Typically, pop culture astrology only talks about sun signs. You'll hear people say things like, “I’m a Taurus.” That simply means that the sun was in the sign of Taurus on the day that person was born. But we are SO much more than just our sun signs. Among many other things, astrologers look at the powerful combination of a person’s sun sign, moon sign, and rising sign to get a picture of the person’s psychology, identity, and some basics of their life experience. To put it very simply, a person’s sun sign tells you about their ego identity. (I do not use the term "ego" in a negative way. I mean it to describe the way that people individuate and self identify.) The sun is in each sign for about a month, and the dates are the same every year. On the other hand, the moon sign changes every 2.5 days. Your moon sign tells you a lot about your deeper emotional needs and tendencies. Then finally, there’s the ascendant.
The ascendant (also called a rising sign) is one of the reasons that an exact time of birth is needed to get an accurate chart reading. The ascendant changes signs roughly every 2 hours. The ascendant is the sign (and the degree of the sign) that was rising on the eastern horizon at the moment of a person’s birth. The ascendant also sets the astrological houses in the correct alignment with the signs based on the time of birth. Even if you don’t know anything about signs or houses, the rising sign is still important.
The ascendant is interesting because it is the first thing you probably notice about a new person. If you show up to a new place with new people, your rising sign will be on display. This is because we use our ascendant as a way to safely interact with the world around us in less than comfortable situations. When people play the "guess my sign" game, they're really playing "guess my rising sign."
Most of us don’t walk around wearing our hearts on our sleeves all the time. This is why we need our ascendant, which astrologers sometimes nickname our “mask.” While I understand why that term is used, I don't feel like it's totally accurate. The ascendant is a very important component of your identity. Not having a strong connection to your ascendant can leave you feeling vulnerable and even a bit lost. For example, I am technically an extrovert. Both my sun and moon are in an extroverted sign, and once I’m comfortable, I can become a chatterbox. I really enjoy interacting with people. But my rising sign is more introverted. Looks can be deceiving too, because when I’m quiet in a new setting, it isn’t because I’m “shy.” It’s because I’m observing everything closely. This is how my ascendant helps me.
On the other hand, a friend of mine has the opposite configuration. She is more introverted on the inside than she appears, but she has Libra rising. Libra is a very social sign. Someone with Libra rising is the person everyone wants to talk to at a party. They typically walk around to each group of people, being socially gracious and welcoming to everyone, and that’s exactly how she is. People are charmed by her when they meet her. Her ascendant is healthy and fully expresses the best qualities of the Libra sign. People would never guess that, while a part of her does genuinely enjoy socializing, one of her favorite parts of that party is when she’s leaving to go home!
To be clear, a rising sign isn’t false. It isn’t a facade we put on to be disingenuous. It is meant to be an honest aspect of ourselves that we can use when we need to, and then use it less when we need it less. If you have a strong connection to your rising sign, you will probably feel like you know how to comfortably function in situations that are unfamiliar to you, even if you don’t necessarily like them.
After doing readings for clients for awhile, I started to notice a trend. I noticed that many people I read for felt equally connected to their rising sign as their sun sign. For some people, even more connected! This wasn't something I expected, so I started paying closer attention. It still holds true in my experience. I'm not here to make speculations about what that means, but it does compel me write this post. I think that the power of the ascendant is really underrated in many astrological schools of thought. I would love to see that change.
Getting to know your rising sign is a really important part of understanding your natal chart, and therefore yourself. This is especially true if you're someone who doesn't feel especially aligned with your sun sign. The ascendant may well be the missing piece of the puzzle.
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