Your ascendant is the face you show the world.

“Cedric,” someone may say when they first meet me, “Can you guess my sign?” By this, they mean their sun sign. The answer to that question is no: I can’t…but I can guess your ascendant.

But I can guess their ascendant, or rising sign, easily just by seeing and meeting them.

The rising sign is the sign “rising” on the eastern horizon the moment someone is born. It’s the cusp of the 1st house, the House of Self. The rising sign is an indication of what a person will look like and what they seem like upon first impression.

Ever meet someone who seems very much one way, only to truly be another way? Perhaps that Leo you think is quiet and shy only appears so because of Virgo rising? Perhaps that Pisces seems stoic because of Capricorn rising, which hides a tender heart.

Your ascendant is also how you “receive” the world.

Your rising sign is not only what you look like, but how you initially react to the world around you. This is because the world reacts to you, initially, based on your rising sign. If your rising sign is the same as your sun sign, or in the same element (fire, water, earth, or air), then people tend to read you well. However, if your rising sign is opposite or square to your sun sign, you may surprise or confuse people.

Imagine an independent, philosophical Sagittarius sun but with Pisces rising. People initially think that this person is gentle, sensitive, and perhaps needy. They may be shocked, upset, or confused when they discover that this person doesn’t need or want their help, and is not interested in being a shoulder to cry on.

With that being said, the individual takes in the world the same way. The Pisces rising person, for example, may be sensitive to the world around her. However, she may find it easy to rationalize it and walk away rather than sympathize too much. She may understand that people expect her to be gentle and giving, so she may use Pisces evasiveness in order to do a disappearing act in order to preserve her Sagittarius desire for freedom.

Do you know your ascendant?

If not, ask an astrologer (like Cedric here!) If you would like your chart read, contact me or one of my astrologer friends.