Ascendant Signs
What is an ascendant sign?
Your ascendant/rising sign is the sign rising over the Eastern Horizon at the time of your birth.How do I find out my ascendant sign?
Here: 1 or 2. You’d need your birth time as well.What does my ascendant sign tell about me?
Your ascendant sign represents the “facade” you put on in front of others. It’s people’s first impression of you.What does it mean if both my sun and rising signs are the same?
It means that how people view you is the same as how you are on the inside.Aries Rising
You come across as impulsive, energetic and you often act without thinking. You hate limitations and restraints as you are rather aggressive and prefer charging at your goals. You are competitive, sometimes to a fault.Taurus Rising
You come across as cynical and cautious. You like taking things slow as patience gives you the stability that you like. You are resistant to change and fiercely loyal to not only people but also your ideas. It can be difficult for people to convince you.Gemini Rising
You come across as curious, almost about everything; frequently questioning and digging for knowledge. People usually describe you as the person with two personalities and being fickle. You like to keep things light-hearted instead of being overly-involved.Cancer Rising
You come across as very protective of yourself. If attacked, you rarely attack back first; preferring to protect yourself. You can be easily influenced by the people around you and your surroundings so you should try staying away from negativity.Leo Rising
You come across as stubborn, fun-loving and generous. You tend to over-estimate a lot, sometimes even yourself. You hate failing in anything, especially when others are there to see it. Once motivated, you do not hesitate to reach for your goals.Virgo Rising
You come across as intelligent, shy and picky. You are rarely happy with the way situations or people are, you have a constant need to make them better or push them to be better. You like being useful; slacking makes you uneasy.Libra Rising
You come across as polite, harmonious and pleasant. You may have trouble in dealing with conflicts at times as you are the kind to keep things peaceful most of the time. Sometimes, you have a great need to be accepted and approved by others. You are diplomatic and fair, always seeing both sides to situations.Scorpio Rising
You come across as determined and intense. You rarely take things lightly. You don’t give your trust to others easily but when you do, you are comitted. You love success and don’t mind the competition. You are emotional, but you rarely show it.Sagittarius Rising
You come across as curious and enthusiastic. You are always active and restless; you hate being restricted to a place, even though you know it provides you stability and security. You are direct and opinionated but have a great sense of humor.Capricorn Rising
You come across as serious and conservative. You are competent in what you do and rarely depend on others or push responsibilites. You like being on the safe side; preferring not to break rules. However, you have a cheery and cheerful personality.Aquarius Rising
You come across as unique and likable. You are usually the observers and sometimes people mistake you as cold and aloof. You appreciate freedom and like having control of all aspects in your life. If not, you can become rebellious.Pisces Rising
You come across as dreamy and sometimes, non-realistic. You may tend to avoid reality as a self-protection. Logic doesn’t appeal so much to you as you are aware that most of the important things aren’t based on logic but rather, emotions and feelings. Emotionally, you tend to be hurt easily due to your sentimental nature.
Have you ever...
…Wondered why you’re a certain sign that’s not suppose to be great friends with another sign… that’s your RISING SIGN. E.G you’re an Aries Sun, but your Rising is Cancer so you end up being great friends with water signs(pisces, scorpio, cancer)
Have you wondered why you’re attracted to “all the wrong people”… that’s because of your RISING SIGN.
Have you wondered why “all the wrong people” gets attracted to you… that’s because of your RISING SIGN.
The Benefit of Your Ascendant
- Rising Aries: You may not always feel like you have it together, but people will assume you do. The luxury of appearing confident when you may not actually be will help you out numerous times in your life.
- Rising Taurus: Finesse and aestheticism will follow you forever. Even if your personal style is thrown together or sloppy, people will be into it and look to you for creative inspiration.
- Rising Gemini: Many people will see you as a friend due to the way you present yourself and speak to others. You're responsive, witty, and somewhat detached when meeting people, even if that's not you 100% of the time.
- Rising Cancer: You can appear rather tough, but this makes people want to please you and be in your good graces. This is exceptionally helpful in attracting true and meaningful people in your life.
- Rising Leo: You're most likely someone who smiles a lot and will usually make a sparkly first impression. The feeling you leave upon others creates connections and helps you out greatly in your career.
