Your Rising Sign

Another lesser known but still important zodiac sign is your rising sign. Your rising sign is the sign that was rising over the eastern horizon as you are born and it changes placement about every two hours; therefore you need your birth time. It is also always in the first house of self which means it sets the layout for the rest of the chart. It is also referred to as your ascendent.

The rising sign is how we show ourselves to the world and our first impressions. It also represents our physical appearance. It is also known as our mask because it rules our defense mechanisms.

Although it doesn’t technically have a glyph, it is often abbreviated with “Asc.”

The rising sign is also important because the planet that rules that sign has a heavier influence over the rest of your chart. For example I am a gemini rising so mercury rules my chart. I express this when I write for this blog because mercury rules communication and dissemination of intelligence.

Up until the early 20th century when sun sign astrology became popular, the the rising sign was the main focus. The sun and rising work together to create personality and this is why they have always been seen as the most important signs. Although the moon is still one of the “big three” it’s influence is more hidden so historically it hasn’t been focused on as much.

Overall the rising sign may not seem as important as the sun or moon to personality, it actually has the most influence out of the three. This is because it lays out your chart by determining all of the houses that the rest of your signs fall in. Because it is always your first house it also determines your chart ruling planet.

~Aivrey, aka the Coffee Witch