At the moment that you were born, one of the twelve zodiac signs was rising on the eastern horizon of the sky. This sign is called your rising sign or Ascendant. The rising sign acts as a sort of astrological mask, determining how others see us, as well as filtering our vision of the world in a particular way, like the eyeholes in a mask. The sun sign, on the other hand determines how we organize our lives, the key values around which we center our lives, like planets orbiting the sun. Many people come across more strongly as being their rising sign than their sun sign. Also, you will notice that two people with the same sun sign but different Ascendants present themselves in different ways.

Calculating the Ascendant

Part of the reason sun sign astrology is so popular is that it is easy to identify someone’s sun sign from their date of birth.  To know someone’s rising sign, you need to much more specific information—the place and exact minute of birth.  These days, you can use an astrology software program to determine the rising sign, but before the rise of computer technology, astrologers used mathematical calculation to figure out this information.   If you do not know someone’s exact time of birth, you cannot develop a full astrological chart for them, only what is called a flat chart which does not include the rising sign.  However, some advanced astrologers can perform what is called a rectification, calculating the missing time from information about the timing of key events in an individual’s life.

Sun Signs and Rising Signs

Imagine you know someone with Leo rising and a Pisces sun sign.  This individual may look and act like a Leo in many ways:  making a dramatic entrance to a party wearing fashionable clothes and swinging a luxuriant mane of hair.  However, as you get to know the person better, their Piscean traits, such as spirituality, philanthropy, and a possible history of addiction, will become more apparent.  This Leo rising Piscean tends to seek the spotlight more often than a person with a Pisces sun who has Virgo rising.  A Pisces sun person with a Virgo Ascendant often has a strong interest in issues relating to food, health and serving others.  This person presents a less dramatic physical appearance than Pisces sun person with a Leo Ascendant.

Do people sometimes tell you that you don’t seem like your sun sign? Do you feel a sense of disconnection when you read about your sun sign? It may be that you are someone who relates more strongly to the rising sign. Try reading horoscope predictions for both your sun sign and your rising sign in order to get a clearer picture of what the movement of the planets holds for you.  Astrology reveals so much about your personality and your path in life–learn more about yourself by learning more about astrology.