The rising sign is one of the most important points in a birth chart reading. What does it mean and how is it calculated? Here I explain it.
What exactly is the ascendant?
The ascendant is the sign of the zodiac that was coming up over the horizon at the exact moment you were born. It sits in the first astrological house, the one that governs your personality. It is the sign that, among other things, shows what you are like and how you come across.
The rising sign does not depend on your date of birth alone, as the Sun sign does. It also depends on the time and the place. The ascendant changes sign roughly every two and a half hours, and that is why it matters so much to astrologers to know not only your date of birth, but your exact time and place.
Without the time, there is no ascendant. Or worse: there is the wrong ascendant — and with the wrong ascendant comes a completely different reading of the chart.
What is the difference between the Sun sign and the ascendant?Your Sun sign — the one everybody knows — represents your core identity, your life force, the heart of who you are. It is your essence. Your ascendant is the front door. It is the energy you arrive in the world with, your visible personality.
Why does the ascendant matter so much?The ascendant sets the whole structure of the birth chart. It is the point from which the twelve houses are arranged — those twelve areas of life, money, work, children, family, that show us where each planet's energy plays out in your chart.
Put another way: without the ascendant, there is no order to the houses. And without that order, the chart loses half of its information.
It is also the reason why two people born on the same date and in the same place, but at different times, can live such different lives. An Aries with a Capricorn ascendant moves through the world in a completely different way from an Aries with a Gemini ascendant. The same Sun, a different front door, an entirely different chart.
How to work it outYou can send me your date, time and place of birth at maria@espirituale.com. I will calculate your birth chart and send it to you free, with an interpretation of the most important points.
If you do not know your exact time of birth, it is worth looking for it. Birth certificates, hospital records, or simply asking your mother. Now you know that the time matters a great deal — and the more precise, the better.
