The Ascendant (Rising Sign)

tags: ascendant, cusp, houses, rising sign

What the Rising Sign means

The Ascendant is another name for the cusp of the first house. It marks the part of the Zodiac that is rising, or directly on the Eastern horizon, at the time of your birth. That’s why the sign of the Ascendant it is also called the rising sign.

The sign of the Ascendant describes:

• your “style”
• the way you get things done
• your mannerisms
• your appearance
• the side of you that you put forth when you are trying to make a good impression

It is at least as important as the Sun in your chart.

How can I find my ascendant?

To find your ascendant, you will need to have your chart.

Note: The rising sign (the sign of the ascendant) changes every 2 hours on average. So you’ll need to know your birth time to accurately determine your ascendant.

Notice that the chart is visually divided into 12 pieces. Many beginners think that each of those pieces represents a sign of the Zodiac. That’s not the case. They represent the houses.

If you move your finger counter-clockwise around the “pie pieces” of the chart, your finger will traverse each of the 12 houses in order. Each of the “spokes” of the wheel marks the entrance to each house. That line is called the cusp of the house.

The ascendant is the first house cusp. The first house represents the physical appearance, mannerisms, and self which one projects outward. It is one of the strongest and most important houses in the chart. The house cusp is the doorway to a house. The sign on the house cusp describes the affairs of that house. So the sign of the ascendant describes your appearance, outward personality, and how you get things done.

The sign of the ascendant is also known as the rising sign.

Example: Elvis Presley’s chart

What is Elvis’ rising sign? Remember, trace your finger counter-clockwise around the chart. The line you cross before entering the first house is the Ascendant.

Sagittarius is the rising sign in Elvis’ chart.

The Ascendant, as mentioned before, can tell us about a person’s style: his mannerisms, appearance, and the way he approaches the world.

Sagittarius is known for being ethical, philosophical, lots of fun, and happy-go-lucky. On the flip side, Sagittarius is excessive and can overdo things, exaggerate, be overly optimistic, and bite off more than he can chew. Can you find examples of this in the life of Elvis? Oh, yes.

Difference between the rising sign and the Sun sign

The Sun sign describes your substance. The rising sign describes your style. Our example, Elvis, is an example of a person whose Sun sign and Ascendant have very different characteristics. He was born with Sun in Capricorn.

• The sign Capricorn is serious, demanding, status-conscious, ambitious.
• The sign Sagittarius is optimistic, philosophical, excessive.

These two sound contradictory, but are they really? People are complex, and have many facets. These two signs describe two different sides of Elvis.

Elvis’ motivation (Sun) was status, ambition, career. He was a dutiful and hard worker, in his later years troubled and depressed (Capricorn) as he let himself go. His approach to the world (Ascendant) was through excess, hyperbole, exaggeration, being bigger than life (Sagittarius). He shocked 1950s America by singing “black music,” bridging cultures (Sagittarius) and opening the door for white people to accept, appreciate, and purchase music by black artists.

What if we reverse the two? Let’s find a well-known person with Sun in Sagittarius and Capricorn ascending.

A well-known owner of this configuration is Jane Fonda, the famous actress and anti-war activist. With her Capricorn ascendant, her style is serious and ambitious (Capricorn). The Sun represents her substance, what motivates her— idealism, political activism, and belief in doing what’s right (Sagittarius).

Jane Fonda:
Dec 21 1937
9:14 am EST,
Manhattan, NY

What sign is your Ascendant?

Note!
Since the house cusps are based on the Earth’s rotation, the ascending sign changes, on average, every 2 hours (12 signs in 24 hours). If your birth time is not correct, the ascendant may be incorrect in your chart.

Can you find it in your chart? Is it the same as, or similar in nature to your Sun sign, or is it different? How do you experience in your life the interplay of these two signs in your chart?

Comments:

1. I love your site!!!! I have put it in my favorites!!! Thank you very much!!!
   
   — Debra Weir    1 July 2005    #
2. coolio
   
   — Elk    8 October 2005    #
3. Dear Molly:
   
   How does an Ascendent that is placed in the opposite sign affects you? I'm a virgo with a Piscis ascendent. Does it mean my personality is balanced or out of balance??
   Thank you!!
   Sonia
   
   — sonia    10 November 2005    #

4. Hi Sonia.. opposing signs does not mean you are out of balance, although that is a possibility.. it means you need to find the balance, find the strengths in both signs to shore up the weaknesses. For example, Virgo obsesses over details, and Pisces can let go and let creativity come in. Pisces’ idealism can get them into unhealthy relationships, and Virgo has the discrimination to know who’s worth having in your life and who isn’t. Read as much as you can on both signs, with the understanding that you are both.

