Your Ascendant, also known as your Rising Sign, is the sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the time you were born. The Ascendant is specific to the time and place the person was born. Your Ascendant is just as important as your Sun and Moon signs because all the aspects in the chart are filtered through this sign.

The Ascendant is your public persona, the Mask you wear when you first meet people; it’s the “first impression” you give to those around you.

Ever been told, “Wow, I thought you were so shy/serious/emotional/optimistic/detached when we first met, but you’re not like that at all!”, or something along those lines?

This is often the case when the Sun and Moon signs are in different signs than your Ascendant. The Ascendant also describes your physical characteristics, style, and mannerisms.

• Fire Ascendants are optimistic, enthusiastic and friendly.
• Earth Ascendants are practical, serious, and shy.
• Air Ascendants are intellectual, communicative, and independent.
• Water Ascendants are emotional, intuitive, and self-protective.

The Descendant is located exactly opposite your Ascendant. For example, if my Ascendant is at 16 degrees Virgo, my Descendant is at 16 degrees Pisces. The Descendant describes what kind of partner we attract.

 

Ascendant in Aries:

As an Aries Ascendant, you approach life with an assertive, “me-first” energy. Aries are decisive and quick to the point, and have a quick temper that dies down as easily as it started.

There is an impulsive edge to you, and you tend to act before you think. This can get you into trouble from time to time, but you are charming enough to get people back on your side. You do not back down from confrontation. In fact, you might welcome it.

You are courageous and active, and independence and self-reliance are important to you. In general, you are honest, and make a great leader.

You may appear impatient and rude to others, even if you’re not like that on the inside. You can be quite charming to the opposite sex, and you enjoy the chase and the beginning of a relationship.

Others may see you as somewhat selfish and immature, because you appear to be focused on yourself and your own goals. However, they admire your energy and courageousness equally as much. You are full of energy, and may love participating in sports and competition.

With Libra on the Descendant, you attract refined, diplomatic mates. The people you attract are generally intellectual and social. They tend to be partnership oriented, and think about “we”, instead of “me”, which is something you need badly.

Ascendant in Taurus:

Taurus Ascendant individuals approach life in a steady, practical way. You are cool and calm in hectic situations, and others see you as capable and responsible. Your friends value your helpful and practical advice.

You love the good things in life, and can be quite self-indulgent. Material possessions are important to you, so you might have the reputation of being a bit materialistic. You enjoy the finer things in life, such as good quality clothes, good food and wine, and comfortable surroundings.

You may treat your partner as if he or she is your personal property, and demand loyalty from your loved ones and friends. You are very sensual and passionate, especially once you’re in a committed relationship.

With Scorpio on the 7^th house cusp, you attract loyal, intense partners. You tend to attract partners who are magnetic, passionate, and powerful. Your partner may be very possessive of you, and you of them.

Ascendant in Gemini

As a Gemini Ascendant, you are witty, restless, and always on the go. You are communicative and curious, and will love talking and texting with your friends and family throughout the day. You tend to analyze everything around you, and you have strong powers of perception.

Your attention span is short, and you tend to bore easily. You have the uncanny ability to know what people want to hear, so people tend to find you very likable and charming. You are a great multitasker, and may have talents in the fields of writing, sales, art, or teaching.

You are a social butterfly with a wide friend circle. In general, you don’t let people close to you easily, as you enjoy your space and freedom. You expect space from your partners, and give them the same. You are an excellent debater, and often talk with your hands.

With Sagittarius on the cusp of the 7^th, you might attract people from different cultural, religious, or ethnic backgrounds. They are usually well-educated, talkative, honest, and idealistic. Spirituality is an important part of your relationships.

In keeping with Gemini’s dual nature, Gemini Ascendants vary in appearance. They can be short or tall, and are often thin, wiry, and flexible. You talk with your hands and move quickly.

Cancer Ascendant:

You appear gentle, sensitive, and shy in new situations, and take a bit of time to warm up to people at first. You are very caring and sweet, but if you feel moody and insecure, you withdraw into yourself. Cancer ascendants are very intuitive and sensitive to the moods of others.

In your relationships, you seek stability and constancy. You don’t do well in casual relationships, as they threaten your sense of security. You are a great listener, and are sympathetic to the plight of others.

