Ascendant/Descendant Axis

Okay, so- now that we have talked a little about that ascendant and its ruler- we’re going to talk about the ascendant/descendant axis a bit. Whip out your charts- and if you don’t have one, go get one HERE. You want to grab that wheel image, and take a peek. And of course, if you have any questions at all- hit me up on Facebook, and I will try to answer. Please understand, we do not do in-depth readings for free, but now you can order one on one sessions from myself, Bill, or Jen by going HERE.

Now, briefly- you know the ascendant is where the ecliptic comes up on that Eastern Horizon at certain moments. In your case, that’d be the moment of your birth- and this is why full birth data is absolutely important. If you do not know your actual time of birth, you can book me for a half hour session wherein I will ask you questions about your life- and dates corresponding to rectify your chart using astrology. If you’d like a screen-share video of how this is all done- and it is a neat process, be sure you book me for a Skype reading. At some point, I plan to write more fully about that process, but, you can see an example in the Hillary Clinton article, HERE.

The descendant, then, is the point where it hits that Western side. Now, you look at the signs in the zodiac to figure out some key factors: which, again, emphasizes the importance of having that time of birth. I think that if you ever had an estimated time chart drawn up and then, you have a rectified chart, or you find your birth time: you will fully recognize the differences, but let me again emphasize how vast they can be.

First, here are my charts- now, you might see this and think “There’s no big difference!” except: I was born at 12:49. And yes, there is.

Now, here, however, is someone who was born early in the morning. Though of course, everything else is the same- that birth time, as you can see, changes so much.

(Chart used with permission of the client. )

There are a number of variables involved but essentially, at heart- these angles at the time of birth will reveal the power of that line of force between the two points.

Your ascendant will be that first point- and this is where you’re going to find what draws the closer relationships in your life. Any of the close friendships, romances, business partnerships- this impacts. The way that we interact with those people in our lives, the way that we handle issues in our relationships, here is where you’ll find what causes the strife- and what brings that balance. Look at what’s going on between your ascendant and your descendant- that axis is vital. If you are having current troubles, you can take a look at your transit chart to reveal what’s at play in the “above”- and that will tend to be eerily similar to what’s going on in your “below.” No pun intended, there.

Because your ascendant tends to show your own psychological makeup, it also shows how those traits within you are reflected in those you are closest to. The descendant will show how those characteristics play out within the context of those relationships. Now, this sounds like the same thing- but when you think about it: it’s really not. Understanding this line alone can help you to figure out what’s up, and ultimately: achieve the harmony you seek in all your more intimate or close relationships be they business, pleasure or otherwise.

Aries Ascendant, Libra Descendant

In your closer relationships, you tend to be a bit too concerned with what others think of you- and as a result, often lay the blame almost entirely on yourself when these things go into the toilet. This happens for a variety of reasons: but, one of the biggest is that independence is absolutely vital to you. You tend to want things to be the way you want them- and have very little trouble doing things by yourself if others won’t play along. If you get bored- look out, because your relationships with others tend to be where you wield the knife: and you’re not opposed to do some cutting to get a little excitement going. Sometimes, this can manifest itself in a little bit of selfish behavior on your part- as you tend to seek out partners you think will fill all your needs, but: no one can do that. This can often lead to the sort of lopsided relationships where one person’s doing all the giving- and one does all the taking. When relationships are boring to you: you rather, unfortunately, may seek out the adventure you crave in others and often, this is just friendships with others but occasionally- it has gotten you into a bit of trouble. Your biggest conflict lies in the fact that you want someone who will let you hold the reigns in the relationship: yet, when that happens, the responsibility is too much. Because you adore people who are strong and independent- battles of wills can often happen. The answer then, for you is in continuing to seek out those perfect matches for your will: but learning to balance that give and take. Control and not control. VERY open and clear communication about needs and wants- two-way street: you both need to listen. You both need to give, and you both need to take.

