What is a "rising sign"?

Have you recently heard someone talk about their rising sign? The rising sign, like the entirety of your natal chart, is calculated with your birth time, date, and place.  Its the sign of the zodiac that was rising along the sun’s ecliptic (its path across the sky) at the time you were born.

Its significance mirrors that symbolism because as the sign that was rising at the minute of your birth, is the archetype that was presenting during that brief span of time is a primary characteristic in how the world sees you. Sometimes it even feels more YOU than your sun sign.  Knowing these shades of ourselves can bring clairity, validate our experience, and help suss out familial and cultural programming from what we know to be true about ourselves. 

Related, your sun sign is the constellation that was present at sunrise for some 30-odd days during the month of your birth. Your sun sign is the sign people are looking for when they ask “what is your sign”.  

What’s the significance of the rising sign? 

It has a ton of impact in who you are, how you present, and how the world sees you. If you know yours, you may actually identify with it more than your “sign” or sun sign. 

For instance, Capricorn rising appears disciplined, goal-oriented and ambitious. Capricorn sun, which also embodies these characteristics will be tempered by whatever rising sign is present in the chart. Meaning, Capricorn sun with Libra rising will describe an individual who is determined and goal oriented - but presents themselves with classic Libran charm. 

Having an awareness of our rising sign allows someone to appreciate and work with the gifts of this placement in their chart. Knowing one is capricorn rising makes conscious that an individual contributes a goal-baseed approach with a practical and disciplined forward motion vision that can be incredibly helpful in many settings. 

Often people are so used to living from their rising sing - it may even feel like a more authentic mode of operation, or they may “feel more like” the characteristics described in their rising sign.