Monday 21 April 2014

Ascendant - the mask you put on to greet the world



What does the ascendant symbolise?


It can describe:

- the kind of mask you put on to greet the world

- how you begin new projects

- the first impression you give others

- the type of lens you put on to see the world

- the condition of your birth

- your physical appearance

(N.B. planets in the 1st house and aspects to the ascendant can influence the original expression of the ascendant)

I remember during my early days as an astro beginner, I read from somewhere that the ascendant is what we gradually become after the age of 30.  Later on, I learned that the ascendant is the route we take in order to reach our sun sign (i.e. our solar quest).  I was ever so grateful to discover the latter explanation  because it simply makes SO much more sense than the former.  

Using my own chart as an example, I have Sun in Pisces and Leo Rising.  According to the first rule, I am gentle, shy and compassionate before 30 and will become more flamboyant and confident after 30.  Even before reaching 30, I've had plenty of moments where I was confident, flamboyant, proud and melodramatic.  On turning 30, I still had my fair share of shyness and a tendency to procrastinate.  Personally, I find this rule totally unhelpful. However, if we apply the second model, we would have a completely different interpretation:  the sun is what we are developing towards, so I still have other qualities of the Sun which I have yet to attain, for example, to be more forgiving, to break out of victim mode. In order to pursue my solar qualities, I use my Ascendant to take me there, i.e. to be proud of who I am as I pursue my spiritual goals; to forgive my past actions, shed my shyness and step radiantly onto the solar stage.  By accessing the Leonine energy, I am able to take one step closer to my Piscean Sun.  

Take a look at your chart, what is the link between your Ascendant and your Sun?
Image courtesy of num_skyman/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

6 comments:

  1. Excellent article. I am experiencing some of these issues as well..


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  2. Nice article Maxine! I have Virgo ascendant and Aquarius sun, so that means I need to access my Virgoan qualities ie. logic, organisation, reserved nature to access my Aquarian innovative and unique side. How would you interpret this? jo

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    1. Fantastic interpretation Jo!

      Aquarius is also a humanitarian, a forward thinker filled with sudden inspirations to make this world a better place. The air quality of Aquarius can be stabilised via Virgo's practical approach and its ability to discriminate those ideas which are more likely to work in reality.

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  3. Maxine, How about Sun in Leo and Aquarius Rising?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kimmi,

      Sun in Leo would like you to be proud of being yourself, to find your own stage and display your true self. With Aquarius ascendant, you tend to see the world through a unique lens and is future-oriented.

      Be proud of who you are (Sun in Leo) by taking the path less trodden, or even create your own one! (ASC Aquarius). It's OK to be different, despite what society might think.

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  4. Salutations & Greetings. xD

    My Sun is in Cancer (other three more degrees, and I'd be an awesome Leo instead!), but fortunately my Ascendant (rising sign), Moon and Pluto are all together in conjunction, in Scorpio. xD

    The links between the Sun and the other planets are:
    Sun-trine-Moon, Sun-square-Ascendant, Sun-trine-Pluto. xD

    Ascendant as mask... Well, you are right. Since it's disliking to be a Cancer guy (people labels you as a weirdo, or even like a gay guy in the worst case ever), I have to prove others how strong-minded and capable I am. My stellium in Scorpio (and also considering my Saturn-square-Ascendant and my Sun-opposite-Saturn) gives me the cold temperament and the resilience I need in order to bear the daily life's issues. xD

    The first impression I give others... No. People thinks I am silent (and even voiceless) due to shyness rather to an attempt to be intimidating to others. Fortunately, it also helps me to make others thinking I am secretive and reserved (and I am it indeed). xD

    Physical appearance... No. Scorpio's strength is not visible in my skinny, weak and thin body. I am very dark-skinned (Scorpios usually have a pale skin or a skin tone clearer than the rest of the people; I am a native Mexican), and my eyes are black. The only Scorpio's stuff in my appearance is my glare (people thinks I am moody or angry all the time). xD

    I am 25 years old (July 20, 1991), and I have never acted like a Cancer guy (well, not anymore since I was seven years old because of people's mocks). Rather, since I discovered at age nine my risign sign and Moon in Scorpio (the first elements I could calculate by hand, before Internet's arrival, using a book), I have let my Scorpian stuffs expressing freely, with no boundaries. After that, I discovered the rest of my natal chart until the year 2011 (then, I noticed my stellium in Leo in my tenth house and also including my Midheaven), at age 20. From then on, I attempt to use the power of Leo and Scorpio (specially, what it's in Scorpio) for resisiting daily life's issues and some other unfortunate events I had to face. If I were a normal Cancer guy, I think I had commited suicide long ago. xD

    The type of lens I put myself on to see the world... Well... I need to wear (corrective) glasses, but doctors didn't believed in me until the year 2015... Returning to the main theme, Scorpio has a weird, curious inflence in the way I see life: We all shall die, but our life must be worthwhile, so maybe we would deserve some respect when we'll get too old to earn money by ourselves, and perhaps someone give us a meal (because when we'll get old, we won't even be able to feed by ourselves). I think it's a tragic way to see life, but I think it's kinda realistic... Unless keeping young until the last day of our life (Death doesn't scare me. Being old does). xD

    Unluckily for me, there still are Cancerian stuffs annoying me: I can't conceive life without money, and poverty scares me a lot (since I live in Mexico, a third world's country, and I have faced two economical crisis...), and I realized some time ago I'm just a bunch of memories, and there's no thing unable to revive such memories. I don't want even thinking about how would be my behavior at age 30. :(

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