   
   
   — Molly    14 March 2006    #

5. HI there…nice website…and definitely helps to understand the ascendent sign. I am Gemini with Pisces rising…I sometimes feel a little “nuts”. In your opinion, with this combination…can you see where I might feel that way?

   
   
   — Kellie    31 March 2006    #

6. Hi Kellie—
   Well I don’t know the rest of your chart, which would tell me the whole story. But Pisces and Gemini are by nature fairly ungrounded signs. So when you’re feeling spacey and disconnected from reality, you can try going outside and sitting with a tree or taking a few deep breaths to get centered.

   
   
   — Molly    31 March 2006    #

7. Thanks for answering my question…thank goodness I have Taurus in Mercury to help ground my mind. :-) I have spent a good bit of time here today and REALLY like your entire site. I want to learn about astrology. I have always had insterest but now REALLY feel that interest increasing.

   
   
   — Kellie    6 April 2006    #

8. Dear Molly,

   My full trinity is mutable, Sun in Sagittarius, Rising Virgo, Moon in Pisces, what exactly does that mean for a woman? And also i was approved by a company to shoot a commerical and print advertising and become a model, and i also have a few connections to other companies, is modeling really in my stars though?

   I have nothing but Venus in the second house, with Ceres in LIbra in the second house, with Venus and Pluto in scorpio in the third house, Part of Fortune in my 10th house along with Part of fortune conjunct Mars in my tenth house, Sun and Jupiter in the twelfth house, Jupiter in Leo, Venus in Sagittarius, Ceres in Libra, Chiron in Cancer, Pholus in Cancer, Vesta in Taurus, Vertex in Aquarius, Juno in Sagittarius, Juno in the 4th house, Pallas in Virgo, Pallas in the 1st house, Moon Uranus and Neptune in the 6th house.

   I have 13 aspects to Neptune and the Moon and 11 aspects to Venus, some of them are:
   Moon Square Venus
   Venus Square Ascendant
   Venus Opposition Mars
   Venus Sextile Ceres
   Venus Opposition Midheavean
   Moon Trine Pluto
   Moon Sextile Neptune
   Moon Sextile Uranus
   Sun Trine Chiron
   Venus Trine Jupiter
   Venus SemiSextile Uranus
   Mercury Trine Jupiter
   Mars Trine Ceres
   Mars Conjunction Part of Fortune
   Jupiter Quincunx Neptune
   Part of Fortune Conjunction Midheaven
   Neptune Square Ceres
   Neptune Trine Pallas
   Neptune Semi Sextile Juno
   Sun Trine Chiron
   Sun Conjunction Venus

   thanks molly.

   
   
   — Jacquelle    26 April 2006    #

9. Hi Molly. My sun sign is virgo and i’ve found out that my ascendant sign is scorpio. What does that tell you about me? (personality, appearance etc.)

   
   
   — Jenna    3 May 2006    #

10. Hi Molly! I can’t seem to find anywhere how my ascendant affects my sun sign, or vise-versa. My sun sign is Taurus, and my ascendant is Pisces. What can you tell me about me, considering both?

    
    
    — Milan    4 May 2006    #

11. Listen up, y'all.. I wrote this tutorial to help you learn astrology. If you want me to interpret your chart for you, click "consultations" above and book a session with me. I'm not going to spend my valuable time spoon feeding your signs to you. Because it's this simple:

    The Sun is your basic character. The Moon describes how you are wired emotionally, what you need for security. And the ascendant describes the way in which you approach the world, your personality, the first impression you make.

    I have a whole page for each sign.. your personality is a patchwork quilt made up of all three. Sun AND Moon AND Ascendant. Go read about those signs, and you have your answer.

    
    
    — Molly Cliborne    5 May 2006    #

12. Molly,

    It’s funny how overzealous people get wanting interpretations. I guess it’s human nature. hehee. I know doing tarot readings I had people lining up long after I said “I can’t do any more!” I guess it shows how desperate for answers we can all get from time to time, but you’re right…the most satisfying experience is to learn things on your own, or find your way. I have to remind myself of that all the time!

