If someone asks you what is your zodiac sign, you will probably answer them according to your Sun sign that you are Leo, Capricorn or Scorpio. Because Sun sign is the most common astrological concept and the easiest to determine by date of birth. Not always, of course, especially if you were born exactly between two zodiac signs - in this case, it is worth investigating more precisely when the Sun moved from one sign to another, because a Sun sign can only be one or the other - not a mix of two signs.
However, in terms of the astrological birth chart, the rising sign is even more important than the Sun sign, because the placement of the rising sign determines all the placements of the houses of your birth chart.
What Is the Rising Sign?
The rising sign is the zodiac sign that was rising on the Eastern horizon at the time of your birth in the place where you were born.
If the Sun spends about 30 days in each zodiac sign, you probably share the same Sun sign with a lot of people, but at the same time, you are not all the same. The rapidly changing rising sign changes sign every two to three hours, sometimes even faster - even after half an hour. However, the birth chart consists of 12 houses, each of which describes a different part of your life, and the rising sign is the one that determines where your first house starts - making your birth chart unique and special to you.
The first house (and therefore also your rising sign) symbolises your visible nature at first glance and your physical body and appearance. This sign describes you as others see you when they meet you for the first time, or the first impression you make on others - either intentionally or unintentionally. Sometimes it can also be a mask that you wear in front of the world to hide your true inner self - especially if your Sun and Moon are in another sign or your Ascendant is afflicted. At the same time, the rising sign can also describe your early childhood or the moment of your birth.
How to Find Your Rising Sign?
The easiest way to find out is, of course, from your own birth chart. To prepare the latter, you can use some internet site that offers the possibility of creating a birth chart free of charge: for example, astro.com or astro-seek.com. However, in order to calculate your rising sign, it is very important to know the exact time of your birth. You can find out about it from your parents or make a request to the National Archives. Unfortunately, without the exact time of birth, it is not possible to identify the correct rising sign and therefore determine the location of the houses in the birth chart.
Descriptions of Rising Signs
When reading the description of your rising sign, it is worth remembering that if there are planets near your Ascendant (and in the first house in general), they will change the perceived first impression that a particular sign should convey to others. It is also affected by the aspects that the Ascendant or planets in the first house make with other planets in the birth chart. For example, a person with a Libra rising who has the Ascendant conjunct Mars will look quite different than someone who does not have that aspect. In addition, the house placement and the sign of the planet ruling the rising sign also plays an important role. Therefore, the description below gives a general impression and may not be accurate for every person.
