Last time I wrote I said that we could look at something different other than the Moon signs and that is exactly what this blog is about, if you feel like you want to know more about ‘rising and shining’ astrologically, then this is the place for you.
There are significant symbols in the natal (birth chart) and one of those symbols is called the ascendant, also called the ‘rising sign’.
The ascendant (or rising sign if you prefer that term) is the sign of the Zodiac and it’s position which is measured in degrees, which can be found rising on the eastern horizon at the time of birth.
You need to know your time of birth in order to find out what your ascendant sign is. If you know your time of birth but do not have a natal chart , then you can generate your chart for free by going to www.astro.com If you do not know the exact time of your birth you can still access a natal chart that will show you which planets were in which signs when you were born. However it will not give you the ascendant sign and house system (see older blog re: house system). It will show you your Sun sign as well as all the other planets and signs they were in as well as the measured degree that the planet was in any one sign.
If you have a natal chart think about 9.00 in a clock-face and that will take you to the area where your ascendant sign is, you will see the initials AC or ASC and that is the abbreviation for ascendant. Near those initials you will see a symbol for the sign where the ascendant is located. If you were born at sunrise your ascendant sign would be the same as your Sun sign, so giving an extra strength in that energy of the sign whatever it maybe.
Two people who were born early hours in the morning (and who are subjects in my forthcoming book) are the American astrologer Linda Goodman a Sun Libra A g and Ascendant Libra , and Helen Duncan, the trance medium who was the last person in Britain to be imprisoned and charged under the Witchcraft Act of 1735. Helen was a Sun Sagittarius A i and Ascendant Sagittarius .
Some other examples of people who have the same Sun and Ascendant sign in their chart include;
David Beckham: Sun Taurus,
Arthur Conan Doyle: Sun Gemini,
George Galloway: Sun Leo,
George Elliott: Sun Scorpio,
Germaine Greer: Sun Aquarius,
Here is an example of somebody who was born at 12.30pm, this is the natal chart for the unique and greatly missed Marc Bolan. Marc Bolan’s Chart can be found by clicking on this link – it will open in a new tab or window.
Speaking of which Marc would have been celebrating his seventieth birthday on 30th September so belated happy returns to him for that special day. More sadly, his life was cut short when he died forty years ago on 16th September just two weeks before his thirtieth birthday. The more experienced astrologers amongst you who are reading this, will know that his transits were very significant for the date of his passing. Anyway, back to the ascendant sign in Marc’s chart you can see the ascendant is in the sign of Sagittarius at 3 degrees, are you with me still?
Here is a picture of the astrological signs if you want to see the glyphs of each of the signs.
So what does all this mean in practice and in real terms how does it reflect our personality? I once heard the ascendant /rising sign being described as like ‘our front door’ which I thought was a really good analogy. If you think about our front door it represents a front, an immediate impression if you like, and that is exactly what the ascendant sign is, it represents the personality you project to others you meet. It shows your appearance, image and the way others see you.
Sun sign represents the heart of our personality and is the key to our self-expression, and it is important to express your solar energy ( Sun sign) in an area of your life because it is important to be true to yourself ‘ unto thine self be true’ then you can radiate and shine just like the Sun and be the person you want to be.
You may have observed that some people seem more true to their Sun sign than others and this is because the remaining other planets in their natal chart are not at odds with their Sun sign. If you have your own natal chart you will be able to see by the aspects grid, if there are any other planets which are at odds with your Sun sign.
In the example of Marc Bolan we can see that the Sun was opposing the Moon, Sun conjunct Venus and Sun conjunct Neptune, however we are not discussing aspects here but Marc’s Sun sign Libra and ascendant (or rising) sign Sagittarius. For those interested in Moon signs his Moon was in the sign of Aries (see older blog for Moon in Aries).
Sun Libra suggests that Marc was happiest when he was part of a couple be that in business or personal partnerships, he could be charming and co-operative although at times could be indecisive because he could see both sides of the argument. Libra is ruled by Venus which also indicates his love of colour, design and style. He had leadership qualities and could be pioneering too since Libra is a cardinal (see older blog) sign which is associated with the aforementioned characteristics, some of his pioneering qualities can be seen through his Mod Music and of course Glam Rock.
As discussed above, the aspects created by other planets with the Sun will have created certain energies which will have put the Sun at odds and conflict with those planets.
The Sagittarius ascendant: shows that Marc had a friendly and laid-back appearance and that he enjoyed wearing casual and colourful clothes and had a style which could be creative and flamboyant which we can certainly see in his public life/ persona as a singer.
Other people in the spotlight with a Sagittarius ascendant include singers/song-writers ; Damon Albarn , Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix .
So there we are a bit about how we can see the ‘Rise and Shine’ in our natal chart, next time we can look at some of the other signs when they are positioned on the ascendant and what that means.
Thinking of Marc at this time and all that he achieved in his very short life, until the next time my friends…
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