The word “journey” has become overused and trite. The depth of our spiritual journey is not diminished in any way by this. Our path starts the moment we are born. We must know the exact moment and location of our birth into the world. Based on this data, a natal chart can be built and the zodiac signs and planets can be placed in the horoscope’s twelve houses. The Ascendant symbolises the instant at which anything comes into being. To ascend into life is to experience the imprint of the entire world upon one’s own existence; this is true not just for humans but for all forms of life, including plants and animals. All new beginnings carry with them a fingerprint of the cosmos. Everything has a beginning, including your story.

The rising sign at the time of our birth describes the manner in which we make our presence felt in the world. How people see us and how we see the world. The Ascendant represents the direction we must pursue; it specifies the work to be done and the personal attributes to hone that will lead us to self-actualization (Sun). Indeed, all humans share the experience of going through the stages of life from birth to death. To what extent we succeed in our endeavours and come to terms with the limits of our horoscope chart is a key factor in determining our ultimate fate. Along the road, we encounter both favourable and unfavourable circumstances, and must learn to adapt to an ever-changing array of events. Throughout our lives, we are gravitated astrologically toward the ascendant, and we must learn to embody the characteristics of our ascendant sign. However, it’s also typical for people to overlook their Rising sign. However, as time goes on, they will inevitably face the test posed by the ascendant. The Ascendant sign, planet therein, and aspects provide a map for navigating the world and discovering who you are.

Even though we may continually analyse the characteristics of our Sun Sign and Moon Sign, we need to look closer to home, since the rising sign represents a new period of progress. In order to learn how to deal with the difficulties of life, it is necessary to look at the qualities that should be developed first on the Ascendant. Many astrologers postulate that our birth times are predetermined by a higher intelligence. The element of the sign on the ascendant can help us determine whether or not we are adopting a down-to-earth, realistic perspective on life (EARTH) and engaging in the kinds of hands-on work that will bring us closer to our goals. Alternatively, we may be venturing into the uncharted territory of our innermost feelings, gut instincts, and hunches (WATER). Whatever the case may be, the ascendant provides insight into the direction we must typically go to reconcile the other aspects of the horoscope. 

According to Demetra George:

The birth chart can be read, not merely as a description of the personality or a prognostication of events that will take place, but also as a guide to the activities that can facilitate the living of a purposeful life. The Ascendant indicates the basic motivation that drives the soul, and the planet ruling the Ascendant guides the life to its destination. The Ascendant is perhaps the most sensitive and personal factor in the zodiacal sign and degree that rose above the eastern horizon at the precise moment and place of a child’s birth. The Ascendant marks the spot where heaven meets earth at the location of sunrise on day of birth. It is what makes a child unique from any other child born that day. The ancients knew the Ascendant as the horoskopos, the “hour-marker,” as a place of life, it designates when the newborn takes its first breath as an independent entity at the moment life comes into physical incarnation. The Ascendant degree establishes the line of the horizon, marking both the sunrise and sunset points on the birth day, and hence distinguishing the boundary between the location of the other planetary bodies that are in the upper hemisphere of earth and those in the lower hemisphere. The sign in which the Ascendant is located occupies the first house. Hellenistic astrologers named this house: Breath, Spirit, Life and Helm. The helm contains the sterring mechanism of a ship and, in this context, refers to a nautical metaphor used in ancient texts that envisioned the life as a sea faring journey.