Taurus Ascendant, Scorpio Descendant

In your younger years, your relationships with others might have been a bit on the messed up side. You’d have people- usually one of the parents, who would build you up so high and then, kick the pedestal right out from under you. They would make you feel like nobody loved you more than they did, like you were just amazing: and then, they would pull some crap that made you feel deeply unloved and like things were not stable. You, however, are quite the passion powerhouse, and being in love for you is nearly a spiritual experience. You know better than anyone the answer to the BeeGee’s Song: How Deep Is Your Love? The problem is, no matter how you try to hide it: you can become pretty possessive, and jealousy tends to be an issue. Your sense of security, however, ties very, very deeply into the things you own and how stable your life actually is: and in times of stress, you may take it out on your partner in jealous behaviors. You, however, will seriously bust your butt to make sure you build one incredibly stable nest. You do tend to be pretty supportive of your partners, though this becomes a little problematic when their own independence makes you feel less important to them. If they have a close friend or other outside influence- career, friendships, family, whatever the case may be: that may also trigger feelings of conflict within you, particularly if it’s someone you don’t care a whole lot for or if you feel that situation threatens your own sense of security. You have a tendency towards trying to fit whatever ideals others have of you- because you feel that will bring about the security you seek but, it also makes this resentment build within you as you feel they are trying to change you. This can all combine to cause a lot of power struggles within your relationships- but, you can balance things by learning to let go. Learning to love others and allow them to love you for who you are, rather than who you think they want you to be. On the same token, you build trust by allowing them to do the same. Once you take the time to establish all of that, the feelings of insecurity that fuel the jealousy can fall away, and you can enjoy very deep, intense relationships that are stable and lasting.

Gemini Ascendant, Sagittarius Descendant

Shyness may have plagued you when you were a kid, and it may still be a little hard for you to interact with those you’re attracted to. You seek out those who really challenge you- but, even though you enjoy it: you also kinda hate it when they don’t agree with you. Yay! Gemini! You deeply want to know all the ins and outs of how things work with yourself and the way you interact with others, and you learn so much about not just others, but yourself that way, and it has helped you grow tremendously. You’re someone who really wants to solve the issues between those you are close to- and yourself: but, you tackle them from an almost totally intellectual point of view, and you’re dealing with emotions. See the issue, there? You sometimes come across as being remarkably nosey- but the truth is, your brain is like this computer and the more points of data input you have, the easier you find it to solve those problems. There are times when you can be a bit of a dud in bed- not because you’re not a great lover, but because you get into your own head- or someone else’s head: and forget, the body needs some stimulation, too. One of your best assets, though, is that you are one of the fairest people anyone’s ever known, and you don’t mind saying so when someone’s awesome. As a matter of fact, sometimes that opinion flies out of your mouth so quickly it surprises even you. You’re not big on messing with people but, oh, if somebody’s bringing the head game- you are like “GAME ON!” and will wreck them. For you, the best thing you can do is to learn to be a bit more comfortable with your emotions and those of others- find ways of merging the brain with the heart: and you’ll be nigh on unstoppable.

Cancer Ascendant, Capricorn Descendant

As you can imagine with Cancer and Capricorn: family is everything to you. Your mother, in particular, may have had a big impact or may still yet have a big impact on everything you do. People really want to always color that in a positive way: but it’s not always like that. As a result: you tend to be the lion at the gates for your family, so to speak: very protective and at times, this is problematic because your family may push you around a bit. The other side of this coin is that sometimes, your drive to provide them with the stability you feel they deserve can hurt you and cause burn out or stress related illness. If you end up being the housewife or househusband- this can sometimes seem so wonderful from the outset but quickly sour as you begin to feel somewhat trapped before you even recognize that is what’s at play. While others may seem to have this very obvious control struggle thing going- for you, it’s different. It’s more subtle: yet, when you feel controlled, it seems like everything is controlled, down to your thoughts. You may attempt to adapt to suit your partner’s needs: but lose yourself in the process. You are more than willing to sacrifice all your own needs, wants, and desires to make things stable: and this is where the hitch in your giddyup happens. If your family isn’t controlling- you have the opposite problem, it’s like nothing’s under control at all, which freaks you out. Balance can be found in recognizing that you don’t have to do this stuff- in those situations that do become abusive: it’s not your fault. It was never your fault. In those that are simply exhausting: you have to go into your own head, you have to sort things out and begin to assert your own desires and needs. You can, in fact, balance that beautiful nurturing soul with getting some of your own.

Leo Ascendant, Aquarius Descendant

You have found your relationships to be some of the most life and personal transformational events in your life. Whether that’s good or bad- you’ve found that any self-centeredness you had was confronted and changed in your closest relationships and it’ll continue on like that. You are remarkably open-minded and allow your partners the freedom they need- and this sometimes comes across to them like you don’t care, but that’s not the case, at all. Your mentality, quite frankly, is beautiful and something we should all aspire to: to see love as the ultimate freedom. (No, I am not a Leo rising. Lol) Where things become problematic is that sense of detachment- most people have no idea what to do with it, and in someone who’s been hurt: it can turn to the apathy most assume it is. In order to overcome the issues with others thinking you don’t care- that one’s the easy one: be as open and honest as you can be about it. Do not fear their reactions. You don’t want someone who’s gonna wig out over this anyway. Now, in the negative: here’s where it gets hard. Because if you’ve been hurt, healing within yourself must happen to overcome those feelings you have where you doubt yourself, where you are insecure. Once this occurs- you will find that you feel freer to not just express yourself, but to be vulnerable enough to let people see what’s under the masks you so often wear. The reason I mention this is that for Leo rising people- man, all too often, early on, those beautiful notions of love that transcends everything- that agape love that is precious and beautiful: got beat up. Badly. As the world made you feel that this was an unrealistic thing, you sort of pulled back, became more hesitant to express things, and doubted you could ever have what you know is real. I have a spoiler for you, Leo rising- it actually is very possible and more than that: the world needs that kind of love. Healing and learning to blend friendship and that love will bring you the balance you’re seeking and help you see that you were never, ever wrong about it.

