The Rising Sign

The Rising Sign, or Ascendant, is considered of utmost importance in showing how a person is received by the world. It marks the point of the zodiac that is on the eastern horizon at the moment of birth and establishes the beginning of our personal house division, becoming the first house, the house of the self. It shows how we orient ourselves to life, our public appearance both in physical form and personality. Each day the twelve signs of the zodiac, apparently to us, revolve around our position on the earth, and the rising sign therefore changes every two hours, showing how two individuals born at different times of the same day will have unique traits based on the relatively rapid changing of the rising sign, compared to all of the other planets' slower movement and apparent stationary position within one day. It shows the beginnings of life, birth, early childhood, appearance, happiness, well being, and innate confidence and self-esteem. A strong first house is necessary for significant accomplishment in life, and the condition of the ruler of the rising sign, meaning the planet that rules the sign determined by the Ascendant will strengthen or hinder the power of the Rising Sign. Whereas the Sun signifies our soul, or on a lower level, ego, the Rising Sign shows our basic personality, the means by which we orient ourselves to the world.

ORIENTATION   The first house is located by finding the rectangle in the birth chart that contains the letters "AS." From there, continue around the chart in a clockwise manner and you will encounter the other houses in order, from the 2nd through the 12th, until you again reach the Ascendant. The signs always inhabit the same position in this type of Vedic chart. Aries is the sign in the box second from the left on the upper line. Continuing in a clockwise manner, Taurus is 2nd from the right on the upper line, Gemini is in the upper right corner, below that is Cancer and then Leo. Virgo is in the lower right corner, Libra is to the left of Virgo, and Scorpio is to the left of Libra, second from the left on the bottom. Sagittarius is the bottom left corner, and Capricorn is above it, Aquarius is above Capricorn, and finally Pisces is in the upper left corner.