- Rising Virgo: People will see you as put-together and graceful. You may even find yourself surprising people that you're more laid back than they assumed upon first meeting you. You usually fall into the reluctant leader position.
- Rising Libra: Friendliness takes you everywhere. You will draw many people toward you in your life and make many acquaintances wherever you go. But sometimes this could mean attracting the wrong kind of people!
- Rising Scorpio: Sex appeal and a sort of mysterious quality makes people want to get to know you. People will think you're interesting even when you feel particularly not. This will be more useful to you as you mature.
- Rising Sagittarius: You will be able to charm yourself in and out of situations, but the best part is that you're sincere and people see that. This will be your safety net in life.
- Rising Capricorn: You won't always make the best impressions, but people will respect you with ease and the loyalty that follows you will do so for the rest of your life, providing the comfort you seek.
- Rising Aquarius: Likable, funny, and not one to be messed with is how others will see you. Even when you're just in a so-so mood, it won't be off putting, and people will identify with you.
- Rising Pisces: People will come to you for help and trust you without any logical reason to. You will touch people with a listening ear and they'll always remember you--a quality that will be returned back to you.
rising sign: leo
“Ferociously proud and somewhat vain, you like to be impressive and to be seen as Somebody Special. You are not timid, meek, or self-effacing, and are rarely content being in the background or in the subordinate position. You are a natural leader, and do not take orders from others very well. You must have something of your own, something creative - be it a business, a project, a home or whatever - that you can develop and manage according to your own will and vision. Whatever you do, you do it in a unique, dramatic, individual way. You like to put your own personal stamp on it.
You also have a very strong sense of dignity, self-respect, and personal honor and are deeply offended if someone treats you in a humiliating or dishonorable way. You will rarely confront the offender - you are too proud to do so - but you will lose your affection and respect for them. You dislike pettiness and hate to be snubbed or ignored.
You admire others who are strong individuals like yourself. When you befriend someone, you are tremendously loyal, sincere, and willing to go to extraordinary lengths to make that person happy. You are very giving and generous, but your gifts are never anonymous - you expect recognition and appreciation for them. You also expect the intense loyalty that you offer to your dear ones to be reciprocated. However, you often have trouble working with people who are as strong as yourself, for you do not really cooperate or share the leading role very easily. If you are not in the leading role, you aspire to be and will compete with the person who is.
You have great heart and courage, and people often look to you for strength, encouragement, and affirmation. You always have your best face forward and rarely allow others to see you hurting, disheartened, or vulnerable. You also have a very strong need for love, admiration, appreciation, and praise, although you don’t like others to realize just how important it is to you.
Your outlook on life tends to be very personal and rather self-centered. Your own self-expression, self-actualization and self-realization interests you more than anything else. You feel that if you do your best where you are, the rest of the world will take care of itself.”
Ascendant Calculator
cafeastrology.comI personally find this site to be one of my favorites. c: Here is the ascendant calculator, which I think is rather accurate.
Why Read the Horoscope for your Rising Sign?
Your Rising Sign (or more specifically, your “Ascendant”) is the sign that was rising on the Eastern horizon at the moment you were born.
The Ascendant passes through all 12 signs in a 24 hour period, so even people all born on the same day can (and will) have 12 different rising signs.
Think of it this way: the Sun always rises in the East. Anybody born at sunrise will have the same Sun and Rising signs, because the Sun was rising in the East at the moment they came into the world. Likewise, if you’re born at sunset, you’ll have your Ascendant in the sign opposite the Sun on that day. Today the Sun is in Libra, so a baby born at sunset would have their Ascendant in Aries, Libra’s opposite sign.
The Ascendant is also the cusp of the 1st House, in other words, it’s the very first point on the birth chart. It’s the doorway. The beginning.
(Here’s a link to more about the Ascendant in a birth chart)
When Astrologers write horoscopes, they’re faced with the task of generalizing what’s going on for each of the 12 signs specifically. You can’t see every single person’s individual astrological make-up, so you’ve got to be as wide open as you can with the interpretations. Those interpretations are always based on the combination of planets, signs, and houses - but in order to know where the houses are, you have to have a chart. And a chart has to have an Ascendant. So many Astrologers use something called a “Solar Chart” when writing horoscopes, a chart that uses the Sun as the Ascendant. In other words, they use the first degree of Gemini as the Ascendant when writing the Gemini horoscope, the first degree of Leo for the Leo horoscope, Capricorn for Capricorn, and so on. . .This works, but it can be misleading if you’re just beginning to learn Astrology.