Virgo Ascendant, Pisces Descendant

I almost feel like apologizing for the world whenever I read for someone with this placement- because to you, everyone’s perfect until they really just aren’t. When you love, you see the epitome of everything you ever wanted and needed inside of them- but the truth is, not everybody lives up to that. Sometimes, people use that, and it hurts you when they manipulate you this way. You are so very deeply sensitive and compassionate that often: you find yourself close to others who are as well but, what you sometimes forget is, you deserve that love you so freely give others. More than anyone. You have remarkably high standards for yourself- and you seek to sort of make this perfect world for those you love, which often leads to you being something of a workhorse. Duty may well be your middle name, and these are the great things. The downside is: your standards aren’t just for you, now, are they? Except, when they fail (and they often do), you don’t remove them from your life. You keep trying, and you hate how you’ve been taken for granted. You may well complain about it a lot, but ultimately, you just never really stand up for yourself. Way too often, you find that though you have given so much of yourself to others- you end up facing your own problems alone. You want balance? Stop being a martyr. You can give- and it is beautiful that you do, but, you need to recognize that your own needs have to be met as well and when others are crappy to you on a consistent basis: they need to go.

Libra Ascendant, Aries Descendant

Oh boy, here’s where I get personal. I’m a Libra rising, too. It has always been so funny to me- and by funny, I mean, unendingly maddening and hurtful: those of us who seek balance more than anyone else, very, very rarely have it, do we? Libra rising tends to seek out so much peace, contentment and harmony- but that Aries descendant comes in and is like “Get up and tell that jerk to kick rocks!” and yet, we have such a hard time doing that. (And, depending on other things at play in your chart- whew. I also have a Virgo North Node. Can you say, “ Hop down off that cross, Victoria, jeez .”?) We often come to this point in our closest relationships where it just feels as though everyone else gets and we get left in the cold. Where we have trouble making our own choices and being independent. That Aries descendant there will scream bloody murder at this, whereas that Libra rising may go, “ You know what? My needs are important, too. But, how do I get them met and not rock the boat ?” and sometimes, this can lead to infidelity. Not always, mind- and often that manifests itself in what they call emotional affairs rather than physical- because that Libra sense of fairness, right and wrong can rationalize that where it kinda goes, “I dunno about all that …” about the physical. We are also the masters of what I like to call The Longest Breakups In History- and if you’re a Libra Rising you already know where I am going: back and forth, back and forth, back and forth- until FINALLY, it ends and usually, in blood and tears. One thing we are very adept at, however: once the hurt’s there, the part that got hurt shuts down. The wall goes up. That person will never get to see that part of you, again, not in its fullness. We tend to have insanely strong desires for that Once in a Lifetime partner- yet, that wall is not easy to overcome, and the second the person jumps over it: we can seem like the coldest people in the world. The best thing that you can do, if you have a Libra rising? (And trust me, I’m right here with y’all.) You need to be independent. You need to be less passive. That Aries has gotta come out or it will head-butt the gate until it suffers traumatic brain injury. Keeping everything equal is, well, everything, once you do decide to be close to others. Not allowing yourself to become the person doing the lion’s share of the work in any situation is key, as is not becoming a people pleasing martyr. Learn to say “No.”

Scorpio Ascendant, Taurus Descendant

You have a tendency towards working with your strength and attempting to hide your weaknesses. You are likely incredibly influential among your peers- and it’s important that you pull away from the urges to use this for your own material gain exclusively. You tend to prefer situations where you can either become much more knowledgeable or convey it- teaching and being in a constant state of evolving, learning, and growth. One of the biggest pitfalls of this ascendant is in sort of taking on their insecurity- you may end up in a co-dependent and unsatisfying relationships if you do not learn to ground your own natural empathy. Shielding yourself from the emotions of others tends to be incredibly important: but, you have to be careful, or you can swing too far the other way and have trouble relating to emotional expressions on the whole. Another issue that can sometimes arise is that if you aren’t living according to your own unique value system, you may feel as though you have no control of your life- which can lead you to resentment or possibly attempting to manipulate situations to your advantage. Often, people are either magnetically drawn to you or intimidated by you because you carry a mysterious, yet powerful presence that not everyone is comfortable with. The balance, when it comes to closer relationships is equitably shared resources and balancing of power: either you agree that one of you is in charge or, neither of you is.

