What is a Rising Sign or Ascendant?

Sun, Moon & Rising Signs

You probably already know a bit about your Sun or Star sign but did you know that your Moon and Rising Sign are just as important in terms of understanding your unique personality? Did you know your Sun Sign doesn’t really describe your personality, it’s more correct to say it describes your motives and drives

In fact, by linking together the combination of all three signs you will gain incredible insights into who you are, what you need and what is more – how others respond to you. 

What Are The “Big Three” Signs?

Some people like to call the Sun, Moon and Rising signs “The Big Three” of astrology. This does make sense because they are the most important and obvious parts of your birth chart. 

We prefer to call the combination of your Sun, Moon and Rising Sign “The Three-Fold Pillar” of your personality. Think of it like a house or temple. This is the main pillar which holds up the rest of the structure. Without it, there is only a flat pack. To get a really well-rounded view of your personality as an individual you have to combine all three together.

The best way to get real insight into your personality through astrology is to blend them. If you want to do this properly you can schedule a consultation with a professional astrologer. 

Are the Ascendant and Rising Sign the same?

Basically, Ascendant or Rising sign are two names for exactly the same thing. 

Put simply, Your Ascendant or Rising Sign is the part of the Zodiac that was coming up over the eastern horizon at the moment that you were born. All day everyday as we travel around the Sun, our position relative to the backdrop of The Zodiac changes. Your exact time and location when you were born will show how this pattern influences you.  

Your Ascendant (or Rising Sign) reveals the ways in which you present yourself to others, and how you immediately respond to the world. 

You can think of your Ascendant as symbolizing the qualities you project when you meet a new person or situation. You might also think of your Rising Sign as the face you show to the world.

To find out what your rising sign is you will need to know the time of your birth. Then you can easily create your own birth chart for free online. Here’s a great 5 step video that will show you how.

How To Use Your Sun, Moon, Or Rising Sign Combinations

You can get an amazing amount of insight into yourself and the other people in your life with our Sun, Moon, Rising Sign Combinations interactive menu. 

Here’s a simple way to think about it. Your Sun sign shows what you want, your Moon sign what you need and your Rising sign shows how you will go about getting it. 

It’s really interesting to compare the drives, emotions and motivations of your Sun and Moon signs. Do they blend or seem to contradict each other? Think about the way your Rising Sign describes your approach to life. Does this sit well with your Moon Sign and what you need?

By finding the similarities and differences in your birth chart you can identify where you might have conflicts or challenges as well as where your greatest talents lie.

So get started! Unlock the characteristics and traits of every Zodiac sign with our Sun, Moon, Rising Sign / Ascendant menu at the top of the page then keep scrolling down to the bottom of this page for even more amazing information.

Ancient Wisdom For Modern Lives

How Does Astrology Work?

People often ask me about astrology and how it works. They sometimes look at me with slight bemusement and wonder “Does he really think the planets can make you do anything”? The answer – of course – is NO!

“The stars incline, they do not compel”

What do astrologers believe?

Hardly any astrologers today would argue that the planets make you do, or be, anything.

Rather, there appears to be some kind of connected pattern between the structure of the human psyche and the structure of the cosmos.

No one knows how or why it works. But we astrologers have been observing for at least 6000 years that when the planets are in a certain relationship to each other or us here on Earth, it tends to correspond with certain states or situations in people’s lives.

So, just like predicting the weather, we can say with some certainty that when particular alignments occur, certain events or personality traits are likely to occur.

Astrology is an observational science, practised over thousands of years. Because astrologers have taken the time to study and learn its principles – to test them out on themselves and the people they know – they can say – “YES! This works for me and most of the people I come in contact with. Have you noticed the same thing too? 

Your Ascendant in Each Sign

Click on the headings below to find out more about your Rising Sign. Think about how this influences your approach to new situations and how you can draw on these gifts to live your life with more purpose

Aries Rising  

Taurus Rising     

Gemini Rising     

Cancer Rising  

Leo Rising     

Virgo Rising     

Libra Rising

Scorpio Rising

Sagittarius Rising

Capricorn Rising

Aquarius Rising

Pisces Rising

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