Libra Rising

Any person with Libra rising approaches life with idealism, and a desire to cooperate in harmonious interchange with others. Significant points in Libra look for a beautiful world of civil and balanced behaviour. The innate ability is to initiate through reasoning, communication, socializing and diplomatic skills. Libra rising is highly sensitized to the views and judgments of others and sometimes real feelings are concealed to defend against creating a disharmonious atmosphere. The type is always trying to be fair and they have an undeniable social and political outlook. This person is trying to conform to a world of opposites and maintain a sense of equilibrium.

The type is usually graceful in nature and they are sensitive to colour, good taste, love and design. Libra’s view the world aesthetically and the sign rules the principle of attraction as well as the principle of harmony. Partnerships of all kinds are usually important and Libra rising is always looking for the ideal relationship. Everything is approached in an agreeable and sociable way, and having a partner in life is more important than any other rising sign. This person is willing to bend over backwards for a pleasant environment. Typically they take longer to evaluate a situation

The world can be perceived as a place of constant compomises and adjustments to fit in and harmonize. Sometimes there a great deal of indecision, because they are so concerned with making a fair decision. However, the person presents an intellectual, charming and refined manner. Sometimes Librian’s project a cool, aloof and distant manner, although even this side of her can be highly attractive. Libra has the desire to please-to be all things to all men and offensive to none.

Cancer Rising

A person with Cancer rising approaches life with sensitivity and wears its feelings on its sleeves and is not adverse to the odd sentimental moment. One of the main features of Cancer is its changeable moods and protection of feelings under a layer of defensiveness.  This person will not venture forth until the environment is perceived to be safe, and being so highly emotional and responsive to the atmosphere, self-preservation is a big thing. The impact of the environment always affects them personally, beneath the emotionalism the unconscious side of them longs to be self-sufficient. Cancer tends to act indirectly and in a sideways fashion when confronted with new situations, and needing to feel safe and secure, it is likely that movement is subtle and action is not taken until there is an assurance of security. The individual approaches others in a sympathetic way and tends to ‘feel’ their way around life. The Moon’s moods are variable and so their reactions to the environment changes depending on the level of vulnerability and protection that is sensed.

Those with important points in Cancer retain experiences and naturally hold on to loved ones and familiar objects for a sense of belonging. The individual doesn’t ’rush into’ unfamiliar territory that may make them feel uncomfortable and upset. The rising sign symbolises what is projected from the personality, and  insecurity, moodiness and defensiveness are Cancerian traits that may be expressed immediately. Often this changeful, complex nature is misunderstood and eludes simple definition. It is also likely that this person will initiate feelings first and is protective of others, responding to their needs first. The Moon rules over the mother in the natal chart and so a caring and motherly type persona, and emotional available aura is another expression of Cancer's feeling response towards the environment. There is often a very personal outlook and the type may exude softness and a have a dreamy sentimental appearance and approach to life that can make them react negatively to cold environments. The crab usually hides and so this individual may appear to be hard and impenetrable on the outside, but vulnerable and soft on the inside. Similarly, they are mistrustful of new contacts and experiences and may posses a fearful outlook, where everything is viewed as potentially threatening.

Pisces Rising

A person with Pisces rising has an ever-shifting and changeable outlook; it can be confusing for others to really see this individual. Pisces is associated with ‘multiple selves’ and they tend to adapt to the environment and absorb the emotional undercurrents in social situations. Those with significant points in Pisces are intangible, indefinable and confusing, they represent the symbol of the two fish swimming in opposite directions exemplifying this dichotomy. Pisces is the third of the water signs and fourth of the mutable signs. This describes the Pisceans boundless nature. Pisces Rising approaches life with an instinctive sense of unity and a compassionate approach to all human emotional experiences. Usually sensitive in their approach they never take any definite action and are sometimes reluctant to define personal boundaries, and can be deliberately evasive and hard to figure out.

An emphasis in Pisces can represent a range of different selves, and they enjoy dipping into anything otherworldly, spiritual, healing and artistic. I have known several Pisces rising people who have a ‘sleepy look’ in their eyes, and sometimes they have a far away, sad and vulnerable appearance. Marilyn Monroe with Neptune Rising (Pisces ruler) powerfully exemplifies all these characteristics. In a television interview, Monroe said that she created a vision (illusion) of what others wanted her to be. The glamorous pin-up had the ability to slip in and out of character and emulate the fantasy and dreams of thousands, but the downside is that the public had little connection with who she really was. Neptune and Pisces rising also have the ability to stir the unconscious waters of everybody they meet, they present a natural screen for others’ projections.

