By 12andus 1325 days ago

• Sun-Ascendant
• Sun
• Ascendant
• Houses

Chances are you have heard of the importance of your ‘Sun Sign’, the astrological sign that describes your ego, personality and potential talents.

Yet while the Sun portrays the aspect of your personality that shines the brightest and leads you to express yourself using the best of your talents, the Ascendant or Rising Sign is also an important aspect of your Natal Chart.

The Ascendant is considered by some to be as important as the Sun Sign and can either balance or reinforce the qualities of the Sun Sign. The Rising Sign conveys your physical appearance as well as the aspects of your personality which you project out into the world. Your public face and first impressions are determined by your Ascendant.

When the Sun Sign and Ascendant are considered together in a chart interpretation, greater depth and understanding can be attained. Someone with Sun in Leo can have the potential to be outgoing, optimistic, generous and dramatic. Yet if their Rising Sign is Virgo, they give a first impression of being calculating, practical and much more low key than their Sun Sign would suggest.

This person may appear more conservative than the average Leo, preferring not to automatically draw attention to themselves. They may also prefer to let their work speak for itself rather than personally always being in the spotlight. This may also be the type of person who is initially service oriented and demure, yet whose charisma and gregarious attitude are revealed with greater familiarity.

Deeper understanding can be gleaned even still from considering the house placement of the Sun Sign. These specific nuances can make a big difference in how someone conveys their talents and even reveal their priorities and strengths.

An individual with Sun in Scorpio in their eleventh house will be more apt to join groups and associations, valuing their network and helping others facilitate deep transformations in the context of social clubs or progressive grass roots movements.

They may vacillate between keeping a low profile and carefully observing everyone around them, to suddenly expressing their intense, dramatic and unexpected impulsive side, shocking those around them.

Consider how this energy is further understood with exploration of the individual’s Ascendant. If the Rising Sign is Capricorn, this individual is perceived as hard working, aloof and serious.

Their cynical and practical nature is evident, yet others place confidence in this individual’s ability to tend to the mundane work and establish a firm foundation. This person may also appear much older than they are or easily connect with older generations.

They may be driven to create security in business while also conscious of their responsibility to society. Their heightened sense of personal responsibility can lead them to compulsively work or become over invested in social groups.

Compare this to an individual whose Sun is in Scorpio in the eleventh house but with Sagittarius Ascendant. This individual will have a preference to be part of groups and their Scorpio energy will be influenced by the eccentricity of the eleventh house, yet they will make a very different first impression.

Instead of all work and no play, this individual will be perceived by others as larger than life. They are likely to go to extremes and enjoy indulging in life’s pleasures.

An efficient way to size up a Natal Chart and develop a deeper understanding of a person’s motivation and characteristics is to consider how the Sun Sign, Ascendant and Sun’s placement work together to influence personality and outward expression.

At 12andus we calculated more than 500 possible Sun- Ascendant- Sun in House combinations. Thus, we have provided accurate details of how the dynamic between the ego (Sun Sign), external appearance (Ascendant) and direction of one's energy (Sun in house) shapes an individual's personality and path.

Also we calculated the prevalence of each combination, thus showing how common or rare a unique combination is.

As a registered user, you can read the meaning of your unique combination in the Birth Chart's Readings box of the Reports page.