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 is also called the rising sign.
The sign of the Ascendant describes:
The Ascendant is at least as important as the Sun in your chart.
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.
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.
Closeup of Elvis’ ascendant
Sagittarius is the rising sign in Elvis’ chart.
The Ascendant, as mentioned before, can tell us about a person’s style: their mannerisms, appearance, and their approach to 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.
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.
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 time took its toll on him.
His approach to the world (Ascendant) was through excess, hyperbole, exaggeration (Sagittarius), shaking his hips (ruled by Sag). He shocked 1950’s America by singing “Black music,” bridging cultures (Sagittarius) and opening the door for white people to accept, appreciate, and learn from Black artists.
What if we reverse the two? What happens when the Sun is in Sagittarius and Capricorn is rising?
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).
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 accurate within a few minutes, the ascendant may off too.
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 the interplay of these two signs in your chart?
© 2023 Molly C. Gauthier