Pisces rising mirrors the feelings of others, and the world is perceived as a place of mystery, interconnectedness, hidden motives and suffering. Pisces wants to merge with the oneness of all life and feel deeply connected to everything. Pisces energy can sweep us off our feet, put us on a pedestal and enchant us, but it can also leave us in the gutter. The energy of Pisces approaches the world with less discrimination, they are open and suggestible. Neptune blurs the lines of reality and is constantly shifting, changing and dissolving physical forms. The myriad of impressions they receive from their inner and outer environments are absorbed and translated into sound, pictures or words.

Leo Rising

A person with Leo rising usually presents a confident and sunny exterior, but how they feel on the inside is another matter altogether. Astrologers describe the Ascendant as the “door to the house”, and astrologer Sue Tompkins uses this analogy to describe the rising sign.

“The Ascendant is the lens through which we view the world and through which the world views us. Imagine you are wearing spectacle with blue-tinted glass, so as you look out on to the world everything will appear to have a blue tint. People looking at you will see you with a blue tint, too. Although you may not be aware of it, other people will be viewing the same world but they will see things differently because they are viewing it through differently coloured glass”.

Those with Leo Rising take pride in their appearance, and project an image of significance and self-importance. Significant points in Leo often have great energy and the individual usually expresses generosity, leadership qualities, courage and creativity. The individual proudly projects himself onto others and many have something distinguishing about their appearance, usually a rich crop of hair is something that stands out. An innate sense of destiny is keenly felt, and the need to make an impact on the environment through personal style and originality is ever-present. The sign projects a dignified manner and regal air, but is vulnerable to rejection and criticism, and takes it rather subjectively. The king of beasts is too proud to show their wounded side in public.

Leo rising people have charisma and personal power, but have a tendency to overlook others at times. The world is perceived as a stage on which everybody else is revolving around them, and experiences are interpreted with a colourful imagination. The type is attracted to theatrical and dramatic circumstances or events. The strength of their personal power is sometimes dominating and overwhelming, but the chart is filtered through the light of creative expression.

Leo symbolizes those things that awaken the childlike spirit and open the heart, so activities such as art, literature, romance, music and drama are all enjoyed. A Leo Rising unable to shine may find admiration and applause for his special abilities in these type of fields. Life can get dull without any room for creative uniqueness, and this person is developing a powerful aura, and strong sense of self without being too over-bearing, self-aggrandising and overly commanding. Leo usually stands out from the crowd and possesses personality and presence. A need to be special can give way to a fear of being unnoticed and viewed as merely one amongst a mass of people.

Capricorn Rising

Those with a Capricorn Ascendant are developing a sense of order and usefulness. This person’s approach to life is generally industrious, responsible and serious. The sign of Capricorn has an inhibiting quality to the personality, and so they may come across as calculating, defensive cold and aloof. On the other hand, the individual may present a lack of confidence and most have learned to wear a tough face, and one that is wise to lessons of endurance, survival and self-mastery. Ordinarily, they come across as hard-working, solid and dependable people, even if the rest of the personality is more fiery and emotional there is a no-nonsense and deeply practical approach to new social situations. Capricorn Rising often ‘appears’ to be well organized, disciplined and ambitious. Typically the type are good managers and have learned from an early age to carry responsibility, and work hard to earn respect. All those born with significant points in Capricorn, however, do need to overcome their fears of failure. The sign is ruled by task-master Saturn and often these lessons are learned the hard way.

However, If Capricorn lessons are well developed in the personality, they enter new situations with a self-sufficient and authoritative attitude, but this has usually come with time and learning from an early age how to survive on their own. Capricorns often need public approval, and they tend to pit themselves against insurmountable challenges in order to prove their strength and perseverance, again and again. Many textbooks refer to Scorpio and Capricorn ascendants as being the most difficult, but I would say that they are also the most powerful and ambitious. With Capricorn there is a built-in sense of duty and obligation and great need for social security. Often the individual builds a career or has a responsible role in society. The axis of Cancer and Capricorn also represents family obligations and so they may have a powerful position as head of the clan. Earth Ascendants come across as practical, realistic and down to earth. Typically the type may find it difficult to let their vulnerable side show, and many people may not see the softer side behind their wall of protection.

