Similar: Sun Sign, Moon Sign, Primal Triad, Ascendant
Your Rising sign is also called your Ascendant sign. The Rising sign is on the cusp of the first house of your birth chart, it can be identified by looking at what was on the horizon or “rising” at the exact time of your birth.
In astrology, it makes up one-third of your primal triad:
Sun Sign – What season the Sun was in when you were born.
Rising Sign/Ascendant – Identified by your exact time of birth.
Moon Sign – What sign the Moon was in at the time of your birth.
Discover your three by getting your free birth chart here.
Your Rising sign represents the mask you put on, meaning that it is what the world sees before getting to know you personally. It’s how we come across to others, which is why when you meet people you sometimes get a completely different first impression than who they are as a whole.
For example, suppose you have an Aquarius Rising (paired with a Sagittarius Sun and a Scorpio Moon). In that case, you may appear stand-offish, unique, or shy when really you’re a bubbly, personal, deeply philosophical, and adventurous person.
In some astrological practices, your Rising sign would be considered the most important and put more emphasis on this than your Sun sign (the most important in western Astrology).
The opposite of your Ascendant in your chart is your descendant, this is the part of you that is considered not yourself. Each sign has an opposing sign that represents who we attract and what traits will benefit us if we take the time to learn from them and grow.
When you look at your rising sign in your birth chart, you begin to see what our entire chart comes into play when looking at our personalities. Astrology is extremely complex with so many different natal chart pieces and ascendants open the doors to our true astrological destiny.
Discover more about your Ascendant in the Ultimate Guide to Your Rising Sign.
