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Why the Rising Sign Matters More Than the Sun Sign
The Rising Sign, or the Ascendant, is the sign on the eastern horizon at the time a chart is cast. In a natal chart, it is the sign on the eastern horizon at the time of birth. As I deepened my studies of astrology and started to do readings, the importance of being able to synthesize a natal chart became excruciatingly clear and I had to learn to hone in on what was most necessary for the person sitting in front of me who wanted to better understand themselves, their path, their purpose, and their potential. After studying so many charts I began to understand that the Rising Sign holds more significance than the Sun Sign. And here’s four reasons why!
If you are familiar with astrology, then I am sure that you are familiar with the Sun Signs. When someone says in “I'm a Libra” or “I'm a Cancer” they are referring to their Sun Sign, or the sign the Sun was in when they were born. Sun Signs have dominated astrology for decades because, of all of the components of a natal chart, the Sun Sign is the most easily identifiable. All you need to know is your birthday. You don't need to know your birth time and, technically, you don't even need to know your birth location. My birthday is July 2nd and ever since I was a little girl I knew that I was a Cancer. I might not have really known much of what that meant but I knew what my Sun Sign was.
When I first began seriously studying astrology about 20 years ago I was immediately amazed at all of the different components of the natal chart. It was so fun to find out, for instance, that my moon was in mysterious Pisces and that my Venus was in fiery Leo and to discover what that meant about me, my emotions, my love life and what I'm attracted to. And then to find out I was a Rising Aries! Did that explain why I was sometimes so quick to anger…or was that my Mars in Cancer placement?
The Rising Sign, or the Ascendant, is the sign on the eastern horizon at the time a chart is cast. In a natal chart, it is the sign on the eastern horizon at the time of birth.As I deepened my studies of astrology and started to do readings, the importance of being able to synthesize a natal chart became excruciatingly clear and I had to learn to hone in on what was most necessary for the person sitting in front of me who wanted to better understand themselves, their path, their purpose, and their potential. After studying so many charts I began to understand that the Rising Sign holds more significance than the Sun Sign. And here’s why:
The Rising Sign is much more personal than the Sun Sign. Unlike the Sun Sign that changes every 30 days or so, or even the Moon Sign that changes a little more than every 2 days, the rising sign changes every 2 hours. So that means even a person who shares your birthday may have a completely different Rising Sign which gives a completely different expression to their natal chart.
The Rising Sign sets the structure of the chart. Once the Rising Sign is determined, which becomes the sign of your 1st House, it then structures all the rest of your houses and determines what planets will fall in which house, which determines what areas of life those planets impact. As an example, my Aries Rising places my Pisces Moon in the 12th House, but if I was a Libra Rising my Pisces Moon would be in the 6th House. Very big difference!
The Rising Sign is the House of the Self. Modern astrology considers your rising sign to be a mask or a persona, but the traditional view - and the one I take - is that your Rising Sign is you. In Traditional Astrology, the First House was called “the helm” of the chart. The helm on a ship that steers and determines the direction of the ship. Your Rising Sign determines how you navigate the world, how you take action, your appearance, and even your health and vitality. Knowing your Rising Sign brings a deeper understanding of you, your path, your outlook, and your general direction in life.
The Rising Sign helps to determine which areas of life transits will impact. Because the Rising Sign determines the structure of the chart, when a planet enters a sign, it also enters a house of your chart. Knowing what house a transiting planet is in helps paint a more detailed picture of transits’ effect on you. For example, a planet entering your 5th House of Creativity has a different impact on you than a planet entering your 6th House of Health and Responsibility.
If you do not know your Rising Sign, schedule a natal chart reading with me! Knowing your divine blueprint will help you find your purpose and live into your highest potential with the wisdom of the stars!