consciousness." As a child, we learn what Ascendant behavior brings positive/negative reactions and we then "act" as our Ascendant based on filtering. As we grow older we become more like our Sun again in the natural course of self-development. It is theorized that highly-developed people go beyond that and incorporate their MC into themselves.

posted October 25, 2007 03:19 AM              

Thanks so much for your answers. It seems that many people think that this is a difficult topic...

Any mode ideas/experiences?