Sagittarius Ascendant, Gemini Descendant

In romance- possessive or jealous lovers need not even bother: you will squish their egos with a swiftness in the process of breaking loose to run free. You need to view close relationships through a more intellectual lens, and sometimes, people who are overly emotional or dramatic appeal to you- but never for very long as this becomes exhausting to you. You do need those who inspire and those who are passionate- but, this can often lead to conflicts as strong wills clash. Though you are very open minded and curious about other perspectives- it may be after you listen intently, you shake your head and start preaching at them as to why they are wrong. Rather unfortunately for those you oppose, often you’re correct in this assertion. However, your approach is so off-putting at times that you have a hard time pulling people to your way of thinking. Though there are some who immediately adhere to it, you often have trouble respecting them- because you’d prefer someone challenge you with their A Game rather than toady up and come across as “Yes Men or Women.” Oddly enough, though those who do not know you very well would describe you as something of a stubborn person- those closest to you of all would disagree vehemently and say that you can be too soft on others. Though you dislike mind games- oh, if someone brings it, you can certainly excel and make them wish they hadn’t. Balance for you is going to mean learning to listen with the intent of hearing- not hearing to react. In this and being open to the perspectives of others, not only will you have happier relationships- you have the capacity for enormous wisdom.

Capricorn Ascendant, Cancer Descendant

As an adult, you can probably look at your own upbringing and see it reflected in the way you either run your family- or, how you’d like to. You may also find that for some odd reason, it seems like your partners haven’t exactly been well received by some members of your family- and just as your own childhood influences the way you look at family life: they really seem to have this trait, as well. Of course, from a psychological perspective- everyone does this, but, in both yourself and your romantic partners, it may be a bit more keenly felt. You are also someone who feels like security is the best thing you can provide for your family- and for you, that responsibility is one of the most important things: if not the most important thing. The way that you approach this is usually fairly practical and pragmatic- sometimes, a little too rigid and unyielding. When you are in relationships you tend to find that inflexible approach is challenged, but, you also tend to learn from this and come out of any given situation with a bit more growth as a person. The way for you to achieve your balance is going to be in addressing that rules do not always mean stability, and stability doesn’t always require strict rules and routines. You can find a lot of balance also in learning to convey your feelings in words and expressions of affection. Because you feel stability and security are strongly tied to love- it can sometimes seem you are colder than you are when you assume others know how much you care by way of the security you provide them.

Aquarius Ascendant, Leo Descendant

This is another interesting axis- and one I’m familiar with in another sense. You’re going to find that you have an incredibly open mind that not everyone understands. You tend to take in all perspectives, and you are very open to learning all about people, why they feel the way they do, what motivates them and otherwise. You do however have to have interests that are beyond just the home and family- and sometimes, this can cause tension at home when a partner is jealous or doesn’t understand. Though you do have a great deal of emotional depth- you are also somewhat removed from your emotions and that of others, which helps you to remain objective: but people often misunderstand this and think that you don’t care, when in fact, you care deeply. Good relationships and friendships for you are ones that help you to not only get in touch with those emotions- but express them in ways that are more easily read by others. You try very hard to not get in the middle of things- yet because of the way you see things, people often come to you for advice: which sometimes puts you right in the middle of drama you had nothing to do with. For you, happiness and balance can be achieved in finding secure friendships that will allow you to grow and experience things in an unrestricted way.

Pisces Ascendant, Virgo Descendant

The single biggest problem with this particular axis is in trying so hard to be what you think everyone else wants you to be- rather than who you actually are. You typically want to be around like-minded people, anyway. So, this helps, but at the same time, people tend to take advantage of how much you want to be loved. In love, you may tend to opt for partners who are much more grounded than you are- which is good, if there’s a balance between you two, but if they attempt to control those dreamy ideas, it can cause a lot of conflict. Because you are intensely sensitive, you have a tremendous capacity for empathy and caring- but, you have to be careful not to allow this to become so self-sacrificing that you lose your own sense of identity. Making sure that you are able to pull back and sort of recharge from time to time is important, but also, you need to be able to surround yourself with people who truly care for you. Facing problems within your close relationships rather than trying to brush them off or deny them outright is a challenge for you- and sometimes, you can get pretty resentful of those things. Taking care of them from the outset is best, even if it means an uncomfortable conversation or two here and there. Balance, for you, will mean allowing yourself the freedom of those creative, beautiful ideas with the understanding that practical concerns also must be met.