Question: I frequently see people downplaying the ascendant and its relevance in a chart. It’s sometimes referred to as a mask, a superficial layer that someone throws on when you first meet them. I’ve even seen some claim that this aspect of the chart is false and that you are a blatant knockoff of the sign. While I get the concept of the ascendant as a mask, because I imagine the soul is rather big and can take on a…...
Question: What does it imply to have aspects to the Ascendant? People have a hard time placing their finger on who I am since I have so much going on with my Ascendant, I’ve always thought. Do you have an explanation for what it means to have too many aspects from the Ascendant? The Sun is square the Ascendant, the Moon is square the Ascendant, Mars is inconjunct the Ascendant, Chiron is square the Ascendant, Uranus is conjunct the Ascendant,…...
Question: I have found two styles of presentation most common with Gemini rising people. One style is bubbly, changeable, talkative, and a little quirky. These natives are interesting and fun. They constantly explain things, whether it’s their own behavior and opinion or those of the world around them. Another distinct “style” is a rather cool and intellectual demeanor. These natives are often quite witty and clever, but they present themselves in a less cheerful and changeable way than the first…...
In the case of many planets in this part of the chart, your view of life is colored and very varied. With a greater variety of faces to wear, sometimes it might seem as if you’re wearing them all at once, but at other times you may choose to put only your best face forward, so to speak. It could be that you like to try out many styles, trying on all of the masks, and changing the mask according…...
The Ascendant, ruled by the element of FIRE, is naturally the first energy we project outward into the world. It’s where we first entered into life, and it’s symbolic of our first breath. Everyone born in the world on our date has generally the same set-up of planets – everyone born close to us in time will probably have the same Moon but only someone born exactly when and where we are, has the same Ascendant degree. The Ascendant sets the whole chart…...
It is possible that Pluto square your Ascendant results in overpowering tensions and a perpetual battle with your identity, which is powerfully influenced by the Plutonian elements in your chart. In addition, this aspect of your life generally brings in Pluto’s natal house themes, and it has the effect of working against you in your life. In spite of the immense amount of strength it provides, it appears as though the concerns are more vital since there is a sense of a blockage or constant…...
The Ascendant is the degree of the zodiac that was on the eastern horizon at the time you took your first breath. It is the ‘dawn point’ of your human experience and expression, as well as the starting point of the first house of identity in which you are a part of. When I think about the Ascendant, I can’t help but think of the words of Blaise Pascal, who wrote in the seventeenth century: “”In considering the brief duration…...
According to Stephen Arroyo: The Ascendant shows a way in which we are acutely sensitive and aware, for it affects us in the area of our lives and in the dimension of our energy field that is most sensitive. The Ascendant represents the image of the personality that is seen by others. This does not mean that this image is an accurate portrayal of one’s total self, but it does show something which other people often notice as a first…...
The Sun, Moon and Ascendant blending show the body as garment (Asc), Soul as memory (Moon), and Spirit as God (Sun). The triad of the threefold nature of body, soul, and spirit. We possess a body with which to explore on this plane of mass and matter. By analogy, spirit and soul are related to each other as the Sun is to the Moon, as masculine is to feminine, as logos to eros, as yin to yang. The world of…...
The Sun One is what one is. The Sun in the chart reflects a fundamental creative urge to be yourself. But what does that mean? When astrologers use words like ‘individuate’ and ‘purpose,’ mostly we mean to do something significant that fills the life with meaning and that you feel it right in the center of your being. You are a part of the universe, and the fact that you are here is evidence that you have a right to…...