The Capricorn rising individual is developing hard self-discipline, consistency and dependability. Usually the type likes to plan things ahead of time, and can be a wet-blanket in the company of others, they never jump into anything enthusiastically and often give off the impression that everything is under control, even if this is not the case. Generally speaking, they approach life with a shrewdness and realism, and they are both highly controlled and controlling and tend to be suspicious of anything that appears too easy. The world is often perceived as a hard place where things have to be earned through effort.

Scorpio Rising

The Ascendant is the first point on the chart wheel and forms the cusp of the first house. It represents the face a person presents to the world, and it can act like a mask that hides other parts of the personality. The Ascendant forms one of three most important chart points in natal astrology. A Scorpio Ascendant is the most mysterious, intriguing, secretive and magnetic of all the rising signs. This person has a persona that probes intensely and at the same time guards and fiercely protects their own natures. Scorpio is ruled by Mars and Pluto, the gods of war and death. This is the sign of sex, death and change. Scorpio approaches the world with great passion, depth and intensity, and they are not content to skim the experience of life. People tend to react strongly towards them, and find their penetrating gaze and powerful magnetism intriguing, rather like delving into a good mystery novel, or mistrust and approach the Scorpio warily, questioning their deeper motives.

Scorpio will never be an open book or overtly obvious, they tend to be low key on first meeting. This person is self-controlled and is likely to hold back, wait and watch intently, it also likely that some of these people come across as intimidating. Scorpion’s experience strong feelings of paranoia, similarly, their powerful sense of intuition senses the undercurrents and ulterior motives in any social situation and so they always stay on guard. The whole personality is filtered through the sign of regeneration and so major themes in this person’s life often involve continual re-birthing and sweeping changes. Scorpio is a fixed sign and so they tend to stay in one mode for years and then completely transform into something else. The sign feels secure when they can maintain control. Coupled with this, the identity is based on power and social influence, but they also have the ability to become quite unnoticeable, yet still emanate that intense atmosphere.

The Ascendant and First House is often reinforced at birth and in childhood, and they may describe circumstances surrounding the actual birth, including who was there and was sort of environment greeted us at birth. These early experiences colour our perception of the immediate environment. According to A.T Mann, the Ascendant registers at the moment you take your first breath and parallels the development of your personality as a process.

“The Zodiac sign on your Ascendant symbolizes this synchronistic relationship. The range of interpretations describes personalities derived from the nature of the birth environment. Scorpio - Disharmonious; humid; hot-headed; cautious; industrious; passionate; seperative; violent; surgical; impulsive; dangerous; brutal; forceful; surviving; surgeons and surgery; Caesareans; forceps; tragic events; endurance.” A.T Mann, The Divine Life, Astrology and Reincarnation

The Ascendant: God Parent

The Ascendant lies east of the place of birth and one of the twelve zodiacal signs will be rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment an individual is born. The Ascendant is the doorway and entry point of the personality and represents the basic mode of expression, and the Sun and Moon can only express their energy through the rising sign. The Ascendant describes how we approach life and the colour of the lens through which we meet new experiences. The sign and planets in the first house can describe our actual birth experience, and those early experiences and those of childhood, tend to colour the way we perceive the world.

Liz Greene describes the Ascendant as a gateway to life that is symbolic of the link between one reality and another, representing a new phase, new beginning, and “fresh start“. Some astrologers associate karmic meanings to the rising sign for that very reason. The rising sign is often referred to as the persona and mask we wear in social situations, although this often gives the wrong impression that the Ascendant is a superficial point in the chart. The Ascendant is usually much more obvious on first meeting than our Sun and Moon sign. The descendant in the natal chart lies opposite our place of birth and represents the unconscious side of the rising sign and is usually projected. These are the qualities that we are seeking to develop, but we are not consciously aware that this energy actually belongs to us.

Sometimes we are so close to the Ascendant (face) that we cannot always observe its characteristics directly. The Ascendant has an integrating influence over the personality and the rising sign presides over the whole birth chart, influencing the planetary house positions that set the horoscope wheel in motion. Usually the Ascendant sign is the first point an astrologer uses to begin chart interpretation.

We see people approach new situations in different ways. One individual may walk into a new situation with optimism, openness and positivity. Others approach situations with caution, fear and defensiveness and this can assessed by looking at the rising sign and planets in the first house. The Ascendant filters all our life experiences and the ruling planet of the sign rising at birth, acts like a kind of “God” parent. The modern day version of a god parent is to support the parents (Sun and Moon) and to act as a kind of mentor and guide to the developing child. It’s important to analyze the sign and house position of our ruling deity to see where our energies will be immediately expressed.