What is a Rising sign? Is it different to your star sign? Have you been reading your horoscope wrong all this time? Tatler talks to astrologer Deborah Lynna Ehrlich for a better understanding
When you read your horoscope for the week or month, does it seem a little vague or like it doesn’t quite match up with your life? Maybe you’re a Leo, which is often associated with loving being the centre of attention, but you hate being on stage. Or you’re a Capricorn, a sign often described as workaholics, but you actually enjoy some relaxation.
One of the key reasons astrology can seem vague is because we rely so heavily on the Sun sign (the sign denoted by the day you were born) as being the only signifier of our horoscope, when in fact there are other aspects of the chart to take into consideration, such as the Ascendant sign.
Your Ascendant sign, also know as your Rising sign, is calculated using your exact birth time—and by exact, I do mean exact—and one of the things it represents is your day-to-day role in life. Your friends, colleagues and family interact with this part of you daily, and much of how you express yourself to the outside world is influenced by the Ascendant.
Read more: 2023 yearly horoscope for all zodiac signs
At a technical level, the Ascendant represents the astrological sign that was on the eastern horizon at the time when you were born. It is the sign that was literally rising with you! As a result, it colours the world you stepped into, and its energies influence yours.
The Rising sign is sometimes referred to as a mask, but it is just as much a part of you as your Sun sign is. And if your Rising sign has a planet or two in the mix, you may sometimes feel the part of your personality that’s informed by your Ascendant more strongly.
Of course, we are a blend of our whole birth chart, but the Ascendant is one of the key pillars. Here is an explanation of how Rising signs influence an individual using celebrity examples.