    XO

    
    
    — Hannah Slattery-Quintanilla    11 May 2006    #

13. Dear Molly,

    I have read a little bit by Alan Leo concerning the importance of the planet that is rising on a natal chart (not really to do with the rising sign).

    He says that if a planet is in the 1st or 12th house, or if both the one that is closer (but either just above or just below the horizon), it reveals something about the circumstances in which the individual will find advantageous in their personal quest for the ideal life. I suppose for me it’s out of Neptune and the Sun as far as bodies go; however my North Node is ever so nearer. So here it is, the question; could you please write a few lines on what this aspect means for me? My details are:
    D.O.B 14/01/1974, 0445 AEDST, Sydney, Australia. I am very interested in Astrology as well as other areas of mysticism and occult science. Thankyou very much for any and all help you are able to give.

    Sincerely,

    Tav Spence.

    
    
    — Tav Spence    30 May 2006    #

14. Hi, i wonder if you could held me. I am trying to find my rising sign but of different sites get different signs.
    I was born between 10-10.30pm on 06.03.72 in a the city of leeds in England.

    Your help would be great.

    Thanks

    Anna

    
    
    — anna bannigan    6 June 2006    #

15. Hi Molly,
    I have been searching my astrology books for info in determining how the asendant or rising sign is calculated. What determines when a sign is rising? Does it change to a different time each day; does the Earth’s rotation around the Sun change the time?
    Thank you,
    Marí­a

    
    
    — Marí­a    23 June 2006    #

16. Hi Maria--

    If you want to do it by hand, the most accurate way is by getting an Ephemeris, so you can calculate local sidereal time for the birth. Then you use a Table of Houses to calculate the ascendant.

    Unfortunately, it looks like the 20th century ephemeris is out of print & expensive. You might be able to find a cheap copy on bookfinder.com. You can also download individual years at astro.com.

    Chris Mitchell has an excellent explanation of how it's done here.

    
    
    — Molly    25 June 2006    #

17. this is the best tutorial about rising sign i ever seen

    
    
    — me    28 June 2006    #

18. heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy im scorpio asc

    
    
    — nicole--click here to e-mail me!    30 July 2006    #

19. Hi again, my sun is libra but my acendant is virgo…Oct 05/1979. This is exciting!
    Wynette

    
    
    — Wynette    21 November 2006    #

20. Sun in Libra, Moon in Aries, Rising in Scorpio

    And I love it!!!

    
    
    — lisa    5 December 2006    #

21. My sun sign is in capricorn moon in sagitarius rising sun in cancer people say im very cocky and a tendency to have a big ego.But im also a leader and can be a bit of a party animal very loyal which of these signs best suites my personality

    
    
    — FLASHY    7 December 2006    #

22. My sun sign is airies moon in sagitarius rising sun in taurus. Can you tell me a bit about myself

    
    
    — priscilla    20 December 2006    #

23. i am born on march 2nd at 11:20 pm. talk to me about my ascendant and it’s effect on my houses

    
    
    — Mae Hourani    30 December 2006    #

24. How would Jupiter in Sagitarius impact my following Sagitarius placements? Does the retrograde status affect anything?

    True Node Sagittarius 18°24’27 in house 1 retrograde

    Ascendant Sagittarius 17°02’43

    Thanks!

    
    
    — Jennifer K.    30 January 2007    #

25. Hello, I’m a little confused on my ascendant because a few websites say that it is Virgo and others calculate it as Libra, birthdate: Dec. 22, 85 time=12:34 or 00:34 location=82w10, 33n25 or Fort gordon, ga

    Which is my ascendant and how does that counteract with my sun sign?

    
    
    — Stephmc    29 March 2007    #

26. Hi Steph—

    Go with the ascendant you get at astro.com. They have a complete atlas of time changes all over the world. Other sites are missing this. The greatest margin for error when calculating a chart is in determining the correct time zone. So it’s always best to use a program that does it for you automatically.

    I get Libra.

    
    
    — Molly    29 March 2007    #

27. hey! great website! im confused on my ascendant. i’ve tried websites and a book and i’ve recieved several different answers. Do you know if my rising sign is Libra, Cancer, Pisces, or Leo? I was born 2:15 PM in Smithtown, NY on March 15, 1990. Thanks!