How often do you read horoscopes for your sign that say certain things will be going down in your partnership “house”, or romance “sector”, or “the money section of your chart”? (Sidenote: my nemesis SM is famous for this and it drives me insane).
Let’s say you’re a Taurus with Pisces Rising. You read your Taurus horoscope and it says that all sorts of great things are going to just be getting started in your love life because Venus is entering your 7th house! But actually, since you’re Pisces Rising, your 7th house is ruled by Virgo, and Venus hasn’t been there for weeks.
On the other hand, if you read for Pisces, your Rising Sign, and it tells you that Mars will be taking an extended retrograde vacation in your 7th House over the next several months, that’s more likely to be accurate. In a true natal chart, the Houses (sectors, areas, etc) are based on the placement of your Ascendant, not your Sun.
Even more than all that - your Ascendant is your vantage point. It’s your filter, the lens through which you see the world. So it’s just as affected by any combination of energies in the astro-weather as your Sun (as is your Moon, your needs).
The more you start to understand what’s happening to your consciousness (Sun) versus what’s happening to your circumstances (Ascendant) or emotions (Moon), the better you’ll get to know yourself.
And that is awesome.
Turn, turn, turn…
AL
So Aries Rules *Everybody's* 1st House?
Ok so … here’s one of the places it starts to get confusing.
Each of the 12 signs is *associated* with each of the 12 houses. Aries, the first sign, has rulership over the 1st House, Taurus the second sign over the 2nd house, and so on. . But if you’re a Capricorn Rising, then Capricorn rules your 1st House, not Aries. Right?
Right. The sign on the cusp of each house rules that house in your individual chart. But the 12 Houses are still always associated with the 12 signs, in the same order.
The 1st House is always associated with the self, action, and beginnings - and these are all Aries concepts. But if your Ascendant falls in Capricorn, those concepts are also colored in a Capricornian way: your actions are always ambitious, and the impulse of the 1st House is grounded by the Earth of Capricorn, you might have a more serious (Capricorn) childhood (beginning), your personality (1st House/Self) is smart and sarcastic and dry (Capricorn).
This also extends to the planets that rule the Signs and therefore the Houses. Mars rules Aries, and therefore the 1st House. But if you’re the Capricorn Rising person we’ve been talking about, doesn’t Saturn (the planet that rules Capricorn) rule your 1st House?
Yes. See above. The 1st House is associated with action and moving forward - Martian concepts, always. With Capricorn on the Ascendant, that action is tempered by Saturn, the planet that rules Capricorn.
The planet that rules your Rising Sign, by the way, is the planet that rules your chart. So if you’re a Gemini - then yes, Mercury rules your Sun, and has everything to do with your essence, but if you’re a Gemini with Capricorn Rising, then Saturn rules your chart. If you’re a Gemini with Taurus Rising, then Venus rules your chart. If you’re a Taurus, with Capricorn Rising, then Saturn rules your chart. If you’re a Taurus with Gemini Rising, then Mercury rules your chart. The planet that rules your Ascendant always rules your chart, no matter what your Sun sign is.
Astrology: Love and relationship aspects.
Our Rising sign is like a thin shell around us. It gives you some indication of the personality, but certainly not all. The Ascendent/rising sign guides over first impressions and initial connections. This is what you first see of a person when you first meet.
Venus rules largely over our particular tastes. And not just romantically. Through Venus we can learn many of our personal inclinations…what we like and what makes us happy in life. This also applies to relationships and romance, which is why it is sometimes called the “love” planet.(Thats a huge oversimplification.) Look to Venus to show you what characteristics you might enjoy in a significant other.
Someones Moon sign indicates a large portion of who this person is at their core. It speaks of our habits and reactions which figure largely into our persnalities. You may not see this side to a person early on, or you might. Sometimes its hidden, and other times much more apparent.
Mars tells us what really makes us tick deep inside. What sets off crazy desire; what we want and how we try to get it. Mars has a lot to do also with instincts, as well as sexuality and expression. Thats why its called the sex planet!
Mercury is all about information- how we obtain it, share it, process it, and use it. Its about communication and how we come to understand and share idea’s and thoughts with others. As we know, communication is an integral part of a relationship.