You might be a bit of a recluse, and need a secure home base you can come home to at night. Cancers tend to have close relationships with their family, particularly with the mother and grandmother. You are naturally nurturing and mothering, regardless of your gender.

You like helping people improve themselves. You can be quite defensive of yourself and your family when you feel threatened.

With Capricorn on your 7^th house cusp, you might attract partners who are much older or much younger than you. Partners are often ambitious, conventional and traditional, as well as responsible and loyal. They may not be especially emotionally demonstrative, but rather cool and practical.

Leo Rising:

You have a personal magnetism that makes you stand out from the crowd. Leos is the most charismatic sign of all, so you are a natural leader and do not shy away from the spotlight.

Leos Ascendant people come across as very confident and self-assured, so people see them as very capable. You may look at life as a big movie, and you are the main character. You attract a lot of attention, and you generally like this.

You are physically demonstrative and warm towards those you love. Your appearance is important to you, so you are fashionable and trendy, and probably have great hair. You are quite opinionated and stubborn, and come across very strongly to others.

You might appear quite egotistical and self-absorbed, and dislike taking advice from people. Either way, you definitely exude confidence and dignity. In love, you are faithful and romantic, but need a lot of attention from your partner.

With Aquarius on the cusp of the 7^th house, you might attract unconventional, intellectual, independent, eccentric partners. Your partners are unique, which grabs your attention.

Your relationships are generally non-traditional, and preserve each person’s sense of independence. However, as both signs are fixed, the partnership has the potential to be long-lasting.

 

Ascendant in Virgo:

As a Virgo, you come across as practical and reserved to others. It is easy for you to find flaws in your environment, as well as in the people around you. You are quite picky and practical, and might have perfectionist tendencies in some areas, especially your appearance.

Virgo Ascendants tend to be very health and body conscious, so might be a picky eater and prefer a natural look. You tend to worry a lot, and have nervous stress and tension. You have excellent detail orientation, and an even better work ethic.

You go out of your way to help your friends and offer them practical solutions to their problems. You are very analytical and critical of others, which can cause upsets among your peers.

As a mutable sign, Virgos are adaptable to changing circumstances.  You need to keep busy for your own well-being; being idle drives you crazy!

With Pisces on your Descendant, you tend to attract very sensitive people, or people who need help. You might attract dreamy, unrealistic, artist-types with whom you share a spiritual connection.

Libra Ascendant:

You are attractive, charming, and friendly. You don’t like being alone, and feel the best when you are in a relationship. In your immediate environment, you seek harmony, peace, and cooperation. You are very persuasive, and would make a great mediator or lawyer. It is hard to say no to you!

As Libra is ruled by Venus, you enjoy art, literature, and music. You are friendly, yet emotionally detached and very intellectual. You have well-developed social graces, but can come off as superficial to some. Libras tend to be indecisive and sit on the fence, as they weigh the pros and cons before making a decision. 

You have a wide social circle, and might pick friends based on how they make you look. If someone does something wrong to you, you might “mirror” or mimic that same action to them, to show them how it feels.

You always look good, have a great fashion sense, and know what colors and hair styles look best on you. Libra Risings usually have great figures, symmetrical faces, and a round rear-end (even the men!).

With Aries on the Descendant, the partners you attract might be impulsive, competitive and active. You are likely to be physically active with one another. You might argue a lot with your partner.

Ascendant in Scorpio:

You have tremendous presence due to your intensity and fearlessness. You tend to get strong reactions from others on account of this. People might find you very intimidating and hard to approach.

You protect your privacy at any costs, and have a need to control your surroundings. If anyone crosses or upsets you, you may become vengeful and ensure the offending party pays. You have the ability to recover from any situation, given your awesome powers of regeneration.

You are soft-spoken and quiet, yet strong and confident. As a fixed Ascendant, you are stubborn. You are emotional, yet skilled at hiding your inner vulnerability.

With Taurus on your Descendant, you are attracted to practical, traditional, and reliable partners. You want someone who is loyal, and is not afraid of commitment. You want someone who you will be with forever, as fixed signs denote permanence. Sensual pleasures are a large factor in your relationships.