    
    
    — allison    14 September 2007    #

28. Hi Allison— A book can give you an estimate, but it’s only an estimate. It may or may not turn out to be right. Most online chart calculators are not reliable. Run your chart on astro.com to get an accurate calculation and find your true ascendant.

    I get 11 degrees Leo.

    
    
    — Molly    16 September 2007    #

29. molly,i am grateful that you are spreading your precious astrological knowledge.it will help to improve people’s lives.i just want to know my rising sign.my birthday is 25th may,1992 at 13.20 p.m in siliguri in india.

    
    
    — debranjan    4 October 2007    #

30. guys stop asking for your ascendant and actually read the posts above. clearly she gives you a link on how you can find it out on astro.com which is a very reliable source so just do that! although sometimes the chart doesn’t interpret the house cusps right because i’m leo sun, leo asc, aquarius moon with sun conjunct ascendant but it interprets that as sun in 12th house.

    
    
    — Michael    18 October 2007    #

31. What if you don’t feel that you fit your rising? I keep double checking with my mother regarding my birth time, even though it is plain as day on my certificate. It feels off. Who verifies the astrology/math and scientific aspects of astrology are currently valid? It’s been perplexing me lately….when I read the rising sign and personal chart info on astro.com or other sites for the sign before ‘my rising sign’ it fits better than ‘mine’ does…just a feeling….

    does the science of astrology change? what are the variables?

    
    
    — Gem    5 November 2007    #

32. Gem,

    Either your birth time was recorded wrong, or you lack understanding of your rising sign and other factors that may be at play. The math part of astrology does not change. There’s no doubt that sign was rising in that place at that time.

    
    
    — Molly    5 November 2007    #

33. Gemini Born in New Orleans, Louisiana
    June 20, 1975 @ 12:37 am
    The 19-23 are considered cusp. Above is my exact birthday and time. What am I?

    
    
    — Matt    7 January 2008    #

34. Hi Matt— go to astro.com, click on “free horoscopes,” then “chart drawing” and plug in your data. You’ll get a drawing of your chart with all the info you could want, including your Sun sign.

    
    
    — Molly    8 January 2008    #

35. Rising-Scorpio
    Sun-Scorpio
    Moon-Libra

    I was hoping you could give me more information on the ascendant being in conjunction with the sun sign. Thanks!

    
    
    — Zachary    5 February 2008    #

36. hello moley.

    i was looking for jenna.but i found intead
    you.can i ask you this?what is the meaning of a star sign written as a BUTTERFLYcarrying a key?with a code guide #84? does it mean the world is goin’ to CHANGE now?is it 4 the better or 4 the WORST? CAn you tell me please?

    gb_almonte@yahoo.com

    
    
    — george b. almonte    10 February 2008    #

37. Sorry George, I have no idea.

    
    
    — Molly    11 February 2008    #

38. My birth date is 19th April 1961 i was was born in coverntry england between and in the afternoon what is my ascendant sign? thank you

    
    
    — sindy sohi    23 March 2008    #

39. I can not seem to find my Rising Sign. I have gone to several different sites and put in my date and time of birth and I am getting FOUR different answers. I have gotten Libra, Virgo, Aquarius, and Leo. How can I be sure. I was born at 2:03 P.M. on 4-30-78 in Flowood, Mississippi. Can someone please help or tell me where I can find the correct answer.
    thanks

    
    
    — Brady Noble    22 April 2008    #

40. HI need your help in determining my rising sign. My birth time is 6pm on 5th april. Is my rising libra or scorpio? I have looked at various sites and am unable to find this out. Your help in this regard will be very helpful.

    Kind Regards,
    Meeta

    
    
    — meeta    30 April 2008    #

41. Hi Molly,

    I don’t need any help determining any chart placements. (Just thought I’d get that out up front LOL).

    What I would like to know is if you have any recommendations for either websites or books on:
    Minor Aspects as they pertain to Nodes and/or Arabic Parts? I love what you’ve got here, and I’m still nosing my way through the site, but I’m not finding much other than keywords so far in a Google search, and I’m hesitant to plonk down $15-$30 to order a book on line without a recommendation or review of some kind. Preferably from someone who seems to have all their stuff in a pile.

    Thanks!

    Wendi

    
    
    — Wendi    15 May 2008    #

42. Hi Wendi— no, I’m sorry, I don’t know of any book that addresses that area.

    
    
    — Molly    15 May 2008    #