And we can’t forget our Sun sign, the meat and potatoes of who we are.
Sun Sign + Rising Sign + Moon Sign
So I’ve been conceptualizing this for a while. I was trying to think about how your 3 main signs work together to express your personality. While stuck in traffic I came up with this idea.
Your rising sign can be represented as a car. Its how the world sees you, when they don’t know you. Its your outermost appearance. But it also expresses the energy with which you get to where you are going. How you carry yourself in life. Are you a fast mover or a slow mover? Are you showy or more practical? Do you only go out on special occasions are you moving everywhere all the time?
The sun sign is of course the person driving the car. So obviously a “concerned parent” is going to handle a sports car in an entire different way than a race car driver will. (They may have a sexy body but dress totally frumpy while the other has a sexy body and dresses sexy) A “retired gangster” is going to treat a luxury sedan a completely different way than an adventurer will (The adventurer may tend to behave wrecklessly and destroy his valuable possessions whereas the “gangster” may obsessively value his possesions and keep them hidden or safe). This shows how different sun signs behave with the same rising sign.
Finally your moon sign represents your ultimate destination. Where you are trying to get to in life? Are you trying to get somewhere where you can chill with your favorite people or are you trying to climb the ladder of success? Are you constantly thinking about working or do you just want to have fun and party? So a “secret agent”(scorpio sun) driving a “lemon”(pisces rising) to “work”(virgo moon) may have a story that goes something like this:
You are clever and resourceful and when life throws you lemons you don’t mind hitchhiking to get where you’re going. Work is extremely important to you and while you may often face challenges in staying focused you always have some crafty tricks up your sleeve to get the job done.
Whereas a gossip columnist (gemini sun) driving a lemon (pisces rising) to work (virgo moon) may have a story that goes like this:
You use every setback as an opportunity to learn something new. Work is very important to you and when your proverbial car breaks down you use the opportunity to snoop around your new location for a juicy scoop. You often find yourself in the middle of the some sticky situations and you may find that your assignments have to change with whatever wacky situation you have talked yourself into.
I am a “Secret Agent” driving a “Sedan” to a “Cozy Lakeside Fireworks Picnic”. If I were reading myself I would say:
You are clever and resourceful and take every practical precaution to ensure enjoyment, relaxation, and merriment with those you love most. You may seem a lot more square and boring than you actually are. That is fine with you. You feel a certain thrill in passing off this assumed identity. Only your closest confidants can know your true loveable, nurturing, and fun loving self.
This is fun for me. I don’t know if its fun for anyone else. I’d love to hear some creative stories about how your 3 signs work together.
Or not…. :-)
Capricorn Ascendant
There’s a seriousness to Capricorn rising people that is unmistakable. Even when they’re joking around, it’s of the deadpan variety. In fact, plenty of very humorous people have Capricorn Ascendants. It’s all in the timing…and the fact that they don’t giggle before the joke is over.
Capricorn Ascendant people project competence. They simply ooze it. They’re generally very image-conscious people—the clothes they wear and their manner are a big deal to them. They want to appear successful, and they generally succeed!
Often the Ascendant persona is the one that was forced upon us by family conditioning. For example, parents may label their Libra Ascendant child the “nice” one; their Aries Ascendant child the “independent” one; and their Pisces Ascendant child is generally the space cadet of the family. We adopt these roles as familiar ones, and often carry them with us as our defense mechanisms, in some way or another, for the rest of our lives. In the case of Capricorn Ascendants, these were the children who were considered the responsible ones. Sometimes, it was they themselves who looked around them and felt the need to be the structured, dependable, and responsible members of the family. So, often, Capricorn rising people adopted a strong sense of tradition, family, and responsibility at a very young age.
Capricorn rising people are generally big on family, and forever worry about security—for themselves and their dependents. They come across to others as hard-working, competent, and dependable people. What others may not see under that cool, even suave, exterior, is an inner struggle: they often ask themselves, “Am I doing enough?”, “Do I deserve all of this?”, “How can I make things better?” They worry a lot about the future.
If success seemed to have come easy to these folks, it hasn’t. They just made it look that way with a patient, hard-working, driven personality. Some Capricorn rising people practice some form of self-denial. They know how to do away with the frivolous. Still, they’ll spend money on the clothes they really want (the ones with the right labels, that is), and other status symbols. Although they’re rarely showy, their quiet air of success is often a result of conscious effort.
