Your Ascendant/Rising Sign

In astrology, the Ascendant is the point at the eastern horizon where a specific sign was rising at the precise time of your birth. The Sun is born at sunrise when the Sun is on the Ascendant in the birth chart. Every two hours, a new sign is rising or emerging. At the end of the 24 hour period, all 12 signs would have risen. Interestingly enough, the Earth’s own rotation makes it look like the Sun is traveling across the sky in its daily trip, but we all know that the Earth is actually orbiting around the Sun.

The Ascendant is also known as the rising sign. It indicates the beginning of the system of the houses, and it is also the cusp of the first house. The cusp is the zodiacal degree that marks the beginning of a sign or a house. The first house is the house of personality and helps astrologers to draw a picture of the way you come across to others. It is all about your appearance and personality.

The rising sign at the time of your birth represents your external makeup, the way you take action in the world, and it is part of who you are. The Ascendant is sometimes described as a “mask” that people wear, but it is quite a misconception because someone who wears a mask is usually hiding oneself. Most astrologers prefer to say that your rising sign is just another layer of your personal makeup.

So, why is the Ascendant so important, anyway? Well, your rising sign shows how others see you, which would be pointed out in your first house. Most people will form an opinion about you, based solely on your rising sign. In other words, you take on the personality of the sign that rules your first house. Once people get to know you, they will see more of the characteristics of your Sun sign. This may explain why some people feel like they don’t completely identify with their Sun sign. The only way to find out which sign is your Ascendant is having a birth chart done with your exact date, time, and place of birth. These are the precise unique coordinates at the time of your birth that astrologers will use to calculate your birth chart.

In our What is Astrology? blog, we mentioned that astrology is an extremely predictive tool. Exploring your birth chart can give you insight into your personal issues, your patterns, your fears and your dreams. Most people think the signs are the most important elements in a horoscope, but this is just a popular misconception. Everywhere you go, every time you meet someone new, they want to know what your sign is. They never ask where your planets align or what your rising sign is. Just keep in mind that when people are asking about your sign, they refer to your Sun sign.

Your Sun sign represents your true self, your inner makeup. We tend to show our true selves with people we know well, like friends, family and lovers. Your Sun sign is the core of your true personality. On the other hand, when it comes to strangers, or situations like starting a new job where people don’t have an authentic picture of who you are, we usually like to use our rising sign personality and traits.

We don’t always express our Sun sign. However, when we are experiencing our Sun sign, we are focused on the present moment, we are in a state of mindfulness and it is simply because all our Sun sign energy is directed at simply being who we truly are.