The rising sign, or ascendant
The rising sign, or ascendant
The “rising sign” or “ascendant” is the zodiac sign that was on the eastern horizon when and where you were born.
It's called the Rising Sign because that zodiac constellation is rising, or ascending, into the sky over the eastern horizon.
In Nic’s case, that sign was Scorpio.
The rising sign is an important concept in astrology.
Some astrologers think of the rising sign as how you present yourself in the world. Others think of it as your lens on the world.
The rising sign changes every two hours.
Each day, the entire zodiac appears to move across the sky. This means that every two hours, another one of the twelve zodiac signs becomes visible from below the horizon. But they aren’t actually moving around us; Earth itself is moving. Every 24 hours the Earth rotates 360°.
It does this while the rest of the solar system continues its orbit. So two types of movement are happening:
1. The Earth is orbiting the Sun (one revolution in a year)
2. The Earth is rotating on its own axis (one rotation in a day)
Your planet signs (like Mercury in Aquarius) are based on the Earth’s revolution around the Sun.
Your rising sign is based on the Earth's rotation on its own axis.
Imagine two people born at the same time, but on opposite sides of Earth.
Their charts are mostly the same, because from the perspective of the Earth, the planets are in front of the same constellations of stars.
What changes? Their relative horizons – literally what they see to the east.
RISING SIGN = SAGITTARIUS
All that changes is the rising sign.
RISING SIGN = GEMINI
If two people are born two hours apart, their charts are basically the same (e.g. Sag Moon, Gem Sun), but their rising signs are one sign different.
NEXT SECTION
5
➝houses
The houses indicate where something plays out – the context