posted August 30, 2016 10:40 AM
Your ascendant, or rising sign, is the first impression you give others. It is the "mask" you put on in public. It is how you feel comfortable presenting yourself as around strangers. It is also how you view the world and live life. For example, a Virgo rising feels that they need to be efficient in everything that they do and that any flaw or imperfection is a sign of weakness, especially when in public.Your Sun sign is probably the most important part of the whole chart. It is who you really are at the core. It is what others see once they get to know you. It is your ego identity. When you succeed in an area related to your Sun sign, you'll notice that you'll feel really good inside. This is because you're being true to yourself. It's easier to act different from your Sun sign than it is to do that with your Moon and rising signs, but you just won't feel as good about yourself. If, for example, you're a Gemini and you have to do things related to the sign of Cancer, you CAN do those things, but you won't feel like you're being you.
Your Moon sign is your emotional nature. It is the side of you that only those closest to you see. It is the way you react when in a crisis. For example, a Scorpio Moon tends to feel things extremely deeply, yet holds it in in order to not show weakness. Scorpio Moons can also see through almost anything, so nothing is really a shock to them.
Your Mercury sign is how you think and communicate. There is a good chance that your Mercury sign is in the same sign as your Sun sign, due to Mercury being very close to the Sun. For example, a Gemini Mercury communicates in a clever and witty way, and needs to know about everything. With the Sun also in Gemini, the need to know will be even more prevalent, in order to make the inner core happy.
Your Venus sign is what you look for in a partner. It is what you find most attractive and value most. For example, a Gemini Venus values intelligence and compelling conversation the most out of a partner. An "airhead" just won't satisfy them, no matter how good looking they may be.
Your Mars sign is your ambitious nature. For example, a Pisces Mars tends to just let life happen as it is, and only act when the timing feels right, as they tend to be very intuitive and know that there's a "most high" guiding them at all times.
Appearances of the Sun, Moon, and Rising signs:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150316011622/http://www.librarising.com/astrology/sunsigns/suntable.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20150316011622/http://www.librarising.com/astrology/moonsigns/moontable.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20150316011622/http://www.librarising.com/astrology/risingsigns/ristable.html
Thought this would be a good post to explain what the ascendant and personal planets are about, just like Neptune and Pluto in my last one.