Ascendant in Sagittarius:

You are loud, confident, and talkative. Others see you as enthusiastic, outgoing and positive. You are restless, and love to go on adventures. People with their Ascendant in Sag are direct and honest, to the point of being tactless and rude.

Sagittarius people are also very warm and outgoing, as well as passionate and energetic. You are naturally optimistic, which gains you many friends. You are generous (almost to a fault) towards those you love.

To others, you seem very “fun” to everyone, due to your natural charisma and charm. Others see you as the “life of the party”, and love your great sense of humor.

You love to travel, and get antsy if you stay in one place for too long.

You’re a natural teacher, and you have an interest in foreign cultures and religion. You are philosophical and spiritual.

With Gemini on the Descendant, you seek variety and intellectual stimulation in relationships. You attract partners who are curious and mentally alert. Gemini is symbolized by the “twins,” which indicates that you might have more than one marriage. You don’t settle down easily, due to your restless, freedom-loving nature.

Physically, Sag Ascendants are usually tall. You have a big, horsy smile with big teeth. You have a loud voice and an infectious laugh.

Ascendant in Capricorn:

You appear very serious and formal to others, and give off an aura of competence. From a young age, you are responsible and reliable with a great work ethic. In fact, you are willing to sacrifice your desires in favor of success.

You may choose friends who make you look good or elevate your reputation in some way. You value quality over quantity, so you might keep your inner circle very tight.

Your childhood may have been restrictive, but regardless, you have a strong sense of tradition. You are very aware of how you “look” to others, and want to project a competent nature.

You may feel insecure on the inside, even with a happy face on the outside. You appear conservative and reserved, but may become more cheerful and outgoing in your adulthood.

You dress for success and look great in a business suit. You like appearing competent and successful. When you are younger, you might appear older than your age, and when you are older, you might appear younger than your age.

Indeed, Capricorn Ascendants often have an ageless beauty. Think of how great your fellow Cap Ascendants, Sofia Loren and Sean Connery, look at their age!

With Cancer on the cusp of your 7^th house, you tend to attract sensitive, needy, emotional partners. You partners are usually subjective and think with their hearts. The home life and tradition are key themes in your relationships.

Ascendant in Aquarius:

You come across as “different” and unique. Indeed, you have your own unique sense of style, and tend not to follow the crowd.

You appear detached, yet friendly and sociable. Your social circle probably contains members from all walks of life. You see everyone as equals, and don’t usually give any one person special treatment.

You have a strong need for freedom, and feel “trapped” when faced with routines or commitments. You are definitely a rebel, and your stubborn nature adds to your disdain of being told what to do.

You are very logical, as well as independent, and are not impressed by status or wealth.

You love playing devil’s advocate, and are a great debater. You can be quite unpredictable; in fact, you hate when people think you’re predictable!

With Leo on the Descendant, your partners tend to be dramatic, though happy and pleasant. Partners are usually confident and creative, as well as charismatic and protective. Your partners show you how to life your life to the fullest.

Ascendant in Pisces:

As a Pisces Ascendant, you appear gentle, sensitive, and adaptable. You give off an “artistic” and sweet vibe.

You go with the flow, which allows you to adapt to changing circumstances and people.

You are dreamy, charming, and mysterious. It can be hard for others to truly figure you out, for you are somewhat of a chameleon.

You tend to see the world through rose-tinted glasses, which can make objectivity difficult. You tend to see the best in people, which can set you up for deception and disappointment.

You are extremely compassionate and emotional, and intensely dislike confrontation and conflict. You are very romantic and creative, and may have artistic talents, such as painting or the ability to play a musical instrument

. You need to be careful of others taking advantage of your trusting and giving nature. You are very sensitive to negativity; it actually hurts you to be in negative situations. You tend towards loneliness, which can lead you into the arms of unsuitable partners.

With Virgo on the 7^th house cusp, you seek a stable, reliable partner, who is realistic enough to bring you back down to earth. Partners are generally analytical and intelligent, but critical and nagging.

You might attract people who want to help you, as Virgos are the great repairmen and women of the zodiac! They will encourage you to get off your ass and be of service to the world.

 

Click here to read Natal Sun in the Signs and Houses