Sorry, but I'm kind of clueless. I've been starting to study some astrology (and by some, I mean basics), and I've notice 'rising sign' or 'ascending sign' mentioned once or twice. What is it? How do you find out what it is? I went to astrology.com and filled out a few questions, but the description it gave me seemed way off. It said I was a rising Virgo, but the description was nothing like me. Can anyone help?
The rising sign or ascendant is the sign in which the Earth's horizon is located at the time of your birth (and because this changes roughly every two hours, an exact time of birth is needed in order to verify its position). It influences several aspects of your being, but is primarily responsible for determining your initial response to your environment as well as what might be considered the most exterior layer of your personality. It can often determine how people will initially react to you and vice versa. Generally speaking, the ascendant's importance will diminish as you delve more deeply into an individual's personality. Travis
To confuse you further... In traditional astrology, the ascendant represents you. The difference here is that in modern astrology, the chart represents you as a person, and in traditional, the chart represents... well... everything, and you as a person only get the 1st house which contains the ascendant. The other houses represent everything else that you can imagine.
So now what I don't understand is how to find said rising sign and if the astrology.com assumption was true, why does the description not match me at all? It said something along the lines of snobby, well-groomed, etc. and I've never been either of those. I've also asked, and my close friends don't think that I come off that way, either...
I wouldn't exactly consider astrology.com to be a reliable source of information. As you may have noticed, it's very mainstream and commercial and tends to cater to the general public, which in this case means that many of the concepts are diluted in some form. If you have in fact verified that you're a Virgo rising, then I'd recommend searching for some astrology sites that are a little more progressive. Here's a few that I know of: www.astrologyweekly.com http://www.novareinna.com/constellation/ http://www.skyscript.co.uk/ http://www.btinternet.com/~seamaid/Esotericcontents.htm http://www.astro.com/ (includes free chart creation) http://groups.msn.com/HOROSCOPESCHAT/welcomepage.msnw (astrology forum) Meanwhile, here's a Virgo rising description from one of my all-time favorite astrology books called Astrology: A Cosmic Science: Ingenious, active and alert mind. Quiet, unassuming, shy in manner. Never crude or coarse in personality. Thoughtful, albeit somewhat self-centered. Always looks ten years younger than they are, no matter what their age. This fact often helps to rectify a chart where timing is concerned. Very restless and nervous, so seldom have much weight on them. Practical, analytical and methodical in all they do. Sometimes indecisive and unsure, especially if Mercury is in a mutable sign. Needs to learn to digest every experience and assimilate it without rancor or resentment. Needs to get rid of a negativity that stems from a feeling of inadequacy. Refined in conduct and demeanor. Finally, one thing to keep in mind about astrology is that ultimately, the energies represented by astrology can't be fragmented or isolated. In terms of day-to-day existence, astrological placements manifest in a synthesized, intertwined form, meaning that sometimes certain elements of an individual's chart will overshadow other elements, making them more difficult to identify. For example, I'm a Leo with Leo rising, but I seldom seek the spotlight or draw attention to myself, as conventional definitions of those placements would suggest. This has much to do with my house placements as well as the fact that the remainder of my "personal" planets (Sun through Mars) are placed in feminine signs, which in my case tempers the more obvious Leo traits. The best thing to do to counteract this is to become acquainted with astrology not just conceptually, but energetically as well. In other words, you would need to establish an attunement with the actual vibratory energy of each planet and sign. That way, you'll be able to sense certain energies (in yourself and in others) that aren't necessarily manifesting behaviorially, but are exerting an influence nonetheless. Anyway, that should keep you busy for a while. Travis
