What Is My Rising Sign, And What Does It Mean For Me?
First Impressions & Emotions: A Guide To Rising Signs
When it comes to astrology, most of us are hyper-aware of our sun sign and the traits it supposedly instils in us. Your sun sign is the one aligned to your date of birth – you know, those born between May 21 and June 21 are Gemini, and so on. You might also be aware of your moon sign – dictated by where the moon was at the time of your birth, and indicative of your inner emotional state and how you react to the world internally.
But while our sun and moon signs can be insightful in terms of our personality, going beyond and venturing into your birth chart is a great way to gather further intel. One example of this is identifying your rising sign.
What is a rising sign?
While your sun sign is determined by your date of birth, your rising sign is determined by the time and location of birth. This is because your rising sign is about where the sun was placed on the horizon back then.
What does my rising sign say about me?
Where your sun and moon signs are about your personality and inner emotional state, your rising sign is about how others perceive you, especially when it comes to first impressions. It gives great insight into the way you present yourself and is therefore good to deep-dive before things like job interviews and big events.
The rising sign is often called the “public mask” for this reason – not that the person you present to the world isn’t the real “you”, it’s simply a part of you, and as people get to know you better they also see the deeper facets of your personality. I like to think of it as the person I am when I am introduced to someone new, or walk into a first date.
For example, I am a Pisces, and my moon is in Leo. I never fully identified with the hyper-empathetic, emotional, dreamy nature of my sun sign – to a degree, I could see those traits in myself but I could also see some very un-Pisces traits, like a tendency towards organisation and bossiness, and (I mean, we’re being honest here) a love of attention. Some of those traits I can see in my moon sign, Leo.
I have been told often by people that I seem to be constantly happy and at ease in social situations, even when in reality I was struggling emotionally or mentally. My rising sign, Gemini, aligns with this – Gemini risings are often talkative, bubbly and social to the point of restlessness, their weakness being that they become distracted in conversation and don’t fully engage (guilty as charged).
How can I apply my rising sign knowledge to my life?
Understanding your rising sign can be seriously beneficial when it comes to conflict, particularly in the workplace and social settings. These are areas where your interpersonal issues are often with people who don’t know you as well as, say, your family and close circle. So what rubs them the wrong way when it comes to interactions with you will naturally be different to conflicts with your nearest and dearest.
For example, understanding that you struggle to engage in conversation without getting distracted (me) can give you the self-awareness you need to curb that behaviour. This is why I also find understanding your rising sign to be beneficial when it comes to dating and job interviews, both scenarios where first impressions can really count, and therefore self-awareness is seriously beneficial.
How can I calculate my rising sign?
There are plenty of apps around these days which will allow you to calculate your rising sign, but my favourite is Costar. Pop in your date of birth, location and time and it gives you a personalised birth chart (which also looks really pretty, as a bonus).
Words by Melissa Mason.
Melissa is a freelance writer and podcast host. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram.