More often than not, Capricorn rising individuals are success stories. Their childhoods may have been difficult, but they slowly but surely turn their lives around. Saturn rules this Ascendant, and this generally means a kind of backwards way of living—as children, they are serious and bear a lot of responsibility; and as they grow up, they age beautifully, learning how to loosen up.
Scorpio Rising
Scorpio Ascendant people have a lot of presence. There is something about them that tells the world that they are not to be pushed around. Their manner commands respect, and in some cases, fear. Scorpio rising people can be quiet or loud, but they always seem powerful and determined.
You either love or hate Scorpio rising people— they are rarely people who go through life unnoticed. In fact, some of them are confused when faced with the fact that they get such strong reactions from others. They seem to look right through people, seeing through superficiality. This can be quite intimidating to some, and intriguing to others. Scorpio rising people, in their dealings with others, look for answers by reading between the lines. Surface details are discarded when they are getting a feel for people and situations around them.
Scorpio rising people value their privacy so much, it can border on paranoia. They have a strong need to control their environment and are experts at strategy. Rarely people who will blow their chances with impatience, they plan out their moves carefully and deliberately, relying on their awesome ability to feel out others and situations.
Scorpio rising natives are drawn to down-to-earth, natural partners. Reliability in their partner is very important. They generally look for complete commitment and have little patience with flighty partners.
“You are very strong-willed and proud, but intensely private and not easy to know well. Behind your quiet exterior lies a great deal of emotional depth, sensitivity, complexity, and also fierce determination. When you want something you go after it rather quietly but insistently and wholeheartedly - and you usually get it.
You are not a person who lives lightly or superficially. You want to live passionately and intensely and are not averse to challenge, danger, or to facing the darker side of life - human pain and struggle. You function well in crisis situations and often seek them out, for you enjoy the feeling of living at full capacity.
You are very intuitive about other people and especially about their unspoken feelings and hidden motives. You usually have strong, immediate gut reactions, either positive or negative, which prove to be correct. You approach life very instinctively and are not always fully conscious of why you feel or act as you do. You also have a very strong affinity with animals - an acute sensitivity and a nonverbal kind of rapport with them.
In relation to others, you are rather cautious, sometimes even suspicious, until you get to know and trust them - and trust doesn’t come easily to you. When you commit yourself emotionally to someone, be it friend or lover, you are intensely loyal and devoted to them and you also expect the same kind of unwavering, undying loyalty in return. If you are ever betrayed by someone you care deeply for, you are capable of hating and retaliating with as much fervor as you once loved. Nothing is done halfway. In fact, you are intensely involved and often jealously attached to whatever you care about, be it person, idea, or cause. There is definitely a streak of emotional fanaticism in you.
Because of your natural reserve, others may see you as something of an enigma. You are quite self-protective and often defensive. You are also very magnetic, especially to members of the opposite sex.”
Squashing the Struggles: The Ascendant
thelovelylibra answered: What confuses me is your Sun v Ascendent. Like which do people see more? Your sun? WHat’s you ascendent for, exactly?
I have A LOT of information on the Ascendant. Go HERE to have a read.
To answer you directly:
- People usually see your Ascendant during first impressions, but the Ascendant or Rising sign is likened to the filter to the outer-directed world and has a direct effect on you when you interact with others, social situations, etc.
- It’s SO IMPORTANT. It sets the tone for your entire Birth Chart because it is always found at the cusp of your First House. It denotes your Descendant which is likened to who you attract and what kind of person will have an impact on your life.
- Sometimes your Ascendant can be heavily aspected and be more apparent than your Sun sign when interacting with others, or your actions may be more representative of the ascendant than the sun sign.
- Other types of Astrology herald the Ascendant as MORE important than the Sun sign, to give you an idea of how integral it is to understand yours and how it interacts with the rest of your birth chart.
In Western Astrology it is unfortunate that people only pay attention to their Sun sign, when there is SO MUCH MORE to our personalities,. Each and every aspect and placement makes up who we are as a whole, while the Sun sign is the broadest (and sometimes incorrect) way to describe us as individuals.
I hope this helps answer your questions!
xoxo
