The Three Rising Signs in Astrology

Human beings are complicated and not easily explained with just one sign. Most people believe their sign is based on their birth month and the corresponding constellation. However, that is only the rising sign (lagna) of your sun. Equally important are the rising signs of your moon and of your Ascendant. The Ascendant is the constellation rising on the eastern horizon at the time and place of your birth (that’s why we need the birth time). Since the earth is rotating, the sign rising on the horizon changes every couple of hours.

The sun sign represents how we express to the world; how the world perceives us. The significations of the sun are ego, career, and father. The moon sign represents how we perceive the world. The moon signifies emotions, feelings, and the public. The Ascendant is the structure that holds it all together relative to the personality and it allows us to cast additional charts for specific areas of life (money, relationships, health, etc.). It is said that earlier in life one behaves more like the Ascendant and later in life more like the sun sign. 

Having three ‘dimensions’ to look at the karma represented in the chart gives a more detailed and nuanced insight into the person. One often finds contradictions in the chart: from the sun sign it looks one way and from the moon sign it looks the opposite way. But that is the human experience: I want to lose weight but I’m going to eat that cookie anyway. Astrology doesn’t get rid of the cravings, but it can show you why you have them and that awareness is one step closer to overcoming them.